1960s Trivia for Seniors: 50 Questions and Answers from the Swinging Sixties

The TriviaTalent Team · 7 min read

Close your eyes and it comes back in a rush. A transistor radio on the kitchen counter playing the Beatles, the whole family crowded onto the couch for Ed Sullivan, and one July night in 1969 the neighborhood holding its breath while a man set his boot down on the moon.

These 50 questions walk you back through the 1960s — the news and the music, the shows you never missed and the moments you'll never forget. The answer sits right under each question, so you can play on your own or read them aloud to a room full of people who were there.

The World Was Changing

1. In August 1961, a wall went up almost overnight to divide a famous European city in two. Which city?

Berlin. East Germany began building the Berlin Wall that month, and it would stand for 28 years.

2. In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of nuclear war over missiles placed on which island nation?

Cuba — the thirteen tense days remembered as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

3. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through which Texas city?

Dallas.

4. Who was sworn in as president that same afternoon, aboard Air Force One?

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

5. The governor of Texas was riding in the car and was wounded too. Can you name him?

John Connally.

6. Who was arrested within hours and accused of the shooting?

Lee Harvey Oswald.

7. Two days later, Oswald himself was shot dead inside police headquarters. Who pulled the trigger?

Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner.

8. In 1961, President Kennedy started a program that sent young American volunteers to help in developing countries. What was it called?

The Peace Corps.

The Race to the Moon

9. On April 12, 1961, a Soviet cosmonaut became the first human in space, circling the earth once. Name him.

Yuri Gagarin.

10. Less than a year later, on February 20, 1962, which American became the first to orbit the earth?

John Glenn.

11. What was the name of Glenn's little Mercury capsule?

Friendship 7.

12. On June 16, 1963, the first woman flew into space aboard Vostok 6. Who was she?

Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union.

13. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 touched down on the moon. Who was first to step onto the surface?

Neil Armstrong.

14. Who climbed down the ladder to join him about twenty minutes later?

Buzz Aldrin.

15. One astronaut never set foot on the moon, staying behind in the command module Columbia. Who was he?

Michael Collins.

16. What was the lunar module that carried the two men down to the surface named?

Eagle — which gave us the words “The Eagle has landed.”

The Fight for Civil Rights

17. On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before the Lincoln Memorial and gave the speech of his life. How is it remembered?

As the “I Have a Dream” speech.

18. Roughly how many people gathered that day for the March on Washington?

About 250,000.

19. In 1964, a landmark law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. What was it?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964.

20. Which president signed that act into law?

Lyndon B. Johnson.

21. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated on a motel balcony in which city?

Memphis, Tennessee.

A Whole New Sound

22. On February 9, 1964, four young men from Liverpool played live on The Ed Sullivan Show. Which band?

The Beatles.

23. Roughly how many Americans gathered around their sets to watch that night?

About 73 million.

24. Can you name all four Beatles?

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

25. Their first number-one hit in America, released at the end of 1963, was which song?

“I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

26. In 1967 the Beatles released a groundbreaking album named for a make-believe marching band. What was it?

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

27. In which year did the Beatles stop touring to work only in the studio?

1966.

28. A Detroit record label gave the decade the Supremes, the Temptations, and so many more. Name it.

Motown.

Gathered 'Round the Television

29. A gentle sheriff kept the peace in the sleepy town of Mayberry. Name the show.

The Andy Griffith Show.

30. Which actor played the sheriff's excitable deputy, Barney Fife?

Don Knotts.

31. A pretty suburban wife named Samantha could work magic with a twitch of her nose. What was the show?

Bewitched.

32. Seven castaways were marooned after a “three-hour tour” went terribly wrong. Name that comedy.

Gilligan's Island.

33. What was the name of the little charter boat that ran aground?

The S.S. Minnow.

34. A poor mountain family struck it rich and moved to a mansion out in California. What show?

The Beverly Hillbillies.

35. What did Jed Clampett discover bubbling up on his land that made him a millionaire?

Oil.

36. In 1966 a caped crusader arrived with “POW!” and “BAM!” splashed across the screen. Who played Batman?

Adam West.

37. Also in 1966, a starship crew set out “to boldly go.” Name that science-fiction series.

Star Trek.

At the Movies

38. In 1962, a British secret agent with a license to kill first swaggered onto the screen. What was that film?

Dr. No, the very first James Bond picture.

39. Which actor was the first to play James Bond?

Sean Connery.

40. In 1965, Julie Andrews played a singing governess to a houseful of children in the Austrian Alps. Name the film.

The Sound of Music.

41. That film was based on the real-life story of which singing family?

The von Trapp family.

Fads, Sports, and the Changing Times

42. The designer Mary Quant helped make which daring above-the-knee skirt the look of the decade?

The miniskirt.

43. In 1964, Ford unveiled a sporty, affordable car that started the “pony car” craze. Name it.

The Ford Mustang.

44. In January 1967 the champions of the NFL and the AFL met for the first time. By what name do we know that game today?

Super Bowl I — the very first Super Bowl.

45. Which team won that first Super Bowl?

The Green Bay Packers.

46. In 1964 a brash young boxer named Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston for the heavyweight crown. By what name would the world soon know him?

Muhammad Ali.

47. In August 1969, some 400,000 people gathered for a music festival on a dairy farm in upstate New York. What was it called?

Woodstock.

48. On whose farm, near the town of Bethel, was Woodstock held?

Max Yasgur's.

49. Which guitarist famously closed Woodstock on the final morning?

Jimi Hendrix.

50. In December 1967, a surgeon in Cape Town performed the world's first human heart transplant. Who was he?

Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use these questions with a group?

Read one aloud, give everyone a moment to call out a guess, then share the answer that sits right beneath it. Starting with the moon landing or the Beatles usually gets the whole room talking.

What years count as “the sixties”?

The decade runs from 1960 through 1969. A few answers brush right up against 1970, because the moments that defined the sixties didn't stop neatly at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Where can I find more trivia like this?

Plenty. Step back a decade with our 1950s trivia for seniors, or turn the radio up with our '60s one-hit wonders trivia.

Where do these facts come from?

Every date and name above is drawn from the reputable sources listed just below, so you can double-check any answer that surprises you.

Sources

How many did you remember? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the memories rolling.