The year 1965 was turbulent, pivotal, and consequential. LBJ sent soldiers to the Dominican Republic, stepped into Vietnam with both feet, and signed laws expanding voting rights and creating Medicare and Medicaid. Antiwar protests gathered steam, Bob Dylan went electric, the Beatles played Shea Stadium, Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game, and pioneering DJ Alan Freed died (footnote 1).

The cover of the April 9, 1965, edition of Time featured Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip characters; inside was a lengthy article about the cartoonist and his creation (footnote 2). Fifteen years into its long run, Peanuts had established itself as a funny papers staple. By the end of 1965, the Peanuts gang would be rooted in the country's heart and culture.