If you celebrate your 65th birthday in 2025, you’re in the company of a host of famous faces – including actors Antonia Banderas, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore and musicians Michael Stipe of REM, and Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. But what else was going on in 1960?

Here we look back at some of the things that made 1960 such a memorable year.

Doing the twist 

In Summer 1960, American singer Chubby Checker appeared on television to perform his cover version of The Twist. Chubby’s performance that day made him famous and led to a worldwide dance craze that became synonymous with the 1960s. Not only that but it marked a cultural shift away from dancing as couples in close proximity, with the female led by the male partner. By September the song was #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 and it stayed in the charts for an impressive 39 weeks.

Mega movies

Having been released the previous year, the religious epic Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston as the title character, had the largest budget and sets of any film made at the time. It swept the board at the 1960 Academy Awards – nominated in 12 categories and won a record-breaking 11 Oscars. That number has since been equalled by Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Titanic, but not yet beaten. It was the same year that Alfred Hitchcock’s Pyscho was released. In stark contrast, Pyscho was low-budget, filmed in black and white and initially divided the critics. Audience interest and box-office returns proved its popularity and the movie is one of Hitchcock’s most famous and influential works.

The year of Africa

African countries took centre stage in 1960 as independence movements culminated and the continent emerged as a major force in the United Nations. In this year 17 countries declared independence from France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Belgium. It was also the year that armed opposition to the South African apartheid government began, leading to political ramifications across Africa and around the world. In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila won the marathon and became the first Black African to win an Olympic gold medal, strengthening African pride and increasing global focus on the continent.
   
And finally…

Now that you’re 65, it’s a good time to think about the future and in particular your plans for retirement. You may know exactly what you want to do and when and how much income you’ll need to do it, or you may feel unable to think that far ahead. Don’t forget that Titan Wealth Planning can help you to plan for the future. If you’d like to discuss how you might want to retire, to review your current arrangements or for help with any other aspect of your financial future click here to let us know and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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