Millions of people from the former Apartheid Homelands gain South African citizenship. The apartheid regime had stripped the black inhabitants of the right to citizenship to ensure a white majority of the de jure population.

The second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) is signed. The U.S.A. and Russia agreed to reduce the number of nuclear warheads by about 3,000.

The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba. In April 1961, the U.S. government launched an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Cuban government by invading the country at the bay of pigs.

Alaska becomes the 49th U.S. state. The territory had been bought from Russia in 1867 for a mere $7.2 million.

The first electric watch is available. The Hamilton Electric 500 came in “modern” asymmetrical designs to reflect the revolutionary technology.