Contemporary
Alan Shepard and Freedom 7 (1961): First American in Space
Shepard completed a 15-minute suborbital flight, the first American human spaceflight, and was safely recovered.
Era · 1945 – present
Contemporary
From the Cold War and the Space Race to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the world we live in today.
Contemporary
Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1 (1961): First Human in Space
Gagarin completed one orbit of the Earth in 108 minutes and returned safely, giving the Soviet Union the first human spaceflight.
Contemporary
Agent Orange and Operation Ranch Hand: Defoliation in Vietnam
About 75 to 77 million litres of herbicides were sprayed, leaving lasting dioxin contamination and long-running health and compensation disputes.
Contemporary
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Thirteen Days on the Nuclear Brink
The Soviet Union withdrew its missiles from Cuba in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba and a secret promise to remove US Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
Contemporary
Evian Accords 1962: The Agreement That Ended the Algerian War
France and the FLN agreed a ceasefire and a path to Algerian independence, approved by referendums and achieved on 3–5 July 1962.
Contemporary
Sino-Indian War 1962: China and India Clash in the Himalayas
Chinese victory; China declared a unilateral ceasefire on 21 November 1962, kept control of Aksai Chin and withdrew from most of the eastern sector.
Contemporary
Telstar 1 (1962): First Live Transatlantic Satellite TV
Telstar 1 proved that an orbiting satellite could relay live television, telephone calls and data between continents, opening the age of satellite communications.
Contemporary
John Glenn and Friendship 7 (1962): First American to Orbit
Glenn completed three orbits in just under five hours and returned safely, the first American to orbit the Earth.
Contemporary
Plate Tectonics Revolution (1960s): Seafloor Spreading Proven
Within about six years, most earth scientists accepted that Earth's outer shell is divided into moving plates, explaining earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains and ocean basins.
Contemporary
Silent Spring (1962): Rachel Carson and the Fight Against DDT
The book changed public attitudes to pesticides, prompted a presidential science review and helped lead to the US ban on most uses of DDT in 1972.
Contemporary
Thich Quang Duc (1963): The Burning Monk Protest in Saigon
The self-immolation drew worldwide attention to the Buddhist crisis, weakened US support for President Diem and contributed to the coup that overthrew him in November 1963.
Contemporary
Ich bin ein Berliner (1963): Kennedy's Speech in West Berlin
The speech affirmed US commitment to West Berlin and became one of the most famous addresses of the Cold War.