These Cool Photos Give Us A Glimpse Of Life In The '60s
By | June 28, 2018
A colorful hippie couple dressed in tie-dye and floral prints grin for the camera, California, circa 1969. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
The 1960s was a decade of transition and change. Television, men landing on the moon, women’s rights, and civil rights all helped to push the American people toward a new modernization. As this collection of cool pics from the sixties illustrates, the decade was filled with poignant moments and advances that helped to set the stage for the technology age we currently live in.
Long Live Rock 'n Roll
The sixties are known for its eclectic music. From the Beatles to the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones to The Doors, the music of the sixties was new and exciting and setting the world on fire. No event showcased the power of music like the 1969 music festival known as Woodstock. In addition to the myriad of musical talent, the event helped to show the world that the hippie culture was thriving at the close of the sixties.
A Call for Racial Harmony
Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights leaders worked to end racial injustice. When King was assassinated in 1968, there was rioting in the streets of many U.S. cities. Bobby Kennedy spoke to the crowds in Indianapolis and informed them about the news of King’s death. Instead of rioting, the Indianapolis crowd carefully listened as Bobby Kennedy calmed their fears and spoke of a future of racial harmony. There were no riots in Indianapolis that night.
In Home Entertainment
Televisions became more affordable during the 1960s and more and more American homes had at least one television set, typically in the living room. Families would gather around the TV in the evening to watch the popular sitcoms, such as “Gilligan’s Island”, “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “The Munsters” and “Green Acres.”
Chillin at the Beach
The beach was calling in the 1960s and a lot of people answered. The beaches of California were crowded with folks soaking up the sun and joining in the new surf culture. At Venice Beach’s famed Muscle Beach, bodybuilders and weightlifters compete with each other in a show of strength. Crowds gathered to watch the competitions and to admire the bulging biceps.
Fast Food Was Everywhere
Because more Americans owned cars in the 1960s, more businesses popped up that catered to the mobile crowd. That included fast food restaurants. Although chain fast food places, like McDonald's and Burger King were being built all over the county, local ma and pop stores got in on the action and built their own non-franchise fast food places. The one thing these fast food restaurants almost always had in common? Hamburgers!
Sew Fancy!
Many housewives still sewed their family’s clothes in the 1960s, but as styles changed, so did the Simplicity patterns. As this pattern showed, sixties girls could still look hip and mod in a dress they made themselves or was made for them by their mothers. One of the nice things about sewing your own clothes was that you always had one-of-a-kind fashions in your closet.
Hell No, We Won’t Go
The political turmoil of the sixties came to a head during the Vietnam war. While our troops were fighting a losing battle in the jungles of Vietnam, protesters back home organized marches and rallies to voice their opposition to the war.
