Historical events of the 1960s

Watts (L.A) race riots - racial tension explodes in the big city.

The Watts Riots were a civil disturbance in Los Angeles, California. The riots took place from August 11 through August 15, 1965. The incident resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, 3,438 arrests, and over $40 million in property damage. The riots began when a white police officer pulled over a 21-year-old black man on suspicion of drunk driving in the Watts neighborhood where he lived on the evening of August 11. A crowd soon gathered and the officer called for back-up, who attempted to arrest Frye using physical force to subdue him. The growing crowd of local residents watching the exchange began yelling and throwing rocks. After the arrest, the crowd continued to grow. Police came to the scene to break up the crowd a few times that night, but were attacked by rocks and concrete. Until the Watts Riots, black civil rights demonstrations had been relatively non-violent on the part of the demonstrators. The riots awakened the nation to the fact that the gloves were off.

2. Kwanzaa first celebrated - what other holidays were created? Why?

Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the U.S. honoring universal African-American heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. It features activities such as lighting a candle holder with seven candles and culminates in a feast and gift-giving. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966 -- 67. Karenga created the holiday to give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than imitate the dominate society.

3. Berlin Wall - Europe truly split

On August 13, 1961, the communist East German government began building a wall to physically separate West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany. The wall was erected in response to massive numbers of East Germans fleeing to West Berlin as a way to escape to the west. The East German government called the wall the anti-fascist protection wall. It was possible for westerners to pass between the two sections of the city through strictly controlled checkpoints, but for East Berliners this was not possible. The wall literally and symbolically reinforced the military, political, and ideological barrio between the Soviet bloc and Western Europe. This Iron Curtain would not come down until the wall came down in1990.

4. Freedom Riders - whites and blacks coming together

The Freedom Riders were black and white civil rights activists who rode interstate buses together into the segregated southern United States to challenge local laws or customs that enforced segregation. The first Freedom Ride began on May 4, 1961 with thirteen riders, seven black and six white. The Freedom Riders' tactics for their journey were to have at least one interracial pair sitting in adjoining seats and at least one black rider sitting up front, where seats under segregation had been reserved for white customers by local custom throughout the South. The rest would sit scattered throughout the rest of the bus. One rider would abide by the South's segregation rules in order to avoid arrest and to arrange bail for those who were arrested. Only minor trouble was encountered in Virginia and North Carolina, but one was attacked in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Some of the Riders were arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, Winnsboro, South Carolina and Jackson, Mississippi.

5. First heart Transplant - what else can technology do?