The world in
What happened in 1960?
25 events across 9 world regions, each with its sources.
Central & South America
1960 Valdivia earthquakeOn 22 May 1960, a great earthquake struck southern Chile near Valdivia. With a moment magnitude estimated at 9.4–9.6 (often cited as Mw 9.5), it stands as the most powerful event of the instrumental era. The ensuing tsunamis hit Chile’s coast and crossed the Pacific, reaching Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia, and the Aleutian Islands.
Inauguration of Palácio do PlanaltoOn 21 April 1960, the Palácio do Planalto, the official workplace of the president of Brazil, was inaugurated in Brasília. Designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1958, it forms part of the Praça dos Três Poderes, facing the National Congress and the Supreme Federal Court. Since Juscelino Kubitschek, every Brazilian president has worked there, and the building's name is often used as a metonym for the federal executive branch.
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Founding of BrasíliaOn 21 April 1960, the new capital of Brazil, Brasília, was officially founded, replacing Rio de Janeiro. Promoted by President Juscelino Kubitschek to foster inland development and economic decentralization, construction began in 1956.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Arturdiasr / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Completion of Brazil's National Congress PalaceIn 1960, the National Congress Palace was completed in Brazil's new capital, Brasilia, to house the National Congress. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer with structural engineering by Joaquim Cardozo, it forms the Square of the Three Powers alongside the Palácio do Planalto and the Supreme Federal Court, and is regarded as a symbol of Brasilia and the nation.
Founding of the Church of Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de LourdesIn 1960, the Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in Estación Atlántida, Uruguay, designed by engineer Eladio Dieste. It later became a Roman Catholic parish church and a World Heritage Site.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Nicolas Barriola / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
- Outbreak of the Escambray rebellion
In 1959, an armed rebellion broke out in the Escambray Mountains of Cuba, with several insurgent groups fighting against the government led by Fidel Castro. The conflict lasted until 1965, and the Cuban government termed the counterinsurgency operation the 'Struggle Against Bandits'.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
- Peak Phase of the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968)
Between 1954 and 1968, the African American civil rights movement peaked, using nonviolent means to challenge racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Originating in the Reconstruction era and influenced by Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy, it involved mass protests and civil disobedience. This led to new federal protections, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Signing of the U.S.–Japan Security TreatyOn January 19, 1960, the United States and Japan signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security in Washington, D.C., permitting U.S. military bases on Japanese soil and establishing a military alliance. The treaty commits both nations to mutual defense if either is attacked in territories under Japanese administration, solidifying postwar security cooperation.
Signing of the U.S.-Japan Security TreatyOn September 8, 1951, the United States and Japan signed the Security Treaty in San Francisco, alongside the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. Imposed by the U.S. as a condition for ending the Occupation and restoring Japan's sovereignty, it established a long-lasting military alliance and allowed the U.S. to maintain forces in the Far East.
Project OzmaIn 1960, astronomer Frank Drake led Project Ozma at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. The experiment used radio observations to search planetary systems for possible signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. It is described as the first modern SETI effort and an early, systematic search via interstellar radio waves.
Europe
Cold WarAfter World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
- Sainte Marie de La Tourette completed
Sainte Marie de La Tourette, a Dominican priory designed by Le Corbusier as his final building, was completed in Éveux, near Lyon, France. Its establishment aimed at spiritual awakening, especially for inhabitants of nearby areas.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Completion of the Pirelli TowerThe Pirelli Tower was completed in 1960 in Milan, Italy. It is a 32‑storey, 127‑metre skyscraper commissioned by Alberto Pirelli. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in the European Union. It later became the seat of the Lombardy regional council.
South Asia
Outbreak of the Vietnam WarIn 1955, armed conflict erupted between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), marking the start of the Vietnam War. This war was simultaneously a civil war, a Cold War proxy war, and a postcolonial independence conflict, with North Vietnam backed by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The fighting later spread to Laos and Cambodia, ending with all three countries under communist rule in 1975.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps. James K. F. Dung, SFC, Photographer Ronald L. Haeberle / Public domain ↗
Malayan EmergencyIn 1948, the British colonial government declared an emergency due to an armed struggle by the Malayan Communist Party. The guerrilla war against the independence-seeking Malayan National Liberation Army, with the involvement of Commonwealth forces, lasted until the lifting of the emergency in 1960.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Australian Government / Public domain ↗
Establishment of the Royal University of Phnom PenhIn 1960, the Royal University of Phnom Penh was founded in the Cambodian capital, becoming the country's largest university. As a national research university, its establishment marked the beginning of Cambodia's modern higher education system. It later joined the ASEAN University Network and has trained many professionals for Cambodia.
North Africa
Algerian WarThe Algerian War was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, leading to Algeria's independence. Considered a major decolonization war, it involved guerrilla warfare and war crimes by both sides.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Madame Grinderche / Public domain ↗
1960 Agadir earthquakeOn 29 February 1960, an earthquake struck Agadir, Morocco. A shallow focus near the port city, together with unsatisfactory construction, led to extreme destruction. About 12,000–15,000 people were killed.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sharpeville massacreOn 21 March 1960, police opened fire on a peaceful crowd protesting apartheid pass laws outside the police station in Sharpeville township, Transvaal, Union of South Africa, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. The massacre became one of the deadliest acts of repression under apartheid, drawing international condemnation and radicalizing the anti-apartheid struggle.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Godfrey Rubens (painter and photographer) .mw-parser-output .messagebox{margin:4px 0;width:auto;border-collapse:collapse / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
- Rwandan Revolution
The Rwandan Revolution was a period of violence between Hutu and Tutsi from 1959 to 1961, transforming the country from a Tutsi monarchy to a Hutu-led republic and causing massive Tutsi displacement.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
- 1960 Turkish coup d'état
On 27 May 1960, a group of Turkish military officers staged a coup outside the chain of command, overthrowing the democratically elected Democrat Party government. This was the first coup in the Republic of Turkey, ultimately resulting in the execution of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and two ministers.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Establishment of Shamakhy Astrophysical ObservatoryThe Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR issued a decree to establish a major observatory on Mount Pirkuli in the Greater Caucasus range. The facility was later named after the scholar Nasreddin Tusi and became a research institute under the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Gulmammad ( talk ) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Oceania
Establishment of Westland Tai Poutini National ParkIn 1960, New Zealand established Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the South Island's western coast to protect its spectacular glaciers, alpine peaks, and rainforests. Covering about 1,175 square kilometres, it encompasses over 60 glaciers, including Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, and extends from the Tasman Sea coast to the Southern Alps divide.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Department of Conservation / CC BY 2.0 ↗
East Asia
- April Revolution
In April 1960, massive protests led by students and labor groups erupted in South Korea against electoral fraud by President Syngman Rhee. The uprising peaked on April 19 and forced Rhee to resign, ending the First Republic and paving the way for the Second Republic.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1960
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Emergence of the Green Revolution
- Beginning of the Digital Revolution
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins