In 1960, whites in the United States lived about 70.5 years on average. Nonwhites, which was the other broad category measured by the government, lived on average to 63.5. There were lots of contributing factors, including environment and its interaction with the immune system. Scientific revelations about this would come later. Also worth noting at that time, women lived longer (75 years) than men (66.5 years), a disparity consistent in whites and nonwhites.
