The 1960's
The counterculture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, and the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, and were popularized by Timothy Leary with his slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out". There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.
First, in the 60's there was the Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era proxy war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975.
Plus, this war was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the help of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism.
Engaged in a war that many viewed as having no way to win, U.S. leaders lost the American public's support for the war. Since the end of the war, the Vietnam War has become a benchmark for what not to do in all future U.S. foreign conflicts.
Secondely, there was there was the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally shot by a sniper while traveling with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife Nellie, in a presidential motorcade. A ten-month investigation from November 1963 to September 1964 by the Warren Commission concluded that Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, and that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Oswald before he could stand trial.
However, a big moment which marked the 60's was the speech of Martin Luther King.
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, the speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Otherwise, The Moon landing was a big event for the 60's.
The historic launch of the Apollo 11 mission carried three astronauts toward the moon. Two of them would set foot on the lunar surface for the first time in human history as millions of people around the world followed their steps on television. The crew of Apollo 11 were all experienced astronauts. All three had flown missions into space before.
To date, the United States is the only country to have successfully conducted manned missions to the Moon.
To conclude, the Woodstock Festival.
The Woodstock Festival billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to 18, 1969. During this festival there were singers well known like: Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Santana, The Who, Janis Joplin, etc... but Alexia will talk more about the big event.
