Valentina Tereshkova flies into orbit aboard Vostok 6, becoming the first woman in space.
Pope John XXIII opens the Second Vatican Council, which brings sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church.
A 13-day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba brings the world closest to nuclear war.
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard Vostok 1, becoming the first human in space.
East German authorities begin erecting barriers, later a wall, sealing off West Berlin from East Berlin, a defining symbol of the Cold War.
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dies in London and is given a state funeral.
A period of political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubček ends when Warsaw Pact armies invade the country.