1964 Year of Triumph and Tragedy

ABOUT THE BOOK In the early 1960s America became involved in a brutal, devastating war in Southeast Asia. The war polarized much of the nation and threatened to destabilize America's influence throughout the globe. The world was introduced to an entirely new kind of sports icon. He was an outspoken, confident young man who vigorously voiced his opinion about the Viet Nam War and racial inequality in America. In 1963 President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was brutally gunned down in Dallas, Texas. Two days later his alleged assassin was murdered on live television in front of a shocked nation. Later that same year the Warren Commission Report would be released to the public. Critics blasted the report for its alleged inaccuracies and narrowness of scope. The civil rights movement grew increasingly more powerful in the 1960s. The movement was a key factor in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Horrific repercussions would shortly follow, however. Many young, innocent blacks were murdered and its charismatic leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., would be assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. A rock band from across the ocean would captivate a generation and future generations of young and old alike with its electrifying and unique style of rock and roll music. 1964 was the year that all these elements began to crystalize and produce the cultural phenomenon that we now know as the 60s. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas Brennan lives with his family in Collingswood, New Jersey. He enjoys reading and writing about important historical milestones. One of his forthcoming books will be about America's first mega sports hero, the incomparable heavyweight champion, Jack Dempsey.