1960
Great Chilean Earthquake
The most powerful earthquake ever recorded - magnitude 9.5 - struck southern Chile…
Year of Africa
Seventeen African nations declared independence in a single year - from Senegal to Madagascar, from the Congo to Somalia.
The Pill approved
The FDA approved Enovid for contraceptive use, making it the first oral contraceptive available by prescription in the United States.
U-2 shot down over USSR
A CIA spy plane on a photoreconnaissance run at seventy thousand feet was hit by a Soviet missile near Sverdlovsk, deep inside Russian territory.
Sharpeville massacre
South African police opened fire on a crowd of Black anti-pass-law demonstrators in a township south of Johannesburg…
Congo Crisis
Days after winning independence from Belgium, the Republic of the Congo slid into chaos.
Kennedy elected
In the closest presidential election in living memory, a forty-three-year-old senator from Massachusetts edged out Richard Nixon with help from Mayor Daley's…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1960?
Saeculum lists 8 events from 1960. The most significant is Great Chilean Earthquake: The most powerful earthquake ever recorded - magnitude 9.5 - struck southern Chile.
What era was 1960 part of?
1960 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1960?
The events from 1960 span South America, Africa, North America and Central Asia.