In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing U.S. commonwealth. In 1956, the Andrea Doria liner collided with the Stockholm off the New England coast, killing 51. In 1965, Bob Dylan "goes electric" at the Newport Folk Festival, performing with a rock band and marking a shift away from traditional acoustic folk. In 1978, the first "test-tube baby," Louise Brown, was born in England. In 2005, two major unions, the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, withdrew from the AFL-CIO.

Henry Knox (1750-1806), first U.S. secretary of war; Walter Brennan (1894-1974), actor; Eric Hoffer (1902-83), philosopher; Rosalind Franklin (1920-58), biophysicist; Estelle Getty (1923-2008), actress; Walter Payton (1954-99), football player; Iman (1955- ), model/actress; Thurston Moore (1958- ), musician; Matt LeBlanc (1967- ), actor

In 1976, American Edwin Moses ran in his first international track and field event at the Montreal Olympics—the 400-m hurdles—and won a gold medal with a world record-setting time.

In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, 1998, and 2012, Puerto Rican voters chose to retain Commonwealth status, but in 2017, the very low percentage of voters who turned out opted for statehood by a wide margin.

"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." – Eric Hoffer