Memorable facts of the 60s Trivia Quiz

Answer: The book "To kill a Mockingbird" was published

In 1960, Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election, defeating Richard Nixon. He was the first Roman Catholic and the youngest person to be elected, at the age of 43.

In the same year, the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee (1926-2016) was published. It was the first book by the author who, thanks to it, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. It is a book widely read in middle and high schools. The book became a classic of modern literature and its 1962 film version won three Academy Awards.

Answer: George Clooney and Barack Obama were born

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1964) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. The capsule, Vostok 1, with Gagarin, was launched on April 12th, 1961. Between launching and landing, there were 108 minutes that made Gagarin the international celebrity.

George Clooney, was born in May, 1961, Kentucky. In his childhood he used to follow his father Nick Clooney, a television presenter, to the studios. George Clooney ended up becoming an actor; after his work as Dr. Doug Ross in the medical series "ER" he had a successful career as an actor, screenwriter, and television and cinema director.

Barack Obama, was born in August, 1961, Hawaii to a Kenyan father and an American mother. After living a few years in Indonesia, he returned to the United States where he undertook his university studies. In 1997, he was elected senator by the state of Illinois and re-elected for a second term. In 2008, Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, a position he held for two terms (January 2009 to January 2017).

Answer: First James Bond film released

Norma Jeane Mortenson (1926-1962), known as Marilyn Monroe, was an American actress, model and singer. On May 19th, 1962, at a party celebrating President John Kennedy's forthcoming birthday (his birthday was May 29th), she sang "Happy Birthday" in what was considered a very sensual manner, leading to rumors that she and the president were having an affair. Less than three months after this event, the actress was found dead after apparently overdosing on sleeping pills

Dr. No is a British spy film, released in 1962, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. With this film, James Bond made his debut on the big screen. James Bond was a fictional character created by Fleming in 1953; he is a British secret agent who also answers by the code name 007. In the film "Dr. No", James Bond was portrayed by Sean Connery.

Answer: Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 -1968) was an African American Baptist minister and activist in the promotion of the American Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to his assassination in 1968. On August 28th, 1963, Luther King delivered a speech named "I Have a Dream" during the March on Washington for Job and Freedom, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington DC.

The Russian Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was born in 1937. She is an engineer and cosmonaut, and was the first woman to go into space, as well as the first woman to take a solo flight. She traveled on the Vostok 6 spacecraft on June 16th, 1963, and spent nearly three days in space orbiting the Earth 48 times.

Answer: The Beatles arrived in America

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), an English American actress and Richard Burton (1925-1984), a Welsh actor, met on the set of the film Cleopatra in 1963, where she starred as Cleopatra and he as Mark Antony. At this time Elizabeth Taylor was married to Eddie Fisher and the affair between Taylor and Burton caused a worldwide scandal. On March 15th, 1964 Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton for the first time. Ten years later the couple filed for divorce. The couple remarried briefly in 1974-1975.

On February 7th, 1964 a Pan Am flight from London arrived in New York bringing the Beatles to the USA and, with them, Beatlemania. Two days later, the Fab Four: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan's popular television show. It is estimated that 73 million watched the show on television.

Answer: Miniskirts appeared in London

The maple leaf has been used as a symbol of Canadian identity since the 19th century, as seen in many types of objects. In 1963, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson started the process of creating a new flag for the country. Among the proposals presented, George Stanley's single leaf design was chosen. On January 28, 1965, the Queen Elizabeth made the new maple leaf flag official. On February 15 of the same year, it was inaugurated in a ceremony on Parliament Hill.

Mary Quant (1930 -) has been credit with "inventing" the miniskirt, the most iconic piece of clothing of the 1960s. The introduction of the skirt above the knee was a gradual process, which could already be seen in the streets and in the fashion shows of the great tailors. In 1965, the British designer Mary Quant, who at that time had a growing presence in the media, was one of the first ambassadors of the "above the knee" look. The use of plain, practical fabrics and simple models were easy to mass produce and expanded rapidly in the UK, Europe and the USA. The term 'miniskirt' started to be used in newspaper reports that year. In 1966, Quant's contribution to fashion was recognized by the Queen, with an Order of the British Empire medal.

Answer: Australian dollar was introduced

The eighth FIFA World Cup was held in England from July 11 to 30, 1966. It was the first cup to be held in an English-speaking country. During the tournament, England tied with Uruguay and beat France, Argentina and Portugal. The final match was played with West-Germany. The match ended in 2-2 draw, In extra-time, Geoff Hurst, who had already scored a goal during regular time, scored two more goals, giving England a 4-2 victory. Geoff Hurst became the first to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

The Australian dollar (sign: $; code AUD) was introduced on February 14, 1966 and started to be used in Australia and in its external territories - Christmas Islands, Coco Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. Before this date the Australia's currency was the Australian pound, which like the British pound sterling was divided in shellings and pence.

Answer: Loving v. Virginia case decided

The first human heart transplant was performed in South Africa, by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in December, 1967. The 53-year-old patient was Louis Washkansky, whose body did not reject the transplanted organ; he died after 18 days due to side effects of drugs he had to take. Dr. Barnard performed other successful heart transplants, which as the technology advanced, allowed the patient a longer life span.

The Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967) is a case which involved Mildred J. Loving, a woman of color and Richard P. Loving, a white man. They were sentenced in 1958 to one year in prison for having married each other, violating the Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which criminalized marriage between people characterized as "white" and people classified as "colored". The couple appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia that upheld the sentence. Then they appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which on June 12th, 1967, made an unanimous decision in favor of the Lovings and overturned Virginia's anti-miscegenation law and ended all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

Answer: Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were murdered

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier, 1929-1994) was an American socialite who married John F. Kennedy in 1953 and became known worldwide in 1960 when Kennedy was elected president of the United States. After his assassination, she lived a secluded life until she married, in 1968, the Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis (1906-1975), her long-time friend. They began to have a very luxurious life, drawing the attention of the international press. In 1975, with the death of Onassis, Jacqueline returned to the United States, started to work as book editor in New York, until her death in 1994.

Two murders that took place in 1968 year shook the United States. On April 4th, 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray. On June 5th, the US Senator Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded when he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles; in the next day, 26 hours after he had been shot, he was pronounced dead.

Answer: The Woodstock Festival was held

The American Apollo 11 mission (July 16-24,1969), led by Neil Armstrong, was the spaceflight that first landed on the Moon. While Michael Collins flew the Command Module "Columbia" alone in lunar orbit, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, landed the Lunar Module Eagle on the lunar surface, on July 20, 1969. Six hours after landing, Armstrong became the first human to step onto the lunar surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin. Together, they walked outside the space craft, collecting material to bring to Earth and planted the US Flag on the moon surface. In this opportunity Neil Armstrong said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".

The Woodstock Festival, announced as an "Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music" was held in Bethel, New York - 40 miles from the town of Woodstock. It was planned to last three days but lasted four days, from August 15 to 18, 1969 and planned to receive an audience of 20,000 people but more than 400,000 people were present. Richie Havens was the first to perform and Jimi Hendrix was the last. The festival was considered a crucial moment in the history of music and for the counterculture generation.