Although every decade has its own reasons to be significant, it's hard to imagine one that saw as much change and chaos while still cultivating a warm, nostalgic image as the 1960s. It was a a decade that saw people take the streets in protest but also live out their most fun and free spirited impulses.
Naturally, this made the '60s a decade defined by a rapid succession of world-changing moments one after another. Fortunately, someone remembered to bring a photographer to almost all of those moments, so they can be remembered forever whether they're capturing a national strategy or simply setting a vibe.
The British Invasion Changed Everything
Although there were no shortage of American bands and artists making classic music in the 1960s, it's impossible to overstate how much the endlessly creative, loud, and brash British bands of the era shaped rock and roll culture the world over.
While it's true that The Rolling Stones would have the most longevity together out of those bands, songs like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Sympathy For The Devil," and "Gimme Shelter" made them one of the decade's most exciting, respected, and controversial bands.
A Poignant Message That Explains The Whole Movement
During Richard Nixon's inauguration in 1969, a group of women protested outside the headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission and they took up the banner of fighting for their rights in a society that treated men as the default of citizens.
Although the '60s were full of protests for various causes, this was one of the fundamental issues that one woman explained perfectly when she wrote, "Judge women as people, not as wives." Remember, women couldn't even get bank accounts on their own until 1974.
The Beginning Of A Sport That Would Go To The Olympics
Although the rise of professional skateboarders would start taking form during the '80s and it wouldn't be an Olympic sport until the 2020s, skateboarding started to catch on with American youths as early as 1965.
Indeed, here we can see four Chicago teenagers taking their first uncertain steps on their boards. If the photographer returned the following year, they would likely be much more sure-footed.
This Was About Liberation For All Women
Among countercultural circles, there's a concept known as intersectionality where multiple groups fighting for their rights triangulate on common issues they can unite over, which makes their respective movements stronger. Although it's hard to achieve intersectionality even now, the protestors of the '60s appeared to understand it as well.
That's because this banner and the rally it was a part of weren't solely about women's liberation, as the raised fist iconography also indicated a fight for the rights of Black Americans. Indeed, this 1969 rally in New Haven, Connecticut was largely in support of the Black Panther Party.
The Classic Place The Kids Sat During Family Time
As more and more families throughout the 1950s brought television sets in their homes, American children grew used to their presence by the 1960s. Eager and rapt as they were, it was very common for kids like these to forgo furniture and sit on the floor, as close to the TV as they could be.
Naturally, this would prompt a warning from their parents to move back, as early televisions were radioactive enough to cause harmful effects. By the time the '60s were over, however, this was no longer the case for new TVs.
What Would The '60s Be Without The Hippies?
This photo was taken at New York City's Central Park in April of 1968. Based on the ponchos and and earth tone vests, it's likely not a surprise to learn that this was the scene of a hippie "be-in." Although the hippies tended to make their protests fairly fun, they were nonetheless serious about the reason for their presence.
Indeed, their peace rally attracted enough genuine, engaged interest that 90,000 people gathered in the park to participate. Although the hippie movement eventually died out, it's easy to underestimate how strong it was at its peak.
Feminism Wasn't About Burning Bras But It Did Happen
Although there were a wide range of issues that proponents of women's liberation would emphasize in their marches, perhaps the most stereotypical association many people have with that movement is the shedding of their bras. Indeed, that's precisely what Shelly Drake was doing outside of a San Francisco department store.
Yet, while both she and the crowd are amused by her actions, it did speak to a mission of the movement. Some women appreciate the support of this garment and others find it confining, but demonstrations like this emphasized that it should be up to them and nobody else as to what is best for their breasts.
This Protest Wasn't Unusual But It Was Foreboding
Although the message of these protestors is simple, it's powerful in the context of the American government's failure to respect their human rights due to their race. Considering that America's racial history included nonsense like the three-fifths compromise, it mattered more than it may seem for these men to assert that they were wholly and unequivocally men.
As for what was so foreboding about this protest, it concerned the fact that it took place on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, just weeks before Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in that city.
A Moment From An International Superstar's Heyday
Although she's not necessarily a household name among younger generations, British model and actress Dame Lesley "Twiggy" Lawson was an international fashion icon in the '60s. This made her a pioneering supermodel and her slim figure and short hairstyle both influenced and confirmed the beauty standards of the decade.
Naturally, this meant that any fashion house who get get her endorsement had a fighting chance in the market. In this case, the makers of the disposable plastic mini-dress brought their design concept to prominence through her whether they manufactured her endorsement or not.
The Hardship That Protestors Courageously Faced
While protestors have historically had fraught relations with law enforcers, those who participated in Civil Rights protests in states that enshrined racial segregation into law faced the most serious threats. For Black Americans who protested in places like Birmingham, Alabama, this response was a very real possibility.
Indeed, that's exactly where these citizens found themselves on May 3, 1963, when firefighters turned their hoses on them at full blast. Not only was the water pressure painful all on its own but it also wasn't unusual for enforcers to sic attack dogs on the protestors.
