1960s Timeline

Mar. 24, 1964 - Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson spent a day full of both future and past at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,...

Dec. 16, 1963 - Colonel Charles Yeager of the U.S. Air Force, who rode a spinning Lockheed NF-104A space training plane from 90,000 to...

Nov. 21, 1963 - President Kennedy mixed a strong defense of his space program with some old-fashioned, earthbound politics today as he...

Oct. 26, 1963 - Premier Khrushchev has declared that the Soviet Union would not race the U.S. to put a man on the moon. The statement...

Oct. 10, 1963 - President Kennedy called for greater appreciation of the importance of the space program today as he awarded one of the...

Sept. 23, 1963 - France announced today she would fire a cat into space late next month aboard a rocket launched from the Sahara. At the...

June 20, 1963 - There was a packed audience in a Houston nightclub June 13 when entertainer Milton Berle introduced a crew-cut young man...

June 19, 1963 - Valentina Tereshkova, 26, the first woman in space, and cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, 28, holder of all records for manned...

June 17, 1963 - The Russians reported Lieutenant Colonel Valery Bykovsky lost altitude today on his fourth day aloft in space. But his...

June 16, 1963 - The United States has no plans for putting a woman in space, an official said today. A spokesman for NASA said there...

June 16, 1963 - Junior Lieutenant Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to journey into space, was circling the earth this morning. She...

June 15, 1963 - Lieut. Col. Valery F. Bykovsky (pictured) whirled about the Earth today on what is planned as a prolonged orbital flight....

May 29, 1963 - The Air Force presented pilot-astronaut wings today to Major Gordon Cooper for his 22-orbit flight around the earth....

May 24, 1963 - On Tuesday, President Kennedy awarded Major Gordon Cooper, America's newest space hero, the NASA distinguished service ...

May 23, 1963 - How high is up? A pair of Oklahomans, Major Gordon Cooper and slugger Mickey Mantle, can supply varying answers to the...

May 22, 1963 - In 38 words, Major Gordon Cooper gave New York his heartfelt thanks today “for this wonderful day.” “I don’t generally say...

May 22, 1963 - New York City took Major Gordon Cooper to its heart today with a triumphal parade, a welcome at City Hall, and an official...

May 21, 1963 - Addressing a joint meeting of the two houses of Congress today, astronaut Gordon Cooper concluded his 9-minute talk with a...

May 21, 1963 - President Kennedy today presented Gordon Cooper, the Air Force major who became a national hero by orbiting the Earth 22...

May 21, 1963 - From the highest officials to the youngest children, the nation’s capital gave its praise and its heart today to Gordon...