If you’re not old enough to have experienced the 60’s then getting into the 60’s groove maybe a little hard for you. So to help get you into the right frame of mind I’ve collected some great articles that will give you a good inkling of what life was really like in the 60’s and just maybe give you some idea of life in the swinging 60’s.

Baby Boomers – America in the 60’s

The cold war ushered in the 1960s. Many of us hardly even knew that Russia existed when all of a sudden Russia captured a U.S. spy, Captain Francis Powers, and we heard that Russia had “the bomb” and that we, the citizens of the U.S., were in danger of being attacked and overrun by the communist horde. Those growing up in the 60s took part in air-raid and nuclear bomb exercises in school where you hid under your desk, on your knees, covering your head with your butt in the air and felt assured that that would protect you in the event of a nuclear war. Thank goodness there wasn’t one! People also started building air-raid shelters and stockpiling canned goods and water, while some people were accused of sticking their heads in the sand when they refused to be caught up in the horror of this moment in time.

It may have been the uncertainty of life that caught hold of the young people during this time. Rock and roll music was born and the Twist was the newest dance craze. In fact, everything was kind of crazy then. Invented in the 1950s, the transistor radio became available in retail outlets in the mid 1960s and changed the way a lot of people listened to music. FM was for nerds and AM ruled! Most major U.S. cities had 3-4 Rock n’ Roll stations that played the same 40-60 hits all day long. Every teen or young adult knew the words to every single top 100 hit, be it the Billboard Magazine list or the local station list that was available at the local radio station or record store. 78 rpm (revolutions per minute) albums were long gone and the era of the 45 rpm single record and the 33 rpm album was born. A single 45 cost just 97 cents, plus tax, while an album of 9-11 songs was about four bucks. Most albums had 5 or 6 hits along with 4 or 5 songs that hadn’t been released as singles. Radio stations advertised “All the hits, all the time” and “More music more often” and we listened avidly to whatever AM station we could receive with the least interference. FM was for the ‘eggheads’ and didn’t become popular until the late 60s and earned its place as a radio standard in the mid 70s.

In one of the first presidential elections that a baby boomer will likely remember, the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second term saw his Vice President Richard M. Nixon running against John F. Kennedy, the youngest presidential candidate ever. This 1960 presidential race is also the first election that television played a most important part in. The charismatic Kennedy was ‘easy to look at’ on national television screens, though those that had only radios leaned towards voting for the Republican candidate, Nixon. Lyndon B. Johnson was running with Kennedy and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was the running mate for Nixon. Alaska and Hawaii participated in this election for the first time since gaining their statehood the previous year and both candidates were actually born in the 20th century.

Historians still debate the issues of this election and if vote theft played a part in Kennedy’s win, as well as Joe Kennedy, John F.’s father, possibly playing a not-so-kosher part. Kennedy’s margin of victory in the popular vote was the closest ever in U.S. history and the electoral vote was the closest since the presidential election of 1916 between Woodrow Wilson with his running mate Thomas R. Marshall and Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes and his VP candidate Charles W. Fairbanks.

In 1961, further proof that we needed to fear communism came in the form of a coup designed to overthrow Fidel Castro in a small communist country, Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida’s borders. The Bay of Pigs plan was under discussion during the Eisenhower administration and Kennedy, who allowed it to proceed, found himself much criticized for the failed debacle. Fidel Castro has outlasted all U.S. Presidents to date and his regime promises to carry on.

1961 is the year that the Berlin Wall came into being. The Russian Premier, Kruschev, decides to construct a huge concrete wall along the Soviet’s portion of Berlin, effectively imprisoning her citizens. As in Cuba, East German’s citizens were trapped and unable to leave for any reason. Many lost their lives in the attempt, just as many more have lost their lives in the attempt to flee Cuba. Many boomers have lived to see the wall come down.

Along with all of these monumental negatives, the 60s were not without its heroes. Kennedy, despite his shaky beginning became the most loved president in history. His assassination in November of 1963 threw the U.S. and parts of the world into deep mourning.

The space race was underway. On May 5th, 1961, Alan Shepard was the first American to fly into space aboard “Freedom 7″. It was an embarrassment that Russia managed to beat us to the punch by a couple of weeks, but this was the start of a race that would see man walk on the moon.