London Was The Place To Be For The Latest Fashions
Although the music of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and other landmark British acts had all but conquered the world during the 1960s, that wasn't the only way in which the United Kingdom seemed to be a cultural juggernaut that decade.
Indeed, a lot of the colorful but simple fashions and short, chic hairstyles that characterized '60s fashion were influenced by the scene in what was called "Swinging London" at the time. Young Sally Foale and Marion Tuffin exemplified the popular style at the time in this photo.
The Band Who Ruled The '60s And Stayed Timeless After
Although the British Invasion was a wide cultural phenomenon that involved dozens of bands, it's still likely fair to say that none of them defined the moment more than The Beatles. The band would change musical and aesthetic styles several times before they broke up in 1970, but this clean-cut, mop-topped look was how they were successfully introduced to the world.
The aesthetic was the idea of their long-time manager Brian Epstein but it helped them amass the kind of cultural cachet that let them experiment with revolutionary new directions as their time together went on. It also meant they could stay successful after the constant thrum of screaming fans put them off touring.
The King Chooses His Queen
Although Elvis Presley's sensational work during the 1950s had already established his legendary status as the King of Rock and Roll, his success and A-list status also continued well into the '60s. Indeed, so many aspects of his story were just beginning at the time.
As we can see here, the '60s saw Presley start a family of his own, starting with his marriage to Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Lisa Marie Presley would be born the following year.
Ducking And Covering In A Scary, Uncertain Time
Although there were a wide range of issues facing America during the 1960s, it's fair to say that many of them were inherited from decades past. It's also likely fair to say that the one with the most fundamental of world ramifications among them was the continution of the Cold War.
Indeed, tensions were particularly high between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics when these school children practiced their duck and cover drills in 1962. After all, that saw the rapid ignition and the too-close-for-comfort resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A Complicated Icon Emerges
Although the British Invasion and the psychedelic rock coming out of California had significant roles in defining the sound of the '60s, it was also a massive decade for folk music. And the more the '60s progressed, the clearer it was that the era's most celebrated bard was Bob Dylan.
Through his poetic lyrics, mysterious persona, and daring musical decisions like going electric at a time folk audiences considered that a betrayal, Dylan sparked intense public fascination that can still be tapped into today.
A Historic March By An Endlessly Inspiring Leader
Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic campaign for the Civil Rights of his fellow African-Americans saw him draft insightful, incisive treatises like his famous Letter From Birmingham Jail and his iconic "I Have A Dream Speech" that accompanied the historic march he led to Washington D.C.'s National Mall.
However, one of his most daring moves would come two years after those chapters in his life when he led a crowd of 600 people — including future Congressman John Lewis and Nobel Prize-winning diplomat Ralph Bunche — in a series of three marches from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. On March 7, 1965, four of these protestors would lose their lives in a brutal response by state police that is now known as "Bloody Sunday."
The Queens Of A Heavy-Hitting But Short-Lived Scene
It's a strong indication of how intensely strong the music of the '60s was that even in the midst of explosive musical movements from around the world, some of the biggest hits of the decade went to distinctly classic and deeply talented soul acts, typically comprised of three young women.
The Ronettes, The Crystals, and The Chiffons were all examples of successful acts who followed this trend but — as their name would suggest — nobody would stand taller in this scene than the legendary Supremes. Volatile as she may have been, there was no denying how much the incredible talents of Diana Ross carried their momentum.
The War That Loomed Large Over The Decade
Even with the general anxiety of the Cold War, no conflict weighed more heavily on the minds of the American public than its most senseless, protracted, and unspeakably destructive byproduct, The Vietnam War. Not only were anti-war protestors horrified by the outbreak of the war, but doubly and justifiably afraid that they'd be forced to help wage it.
Specifically, this photo captures the US 173rd Airborne and their supporting helicopters as they engage in an assault on the Iron Triangle, a Communist stronghold in South Vietnam that facilitated Vietcong attacks on the then-American held city of Saigon.
A Solemn Procedure After A Shocking National Tragedy
On November 22, 1963, Lyndon Baines Johnson was in the process of being sworn in as the 36th President of the United States while aboard Air Force One. In addition to First Lady Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, the president is accompanied by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
That's because this moment almost immediately followed President John F. Kennedy's infamous assassination that took place in Dallas, Texas earlier that day. Indeed, the outfit Mrs. Kennedy was wearing was still stained by her husband's blood.
The Closest Thing Most People Had To Computers
Although computers existed by 1960, they were rare, massive, and usually limited to specific military or research applications. That meant that at the time, most data entry and computation were conducted essentially by hand by rows of office workers like the women we see here.
Armed with their keypad and punch cards, these women were entering data at the Erie Railroad offices in Cleveland, Ohio. That said, the movie Hidden Figures shows that even NASA has similar organizational strategies throughout the '60s.
