Mark Scott Smith's Blog: Enemy in the Mirror, page 29

Castro Nationalizes American Companies

In 1960, Fidel Castro nationalized all U.S.-owned businesses, including oil refineries, factories and casinos. This prompted the United States to end diplomatic relations and impose a trade embargo.

Source: Counterpunch

The post Castro Nationalizes American Companies appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho

In 1960 Alfred Hicthcock’s psychological horror thriller PSYCHO prompted me to keep my dog in the bathroom while showering.

The post Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

US Reveals USSR Had Bugged American Embassy

A covert listening device (bug) was concealed inside a wooden gift of America’s Great Seal given by Russia to the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union, on August 4, 1945. Although not reported then, the device was extensively investigated and imitated by US spies.

In May 1960, the listening device was mentioned during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council that had been convened by the Soviet Union after a U.S. U2 spy plane had entered their territory and been shot down.

The U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. showed off the bugging device in the Great Seal to illustrate that spying incidents between the two nations were mutual and to allege that Nikita Khrushchev had magnified this particular incident as a pretext to abort the 1960 Paris Summit that was intended to discuss the crisis situation in Berlin.

Source: Wikipedia

The post US Reveals USSR Had Bugged American Embassy appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

Save The Last Dance For Me

Throughout the 50-60s The Drifters had six number-one R&B hits:

Money Honey (1953)

Honey Love (1954)

Adorable (1955)

There Goes My Baby (1959)

Save The Last Dance For Me (1960)

Under The Boardwalk (1964).

The post Save The Last Dance For Me  appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

Earthquake in Chile

In May 1960 Chile experienced the largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century with a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale.

Originating off the southern coast of Chile, the earthquake left two million people homeless, injured at least 3,000, and killed approximately 1,655. 

Tsunamis generated by the earthquake also damaged property and killed people in distant Pacific coastal areas.

Source: Britannica

The post Earthquake in Chile appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

TV Commercials 1960

The post TV Commercials 1960 appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

FDA Approves First Oral Birth Control Pill

In May 1960, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Enovid, an oral contraceptive developed by G.D. Searle and Company, for commercial use. By June 23, “the Pill” — as the oral contraceptive was commonly known — was on the market.

Source: Time

The post FDA Approves First Oral Birth Control Pill appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

House Un-American Activities Committee Protest

In May 1960 protesters decried the presence of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the San Francisco City Hall.

After protesters were denied entrance, the police attacked and swept them out of City Hall’s rotunda with fire hoses.

64 people were arrested, and 12 people hospitalized. Charges were dropped against all but one demonstrator who subsequently acquitted in a jury trial. 

Source: San Francisco Found

The post House Un-American Activities Committee Protest appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

Adolf Eichmann Captured in Buenos Aires

In May 1960 Israeli soldiers captured Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires. Eichmann was taken to Israel where he was tried, found guilty and hung in 1962.

Source: Wikipedia

The post Adolf Eichmann Captured in Buenos Aires appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.

Civil Rights Act of 1960

The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was a United States federal law establishing federal inspection of local voter registration polls. The act introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone’s attempt to register to vote.

This law was designed to effectively enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1957 by eliminating certain loopholes within it, and establishing additional provisions.

Source: Wikipedia

The post Civil Rights Act of 1960 appeared first on Enemy in the Mirror.