1962: Crossroads of past and future

EUGENE, Ore. - Fifty years ago, the times were a-changin'.

"It looks each way, both back toward the 50s and then forwards towards the 60s," said Dan Pope, professor of history at the University of Oregon.

John Glenn in space. Richard Nixon in California. Walter Cronkite on TV. And four lads from Liverpool making waves across the pond - and ready to mount a British musical invasion.

"People always say, you know, is this just some nostalgic trip for gray-hairs?" said Carl Woideck from the UO music faculty. "No, the Beatles were exceptional."

Woideck teaches a class called "The Beatles and Their Times." He has to turn away students after maxing out enrollment at 140.

"They reflected popular culture," he said, "but they also affected pop culture."

Their impact resonates a half century later.

"Listening to it now, it means more to me especially because I'm starting to play music," said UO student Peter Abraham. "I've been playing guitar for 3 years and they're wonderful."

And like a rolling stone, Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys released their first records in 1962.

Another notable introduction: a classic line - "Bond. James Bond." - and a durable hero still catching the bad guys to this day.

"A quarter to a third of the world's population have seen a James Bond movie," said Tom Blank, who lectures on cinema.

Now the longest running film franchise in history, James Bond started in 1962 with "Dr. No" and was followed by 22 more.  

Sean Connery starred in the first 6 as a new type of hero.

"They became the fantasy power to correct the difficulties of the cold war for the American population," Blank said.