WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO DECEMBER 1960
Find out what all happened January to December 1960

Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. (21. January 1960)

Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Act). (4. July 1960)

Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom. (1. January 1960)

The Central African Republic declares independence from France. (13. August 1960)

Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France. (1. August 1960)

The first election of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration, in history of Tibet. The Tibetan community observes this date as the Democracy Day. (2. September 1960)

King Mahendra of Nepal suspends the country's constitution, dissolves parliament, dismisses the cabinet, and imposes direct rule. (15. December 1960)

Madagascar gains its independence from France. (26. June 1960)

More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey. (6. May 1960)

The Sudanese Republic is renamed Mali after the withdrawal of Senegal from the Mali Federation. (22. September 1960)

In Huntsville, Alabama, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1). (8. September 1960)

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion. (17. March 1960)

The poet Léopold Sédar Senghor is elected as the first President of Senegal. (5. September 1960)

Richard Pavlick is arrested for plotting to assassinate U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy. (15. December 1960)

Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation. (6. August 1960)

The Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic are assassinated. (25. November 1960)

Côte d'Ivoire becomes independent from France. (7. August 1960)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States. (11. July 1960)

The National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed. (20. December 1960)

A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board. (26. February 1960)