Baseball is still America’s favorite pastime and 1961 saw a landmark battle between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris as they competed against each other to break Babe Ruth’s home run record. Roger Maris succeeded but Mickey Mantle seems to be the most remembered.

Quickly upon the heels of Alan Shepard, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in the same spaceship, “Friendship 7″. Then came the Mercury and Gemini series’ flights, followed by the Apollo series. Challenged by President Kennedy’s address on May 25th, 1961, to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade, success came in the form of Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. The last moon walk took place in December of 1972, on the last of six Apollo missions and during which time 12 men walked on the moon.

In 1962 the National Guard is on hand as James Meredith becomes the first black person to enroll at the University of Mississippi. This troubled time saw the rise of Dr. Martin Luther King, trying to charm riotous men and women into a more peaceful integration. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech was heard around the world in 1963 before a live audience of an amazing 200,000 people.

…and the beat goes on…. The 60s was a time of turmoil, love, war, hate, drugs, rock n’ roll and of villains and heroes. And this was only the first two or three years of this decade!

Air Travel in the 60’s

Flying in the ’60s was an experience I will never forget. As a pre-boomer, one born between 1930 and 1945, I had the good fortune to see this evolution first-hand. From props to jets, a slow, uncomfortable means of travel, to luxury and rapid convenience. From a special event, to an affordable everyday way of conducting business. If you weren’t there, let me share with you some of the glory days of flying. If you do remember those days, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

My work called for a great deal of air travel throughout the decade of the ’60s. In the beginning, virtually all the short hops were on propeller driven planes: DC-3s, Viscounts and Conairs. Electras, Constellations and DC-7s were for longer distances. But it was a thrill to be whisked across the country on the new jets: DC-8s and Boeing 707s, or the all first class Caravel for shorter runs, at twice the speed of the prop planes. What an exciting time for commercial aviation.

While virtually all of today’s planes are jets, with the exception of some of those serving the feeder routes, but flying in 2010 bears little resemblance to the joys of air travel 50 or so years ago. Most airports were relatively small, with the big cities being the obvious exceptions. There was no visible security, save an occasional airport policeman. You could arrive at the terminal 15 minutes before takeoff and still make the flight. Compare that to the recommended hour or two recommended today.
Air travelers then bore little resemblance to those now. Suits and ties were worn by men, whether in first class or tourist (as economy/coach was often called, and there was no such thing as business class). Ladies wore appropriate business or social attire as well. All planes allowed smoking, cigarettes only. In fact, free sample packs of cigarettes were included with meals and snacks (peanuts were the snack of choice). The seats seemed more comfortable, and there was definitely more leg room back then.

There were many more airlines from which to choose as compared to the handful of companies flying now. Southwest and Jet Blue did not exist; however, Eastern, National, Capital, Western, PSA, Allegheny, Mohawk, Frontier, Braniff, TWA and Pan Am were all in the air during the ’60s and are no longer in existence.

Stewardesses had yet to become flight attendants. In fact, these ladies were proudly shown in ads as a reason to fly a particular airline. Food was promoted as a benefit in selecting one airline over another. Famous chefs supervised the preparation of signature recipes, as service became an important part of the decision making process. The food was good, even in the back of the plane. Imagine that.
It was not cheaper to fly. In fact, in today’s dollars, it cost about two-and-a-half times more for a coast to coast flight. But compared to the mess air travel has become and the lack of service one receives in any class, even on cross-country trips, I would gladly pay the extra price to have the enjoyable experience of flying in the ’60s. What about you?

The Charger a 60’s American Car Icon

The mid-1960′s were certainly a great time for muscle cars as the public seemed to be fully under the spell of these truly wicked vehicles. Back in those days, faster, bigger and meaner was the era’s mantra when it came to cars. The year was 1966 and the automobile market was dominated by classics such as the Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda. Out of the fierce competition in between some of the biggest names in automobile manufacturing came the 1966 Dodge Charger, which was designed to be a powerhouse with its 318 V-8 power plant in its base models.

