Launch of Gemini 3:
- NASA launched the Gemini 3 space mission during Project Gemini. Commanded by Astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom with co-pilot John W. Young, they piloted their spacecraft "Molly Brown" through three-orbits around the Earth before returning with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean after approximately five hours.
U.S. Civil Rights Marches:
- Civil rights demonstrations continued in Selma, Alabama. These efforts eventually led to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965:
- "Bloody Sunday:" On this particular day, civil rights leaders and hundreds of protesters tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge but encountered violent roadblocks by state troopers and local law enforcement, resulting in numerous injuries to peaceful demonstrators. This day became known as "Bloody Sunday," increasing attention and support for voting rights reforms nationwide.
Vietnam War Escalation:
- U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson sent the first American ground combat forces to South Vietnam. With these deployments, ground troops increased to a total of 3,500.