60s News - Read All About it - Part Deux Online Trivia | History

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1. 1960: U-2 Spy Plane Shot Down over Soviet Airspace. To the great embarrassment of the Eisenhower government a US U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviets while flying in their airspace. The fate of the pilot was initially unknown to the US, who had presumed that he had died in the crash, only later to find that he had ejected from the plane and parachuted to safety. The CIA were firmly convinced that he could not have survived. What was the name of the pilot?

Answer: Gary Powers

This incident was a severe setback to US/Soviet relations, coming just two weeks before the opening of the East/West Summit in Paris. The US, believing that the pilot was dead, initially denied the purpose and mission of the plane.

Not only did the Soviets have a live pilot, but also much of the plane still intact, from which they were able to recover actual spying equipment and develop photographs. Powers, despite having a lethal, toxin-dipped needle, hidden inside a modified silver dollar, did not use it and chose to be taken alive.

Powers was tried for espionage by a Moscow court and sentenced to three years imprisonment and seven years of hard labor. After a year and nine months of his sentence had been served, he was exchanged for Soviet spy Colonel Rudolph Ivanovich Abel. Abel was a notorious Soviet spy who had been captured by the CIA in 1957.

2. 1961: Leading Soviet Ballet Dancer Defects in France. In June of this year, the western ballet world was overjoyed when the brilliant and flamboyant Russian dancer, Rudolph Nureyev sought political asylum at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. He left behind his role of principal male dancer of the famed Kirov ballet of then Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, seeking artistic freedom. Who was the Prima Ballerina in the West, with whom he was most closely tied, despite a major age difference?

Answer: Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn was Rudolph Nureyev's senior by about 19 years, but they became one of ballet's immortal dance partners. They began dancing together when Nureyev joined the Royal Ballet Company. In their last performance the timeless Fonteyn was 69 and Nureyev was 50. Leading choreographers of the day, such as Frederick Ashton, wrote ballet pieces especially for the pair. They were particularly known for Kenneth Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet.

The KGB had done everything possible to prevent Nureyev's defection, and there was supposedly a kill order out on him, personally signed by Khrushchev.

Anello and Davide in Covent Garden were the shoemakers to the Royal Ballet. I was in there one day in the early sixties, and Nureyev walked in. He proceeded to order thigh length turquoise suede boots. When asked if he wanted them for dancing, he waved his hand dramatically and replied "No, I am just going to walk around and be seen in them". He was divine.

3. 1962: Marilyn Monroe - Dead at 36 Marilyn Monroe was found dead in the bedroom of her Brentwood home, in Los Angeles, California. Her body had been discovered by her live-in housekeeper Eunice Murray. Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the somewhat infamous LA County Coroner, declared her death to be a probable suicide, caused by 'acute barbiturate poisoning'. However, many believed she had been murdered, including Jack Clemmons, the first LAPD officer to arrive at the death scene. His opinions went no further. Her critically acclaimed but troubled final movie, co-starring Clark Gable, had opened the year before. What was the title?

Answer: The Misfits

"The Misfits" was a movie that could have used the daily events of the actors and production team as its script; they were all somehow larger than life. Filmed near Reno, NV the weather was unbearably hot at 108 degrees. John Huston shut down production at one point to send Marilyn to detox. Arthur Miller wrote the script, as his marriage to Marilyn disintegrated. Huston gambled and drank, occasionally falling asleep on the set. Clark Gable drank heavily, insisting that he could do all of his own stunts.

Gable had a heart attack two days after filming ended and died 10 days later. Within 18 months Marilyn Monroe was also dead.

4. 1963 - Audacious Robbers Steal �2.6 million from Royal Mail Train. What would come to be known as 'The Great Train Robbery' took place on Wednesday, August 7th, 1963. The train consisted of 12 carriages, carrying 72 Post Office staff, who sorted mail as they traveled from Glasgow to London, Euston. The second carriage behind the engine was known as the HVP (High Value Package). They would normally carry around �300,000 in cash, but due to a Bank Holiday weekend in Scotland, the amount was �2.6 million - worth today about �40 million or $60 million. The Robbers made many mistakes, but one in particular severely negatively impacted their treatment by the courts.

Answer: Using violence against the engine driver.

Although it may be hard to believe but there was still 'honor amongst thieves' in the Britain of the early 60s. Villains almost never carried guns, and violence during the course of a robbery was almost unheard of.

When the gang needed the train moved, so that they could unload the money bags, the unwilling driver, Jack Mills was hit about the head to persuade him. In the course of his fall he gashed his head badly, and his profuse bleeding was ignored by the gang.

