Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy was elected 35th U.S. President in November 1960, barely edging out Richard M. Nixon.

The 1960 Summer Olympic Games (held in Rome) attracted a record 5,348 athletes from 83 countries. These were the first Summer Games covered on U.S. television. CBS bought the TV rights for $394,000.

Burt Lancaster, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, and Shirley Jones all won Oscars for their 1960 film performances.

Indianapolis 500 Champion (1960) -- Jim Rathmann.

1960's "Miss America" was Linda Lee Mead from Mississippi. (Linda was the second Mississippi native in a row to wear the crown.)

70-million TV viewers watched the first of four Presidential debates between Senator Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon (on September 26, 1960).

90% of U.S. homes had a television set by 1960.

The United States launched the first weather satellite on April 1, 1960.

On December 16, 1960, a major plane crash killed 134 people. A United Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-8 jet collided in mid-air with a TWA Lockheed "Super Constellation" propliner over New York City.

One of the greatest of all television programs made its debut in October 1960 -- "The Andy Griffith Show". The easy-going sitcom would last 8 years on network TV (249 episodes).