On 9 May 1960 the US Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid, the first oral contraceptive. It was the result of work by Gregory Pincus, John Rock and Min Chueh Chang, and had been championed by the birth-control campaigner Margaret Sanger, who raised funds for it, and Katharine McCormick. Within five years about 6.5 million American women were taking it, and it became the most popular form of reversible contraception. By giving women control over fertility, it changed education, work and family life, and also sparked religious controversy, including the 1968 papal encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Before and after
- 19 April 1960April Revolution
- 20 April 1960Birth of Miguel Díaz-Canel
- 21 April 1960Founding of Brasília
- 1 May 19601960 U-2 incident spy aircraft
- 9 May 1960The contraceptive pill is approved in the United States
- 16 May 1960Laser
- 21 May 19601960 Valdivia earthquake
- 30 May 1960Death of Boris Pasternak
- from June 1960 to November 1966Congo Crisis
More in Society, economy & sport
- 22 March 1945Founding of Arab League
- 8 August 1967Founding of ASEAN
- 10 December 1987Rise of Hamas
- 1994Rise of Taliban
- 1 January 1995Founding of World Trade Organization
- 11 September 2001September 11 attacks
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.