Buyers had a few engine options to choose from which included the 383 and the famous 426 Hemi. A lot of classic car aficionados say that the 1966 version of the 424 Hemi engine was one of the best any average guy could dream of. It could pump out about 500 horsepower thus allowing the driver to really put some serious power when racing down the roads. The 426 Hemi also helped further the muscle car boom which lasted until the remainder of the decade.

Despite the fact that the 66 Dodge Charger resembled a Coronet with a fastback, the Charger actually took its design cues from the concept car, Charger II. When it came to its interiors, the Charger had found individual seats and had a full length console that went from front to rear. The rear seats as well as the console pad could be folded down thus creating more space for luggage and other cargo. The vehicle itself was very different from anything else that was on the road during that time and with the Hemi installed in it, the 66′ Charger was also one of the fastest.

How fast, you ask? Well, equipped with the Hemi, the Charger had the ability to go from zero to sixty in less than 7 seconds and complete the quarter mile in about 14 seconds. It was a radical, totally deviant and fast vehicle that people simply couldn’t help but covet. After all, speed is the language that people talk when it comes to muscle cars. The 1966 Charger certainly delivered that and so much more thus making it an icon.

The Sixties – The Greatest Music Decade

Rock and roll was big in the fifties but it was really defined in the 60s when some of the greatest rock bands in history emerged. These artists continue to influence the direction and style of music today. They were frequently intoxicated and many died young as a result, but during the 60s, we found more music legends than possibly any other decade.

The sixties bands included every genre of music from hard rock to soul, bubblegum rock to beach music, Motown to rockabilly. This was the generation that included such diverse popular music groups as The Four Seasons and The Rolling Stones; the good boys and the bad boys.

The era of Woodstock and man landing on the moon was a decade of blaring electric guitars, wa-wa effects, drum solos and strange lyrics. Those who were only toddlers or babies during this decade likely don’t understand the wa-wa effect or the fuzz effect. Guitars screamed, capitalized on feedback and made use of the two aforementioned effects. Yes, wa-wa and the fuzz effect were at the guitarist’s discretion and made the hard rock sound of the 60s unique.

A decade and music of contrasts

The music of the 60s found its adherents based on age group. Young teens were into the bubblegum rock bands who sang repetitive, sometimes silly lyrics. Songs like ‘Yummy, Yummy, Yummy’ and ‘Simon Says’ appealed to young teens and tweens. The older teens and young twenty-somethings listened to serious rock music. Groups and musicians like Jimmie Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), The Guess Who, The Animals, The Beatles and Steppenwolf.

Many solo musicians became legends during the 60s. Singers like Ray Charles, Dion, Roy Orbison, Percy Sledge, James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding had top-ten hits and became music legends. These musicians were the inspiration for a new generation of rock and rollers.

The Motown Sound

What would the 60s be without Motown? The soul, rhythm and blues and gospel sounds of the Motown sound were distinct from other 60s music, but also produced some of the greatest hits of all time. The Temptations, Diana Ross and the Surpremes, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Smokie Robinson and the Miracles, The Four Tops and the Jackson Five all made their mark on the decade.
In 1966 alone, the percentage of hits on the national charts from just the Berry Gordie-managed artists was an astonishing seventy-five percent. This was one of the few decades, along with the latter half of the seventies, that supported two different sounds, both hitting the tops of the charts concurrently.
The number of bands, twosomes, soloists and studio acts that made great music during the 60s are too numerous to mention. The ‘blue-eyed soul’ of the Righteous Brothers stood in stark contrast to the folksy music of Simon and Garfunkel. Chubby Checker sang the Twist during this generation while The Rolling Stones sang Jumpin Jack Flash. The difference in music styles during this single ten-year span found fans of every music style. It became hard to define ‘pop’ music when so many styles were popular.

Few decades will ever equal the sixties for legendary artists, diverse music and interesting personalities. The music from this one decade will live on as the true classics of popular music.

Get In Touch with the Hippie Culture

The term hippie is often misunderstood by many. When thinking of the word or term hippie, many people often picture a bunch of people with beards and headbands with peace signs and bell-bottom jeans.

