1964: The Year the Swinging Sixties Began

A kaleidoscopic social history of the year that shaped the modern world

1964 is a living history of one of the most pivotal years in the twentieth century. In Britain, a new Labor government promised to bring the ’white heat of technology’. The Beatles and Rolling Stones cemented their grip on the charts, while the introduction of BBC Two ended the two-channel monopoly and brought the first-ever broadcasts of Top of the Pops and Match of the Day. The rapid availability of the female contraceptive pill brought with it the sexual revolution, while the launch of The Sun redefined at a stroke what a popular daily paper could look like. On the world stage, this was the year of the escalating Vietnam War, Nelson Mandela’s sentence to life imprisonment and the first official warnings about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries and interviews, Christopher Sandford tells the full and colorful story of the year that ushered in the modern era.

Christopher Sandford is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. He has written numerous biographies of music, film and sports stars, including Kurt Cobain, Keith Richards, and Polanski. Born and raised in England, Christopher currently lives in Seattle.