| 1964 China Explodes A Bomb On October 16, the Chinese exploded their first atomic weapon. The Chinese thereby became the fifth nation to produce the bomb. The US, U.S.S.R., Great Britain and France were the other nuclear powers. China pledged that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons. |
| 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to become Tanzania Zanzibar had become independent in 1963. In January 1964, the predominately Arab government was overthrown by Black nationalists. President Nyerere of Tanganyika suggested that the two countries merge. The suggestion was accepted by Zanzibar, and a new country by the name of Tanzania was born. |
| 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution The US Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which gave the President the authorization to "take all necessary steps and measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." Following the resolution, American involvement in the war grew rapidly. |
| 1964 The Beatles In America On February 9, 1964, the British rock group the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, introducing their unique sound and stylish appearance to millions of American teenagers. By the week of April 4, the Beatles held the top five slots on the American pop charts. |
| 1964 Civil Right Act of 1964 After a long fight, the Civil Rights legislation of 1964 was passed. It gave the federal government broad powers to fight discrimination of all kinds. |
| 1964 Warren Commission Report The Warren Commission delivered its final report on September 27, 1964. The Commission concluded that President Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone. The commission reports were critized by many and are not fully accepted to this day. |
| 1964 Dr. King Receives Nobel Prize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the second African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the first having been Ralph Bunche. King, who was 35 years of age when he received the prize in Oslo, Norway, was the youngest recepient of the prize in history |
| 1964 President Election President Johnson won a handy victory over Senator Goldwater. Senator Johnson came into the election with all the advantages of the incumbency together with latent sympathy from the assasination of JFK. Senator Goldwater's extreme postion on Vietnam, advocating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and his opposition to Civil Rigths legislation sealed his defeat. |
| 1964 Surgeon General Reports on Smoking The United States Surgeon General issued a report in which it was reported that cigarrette smoking posed a clear health danger to smokers. Thus began a concerted effort to reduce smoking in the United States. |
| 1964 IBM Introduced System 360 International Business Machines (IBM) introduced the system 360 Comptuter. The computer, which was a second generation computer based on transistors, was a huge success, and became the mainstay computer of many businesses for many years. |
| 1964 Verrazano Bridge Opened The Verrazano Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Staten Island, was completed. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was opened. |
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