The Little Book of the 1960s

Make love, not war.

At the heart of the 1960s was a desire for change, a yearning for a new way of living and a rejection of the old order. From the civil rights movement or the Vietnam War to the Apollo moon landings or the launch of the birth control pill, and from the Beatles to the Beat Generation, it was a period of revolutionary change.

Packed full of fabulous facts and quotes—from civil rights leaders and counterculture icons to writers, artists, and musicians—The Little Book of the 1960s captures the key events, icons, and ideas that defined this tumultuous decade.

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."
John F. Kennedy, 1963

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
Martin Luther King, 1964

"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
Decca executive, after turning down the Beatles, 1962

The yellow smiley face was born in 1963 when American graphic designer Harvey Ball was approached by State Mutual Life Assurance Company to create a morale booster for employees.

In 1967, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first human heart transplant.

In 1969, Woodstock—one of the most famous music festivals of all time—took place. More than 400,000 people attended the three days of peace and music.