Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. The year 1960 is known as the "Year of Africa."
Events of 1960
January
Bathyscaphe Trieste, before dive into Marianas Trench
February

Woolworth\'s lunch counter from
Greensboro, NC (in
Smithsonian Institution)
March
April
May
- May 1
- A Soviet missile shoots down an American Lockheed U2 spy plane; the pilot Francis Gary Powers is captured.
- In India, May 1st is declared as \'Maharashtra Divas\', i.e., Maharashtra Day (the same day is also celebrated as \'Kaamgaar Divas\', i.e., Workers Day).
- May 4 - West German refugee minister Theodor Oberländer is fired because of his Nazi past.
- May 6 - President Dwight Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law.
- May 9 - The U.S. FDA announces that it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle\'s Enovid, making it the world\'s first approved oral contraceptive pill.
- May 10 - The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus completes the first underwater circumnavigation of the Earth.
- May 11 - In Buenos Aires, 4 Mossad agents abduct fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann, who was using the alias "Ricardo Klement".
- May 13 - A Swiss/Austrian expedition makes the first ascent of Dhaulagiri, the world\'s 7th highest mountain.
- May 14 - The Kenyan African National Congress Party is founded in Kenya, when 3 political parties join forces.
- May 15 - Sputnik 4 is launched into Earth orbit.
- May 16
- May 20 - In Japan, police carry away Socialist members of the Diet; Parliament then approves a security treaty with the United States.
- May 22 - Great Chilean Earthquake: Chile\'s subduction fault ruptures from Talcahuano to Taitao Peninsula, causing a tsunami and one of the greatest earthquakes on record. Seismographs in Valdivia crash.
- May 23 - Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion announces that Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann has been captured.
- May 27 - In Turkey, a bloodless military coup d\'état removes President Celal Bayar and installs General Cemal Gürsel as head of state.
June
July
- July 1
- July 4 - Following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state the previous year, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- July 10 - The Soviet Union beats Yugoslavia 2-1 to win the first European Football Championship.
- July 11
- July 12 - Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.
- July 14 - The United Nations decides to send troops to Katanga to oversee Belgian troops withdrawal.
- July 18 - Kevin Davies is born.
- July 20 - Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world\'s first elected female head of government.
- July 21 - Francis Chichester, English navigator and yachtsman, arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II — he has made a record solo Atlantic crossing in 40 days.
- July 25 - The Woolworth\'s counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, the subject of a sit-in which sparked sit-ins and pickets across the southern United States in February 1960, serves its first black customer.
- July 25-July 28 - In Chicago, the Republican National Convention nominates U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon for President and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. for Vice President.
- July 27 - The OECD is founded in Paris.
August
September
October
November
December
November 15: Polaris missile test
- December 1
- Patrice Lumumba, the deposed premier of the Congo, is arrested by troops of Colonel Joseph Mobutu.
- A 5-ton Soviet spacecraft containing animals, insects and plants is launched into orbit; it burns up upon re-entry.
- December 2
- December 4 - The admission to the United Nations of Mauritania is vetoed by the USSR.
- December 5 - Pierre Lagaillarde, who led 1958 and 1960 insurrections in Algeria, fails to appear in a Paris court. He has reportedly fled with 4 fellow defendants to Spain en route to Algeria.
- December 7 - The United Nations Security Council is called into session by the Soviet Union, to consider Soviet demands that the U.N. seek the immediate release of former Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba.
- December 9
- French President Charles de Gaulle\'s visit to Algeria is marked by bloody riots by European and Muslim mobs in Algeria\'s largest cities, killing 127 people.
- First Episode of long-running drama Coronation Street airs. It was originally planned to be a 16 part drama but became such a success that it is still running 5 times or more per week.
- December 12
- December 13
- December 14
- December 16
- December 17 - Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia suppress the revolt that began December 13, giving power back to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
- December 19 - Fire sweeps through the USS Constellation, the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, while it is under construction at a Brooklyn Navy Yard pier, killing 50 and injuring 150.
- December 20 - Discoverer XIX is launched into polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, to measure radiation.
- December 27 - France sets off its third nuclear test blast at its atomic proving grounds at Reggane, Algeria.
Ongoing
World population
- World population: 3,021,475,000
- Africa: 277,398,000
- Asia: 1,701,336,000
- Europe: 604,401,000
- Latin-America: 218,300,000
- Northern America: 204,152,000
- Oceania: 15,888,000
Births
January-February
- January 2 - Naoki Urasawa, Japanese manga author and artist
- January 3 - Sandeep Marwah, Founder of Noida Film City
- January 4 - Michael Stipe, American singer (R.E.M.)
