While we conveniently package the past into decades when talking about the ‘Roaring ’20s’, ‘the Rock and Roll era’ of the ’50s or the ‘Swinging ’60s’, these tend to be labels of convenience rather than of historical accuracy. In reality, the first four years of the 1950s were more akin to the 1940s, with austerity and rationing still facts of every-day life. Likewise, the first three years of the ’60s were, in terms of fashion, social attitudes and living standards, really part of the 1950s. The year 1963 was to be the seminal year when most of the things we now associate with the ‘Swinging ’60s’ really began.Most years are fortunate to experience three or four seminal events during their allotted twelve months; a cursory look through a chronology of 1963, however, shows just how many significant events took place. This year alone saw a huge number of watershed moments in popular culture, national and international politics.Arranged in a chronological, month-by-month format, 1963: That Was the Year That Was pieces together these happenings, exploring their immediate and long-term effects and implications. This is a fascinating read for both those who lived through these momentous times, and those who want to learn more about the start of the swinging ’60s.
