What Happened in ...? (1960s edition) Quiz

Answer: Espionage against the USSR

Captain Francis Gary Powers, formerly of the United States Air Force and then a pilot for the CIA's U-2 program, had his plane shot down over Soviet airspace by a land-to-air missile near Sverdlovsk. He was captured, tried as a spy, and convicted in an incident that heated up the Cold War significantly. Later, he was traded in a prisoner swap in Berlin for KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher. Powers died in a helicopter crash in 1977.

Answer: Catch-22

A 'Catch-22' is a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't kind of dilemma. In the book, if you don't want to fly any more combat missions that signifies that you're sane, and thus you have to fly more combat missions. "Catch-22" has become a classic of American literature over time, though its reception was mixed when it was first published--some critics loved it, some loathed it.

Answer: The Incredible Hulk

"Incredible Hulk #1" came out in May and introduced the world to Ol' Greenskin (though his skin color was various shades of gray in the initial book). There have been two movies in the 2000's based on the character, and from 1978-1982 a television show (starring Bill Bixby as David Banner (not 'Bruce', as in the books) and Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk) relayed the hero's adventures to a rapt audience.

Answer: ZIP codes

Robert Moon (an employee of the Post Office) came up with the basic proposal for the Zone Improvement Plan, which sorts mail according to Sectional Center Facilities. In 1983, the USPS added a 'plus four' code to ZIPs, making mail easier for its mechanized readers to sort.

Answer: Jeopardy!

Merv Griffin came up with the idea for "Jeopardy!" while on a plane flight with his wife. She said "5,280", and Griffin immediately said "How many feet are in a mile?" Thus was born the show's answer-and-question format. Fleming hosted the program, in various forms, until 1979, and Alex Trebek took over when the show started up again in 1984.

Answer: Going electric

Dylan, headlining the Folk Festival (which he had also played in the previous two years), performed with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, an electric blues combo. This was Dylan's first professional performance using electric guitars, and some in the crowd booed him (though that may have been due to poor sound quality from the Festival's equipment). Dylan wouldn't play the festival again until 2002, and when he played he wore a wig and fake beard.

Answer: The Church of Satan

In its first year, the Church of Satan performed a marriage ceremony for two of its members, and a funeral ceremony for another. The Church, according to current High Priest Peter H. Gilmore, does not believe in Satan as a supernatural being (which would go against reason), but rather as an Opponent or Adversary, one which questions authority and rebels against norms. Still, it seems a bit creepy.

Answer: Muhammad Ali

Ali (formerly Cassius Clay, Jr.) said, most famously, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong", and also cited his religious beliefs as his reason for evading the draft (though he did show up for the induction ceremony). He was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title and lost his boxing license.

He would not fight for the next four years in the ring--nor in southeast Asia. Franz, Gore and Sajak all served in Vietnam.

Answer: Hair

"Hair" was wildly popular once it hit Broadway, running for 1,750 performances (1,997 in London) and lending its music to the anti-Vietnam sentiment growing in America. It was challenged for its themes and presentation ("Hair" was the first time actors and actresses had been totally nude on a Broadway stage, and drug use and homosexuality were strongly promoted), but avoided censorship in America and Britain (though a production in Mexico was quickly shut down).

In 1999, a production opened in Moscow's Gorky Park.

Answer: Wendy's

Wendy's, in 2006, had grown to become the world's third-largest hamburger restaurant chain, with 6,700 locations around the globe (McDonald's, at #1, had 31,000 franchises). Thomas's daughter (his fourth child) was named Melinda Lou, but her nickname was 'Wendy', and pictures of her appeared at the original restaurant. Wendy's is known for its square hamburger patties and its Frosty soft-serve ice cream dessert.

Oh, and incidentally--I was born in 1969. But that's of relatively minor importance compared to the Manson murders, Woodstock, the Chicago Eight trial and the premiere of "Sesame Street", all of which happened the same year.