I've noticed that there seems to be at least one thing in the beginning of each decade that starts to seperate it from the last decade.  In 1970, it was the apparent downfall of the hippie, and the rise of soft rock music(at least that's what I heard on behind the music).  In 1980, I read it was the Rubix Cube, and electronica music.  In 1990, it was when hip-hop entered the mainstream.  In 2000, I think it was George W. Bush, and in some cases on the web, vid
eo game music slowly rising to popularity.

But I was just wondering if there was something in 1960 that seperated it from the 1950s, and could be called officially 1960s?  Thanks.

I don't really know. My guess would be the top-ranking military officers being sent to Vietnam in 1960, which would be the beginning of the Vietnam War. But they actually might have been sent over there in 1959.  

I thought it was the event hailed World-wide as a wonderful occurance...it happened at around 8:30 pm on February 15th 1960...I was born :D

You got it R&R!

My guess might be the "Sexual Revolution"

The Beatles? A bit into the decade, but that's my guess.

When did the 60's begin? Let's see...

I think it had to do with an event held on Times Square on the night of Dec. 31, 1959. At 12:00 that night, that ball dropped, Guy Lumbardo & the gang were jammin', it was just....

OK guys, I know. But I just couldn't resist. Please don't throw tomatoes at me.  ;D

The Monkees started the 60's, I think.

You gotta start somewhere.

Yeah. I like The Beatles but I am more interested in The Monkees.

I was only 4 years old in 1960 and I don't remember much.  I do know that JFK's assassination changed things.  Everyone went into shock and I've never known anyone who was old enough to remember that can't remember where they were when they heard JFK was shot.  It wasn't long after that the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.  They changed music tremendously, not just rock music.  But I'm talking about 1963 and can't remember much before then.  I know this is off the subject somewhat but if you try to think about what made a year like 1970 different from the 60's it's hard to isolate one thing.  A lot of it depends on how old you were at the time.  I don't think "the hippie" was gone yet though, I went to California that summer and there were still plenty around.  Most kids my age wanted to have a van with peace signs on it, long hair and a head band and hang out on the west coast and listen to Sugarloaf, Blues Image, Mountain and Crazyhorse.  

The Pill

What ended the 50s were a few things (it was a slow transition process): The Russians launched Sputnik (Oct.'57), beginning the "Race for Space", Elvis was drafted (Mar.'58), Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens & "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash (Feb.'59), and JFK became President (Jan.'61). The Kennedy years served as a transition period between the '50s & the "real" '60s. Most people who were around then would say Kennedy's death (Nov.'63) was the official end of the '50s way of life. On Feb. 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, with ALL of America watching, and suddenly it was the 1960s - and you KNEW IT!

Here's a bit of Monkees trivia for you. In the just released DVD "Ed Sullivan Presents The Beatles" (Feb. 9th show), is the Broadway cast of the musical "Oliver". Playing the very visable role of the Artful Dodger, and singing a duet with actress Georgia Brown, is none other than Davy Jones. :D

Quoting:
Yeah. I like The Beatles but I am more interested in The Monkees.
End Quote

The debates between Kennedy & Nixon, Kennedy being elected.
The Russians shot down the U-2 in '60. Bay of Pigs soon after.
Timothy Leary takes psilocybin mushrooms for the 1st time in '60, then LSD in '62.
First experiments to the invention of the Moog (analog syth).
First Motown records relased (under Gordy's Tamla) in '60. Motown label releases records in '61.
Psycho was released in '60.
The Corvair & Falcon were introduced as US first "small/compact" car (well actually in '59, but as a 1960 model).

My theory is that most decades begin about 3-4 years into the decade.

The '60s began with the British Invasion around '63/'64.  The early '60s was a continuation of the "Happy Days" era.  The Hippie culture didn't really take off until 1968 and rolled into the early '70s seamlessly.  In fact, there were a hell of alot more true Hippies (those living in communes) in the early '70s than 1968 & 1969 combined!  And by 1975, every 7th grader looked like Charles Manson.  If you look at a H.S. yearbook in 1969, you're still going to see the Patty Duke Flip for girls and short hair on guys.  It's safe to say that the Hippy culture overlapped both the late '60s and early '70s.  In reality, the only trend that was PURE '60s with no other overlaps into adjacent decades was the British Invasion.

The '70s started around 1974 when Nixon resigned.  At that point, the music and fashions started to change.  Even though soft rock was launced in 1970, there was also a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal/Glam Rock explosion as well in the early '70s that made the hardest rock of the '60s seem tame.  I too saw the 1970 Behind the Music episode which was very one-sided.  They compared Jimmy Hendrix to Jimmy Osmond.  Why not compare him to Jimmy Page?  Besides, Jimmy Hendrix didn't even become that popular until the '70s!  That episode made the '70s seem like a soft & sappy Carpenter's lovefest.  They convienently forgot about such '60s hardcore groups like the 5th Dimension, Herman's Hermits, Petula Clark, the Association, etc...yuk!  It was those groups that occupied most of the airways in the 1960s...NOT Jimmy Hendrix and friends.

The '80s, I must say, started alot earlier (1981) than this pattern.  Disco had died in 1980 and Reagan was elected in late 1980.  Things began to shift quickly after that time.

The '90s began around 1992 with the Grunge and Clinton explosion.