1962 – 1971★★★★★
Operation Ranch Hand
The US Air Force sprays herbicides, including dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, over large areas of South Vietnam, with lasting health and environmental effects.
WarDisaster· Vietnam, United States
← Previous year with events: 1961Next year with events: 1963 →View on map →View the whole 20th century
Events this year
October 11, 1962★★★★★
Second Vatican Council opens
Pope John XXIII opens the Second Vatican Council, which brings sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church.
Religion· Vatican City
October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962★★★★★
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 13-day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba brings the world closest to nuclear war.
Politics· Cuba, United States, Russia
October 20, 1962 – November 21, 1962★★★★★
Sino-Indian War
China and India fight a Himalayan border war over Aksai Chin and present-day Arunachal Pradesh, ending in a unilateral Chinese ceasefire.
War· India, China
Ongoing
November 1, 1954 – March 19, 1962★★★★★
Algerian War of Independence
The National Liberation Front (FLN) fights French rule; the war ends with the Évian Accords and Algerian independence in 1962.
WarRevolution· Algeria, France
November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975★★★★★
Vietnam War
A conflict between North Vietnam and the Viet Cong on one side and South Vietnam, backed by the United States and its allies, on the other; it ends with the fall of Saigon in 1975.
War· Vietnam, United States, Laos, Cambodia
1958 – 1962★★★★★
Great Leap Forward
A campaign of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation leads to a great famine that kills tens of millions.
EconomyPoliticsDisaster· China
June 30, 1960 – 1965★★★★★
Congo Crisis
Immediately after independence from Belgium, the Congo descended into secession, foreign intervention and civil war, ending when Mobutu Sese Seko seized power in 1965.
WarPolitics· DR Congo, Belgium