The shock to the robbers and to the country was the severity of their sentences. Justice Edmund Davies, the presiding judge for the trial, was well-known for handing down tough sentences for career criminals. However, the 30 year stretch to which the majority of the gang was sentenced was considered particularly severe, and was similar to sentences handed down for non-premeditated murder. Appeals against the severity of the sentences were refused.

Violent crime was generally contained within the criminal fraternity against one another, with the likes of the infamous Kray Twins. Having such violence spill out on to the innocent general public was abhorred by the police and courts at that time in Britain.

5. 1964 - The Surgeon General Releases Report Citing Smoking as a Cause of Lung Cancer. The ninth Surgeon General of the United States, Luther Leonides Terry, MD, had long believed the hazardous impact of smoking on all respiratory diseases and was a causative factor in malignancies of the lungs, esophagus and mouth, as well as contributing to diseases of the cardiovascular system. What was the immediate result of this report, directly affecting the tobacco industry despite the fact the report did not claim definitive proof?

Answer: The Federal Trade Commission voted in favor of warning labels on cigarette packs.

While the other bans and controls would take effect in due course, the most immediate action was the Federal Trade Commission insistence that a warning be placed 'clearly and prominently' on all cigarette packs, and stated in all cigarette advertising. These measures became effective on July 1, 1965.

This landmark Surgeon General's report created a far greater concern for their health from the Great American Public, and set Big Tobacco off on a very costly campaign to disprove the scientific findings of the medical establishment.

6. 1965 - Winston Churchill dies - The Mini-Skirt is Born - London Swings This was the year that Mary Quant introduced the Mini-Skirt and Mini-Dress, supposedly named after her favorite and totally IN car of the moment, the Mini. The Mini-Skirt became as symbolic of the era as The Beatles, The British Invasion, Twiggy, False Eyelashes and Vidal Sassoon Haircuts. Mary Quant was well established enough in the London fashion world to be able to promote the style so that it's acceptance was universal and almost instantaneous. It spread to Australia via the model Jean Shrimpton wearing an incredibly short dress the first day of the Melbourne Cup. Although Mary Quant had brought the style to the streets, a Paris designer had originally presented a more refined, haute couture version of the style. Who was this?

Answer: Andre Courreges

Courreges developed his short, short styles independently of whatever else was happening in fashion at the time. It was the Mod look, and his simple dresses were set off by short white boots, a style that brought Courreges significant fame. He was also the originator of the short tunic worn over matching trousers.

Yves St. Laurent also included the short skirts in his 1965 Winter Collection. He was the originator of the geometric 'Piet Mondrian' dress.

In London in the mid 60s, women were not permitted in the dining rooms of any of the better hotels if wearing trousers. In 1966 I was with friends who went to dine at the Savoy Hotel, after the theatre. I was wearing a Courreges style tunic and pants suit. The Maitre D' would not allow me to be seated. Beastly brat that I was, I went to the Ladies' Room and took off the trousers. The tunic was only just decent, if you stood up very straight. I returned to the Maitre D', trousers over arm, very pleased with myself, as he has no rules pertaining to length of skirt.

7. 1966 - Aberfan, Wales, Mining Disaster. At about 9am on the morning of Friday, October 21st a catastrophic collapse of excavated mining debris occurred. More than 150,000 cubic meters of water-saturated waste broke away and flowed downhill at high speed. It happened so fast that no warning could be given to the farm, the twenty terraced houses and the Junior School that lay in its path. Most of the rescue efforts were futile as thick mud and rubble engulfed everything. The final death toll was 144, 116 of which were children between 7 and 10. The then Chairman of the National Coal Board was Lord Robens, whose actions immediately after the disaster set the tone of how this tragic event was handled. What did he do?

Answer: Almost nothing. Upon hearing of the disaster he continued with his plans for his investiture as Chancellor of the University of Surrey. Refusing to allow Coal Board funds to be used for tip removal.

Lord Robens, by the general callousness of his actions, set the tone for the way the disaster and the aftermath was handled.

He had told reporters that nothing could be done to prevent the slide, blaming it on 'natural unknown springs' beneath the tip. On the contrary, the springs were clearly marked on the maps of the area, and the NCB had been dumping there anyway, without thought for the consequences.

Robens damaged his reputation further by his refusal to allow Coal Board funds to be used for the removal of the remainder of the tip. Instead, he appropriated substantial sums from the public disaster relief fund to pay for the work.

A Tribunal was appointed by the Secretary of State for Wales to investigate the causes of the disaster and whether blame should be laid at anyone's door. The Tribunal sat for 76 days, the longest inquiry of its type in British history.

