“1960 – the first year of a new decade – has slipped from the last page of the calendar. But can we call it history yet? The veil of time is still too thin to have dulled the sheen of achievement, and the cutting edges of tragedy….1960 has meant something to each of us; to some, its highlights are reflected in the shiny surfaces of progress. Some see 1960’s most unforgettable moment etched in fire, or in pain. All of these -- the good and the bad, the happy and the sad -- have left, as well as memories, vivid records captured by the eye of the television news camera.”

CFPL News Stories for 1960:

Increased Immigration Leads to the Opening of a New Court of Canadian Citizenship	Economists, Attorneys and Consumers Tangle Over Trading Stamps	Battle Over Marine Oil Wells
Tribute to the Developers of the World's First Oil Field Led by Lt. Gov. John McKay	Heat Wave Causes Overcrowding at Local Pools	Three Youngsters Injured in Gas Explosion
Shopping Mall Wellington Square Opens in London	Governor General George P. Vanier Pays an Official Visit to London	Million Dollar Fire, the Worst in London in 25 Years
Marrying Couple Forgets to get Marriage Licence

National and International News Stories of 1960: Some 137 years after an 1823 constitutional bill had proclaimed its construction, Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil is inaugurated. Built by President Kubitschek deep in the interior of the country, it is largely inaccessible. The horror film genre is redefined with the release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The infamous shower scene remains one of the most unforgettable scenes ever filmed. By shining a high-powered flash lamp on a ruby rod with silver-coated surfaces, Theodore Maiman creates the first laser. The first televised presidential debates take place in the United States. Those that hear the debates on radio feel that Nixon is the winner, but television viewers like what they see in the tanned and fit looking Kennedy and proclaim him the winner by a large margin. And while the televised debates are popular, they would not be used again until 1976.