Well, there is much more to the definition of what a hippie or the hippie movement is. The term hippie was popularized in the 60s, and is said to be derivative of the word hipster. The hippie movement originated and was popularized in the United States of America. Since the 1960s, the hippie movement has been spread worldwide and you will most likely see many people around the world wherever you go favoring the hippie movement.

The hippie movement was all about peace and love and freedom. These concepts are commonly known. The 1960s was a time of big change and adjustment. It was a time of war. I am sure that you are familiar with the Vietnam War. During this time, older men as well as young boys who had just turned eighteen were being drafted to join the army. Many of these older men and young boys who were sent to fight in the Vietnam War did not make it home alive. This is a very touchy subject for many, so I will not delve too deep in it. The point that I am trying to stress is that the 60s was molded by people who fought in the war happening at that time, the people who supported this war, and the people who sought for peace and strongly believed in love and freedom.

These people who strongly believed in love and freedom were called hippies. These concepts were the root of the hippie culture, and the hippie movement with this foundation of beliefs has stood the test of time up until today. There are still many people who consider them-selves to be hippies.

As with many concepts and movements, there are other things that spring from this belief and the hippie movement also has its own fashion trends and a sort of stereotyped clothing and apparel.
Now when we look at the fashion aspect of the hippie movement, things like colorful tie dye t-shirts and patchwork bell-bottom jeans and even Boho tribal styled skirts come to mind. The hippie trends and fashions of the 60s has survived and made it to the twenty first century.

The hippie movement along with its beliefs and fashion trends has survived up until today making it nearly fifty years old.

40 Years Later Hair The Musical is on with the Hairy Revolution

Los Angeles, CA, USA August 15, 2008. Amongst the protests of antiwar and economic uncertainty growing stronger with no end in site, I would like draw attention to artwork from the 1960′s that has made an impact on my life. Remember the day glow posters and black lights? Remember the rock art from The Fillmore play bills we all saved? Remember the image from Hair the American Tribal Love Rock Musical? All these and more will always hang in my mind as remembrance of a time of innocence. Drugs, Sex and Rock and Roll were a part of most of the baby boomers lives when we were not afraid to get stoned and attend an antiwar peace protest. I will always remember protesting the Vietnam War in NYC and a blurry instance of running over the rocks and hills in Central Park when we were chased by police at a Schaefer Music Festival Concert in Central Park. We can all relive the experiences of going to Led Zeppelin, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, Black Sabbath, and Grand Funk Rail Road concerts…what a time we had….Quaaludes, Benzedrine, Tuinals, Seconals. Boones Farm anyone? Though the majority of of us are all clean and sober now…it is still fun to reminisce those great days.

The memories I have of the Hippie movement are resonating more today than ever with the revival of Hair the American Tribal Love Rock Musical free concert at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. The message is resonating more strongly with the youth and young adults of the world today than perhaps ever before. When asked recently about the resonance and resurgence of this iconic symbol on today’s young adults, the plays legendary producer, Michael Butler, answered emphatically, “It isn’t coming back, it never left, Hair’s message is more relevant today than its ever been. Over 11 million people have seen the play, an estimated quarter of a billion have heard the music. It’s in dozens of productions around the world as we speak. In fact, a third of all American actors have had some association with Hair. Its been a force for good for almost four decades.”

The Age of Aquarius times of running around as free as a bird was a time in history when we lived in the moment without a worry in the world. Hair, the first ever rock opera, opened in 1968 and all of us would travel into the city form Long Island and New Jersey to participate in this communal offering giving us an insight into the decade of the flower children which we were all very much a part of. It shocked audiences for its lyrics and subject matter, as well as onstage nudity. The original script contains a nude scene, but it is not essential to the plot and individual productions may or may not choose to include it. The original script also contains some racist language which again, may be edited on today’s stage.
As reported recently in “USA Today” the New York based trend forecasting think tank, The Trends Research Institute, found something unique in American history, a new generation looking back in time for inspiration… specifically, the 1960′s.

