Robert C. Weaver becomes first Black cabinet member in the U.S.
As HUD’s senior administrator, Weaver expanded affordable housing programs and, in 1968, advocated for the passage of the Fair Housing Act,
United States
The UN Development Programme is launched
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth, and human development. Based at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, it is the largest U.N. development aid agency, with offices in 177 countries. As the poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean, affordable water, sanitation, and energy services, UNDP also seeks to address a wide range of environmental and conservation issues.
The U.S. formally passes the Higher Education Act into law, making student loans widely available for the first time
Federal student loans were first offered in the U.S. in 1958 under the National Defense Education Act. However, they were only available to select categories of students, such as those studying engineering, science, or education. Low-income student loans only became more broadly available in the 1960s under the Higher Education Act of 1965, which also increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, and established a National Teachers Corps.
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country.
The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show
It is estimated that 73 million Americans were watching that night as the Beatles made their live U.S. television debut.
Robert Moog invents the world’s first commercial musical synthesizer
In 1964, Moog began creating the Moog synthesizer. The synthesizer was composed of separate modules which created and shaped sounds, connected by patch cords.
Nick Holonyak, Jr. invents the first practical visible LED
n 1962, when he was 33, the scientist Nick Holonyak, Jr., created the first practical visible light-emitting diode. At GE, they called it “the magic one.”
Theodore Maiman invents the laser
Maiman’s laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers. The laser was successfully fired on May 16, 1960.
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Scylla I becomes world’s first machine to achieve controlled thermonuclear fusion
The team that achieved it was led by a British scientist named James Tuck. After the success of Scylla-1, Los Alamos went on to build multiple pinch machines over the next few years.
Rachel Carson’s “sea trilogy” helps inspire the “marine revolution”
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award. Its success prompted the republication of her first book, Under the Sea Wind (1941), in 1952, which was followed by The Edge of the Sea in 1955 — both were also bestsellers. The sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths and is credited with inspiring a major shift in public awareness on marine conservation.