1957

1. 1957 Jan ’57 Eisenhower inaugurated for a second term March ’57 Expert panel links smoking to cancer for the first time March ’57 European Common Market formed Sept ’57 Federal Troops sent to Little Rock Schools Fall 1957 Asian Flu pandemic sweeps the US and our class Oct ’57 Russia Launches Sputnik – stuns the world The Space Race is on – education shifts to science & math Dec ’57 First US Satellite Launch is a failure

2. 1958 March ’58 Elvis goes into the Army May ’58 Nixon spat on and stoned in Latin America Aug. ’58 Atomic Sub, Nautilus, sails under polar icecap . . . sails over the North pole while under the ice Sept. ’58 Gov. Faubus closes Little Rock High Schools Oct ‘58 Pope John XXIII elected after Pius XII dies Dec. ’58 Thalidomide causes major birth defects

3. 1959 Jan. ‘59 Fidel Castro Conquers Cuba Jan. ‘59 Alaska becomes 49th State (largest) Feb. ‘59 “The Day The Music Died” – Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper die in Iowa Plane crash The Hula Hoop is a big craze May ‘59 US launches two monkeys into space after Russians orbit a dog. July ‘59 Nixon and Nikita have the “Kitchen Debate” In Moscow.

4. 1959 cont. Aug. ‘59 Hawaii becomes 50th state Rock n’ Roll no longer considered a passing fad . . . . & Detectives and Cowboys dominate TV shows Sept. ‘59 Russia’s Lunik II hits the moon – first human contact with another solar system body. Fallout shelters in vogue Oct ’59 TV Game Shows Rigged – Charles Van Doren disgraced Oct ‘59 Russia’s Lunik III photographs dark side of the moon Nov. ‘59 Ford drops the Edsel - “Edsel” becomes Synonymous with monumental failures

5. 1960 Jan ‘60 John XXIII launches Vatican II Latin no longer used in Mass Feb. ‘60 Lunch counter sit-ins begin throughout the south April ‘60 Payola scandal rocks Radio DJs – DJ Allen Freed implicated – later arrested. May ‘60 U-2 spy plane shot down – breaks up Summit meeting June ‘60 Floyd Patterson becomes the first Heavyweight Champion to regain the boxing title

6. 1960 cont. July ’60 U-2 Pilot Gary Powers indicted in Russia The Untouchables become a huge TV hit July ‘60 Kennedy nominated for Dem. presidential candidate Sept ‘60 The Kennedy – Nixon Debates begin Now TV image influences presidential elections Nov. ‘60 Kennedy elected by a slim margin - first Catholic president Dec. ‘60 The “Pill” goes on sale – the sexual revolution begins – but it is still illegal in CT.

7. 1961 Jan ’61 Kennedy sworn in – gives “Ask not . . . Speech” Camelot begins . . . . . April ‘61 Russia puts the first man into earth orbit April ‘61 Bay of Pigs a fiasco as invasion of Cuba fails May ‘61 USA puts first American in space President Kennedy “accompanies” Jackie to Paris The Twist is introduced by Chubby Checker

8. 1961 cont. June ‘61 JFK – Khrushchev Summit in Vienna Aug ‘61 Berlin Wall goes up Bob Dylan opens in Greenwich Village Oct. ‘61 Vietnam Turmoil now called “A War” Dec ’61 Adolph Eichmann sentenced to death in Israel Dec ‘61 First American killed by the Viet Cong