THE BIRTH OF SLICK

The ’61-’66 F-Series

- MIKE SELF

THE BEGINNING OF THE 1960S WAS FULL OF CHANGE IN AMERICA. In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy is sworn in as the 35th President of the United States, imploring its citizens to, “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” He appoints Janet Travell as his official physician, making her the first woman in history to be a President’s doctor.

American Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space, following Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Garagin, the first human being to enter space. We got our first taste of Frito corn chips, Life cereal, Green Giant frozen vegetables and Sprite, each of which would become household staples.

Meanwhile, “West Side Story” hits theaters, Walt Disney’s “Wonderful World of Color” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show” premiere on TV, and fashion icon Barbie meets her boyfriend Ken for the first time at local toy stores.

On the automotive front, wings were becoming a thing of the past, although other aspects of the Space Age found their way into the newest designs—especially Fords.