1960s Timeline

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20 hours ago

The First Lady is a Celebrity

Dec. 2, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy has become the favorite “cover girl” of magazines that friends say she would never dream of reading. With newsstands across the country plastered with movie magazines featuring pictures and stories about Mrs. Kennedy, the White House is busy answering letters of protest. Why, the writers ask, does Mrs. Kennedy allow such stories? The answer, White House aides say, is that nothing can be done about it. Mrs. Kennedy is in the public domain

3 days ago

JFK to Visit Costa Rica Next Year

Nov. 30, 1962 - President Kennedy accepted today an invitation to go to Costa Rica in February or March to join in talks among the Presidents of the Central American republics. The White House announced the travel plan after reporters had been told about it by President Ramon Villeda Morales of Honduras (pictured with President Kennedy) after he had met with Mr. Kennedy following his arrival for a short state visit. President Villeda Morales, after arriving at Washington Nati

3 days ago

President and First Lady Lead Benefit for National Cultural Center

Nov. 30, 1962 - President and Mrs. Kennedy headed a cast of 100 last night in a closed-circuit show televised from five cities for the benefit of the National Cultural Center in Washington. The program was beamed to 75 cities in the U.S. and Canada. It started at 9:30 p.m. and lasted for 2 hours and 45 minutes. The show opened a $30 million fundraising campaign for the center, which is envisioned as the first effective home for the performing arts in the nation’s capital. Pla

4 days ago

Air Force Missile Crews Went On “Maximum Alert” During Cuban Crisis

Nov. 29, 1962 - Air Force missile crews were put on “maximum” alert in the Cuban crisis, the Pentagon disclosed today. The Defense Department released an official summary of the heretofore secret military precautions that were taken in the tense October days after President Kennedy had ordered an arms blockade of Cuba. In his speech Oct. 22 (pictured) after it had been confirmed that the Russians had installed offensive missiles in Cuba, the President warned: “It shall be the

6 days ago

Nov. 27, 1962 - JFK Greets President of Somalia

Nov. 27, 1962 - Here is a clip from President Kennedy’s welcome address today to Dr. Abdirashid Ali Schermarke, Prime Minister of the Somali Republic. #JFK #somalia #africa #politics #history #OTD

6 days ago

Joint Birthday Party for Kennedy Children

Nov. 27, 1962 - A joint birthday party for the Kennedy children was held today, and President Kennedy slipped away from official duties to drop in on the fun. Caroline Kennedy was 5 years old today. Last Sunday, John F. Kennedy Jr. became a 2-year-old. The children of the first family invited about 30 playmates, most of them Caroline’s kindergarten friends, to come to a party from 4 to 6 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room of the White House. Caroline, dressed in pink, first

6 days ago

JFK Meets with Somali Premier

Nov. 27, 1962 - The Premier of the Somali Republic, Dr. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke (left), met with President Kennedy today. The occasion marked this country’s growing interest in East African affairs. The White House accorded red-carpet treatment to the 43-year-old Premier, the 10th African leader to see Mr. Kennedy this year. The President took note of his country’s changing relations to Africa in a toast at luncheon, calling Africa “a new continent for us.” “In 1957, the U.S

7 days ago

Nov. 26, 1962 - JFK at Homestead Air Force Base

Nov. 26, 1962 - Here are President Kennedy's remarks today at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida upon awarding decorations for outstanding reconnaissance work concerning Soviet missile bases in Cuba. #JFK #history #airforce

Nov 26

JFK Honors Reconnaissance Fliers

Nov. 26, 1962 - President Kennedy awarded decorations today to military units that took the aerial photographs last month that disclosed the build-up of Soviet offensive weapons in Cuba. The awards were the high point of a day-long inspection tour by the President. The tour took in Army, Air Force, and Navy installations in Georgia and Florida that played leading roles during the Cuban crisis. These installations are still on an alert basis — a fact underlined by the Presiden

