The Sixties and Beyond

May 9, 1960

The Pill becomes widely available in the U.S.

In early 1960, "The Pill," became available, it was a form of birth control that many americans had access to. Development of "the pill," as it became popularly known, was initially commissioned by birth-control pioneer Margaret Sanger and funded by heiress Katherine McCormick. Sanger, who opened the first birth-control clinic in the United States in 1916, hoped to encourage the development of a more practical and effective alternative to contraceptives that were in use at the time.

The Pill became widely available in the U.S. during May of 1960.