The year 1960 began a new decade and brought innovation to the world. The first LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) was developed by physicist Theodore Maiman, birth control pills were made available to the general public and France exploded its first atomic bomb in southwestern Algeria.

Elsewhere that year:

• Premier Fidel Castro confiscates U.S. property in Cuba, and the United States places an embargo on exports to Cuba in response.
• Sen. John F. Kennedy and Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson are elected 35th President and Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket. Kennedy, at 43, is the youngest man ever elected president and is also the first Roman Catholic to hold that office.
• Chubby Checker, singer, causes an international dance craze with his recording of the song “The Twist.”
• The Olympic games are held in Rome, Italy.