- January 6
- January 12 - Oliver Platt, Canadian actor
- January 13 - Kevin Anderson, American actor
- January 20 - Will Wright, American computer game designer best known for games such as The Sims, Sim City, and Spore (video game)
- January 22 - Michael Hutchence, Australian musician (INXS) (d. 1997)
- January 23 - Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and skysurfing pioneer (d. 1998)
- January 28 - Robert von Dassanowsky, American cultural historian, writer, and producer
- January 29
- February 2 - Jari Porttila, Finnish sports journalist
- February 4 - Tim Booth, British singer (James)
- February 13
- February 16 - Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
- February 19 - Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- February 21 - Henry G. Brinton, American writer and minister
- February 23 - Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
- February 27 - Andrés Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
March-April
- March 4
- March 7
- March 8 - Finn Carter, American actress
- March 10 - Anne MacKenzie, British broadcaster
- March 12
- March 13
- March 14 - Kirby Puckett, baseball player (d. 2006)
- March 16 - Jenny Eclair (British comedian, actress and novelist
- March 18 - Richard Biggs, American actor (d. 2004)
- March 20 - Norm Magnusson, American artist
- March 21 - Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (d. 1994)
- March 23 - Nicol Stephen, Scottish politician
- March 24 - Nena Kerner, German singer
- March 26 - Marcus Allen, American football player
- March 27
- April 1 - Michael Praed, British actor
- April 2 - Linford Christie, British athlete
- April 3 - Elizabeth Gracen, American beauty queen, actress, and model
- April 4
- April 11 - Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television show host
- April 14 - Brad Garrett, American actor
- April 16
- April 18 - Neo Rauch, German painter
- April 19 - Frank Viola, baseball player
- April 23
- April 24 - Paula Yates, British television presenter (d. 2000)
- April 26 - Roger Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
- April 28 - John Cerutti, baseball player and announcer (d. 2004)
May-June
- May 6
- May 10 - Bono, Irish singer (U2)
- May 13 - Kyle Everett Knight, Stump Removal Specialist (Stump King)
- May 13 - Keith Goerge Knight, CPA
- may 18
- May 20 - John Billingsley, American actor
- May 21 - Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
- May 22 - Hideaki Anno, Japanese director
- May 23 - Linden Ashby, American actor
- May 31 - Greg C. Adams, Canadian ice hockey player
- June 4 - Bradley Walsh, English comedian and actor
- June 6 - Steve Vai, American guitarist
- June 8 - Mick Hucknall, English singer and songwriter (Simply Red)
- June 12 - Corynne Charby, French model, actress and singer
- June 14 - Peter Mitchell, Australian news reader
- June 16 - Peter Sterling, Australian rugby player
- June 17 - Michael Monroe, Finnish singer (Hanoi Rocks)
- June 18 - Kevin Drinkell, English footballer
- June 20 - John Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
- June 28 - John Elway, American football player
- June 30 - Tony Bellotto, Brazilian guitarist and writer
July-August
- July 3 - Vince Clarke, English songwriter (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure)
- July 5 - Pruitt Taylor Vince, American actor
- July 5 - Rick Devin, American guitarist and singer/songwriter
- July 7 - Kevin A. Ford, American NASA astronaut
- July 9 - Charles Gavin, Brazilian drummer and producer
- July 13 - Ian Hislop, British broadcaster and editor
- July 14 - Kyle Gass, American music singer-song-writer-guitarist/actor
- July 17
- July 21
- July 22 - Jon Oliva American vocalist and pianist (Savatage)
- August 1 - Chuck D, American rapper, leader of Public Enemy
- August 4 - José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain
- August 7 - David Duchovny, American actor
- August 8 - Ulrich Maly, German politician and Mayor of Nuremberg
- August 10
- August 14 - Sarah Brightman, English soprano singer and actress
- August 17 - Sean Penn, American actor
- August 19 - Morten Andersen, American football player
- August 24 - Cal Ripken, Jr., baseball player
- August 26 - Branford Marsalis, American musician
- August 30 - Chalino Sanchez, Mexican musician (d. 1992)
September-October
- September 6 - Bob Stoops, American football coach
- September 9 - Hugh Grant, English actor
- September 10 - Colin Firth, English actor
- September 16 - John Franco, baseball player
- September 22 - Joan Jett, U.S. musician, vocalist & leader of "Joan Jett & The Blackhearts"
- October 6 - Richard Jobson Scottish singer-songwriter (Skids) and film-maker, best known as a television presenter
- October 7 - Kyosuke Himuro, Japanese singer
- October 12 - Alexei Kudrin, a Russian statesman and the Russian Minister of Finance
- October 16 - Bashir Sakhawarz, Afghan Writer, Poet, Researcher, Engineer
- October 17 - Guy Henry, English actor
- October 18 - Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian actor
- October 24 - Jaime Garzón, Colombian journalist and comedian (d. 1999)
- October 28 - Landon Curt Noll, Astronomer, Cryptographer and Mathematician: youngest to world record for the largest known prime 3 times
- October 29 - Finola Hughes, British actress
