1960
From top to bottom, left to right: the 1960 U-2 incident escalates Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union; the Sharpeville massacre shocks South Africa and draws global condemnation of apartheid; the Congo Crisis follows the independence of the Republic of the Congo from Belgium; the 1960 Summer Olympics are held in Rome; the Year of Africa sees 17 nations gain independence; the April Revolution in South Korea forces Syngman Rhee to resign; the 1960 United States presidential election results in the victory of John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon; the Greensboro sit-ins begin in Greensboro, North Carolina; and the 1960 Valdivia earthquake devastates southern Chile.
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1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1960th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 960th year of the 2nd millennium, the 60th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1960s decade.
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. During the year, 17 colonies became independent, including 14 colonies from the French colonial empire, 2 from the British Empire and 1 from Belgium.