Chapter 1
The global sci-fi and fantasy boom
Chapter 2
Wacky sitcoms and the escape from reality
Chapter 3
The giant leap to color, satellites, and global events
Chapter 4
Spy mania, action, and breaking barriers
YOUR GOAL
Master of The revolution of 1960s television
Ch 1 · The global sci-fi and fantasy boom
schopenhauer 1960s Sci-Fi Television Boom
We're sailing through the cosmic neon light, With an electric flat iron steering our flight.
schopenhauer Osamu Tezuka's 1963 television series Astro Boy established the aesthetic and global popularity of Japanese anime.
schopenhauer The BBC launched Doctor Who in 1963 as an educational family show, introducing iconic sci-fi elements that endure today.
BETA
schopenhauer Spin the retro dial to master trivia about odd 1960s sci-fi shows and actors.
Fun Fact
Doctor Who sound: The famous TARDIS landing sound was created by dragging a house key along a bass piano string.
Glossary
sci-fi (noun)
A genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic science, space travel, and extraterrestrial life. The 1963 debut of Doctor Who in Britain sparked a massive international wave of speculative television programming.
A genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic science, space travel, and extraterrestrial life. The 1963 debut of Doctor Who in Britain sparked a massive international wave of speculative television programming.
Quiz
What everyday household object was famously used to design the arms of the Dalek monsters in Doctor Who?
Quiz
Which real-world device was directly inspired by the communicators used in the 1966 television series Star Trek?
Quiz
Who was the creator and primary writer of the classic anthology series The Twilight Zone, which ran from 1959 to 1964?
Quiz
Which actress made television history by playing Lieutenant Uhura, a prominent Black female officer, on Star Trek in 1966?
Quiz
On what historic date did the British science fiction series Doctor Who premiere on BBC television?
Quiz
In The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last", what tragic accident prevents the book-loving character Bemis from reading?
Quiz
Which 1963 television show is widely celebrated as Japan's first half-hour animated series, launching the global anime style?
Quiz
What was the name of the fictional starship commanded by Captain James T. Kirk in the 1960s series Star Trek?