2/64 The Month that Launched the Sixties

The most influential decade of the Twentieth Century really didn't begin until February 1964. What occurred that month alone reverberated for the rest of the decade and continues to influence every successive generation since. In that one month, Lyndon Johnson took hold of the Office of the President a little over two months after the beloved JFK was slain; Congress passed the epic Civil Rights Bill, the Beatles arrived on American shores; Cassius Clay (soon to become Muhammad Ali) shook up the world by knocking out heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, ushering in the era of bravado superstar athetes; the Ranger spaceship spectacularly failed, putting the U.S. Moon program in jeopardy; Viet Cong terrorists made a series of bold attacks in South Vietnam, commanding more attention from the United States; and the Republican primaries were about to begin against a new President who had sky-high popularity. Also sharing the headlines: anti-smoking lamps were lit, gun control measures cropped in light of the JFK assassination, and "dirty" song lyrics were rooted out. All in 2/64.