- October 30 - Diego Armando Maradona, Argentine footballer
November-December
- November 3 - Karch Kiraly, American volleyball player
- November 4 - Frl. Menke, German pop singer
- November 10 - Neil Gaiman, English author
- November 11
- November 17 - Jonathan Ross, English television presenter
- November 18 - Kim Wilde, English singer and gardener
- November 20 - Marc Labrèche, Canadian actor and television host
- November 25
- November 26 - Harold Reynolds, baseball player and broadcaster
- November 27 - Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine
- November 30 - Rich Fields, American television personality
- December 2 - Rick Savage, English bassist (Def Leppard)
- December 3 - Daryl Hannah, American actress
- December 4 - Glynis Nunn, Australian athlete
- December 5 - Brian Bromberg American Jazz bassist and composer
- December 10 - Kenneth Branagh, Northern Irish actor and director
- December 10 - Michael Schoeffling, American actor and model
- December 14 - Bob Paris, American bodybuilder and gay rights advocate
- December 17 - Criss Angel, American/Greek magician and musician
- December 18 - Kazuhide Uekusa, Japanese economist
- December 24
- December 27 - Maryam d\'Abo, British actress
- December 28 - John Fitzgerald, Australian tennis player
- December 29 - Dave Pelzer, American author
- December 31
Deaths
January-June
- January 1 - Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)
- January 4 - Albert Camus, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (automobile accident) (b. 1913)
- January 9 - Elsie J. Oxenham, British children\'s novelist (b. 1880)
- January 12 - Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)
- January 24 - Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
- January 27 - Osvaldo Aranha, Brazilian politician (b. 1894)
- January 30 - J. C. Kumarappa, Indian economist (b. 1892)
- February 2 - Jagadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji Maharaja, Hindu teacher (b. 1884)
- February 3 - Fred Buscaglione, Italian singer and actor (b. 1921)
- February 9 - Jaroslav Joseph Polivka, Czech structural engineer (b. 1886)
- February 10 - Aloysius Stepinac, Catholic prelate (b. 1898)
- February 11 - Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian conductor (b. 1877)
- February 20 - Sir Leonard Woolley, British archaeologist (b. 1880)
- February 21 - Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (b. 1901), last Vicereine of India
- February 29 - Walter Yust, American encyclopedia editor (b. 1894)
- March 2 - Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (b. 1874)
- March 9 - Jack Beattie, Irish politician (b. 1886)
- April 1 - Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad, King of Malaysia (b. 1895)
- April 17 - Eddie Cochran, American singer (b. 1938)
- April 24 - Max von Laue, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- May 3 - Masa Niemi, Finnish actor (b. 1914)
- May 8 - J. H. C. Whitehead, British mathematician (b. 1904)
- May 11 - John D. Rockefeller Jr., American philanthropist (b. 1874)
- May 23 - Georges Claude, French inventor (b. 1870)
- May 27 - Edward Brophy, American actor (b. 1895)
- May 30 - Boris Pasternak, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (declined) (b. 1890)
- May 31 - Walther Funk, German Nazi politician (b. 1890)
- June 4 - Józef Haller de Hallenburg, Polish general (b. 1873)
- June 14 - Ana Pauker, Romanian politician (b. 1893)
- June 18 - Shalva Aleksi-Meskhishvili, Georgian politician (b. 1884)
- June 25 - Tommy Corcoran, baseball player (b. 1869)
- June 27 - Lottie Dod, English athlete (b. 1871)
July-December
- July 6 - Aneurin Bevan, Welsh politician (b. 1897)
- July 14 - Maurice, 6th duc de Broglie, French physicist (b. 1875)
- July 15
- July 16 - John P. Marquand, American novelist (b. 1893)
- August 23 - Oscar Hammerstein II, writer and lyricist (b. 1895)
- August 27 - Stanley Clifford Weyman, U.S. impostor (b. 1890)
- August 29 - Vicki Baum, Austrian writer (b. 1888)
- September 1 - Hisamuddin Alam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, King of Malaysia (b. 1898)
- September 8 - Feroze Gandhi, Indian politician (b. 1912)
- September 9 - Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (b. 1911)
- September 20 - Ida Rubinstein, iconic Russian ballet dancer (b. 1885)
- September 24 - Mátyás Seiber, Hungarian composer (b. 1905)
- October 31 - H. L. Davis, American author (b. 1894)
- November 2 - Dimitri Mitropoulos, Greek conductor, pianist, and composer (b. 1896)
- November 5 - Mack Sennett, Canadian film producer and director (b. 1880)
- November 5 - Johnny Horton, American country singer (b. 1925)
- November 7 - A.P. Carter, American singer and songwriter (b. 1891)
- November 14 - Walter Catlett, American actor (b. 1889)
- November 16 - Clark Gable, American actor (b. 1901)
- November 24 - Grand Duchess Olga, sister of Nicholas II (b. 1882)
- November 25 - The Mirabal Sisters, three Dominican revolutionaries (b. 1924, 1926, 1935)
- December 2 - Fritz August Breuhaus de Groot, German architect, interior designer and designer (b. 1883)
- December 26 - Watsuji Tetsuro, Japanese philosopher (b. 1889)
Nobel prizes
Ship events
Notes
External links
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