1960's around the world.

The 60s was the decade of great music - the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, the Who, Procol Harum - the list could go on and on. The 60s was also a time of great social change; old conventions were challenged and old attitudes faded with the decade. Fittingly the voting age was lowered to eighteen by the end of the 60s.

The 60s was also the era of rapid technological progress which culminated in man's first steps on the moon in 1969. Many people watched the event on television; a lucky few watched in colour.

Youth fashion took on a new twist in the sixties. The mini-skirt became the most popular way to dress for young women. By the end of the decade, the trendier girls had abandoned it for long flowing hair and caftans.

60's CIGARETTE CULTURE:

Cigarette smoke was part of the background of everyday life in the sixties. Most men and women lit up and children as young as ten took up smoking for the first time. Although most people had a vague awareness of the health risk, only a minority gave up smoking.

NUCLEAR THREATS:

• The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) - a near military confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Uninion about the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.


• On October 16, 1964 China detonated its first atomic bomb. China possessed a hydrogen bomb by 1967. President Johnson secretly considered a preemptive strike on China's nuclear facilities, but then dismissed the idea as too risky.

Automobiles:

As the 1960s began, American cars showed a rapid rejection of 1950s styling excess, and would remain relatively clean and boxy for the entire decade. The horsepower race reached its climax in the late 1960s, with muscle cars sold by most makes.