Lord Robens made a dramatic appearance in the final days of the investigation, and conceded that the NCB was at fault. The damning report that followed put the blame for the disaster squarely on the shoulders of the NCB, who were also charged with the financial responsibility for personal injuries and property damage.

A public flood of sympathy funds came in with very little control or order in how to handle this money. This caused considerable controversy over the years, until documents previously embargoed under the 30-year rule revealed that Lord Robens had illegally used charitable funds to pay for the tip removal.

Robens' part in this affair had been fudged over by Wilson's Labour Government, deserting the cause of the miners and their families for political gain.

8. 1967 - Saw the deaths of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Spencer Tracy, Woody Guthrie, Langston Hughes, John Coltrane, and Alice B. Toklas. Alice Toklas had been the loyal friend and companion of Gertrude Stein from 1907 to Stein's death in 1946, in Paris. Toklas had always been the cook in the household, and after Stein's death she produced a book of recipes and reminiscences called 'the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook'. Which of her recipes was she particularly known for?

Answer: Hash Brownies

It is uncertain whose recipe it was, and may have originally been called 'Haschich Fudge'. There is a recipe included in the book for brownies containing hash, but the book's editor had heavily annotated the recipes, without Toklas' approval. Thus her name goes down in folklore as the inventor of this illicit delicacy.

9. 1968 - "The Producers", Starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder Opened to Mixed Reviews from the New York Critics. This was the first movie directed by Mel Brooks. It tells the story of Max Bialystock, a producer of failed plays. He raises money from wooing lascivious little old ladies. When the play failed, as Bialystock has arranged, they write it off, never inquiring into the exact accounting details. Thus Max has made a comfortable living for many years. Despite the mixed reviews and the discussion about whether the movie was in bad taste or just plain funny, Mel Brooks won an Oscar for the movie. In which category was the Oscar won?

Answer: Best Original Script

The producers won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay. In 1969 the movie also won a Writers Guild of America, Best Original Screenplay Award.

After the film was completed, company executives refused to release it, claiming that it was 'in bad taste'. However, Peter Sellers was a devoted fan of the movie, having seen it privately. He took out a large ad in Variety, extolling the brilliance of the comedy.

Over the years the movie has taken on a new status. Roger Ebert, some years after the original release, claimed that it was 'one of the funniest movies ever made.' In 1996 the Library of Congress deemed the movie 'culturally, historically and aesthetically significant' and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

10. 1969 - Woodstock - 3 days of Peace - Well No, let's try Altamont - Murder and Mayhem. Altamont Free Concert, in December, 1969 was held at the Altamont Speedway in Northern California and organized by the Rolling Stones. The venue had been moved several times, which proved to be a logistical nightmare with a lack of portable toilets and a medical tent. One highly contentious issue was the use of the San Francisco chapter of the Hell's Angels as security. There is some confusion surrounding exactly who hired them and how they were to be paid. A figure of $500 worth of beer was suggested, but the Angels never really expected to police the event, and their precise job description was never clarified. There was an atmosphere of aggression and violence and considerable property damage and car theft. It was so unpredictable that one of the leading bands refused to play. Who was this?

Answer: The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead and their manager, Rock Sculley, had been instrumental in suggesting the use of Hell's Angels in the first place, having had them successfully patrol and earlier 'Dead' concert.

The main problem was protecting the stage and the bands from being over-run by the audience - a job that the Angel's took on with some force directed at the audience. In light of the unstable undercurrent of violence, the Grateful Dead made the decision not to appear.

The Rolling Stones had been a little naive in the whole issue of the Hell's Angels. They had used a British chapter for security at a Hyde Park concert. But this was a non-outlaw group and was rather like comparing a pussy cat with a Bengal Tiger.

The atmosphere went from bad to worse, setting the Angels at direct odds with the audience, something exacerbated by the fact that several Angel's motor bikes were knocked over and damaged (probably by accident). In the middle of this unruly crowd a fight broke out, which resulted in a fatal stabbing.

In the aftermath there was much finger pointing, and Mick Jagger was very outspoken in his criticism of the Angels. It was revealed by an FBI agent many years later that the Angels intended to kill Mick Jagger, and one failed attempt was known. It marked an inauspicious end to the 60s.

Source: Author Englizzie

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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60s News - Read All About it - Part Deux Quiz

The People have spoken. You've all been such good sports about the first 60s quiz. I thought it was time to test your gray matter once again, with more news stories from everyone's favorite decade, the 60s. (Geographically diverse questions)

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