Music recorded in 1960
The year 1960 saw the post-World War II international order undergo major upheavals simultaneously on the axes of decolonization and the Cold War. This, combined with popular culture and technological innovation, meant that world events were rapidly shared through media such as recordings, broadcasting, and video. The year was particularly known as the "Year of Africa," with a succession of independences, and new nations emerging one after the other from the rule of former colonial powers. Meanwhile, the political vacuum immediately following independence also created serious crises. In the Republic of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), unrest spread shortly after independence, and amid conflict surrounding Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961) and others, the United Nations Operation in the Congo was launched based on a resolution of the United Nations Security Council. At the end of the year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, articulating the principle of a shift away from the "Age of Empire" on a global scale.
Cold War tensions were also visualized in symbolic events. The conflict between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics came to a head with the U-2 incident, in which a reconnaissance plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers (1929–1977) was shot down, dramatically chilling the atmosphere surrounding the summit. That same year, the Sharpeville massacre occurred in South Africa. The shooting of protesters protesting discriminatory policies drew international condemnation, marking the beginning of an era in which social movements would expand in conjunction with on-the-spot footage and testimonials. In the United States, the Greensboro sit-ins sparked a chain of protests, leading to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the transition of generations of civil rights activists. On the political side, John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) was elected in the 1960 United States presidential election, and the feel of the media election, including television debates, was shared with the world. In Japan, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America came into effect, marking a year marked by both street excitement and political turning points.
In terms of the economy and resources, a movement for leadership among oil-producing countries took shape, leading to the establishment of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The establishment of an "organization" with the power to negotiate resource prices would have a long-lasting impact that would extend to future waves in the global economy (inflation, business cycles, transportation costs, and the prices of industrial materials, including materials for recording records). In terms of natural disasters, the 1960 Chilean earthquake (Gran terremoto de Valdivia) was recorded as one of the largest ever, and the resulting tsunami reached the Pacific Rim, causing damage even along the coast of Japan. This was also a year in which statistics and news reports powerfully and convincingly brought home the reality that global events are linked through the "same ocean."
Science, technology, and popular culture accelerated in tandem with these political and social tensions. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched TIROS-1, the world's first weather satellite, marking the transition from aerial observation of the Earth from "research" to "operational." Theodore Maiman (1927–2007) also succeeded in generating the first laser, further expanding the future of communications, measurement, and video recording. In sports, the 17th Olympic Games were held in Rome from August 25 to September 11, 1960, and the achievements of Abebe Bikila (1932–1973), Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994), and Cassius Clay (1942–2016) were celebrated across borders. In film, Psycho was released, and Alfred Hitchcock's (1899–1980) direction of the film updated the vocabulary of visual expression. In music, The Beatles changed their name and began full-scale activities in 1960, and the "next wave" began to stir, centered around John Lennon (1940-1980) and Paul McCartney (1942-). Independence, conflict, disaster, invention, and entertainment all overlapped as layers of the same year, and these were shared as contemporary sensations through recordings, broadcasts, and news footage - 1960 is a year in which these connections are clearly visible.