“Hair” grew out of a new downtown ethos embraced by the radical – and charismatic – Joseph Papp, who in the mid-’60s was adding the Public Theater to his New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. After a brief run at a nightclub called Cheetah, the show was picked up by Michael Butler, heir to a Chicago paper fortune. He had it restaged by Tom O’Horgan, and readied for Broadway in 1968.
“As I look through my old posters, play bills, and concert flyers I’ve collected through the years I have such fond memories of growing up in the 60′s. As a young girl living in Southern California life was quite enjoyable. Saving my allowance to buy the latest albums, going to concerts…it was all so exciting. One of my most happy memories is seeing the touring production of the musical Hair…and I still have the play booklet. Over the past few years I have been collecting Hair posters from all over the world, in different languages from different Tribes! The best poster in my collection is the reproduction of the original from the 1968 Broadway opening There is something mesmerizing about the aura photographed around the actors head. I love the colors of this art piece of which promote brotherly love and world peace.”…..states Myrle Atchley from Mississippi.

There are many great 60′s pop artists; I love Andy Warhol, John Van Hamersveld, Roy Lichtenstein, and Bob Massy. There is something really special about the work that Russoli and Rodriquez created for Hair. They were experimenting the aura technique in photography. When approached by Producer Michael Butler with the idea to create the marketing for the new play, he introduced them to Steve Curry, one of the original actors in the soon to open Broadway production of Hair. The play opened on April 29th at The Biltmore Theater in NYC and sold out every night and ran for 1,750 performances. I was 16 years old at West Hempstead High School when my girlfriend’s mom took us into Manhattan to see the show.

Forty years later, I love the art hanging on my wall. Frame and hang and enjoy as art takes you through the memories and the journey of our lives. Art imitates life and as we witness today’s youth letting there hair down and getting that what we lived through in the sixties parallels with what is happening in the world today.

On with the Hairy revolution.

Flash Back to the 60’s with this Groovy Slang

The 1960s brought us hippies, the Civil Rights Movement, the British Invasion and so much more. The decade also brought us a whole new lingo that was used by everyone. Below is a small list of the slang used in the 1960s. Some are still commonly used today, while others are not and some are just clearly dated but we love them anyway.

Slang Still Commonly Used Today
Crash: to go to sleep or be worn out. “After protesting on Washington all day, I crashed on my couch.”
Dibs: to own or possess something. “I’ve got dibs on that tie dye shirt.”
Jinx, you owe me a soda: shouted out after two people say the exact same thing at the exact same time.
Old Lady: refers to your own or someone’s mother. “My old lady is in love with Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Peace Out: a way of saying goodbye. “I’m heading to San Francisco for the Summer of Love, peace out.”
Scarf: to eat quickly. “I’m so hungry, I’m going to scarf down a whole pie.”
Slang Still Used Today but Dated by the 1960s
Boogie: to leave. “This party is lame, let’s boogie.” It can also mean to dance. “I want to boogie down to Motown tonight.”
Dig: to understand. “Can you dig what I’m saying?”
Far Out: something that is cool and exciting. “Neil Armstrong landing on the moon is far out.”
Funky: something that is great and unique. “Sonny and Cher’s new song is funky.” It can also mean something is rotten. “Your flip flops smell funky.”
Groovy: also means something is cool or great. “Elvis Presley is a groovy guy.”
Hang Loose: to relax. “Let’s hang loose at your old lady’s pad tonight.”
Slang Not Commonly Used Today
Blitzed: to be drunk. “I got blitzed at Woodstock this summer.”
Dude: a nerd or geek, different than how we use it today. “That dude from math class lost his pocket protector.”
Gas: to have fun. “I had a real gas at the Beetles concert last night.”
Gutt Waddin’: fast food or a quick snack to fulfil your hunger. “Let’s grab some gutt waddin’ before we head to the drive-in theatre.”
Hook: to steal. “He hooked that Mustang from his old man.”
Panty Waist: another term for a nerd or a mama’s boy. “That Panty Waist is too scared to see Psycho.”

The Music of the 60’s

The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. However, the term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, which denotes the complexity of inter-related cultural and political trends in the west, particularly United States, Britain, France, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Italy, and West Germany. Nevertheless, political turmoil was not limited to these countries, but also included nations like for example Japan and Mexico.

