1960s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1960s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

1960

• 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet.
• News: National service ended, with the last conscripts called up in 1960.
• Screen: Coronation Street began on 9 December.
• Music: Cliff Richard and the Shadows were the biggest British act of the year; 'Apache' by the Shadows was one of the year's best sellers.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960

1961

• 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space.
• News: Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space on 12 April.
• Screen: The Avengers began on ITV.
• Music: Elvis Presley's 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' and 'Wooden Heart' were both number ones.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961

1962

• 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis.
• News: The Cuban missile crisis in October brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any other point.
• Screen: Dr. No opened in October and James Bond was on screen for the first time.
• Music: The Beatles released 'Love Me Do' in October; it reached the top twenty rather than the top.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962

1963

• 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy.
• News: The big freeze lasted from Boxing Day 1962 until March, with snow lying for weeks.
• Screen: Doctor Who began on 23 November, the day after the Kennedy assassination, and the first episode was repeated a week later.
• Music: The Beatles had three number ones in the year and two of the year's biggest sellers.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963

1964

• 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two.
• News: Harold Wilson won the October general election for Labour.
• Screen: Top of the Pops began on 1 January.
• Music: The Beatles and the Rolling Stones both had number ones; 'Can't Buy Me Love' sold in enormous numbers.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964

1965

• 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium.
• News: Winston Churchill died on 24 January and had a state funeral watched by millions.
• Screen: The Sound of Music was released and ran in some cinemas for years.
• Music: The Beatles' 'Help!' and 'Ticket to Ride' were both number ones.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965

1966

• 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October.
• News: The Aberfan disaster on 21 October killed 116 children and 28 adults when a colliery spoil tip slid onto a school.
• Screen: Cathy Come Home was broadcast in November and led directly to the growth of Shelter.
• Music: 'Green, Green Grass of Home' by Tom Jones was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966

1967

• 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love.
• News: Radio 1 launched on 30 September with Tony Blackburn.
• Screen: BBC Two began colour broadcasts on 1 July, starting with Wimbledon.
• Music: Engelbert Humperdinck's 'Release Me' was the year's best-selling single and famously kept the Beatles' 'Penny Lane' off the top.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967

1968

• 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest.
• News: Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in April and Robert Kennedy in June.
• Screen: Dad's Army began on 31 July.
• Music: The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968

1969

• 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade.
• News: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on 20 July, and Neil Armstrong stepped out in the early hours of 21 July UK time.
• Screen: BBC One and ITV began colour broadcasts in November.
• Music: 'Sugar, Sugar' by the Archies was the year's best-selling single.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969

Pop culture milestones of the 1960s

• 1960 - Coronation Street began on 9 December. Cliff Richard and the Shadows were the biggest British act of the year; 'Apache' by the Shadows was one of the year's best sellers.
• 1961 - The Avengers began on ITV. Elvis Presley's 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' and 'Wooden Heart' were both number ones.
• 1962 - Dr. No opened in October and James Bond was on screen for the first time. The Beatles released 'Love Me Do' in October; it reached the top twenty rather than the top.
• 1963 - Doctor Who began on 23 November, the day after the Kennedy assassination, and the first episode was repeated a week later. The Beatles had three number ones in the year and two of the year's biggest sellers.
• 1964 - Top of the Pops began on 1 January. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones both had number ones; 'Can't Buy Me Love' sold in enormous numbers.
• 1965 - The Sound of Music was released and ran in some cinemas for years. The Beatles' 'Help!' and 'Ticket to Ride' were both number ones.
• 1966 - Cathy Come Home was broadcast in November and led directly to the growth of Shelter. 'Green, Green Grass of Home' by Tom Jones was the year's best-selling single.
• 1967 - BBC Two began colour broadcasts on 1 July, starting with Wimbledon. Engelbert Humperdinck's 'Release Me' was the year's best-selling single and famously kept the Beatles' 'Penny Lane' off the top.
• 1968 - Dad's Army began on 31 July. The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' was the year's best-selling single.
• 1969 - BBC One and ITV began colour broadcasts in November. 'Sugar, Sugar' by the Archies was the year's best-selling single.

Holidays and annual dates

• 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
• 25 January - Burns Night.
• 14 February - Valentine's Day.
• 1 March - St David's Day.
• 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
• Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
• Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
• 23 April - St George's Day.
• First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
• Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
• Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
• 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
• First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
• Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 31 October - Halloween.
• 5 November - Bonfire Night.
• 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
• 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
• 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
• In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

Where to shop next

• 1960s history: events, politics and culture
• 1960s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1960s films and directors
• 1960s books, films and TV
• 1960s books: novels and authors
• 1960s art: artists and styles
• 1960s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1960s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1960s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1960s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1960s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1960s games: board, card and video
• 1960s trivia: fun facts
• 1960s quiz: questions and answers
• 1960s party playlist
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1960s
• The decade before: the 1950s
• The decade after: the 1970s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Look back to 1960
• Look back to 1961
• Look back to 1962
• Look back to 1963
• Look back to 1964
• Look back to 1965
• Look back to 1966
• Look back to 1967
• Look back to 1968
• Look back to 1969
• Playground games by region
• Knock down ginger
• Conkers rules
• Marbles rules
• School dinners we all remember
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1960s?

Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. The calendar above runs through every year from 1960 to 1969, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1960s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.