Contemporary
Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963): Ending Atmospheric Nuclear Tests
The United States, Britain and the Soviet Union agreed to stop nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater; underground testing continued.
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
Bristol Bus Boycott (1963): Challenging the Colour Bar in Britain
The Bristol Omnibus Company ended its colour bar on 28 August 1963, and the campaign helped build support for Britain's first Race Relations Act in 1965.
Contemporary
The Feminine Mystique (1963): Betty Friedan's Second Wave
The bestselling book helped spark second-wave feminism in the United States and led to the founding of the National Organization for Women in 1966.
Contemporary
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing (1963) in Birmingham
Four girls were killed; three Klansmen were eventually convicted of murder, in 1977, 2001 and 2002.
Contemporary
Measles Vaccine (1963): John Enders and a Childhood Killer
The first live measles vaccine was licensed in the United States, beginning a steep fall in measles cases and deaths that spread worldwide as vaccination expanded.
Contemporary
Birmingham Campaign (1963): Children's Crusade and Bull Connor
An agreement of 10 May 1963 began desegregating Birmingham's stores, and the national outcry led President Kennedy to propose a major civil rights bill.
Contemporary
Valentina Tereshkova (1963): The First Woman in Space
Tereshkova completed 48 orbits of the Earth in almost three days aboard Vostok 6, becoming the first woman to fly in space.
Contemporary
March on Washington (1963): Jobs, Freedom and 'I Have a Dream'
A peaceful crowd of about 250,000 heard King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, building national pressure that helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Contemporary
Elysée Treaty (1963): The Franco-German Friendship Pact
France and West Germany committed themselves to regular summits and ministerial meetings, and created the Franco-German Youth Office, laying the basis for lasting reconciliation.
Contemporary
Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964): The Clash That Escalated Vietnam
A real clash on 2 August and a probably non-existent attack on 4 August led to US air strikes and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson broad authority to wage war in Vietnam.
Contemporary
1964 Tokyo Olympics: Japan's Post-War Return to the World
Japan staged the first Olympic Games in Asia and used them to showcase its post-war recovery and new infrastructure.
Contemporary
Freedom Summer (1964): Voter Registration in Mississippi
Few voters were registered, but the campaign exposed violent repression in Mississippi, created the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and built pressure for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.