“The Sixties” as they are known in popular culture in the United States, is a term often used nostalgically to describe the counter-culture and social revolution; and pejoratively to describe the era as one of irresponsible excess and flamboyance. Also the decade has been labelled the Swinging Sixties because of the libertine attitudes that emerged during this decade. Experimental drug use became tightly associated with the counter-culture of the era, as pointed out by Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner: “If you can remember anything about the sixties, you weren’t really there.”
There is no doubt the 1960s have become synonymous with all the new, exciting, radical and subversive events and trends of the period, which continued to develop in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and beyond. Also in Africa the period was an important one as considerable political change was brought about. Altogether 32 countries gained independence from their European colonial rulers during this period.

By some commentators it has been pointed out that this era was a classical Jungian nightmare cycle since a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm. A vivid example is the rise, success, fall/nightmare and explosion in the London scene of the 1960s. However, as pointed out, this does not alone explain the mass nature of the phenomenon.

During this period in time rock music became the most popular way of defining the new hippie aesthetic, and the style that arose with the stark, swirling colors and hallucinogenic imagery was coined with the term psychedelic. Among others Bob Dylan demonstrated that expressive songs with surrealist imagery could be merged into popular music. Dylan though was one of few artists that did not jump on the psychedelic bandwagon. However, his efforts at the time inspired countless bands that did.
The first psychedelic bands came from San Francisco, and some of these were the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Nevertheless, it did not take long before the psychedelic aesthetic spread musically to other places such as New York, where band like The Fugs and the Velvet Underground, Sly and the Family Stone and the Chambers Brothers were inspired and in England bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, among others, began producing the same kind of music.

During this period music entered and era of “all hits”, as an abundant number of artists released recordings beginning in the 1950s, as 45-rpm singles, and the radio stations most of the time only played the most popular of the large number of records being made. Also, bands most of the time only recorded the best of their songs to have a better shot at getting radio play. Among the best examples of American listeners expanding from the folksinger, doo-wop and saxophone sounds of the 1950s and evolving to include psychedelic music is the developments of the Motown Sound, “folk rock” and the British Invasion of bands from the U.K.

There is no doubt that the rise of the counterculture, particularly among the youth created a huge market for rock, soul, pop, reggae and blues music produced by drug-culture influenced bands like the The Beatles, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, Deep Purple, The Who, Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi Hendrix Experience also was helping to create folk rock.

The sixties are today celebrated by some of the people, who remember the freedom and good times they had during this time in history, but the period is also widely celebrated by younger people all over the world, who have made the period an important part of their life by adopting the aesthetics, buying the records, wearing the clothes and approaching life with the open and free attitude which characterized this period.

The Sixties – The New Generation

The Sixties. All you have to do is say it out loud, and people of a certain age immediately smile. Kids today are wearing Sixties fashions – bell bottoms, peasant tops, faux fur trimmed jackets – largely in tribute to this great decade. When the Sixties happened, the Western world came of age. It was a ten-year renaissance; music changed, art changed, computers came into widespread use, and the television changed the way people perceived their relationship with the Establishment forever.

Shouts Heard Round The World: Sixties History
For a decade that claimed to be all about peace, the Sixties were remarkably violent. In America, President Kennedy was assassinated, followed by his brother. Reverent Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. War erupted in Southeast Asia – again. In Britain, troops went to Northern Ireland in a “limited operation,” where they remain to this day. Violence begat violence on campuses all around the world. And the youth started making their voices heard.

But there was much more to Sixties history than violence. In fact, the refrain “Make Love, Not War,” was the true chant of the younger generation, led by emerging rock bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who. And with these rock bands, Britain re-invaded and conquered its former colonies; there were times that American rock bands couldn’t even make it onto the charts.

But if the British conquered America’s music scene, America slipped in and conquered the British television and movie scene – at least for a while. Star Trek and cartoons like the Flintstones became wildly popular in Britain, just as they were in the States. And Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne stalked the big screens, both mesmerizingly attractive in their own ways.

With the invention of the birth control pill, free love became another mantra (and “mantra” is another word made popular by the Sixties). Young men and women were freer to have relationships with one another, and they did. With this one change, the entire relation between men and women was undermined; no longer did “good girls” have to stay celibate to remain out of trouble. And now both young men and women were free to explore their sexuality. It made a more profound impact in Western society than most of us want to admit, even today.

