1960 CE

The 1960 U-2 incident escalates Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union; the Sharpeville massacre shocks South Africa and draws global condemnation of apartheid; the Congo Crisis follows the independence of the Republic of the Congo from Belgium; the 1960 Summer Olympics are held in Rome; the Year of Africa sees 17 nations gain independence; the April Revolution in South Korea forces Syngman Rhee to resign; the 1960 United States presidential election results in the victory of John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon; the Greensboro sit-ins begin in Greensboro, North Carolina; and the 1960 Valdivia earthquake devastates southern Chile with a 9.4-9.6 magnitude, becoming the strongest earthquake in history.