1964
Civil Rights Act signed
Lyndon Johnson, who had spent a career as a Southern senator, pushed through the most sweeping civil rights legislation in American history, outlawing…
Mandela sent to Robben Island
At the end of the Rivonia Trial, Nelson Mandela told a Pretoria courtroom he was prepared to die for the ideal of a free society.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
After murky reports of a North Vietnamese attack on a US destroyer, Congress gave Lyndon Johnson a blank check to use military force in Southeast Asia.
China tests its first atomic bomb
At a desert test site in Xinjiang, the People's Republic of China detonated its first atomic bomb, becoming the fifth nuclear power in the world.
Beatles hit America
Seventy-three million Americans watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan on a February Sunday, the largest television audience for a single program to that date.
Cigarettes declared dangerous
The US Surgeon General released a report definitively linking smoking to lung cancer, heart disease, and death.
Harlem riots
After an off-duty white police officer shot a fifteen-year-old Black boy in Harlem, six nights of rioting swept the neighborhood.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1964?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1964. The most significant is Civil Rights Act signed.
What era was 1964 part of?
1964 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1964?
The events from 1964 span North America, Africa, Southeast Asia and East Asia.