All You Need Is Love: Sixties Events

Renaissance.
From the bottom to the top, the Sixties were a time of change on every level. And you could tell. The most remarkable change was in the transformation from the socially-conservative fifties to the anything-goes seventies. This volcanic change was brought about by huge changes beneath the surface.

Probably the most important change was in how people saw one another. Women and men suddenly had a different, and more complex, relationship than ever before. Ethnic groups, too, were making their voices known in more and more places around the world. In the US particularly, Blacks and Native Americans participated in radical movements to change the discriminatory habits of their homeland. This enormous social and cultural movement spilled over into Europe and Africa, and was watched with great interest by the rest of the world. Would America be destabilized or changed forever?

Art and music, influenced by the changing social attitudes, the influx of drugs, and a more free, independent spirit born in the Beatniks of the fifties, underwent a transformation. Pop art, both paying tribute to and casting scorn upon the modern world, became influential. Rock music and concerts became a primary mover of society; rock artists were not only performers, but political activists.

You Say You Want A Revolution: Sixties Music
What can be said? Everything changed. Everything. Radio and music created the first rock superstars during the Sixties, and bands from Britain’s rock underground erupted with real force, moving throughout the world with their new musical messages about love and freedom and real issues. Like the Romantics of the early 19th century, rock musicians turned the world upside down to find out what was on the bottom.

In Britain, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and other rock bands took over the music scene. The Americans weren’t far behind; Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Aretha Franklin emerged as major talents in the second half of the decade. These bands are still played regularly on the radio today, and those who are still alive still perform today.

Have It Your Way: Sixties Food
Yet again, the Sixties contradicts itself; at the same time fast food restaurants started to develop the patterns they still hold today, health food and vegetarianism were gaining steadily in the eating habits of ordinary people. Hippies and other socially-conscious groups chose to eat no meat because they didn’t believe in killing animals, and they grew food organically because they believed in harmonizing with their environment.

But the Sixties is where McDonalds started growing strongly, challenged by Burger King and Burger Chef, and when a 65-year-old loser named Harlan Sanders opened a restaurant he called Kentucky Fried Chicken. While some were eating healthier food than people had ever eaten before, others were eating food that would lead to obesity and many other serious health problems that still exist today.

Fun For A Girl And A Boy: Sixties Toys
The golden couple of the Sixties was undoubtedly Barbie and Ken (although Sindy and Paul were pretty close). These lifelike, though not anatomically correct, dolls and their armies of friends and accessories fulfilled many little girls’ dreams, and shaped how they thought about becoming a woman. Barbie was the first career woman many girls came in contact with, and she was very unlike their mothers! The boys weren’t left out, though; Matchbox cars were introduced for them, and vintage Sixties Matchbox cars are still collector’s items today.

For older kids, Twister was invented in the Sixties; it’s still popular today both as the old game and as more adult versions.

They Had A Dream: Sixties Celebrities
The Sixties were a time of excitement, and there’s no denying that this was because of the people of the Sixties. From cultural icons like Marilyn and the Beatles, to politicians and leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK, to group movements like hippies and Black Panthers, the unique energy of the people of the Sixties gave shape to the decade.

Do You Remember When We. . . : Sixties Memorabilia
Today, you can get a little taste of the Sixties again by collecting memorabilia. There are people who decorate entire rooms in a Sixties theme. If you don’t have the money to pick up authentic Sixties collectibles, you can always buy some of the newer Sixties-inspired products.
For instance, lava lamps are back with a vengeance, as are psychedelic colours and designs. There are entire stores based around selling Sixties movie and concert posters. Beatles memorabilia, authentic memorabilia, is not as expensive as you might think; the Beatles were the first celebrities with their faces stamped on practically everything, and as a result you can find coffee cups, coasters, plates, clothes, and lunchboxes generously decorated with the Fab Four’s faces. Inflatable furniture is back too, just like bell bottoms and miniskirts.

The Sixties may be gone. But they’ll never be forgotten.