On Oct. 1, 1962, James H.
Meredith becomes the first black
student to attend the University of
Mississippi.
Betty Friedan’s 1963 book The
Feminine Mystique critiques the
myth that a woman’s identity
is linked to childrearing and
the accomplishments of their
husbands.
The Beatles make their U.S. debut
on The Ed Sullivan Show, on
February 9, 1964.
The 9th Marine Expeditionary
Brigade arrive in Vietnam on March
9, 1965.
Apollo astronauts Virgil Grissom,
Edward White, and Roger Chaffee
die during a simulated launch
exercise on Jan. 27, 1967.
Western movie hero John Wayne
wins the 1969 Best Actor Oscar
for his role in the movie True Grit
beating now legendary actors
Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole,
Dustin Hoffman, and Jon Voight.
The August 1969
Woodstock Music
and Art Fair draws
more than 450,000
people to
Bethel, NY.
The Ohio National
Guard opens fire on
protesters at Kent
State University,
killing four and
wounding nine on
May 4, 1970.
The Organization
of Arab Petroleum
Exporting Countries
announces an
embargo on oil
exports to the United
States on Oct. 15,
1973.
Construction is
completed on the
Sears Tower (now
the Willis Tower)
in 1973 and it
becomes the tallest
building in the world
until surpassed by
the Petronas Twin
Towers in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, in
1998.
President Richard
M. Nixon resigns
from office on
August. 8, 1974.
The miniseries
Roots airs from
January 23 to Jan.
30, 1977. The series
would earn 36
Emmy nominations
and win 9.
The 1978 Tony
Award for Best
Musical is
awarded to “Ain’t
Misbehavin.”
The Bee Gees
dominate the music
charts with hit
songs, including
“Night Fever,”
Staying Alive, and
How Deep is Your
Love.”
On April 12, 1980,
the United States
Olympic Committee
voted to boycott the
Summer Olympics
in Moscow in
response to the
Soviet invasion of
Aghanistan.
Mark David
Chapman murders
John Lennon outside
the Dakota Hotel in
New York City, NY,
the evening of Dec.
8, 1980.
The last Americans
(10 U.S. Marines)
depart Vietnam on
April 30, 1975.
NASA’s Viking 1
lands on Mars on
July 20, 1976.
Prince Charles and
Lady Diana marry at
Westminister Abbey
on July 29, 1981.
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE
The musical Cats debuts
on Broadway, Oct. 8, 1982.
It would hold the record for
most performances (7,484)
until surpassed by The
Phantom of the Opera in
January 2006.
Apple Computer launches
its Macintosh computer in
1984.
The Space Shuttle
Challenger explodes 74
seconds after liftoff on Jan.
28, 1986.
Chris Van Allsburg’s The
Polar Express wins the
1986 Cadecott Award.
The stock market loses
22.6 percent of its value on
“Black Monday”, Oct. 19,
1987.
Sylvester Stallone stars in
1988’s Rambo III following
the success with Rambo:
First Blood (1982) and
Rambo: First Blood Part II
(1985).
Best-selling author Tom
Clancy concludes a
successful decade with the
publication of Clear and
Present Danger in 1989.
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