- January 8
- Dutch express train crashes into slow commuter train, 91 die (Netherlands). [1]
- January 10
- Eruptions on Mount Huascaran in Peru destroy seven villages and kill 3,500. [1]
- January 15
- Dutch and Indonesian navy encounter in Etna Bay, New Guinea. [1]
- January 18
- US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas. [1]
- January 23
- British spy Kim Philby defects to USSR. [1]
- Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia plan to form United Arab Maghreb. [1]
- January 24
- 28 refugees escape from East to Federal Republic of Germany. [1]
- January 26
- Canadian Marine Service renamed Coast Guard. [1]
- US launches Ranger 3; misses Moon by 22,000 miles (37,000km). [1]
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- January 30
- United Nations General Assembly censures Portugal (because of Angola). [1]
- February 2
- Eight of nine planets align for first time in 400 years. [1]
- USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk. [1]
- February 3
- US President John Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food and drugs. [1]
- February 5
- French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria's independence. [1]
- Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn within 16 degrees. [1]
- February 7
- Gas explosion in Luisanthal coal mine in Voelklingen, Germany, kills 298. [1]
- US President John Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba. [1]
- February 9
- Jamaica signs agreement to become independent. [1]
- February 10
- USSR swaps spy Francis Gary Power to US for Rudolph Abel. [1]
- February 17
- Storm in Hamburg, Germany, kills 265. [1]
- February 18
- France and Algerian Muslims negotiate truce to end seven-year war. [1]
- February 20
- At Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, NASA launches the Friendship 7 space craft on a Mercury-Atlas rocket, at 9:48AM, carrying US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn. Glenn is the first American and third person to successfully orbit Earth. The craft makes three orbits in five hours, landing in the Atlantic Ocean at 2:43PM. [1] [129] [452.94] [1140.130]
- February 21
- Minister De Pous confirms natural gas reserves in Groningen, Netherlands. [1]
- February 24
- General mobilization in Indonesia over New-Guinea. [1]
- February 25
- India Congress Party wins elections. [1]
- February 27
- South-Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem's palace bombed, first US killed of war. [1]
- March 1
- American Airlines 707 plunges nose first into Jamaica Bay, New York, killing 95. [1]
- US/British nuclear test experiment in Nevada. [1]
- Uganda becomes a self-governing country. [1]
- March 2
- US President John Kennedy announces US will resume above ground nuclear testing. [1]
- March 3
- British Antarctic Territory is formed. [1] [1199.39]
- March 4
- The United States Atomic Energy Commission announces that the first atomic power plant at McMurdo Station in Antarctica is in operation. [1] [5]
- March 6
- US promises Thailand assistance against communist aggression. [1]
- March 7
- The Beatles make their broadcasting debut on BBC radio. [1]
- Launch of OSO 1, first astronomy satellite (solar flare data). [1]
- March 9
- Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser declares Gaza belongs to Palestinians. [1]
- US advisors in South-Vietnam join the fight. [1]
- March 12
- Dutch Premier De Quay announces secret talks with Indonesia. [1]
- March 13
- Yugoslavia grants 1,000 prisoners amnesty. [1]
- March 14
- Disarmament conference opens in Geneva, Switzerland, without France. [1]
- March 15
- Five research groups announce simultaneous discovery of anti-matter. [1]
- March 18
- Algerian War ends after 7.5 years of fighting (250,000 die), Ben Bella flees. [1]
- Dmitri Shostakovich becomes member of Supreme Soviet of USSR. [1]
- March 19
- Archbishop Suenens of Mechelen-Brussels appointed cardinal. [1]
- March 28
- Military coup in Syria, President Nazim al-Kudsi flees. [1]
- March 29
- Argentine President Frondizi flees from the army. [1]
- April 5
- Manager J Daems appointed bishop of Antwerp, Belgium. [1]
- Saint Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italian workers shake hands. [1]
- April 7
- Yugoslav ex-president Milovan Djilas returns to jail. [1]
- April 8
- Accords of Evian (Algeria) accepted by referendum in France. [1]
- April 14
- Demonstration for sovereign status of New-Guinea in Amsterdam, Netherlands. [1]
- Georges Pompidou becomes President of France. [1]
- April 15
- US national debt above US$300,000,000,000. [1]
- April 16
- Brazil nationalizes US businesses. [1]
- April 21
- (to October 12) The Century 21 Exposition is held in Seattle, Washington, USA. [1] [1419.6]
- April 23
- Ranger 4, first US satellite to reach Moon, launched from Cape Canaveral. [1]
- April 24
- MIT sends TV signal by satellite for first time: California to Massachusetts. [1]
- April 25
- US resumes above ground nuclear testing, at Christmas Island. [1]
- April 26
- In Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany, a building is hit by a falling meteorite. [521]
- US/United Kingdom launch Ariel; first international payload, first United Kingdom satellite. [1]
- April 27
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 1
- First French underground nuclear experiment in the Sahara. [1]
- France performs underground nuclear test at Ecker, Algeria. [1]
- May 2
- Organization of the Secret Army strikes in Algeria. [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 3
- Express train crashes into wreckage of a commuter train and a freight, killing 163, injuring 400 (Tokyo, Japan). [1]
- May 4
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 6
- First nuclear warhead fired from Polaris submarine (Ethan Allen). [1]
- Antonio Segni elected President of Italy. [1]
- Pathet Lao breaks cease fire/conquerors Nam Tha Laos. [1]
- May 7
- Pulitzer prize awarded to Theodore H White (Making of President 1960). [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 8
- First Atlas Centaur Launch. [1]
- London, England trolley buses go out of service. [1]
- May 9
- Laser beam successfully bounced off Moon for first time. [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 11
- Antonio Segni becomes President of Italy. [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- US sends troops to Thailand. [1]
- May 12
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 14
- Ex-President of Yugoslavia Milovan Djilas sentenced to five years. [1]
- Princess Sophia of Greece weds Don Juan Carlos of Spain. [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island. [1]
- May 15
- US marines arrive in Laos. [1]
- May 19
- Indonesian paratroopers land in New Guinea. [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric). [1]
- May 22
- Netherlands telephone net becomes completely automated. [1]
- May 23
- OAS leader General Raoul Salan sentenced to life. [1]
- May 24
- M Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 launched into earth orbit. [1]
- May 25
- US performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric). [1]
- May 30
- 69 killed in bus crash (Ahmedabad, India). [1]
- June 1
- Oscar 2 (ham radio satellite) launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- June 3
- Air France Boeing 707 crashes on takeoff from Paris, kills 130. [1]
- June 15
- South Africa passes a bill setting death penalty for many crimes. [1]
- June 29
- First flight of Vickers (British Aerospace) VC-10 long-range airliner. [1]
- (month unknown)
- The Zagam meteorite falls in Nigeria. (It is later shown to be from Mars.) [523.106]
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