Nov 24

Birthday Time for President’s Children

Nov. 24, 1962 - It’s birthday time for the President’s children. John Jr. turns 2 years old tomorrow, and Caroline will be 5 on Tuesday. This weekend, the White House released two photographs of the children. One (pictured) shows President Kennedy leaning forward in his chair clapping in time while Caroline and John Jr. whirl on their toes on the green rug in the oval office. The other photograph was taken at the Kennedys’ leased country home, Glen Ora, at Middleburg, Va. It

Nov 23

Film on First Lady’s Asian Trip Planned

Nov. 23, 1962 - Negotiations are under way for the national release in commercial theaters of a half-hour color documentary recording the goodwill trip to India and Pakistan made earlier this year by Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. The footage was photographed under the supervision of Director Leo Seltzer for the U.S. Information Agency, which is showing the film in foreign countries as part of its information service. “The First Lady,” Mr. Seltzer said today, “was an ideal subject

Nov 22

JFK Spreads Thanksgiving Cheer

Nov. 22, 1962 - President Kennedy gave a good many Americans reason to be thankful today. Before sitting down with his family this evening to a 32-pound turkey, the President instructed the Veterans Administration to pay out in January $327,600,000 in dividends on National Service Life Insurance and U.S. Government Life Insurance policies that otherwise would have been spread out during the entire year. The President said that this windfall, coming on the heels of the Christm

Nov 21

Nov. 21, 1962 - JFK: Landing on Moon before Soviets "Our Top Priority"

Nov. 21, 1962 - Here is a recording of a meeting today between President Kennedy, NASA Administrator James Webb, and Jerome Wiesner, Special Assistant to the President. The President states clearly that his Administration’s priority is for the U.S. to land on the Moon before the Soviet Union. #JFK #NASA

Nov 21

Mississippi Senate Expresses “Utter Contempt” for Kennedy Administration

Nov. 21, 1962 - The Mississippi Senate approved a resolution today expressing defiance and “utter contempt for the Kennedy Administration.” In the resolution, the Administration was accused of appointing “little men to the judiciary, who sully the name of justice, constitutional Government, and Americanism.” It blamed the “ruthless and corrupted Administration in Washington headed by the Kennedy clan” for the rioting at the University of Mississippi. The resolution asked “sis

Nov 20

President Kennedy Lifts Naval Blockade of Cuba

Nov. 20, 1962 - President Kennedy announced tonight that he had ordered the lifting of the naval blockade of Cuba. He did this, he explained, because he had been informed during the day by Premier Khrushchev that all the Soviet jet bombers in Cuba would be withdrawn within 30 days. The Soviet move went “a long way toward reducing the dangers which faced this hemisphere four weeks ago,” the President said at a news conference. Within minutes of the conference, the Pentagon sai

Nov 20

Nov. 20, 1962 - JFK Announces Executive Order on Discrimination in Federal Housing

Nov. 20, 1962 - President Kennedy today announced an executive order prohibiting racial and religious discrimination in housing built or purchased with Federal aid. #JFK #civilrights

Nov 20

Nov. 20, 1962 - JFK Remarks on Khrushchev and Christmas Plans

Nov. 20, 1962 - President Kennedy comments on capitalism vs. communism and his plans for the Christmas holiday. #JFK #christmas

Nov 20

Nov. 20, 1962 - JFK Comments on "News Suppression" during Cuban Crisis

Nov. 20, 1962 - President Kennedy responds to accusations of news suppression by his Administration during the Cuban crisis. #media #JFK #history #OTD

Nov 20

Nov. 20, 1962 - JFK Statement on Lifting the Naval Quarantine of Cuba

Nov. 20, 1962 - Here is President Kennedy's statement today on lifting the naval blockade of Cuba. #JFK #cuba #history #OTD

Nov 20

JFK Signs Bill Prohibiting Racial Discrimination in Federal Housing

Nov. 20, 1962 - By a long-promised “stroke of the pen,” President Kennedy today prohibited racial and religious discrimination in housing built or purchased with Federal aid. In an executive order, he directed Federal agencies to take “all necessary and appropriate action” to that end. Administration officials said the order would apply principally to housing projects and apartments. When the regulations are drawn, they said, sales of private homes by individual owners will p