1960s Timeline

June 24, 1962 - A photograph of a cat named Etti-Cat will soon appear in 3,000 of the New York Transit Authority’s 6,500 subway cars. Etti-Cat is portrayed as a polite creature advocating the Authority’s campaign for courtesy and proper etiquette. The first picture shows Etti-Cat with his mouth open, as though speaking. On the poster are the words, “Please. Sorry. Thanks.” The authority recommends the words as “magic” in promoting pleasant riding. When an authority spokesman

May 31, 1962 - President Kennedy, in announcing today a program called Mobilization for Youth, discussed the problem of what is commonly known as "juvenile delinquency." #JFK #education #crime #NYC

May 30, 1962 - Memorial Day was a day off in Congress, but not for Representative John V. Lindsay (pictured with his wife Mary), Republican of Manhattan. He spent today meeting constituents on the upper East Side. The tall, almost boyish-looking Congressman, who represents the “Silk Stocking” 17th District, toured the Yorkville area, now part of his district. He went from tavern to delicatessen, bakery to grocery, flower shop to social club, chatting with proprietors and cust

May 29, 1962 - At 10:55 last night, Stefan Redl’s left hook cut through cigar smoke, Tony Fortunato ducked, a man yelled, “Mark him up — break his nose,” a bell rang three times, and St. Nicholas Arena ended its 56th and final year as one of New York’s great boxing centers. Since 1906, it has graduated more than 15,000 professional men, many of whom went on to win glory, world championships, convex ears, and considerable fortunes for their managers. A few landed in shoeshine

May 19, 1962 - President Kennedy attended a glittering birthday dinner in his honor tonight at the Four Seasons restaurant — a prelude to his birthday salute at Madison Square Garden afterward. About 375 persons, all of whom had contributed $1,000 to the birthday rally, filled the three rooms of the restaurant on the main floor of the Seagram building, Park Avenue and 52nd Street. A thousand persons lined the south side of 52nd Street to shout their greetings as the President

May 17, 1962 - President Kennedy will go to New York City at 5 p.m. tomorrow for a 3-day visit. He will go directly to the Carlyle Hotel. Saturday he will leave the hotel at 11:35 a.m. for the home of Arthur B. Krim, co-chairman of the President’s Birthday Salute rally to be held in Madison Square Garden Saturday night. From Mr. Krim’s home, he will go to a dedication of the I.L.G.W.U. Cooperative Houses on 26th Street. At 1:35, he will return to the hotel and then will dine

Feb. 7, 1962 - New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller today spared the life of 18-year-old Salvatore Agron (pictured in 1959), who had been scheduled to die in the electric chair for the gang killing of two 16-year-old boys in a New York playground two years ago. Agron, known as the Cape Man or Dracula because he had worn a red-lined nurse’s cape on the night of the killings, had been in the death house for more than a year. The Governor signed an order commuting the youth’s de

Dec. 8, 1961 - Marijuana smoking among Harlem teenagers is almost as common as the use of regular cigarettes, a Negro Democratic leader declared today. He also charged that “the hypodermic needle is a common weapon” of youths in the area and that “drugstores are selling these needles illegally.” The statements were made by Mark T. Southall of the 12th Assembly District North, which covers upper Harlem and Washington Heights. Mr. Southall said it was his “sad duty” to report o

Nov. 7, 1961 - New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner won re-election for a third term today. Despite opposition from two major candidates, Mr. Wagner won a majority of the total vote. His victory margin was 397,980 votes. Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz, the Republican nominee, took 34.7 percent of the vote. This was a better showing than any Republican mayoral candidate had made in many years. #history #HistoryNerd #historyinpictures #historylover #historybuff #HistoryIn

Nov. 2, 1961 - President Kennedy strongly endorsed New York City Mayor Wagner (left) today for a third term. On his arrival at La Guardia Airport for an afternoon in the city, Mr. Kennedy released a statement voicing “with the utmost conviction my whole-hearted support for the re-election of Mayor Robert F. Wagner.” The President described the Mayor as a man with unmatched experience in coping with city problems, and declared it was important to the success of his own program

Oct. 27, 1961 - Mayor Wagner (left) of New York City came to Washington today and won new support from President Kennedy for his re-election. The Mayor reported the President had voiced “enthusiastic support” of his race against State Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz. Moreover, the Mayor went on, the President had expressed confidence that “I would win.” Mayor Wagner said he had not asked the President to make a personal appearance in New York City, because “I don’t think

Sept. 28, 1961 - A bright new face in folk music is appearing at New York's Gerde's Folk City. Although only 20 years old, Bob Dylan is one of the most distinctive stylists to play in a Manhattan cabaret in months. Resembling a cross between a choir boy and a beatnik, Mr. Dylan composes new songs faster than he can remember, and there is no doubt that he is bursting at the seams with talent. He is vague about his background, but it matters less where he has been than where he

Aug. 20, 1961 - In Brooklyn last night, Patrolman Melvin Blei, 35 years old, was seriously wounded in the face when he was shot outside of the Sahara Restaurant on Utica Avenue. A hoodlum had been beaten in the bar a few minutes earlier in what appeared to the police to have been an attempted underworld execution. The hoodlum was not seriously injured, but the police said that a rope (pictured in detective's hand) had been placed around his neck. He was identified as Lawrence

July 16, 1961 - Girl gangs in New York City now pose almost as grave a problem as the boy gangs they follow. There are 8,000 boys in gangs. The number of girl gang members is estimated at 3,000 by the Youth Board. Nearly all of the girl gangs are units of boy gangs and use a variant of the same name. If the boys called themselves the Dead Beats, for example, the girls call themselves the Dead Beats Debs or Debutantes. The girls' role in gangs includes: Weapon carrying and con

July 12, 1961 - The New York Court of Appeals has set the week of Aug. 7 for the execution of 17-year-old Salvatore (Capeman) Agron (pictured) for a double slaying during a New York City playground fight. The court set the date after upholding the death sentence of the Puerto Rican youth last week. However, the death sentence may be commuted by Gov. Rockefeller, who must hold a clemency hearing. The court found Agron guilty of stabbing to death Robert Young and Anthony Krzesi