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Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson July 7, 1968
Ellsworth Raymond Johnson (October 31, 1905 – July 7, 1968)—known as “Bumpy” Johnson—was an American mob boss and bookmaker in New…
Nixon Elected President: November 5, 1968
Winning one of the closest elections in U.S. history, Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Because of…
Hair: Opened on Broadway in April 1968
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James…
Apollo 8 Mission
Apollo 8, the second manned spaceflight mission flown in the United States Apollo space program, was launched on December 21,…
The US national debut of the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show occurred on February 19, 1968
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (sometimes shortened to Misterogers[ or simply Mister Rogers) is an American half-hour educational children’s television series that…
South Vietnam Mỹ Lai Massacre – 16 March 1968
The Mỹ Lai Massacre (/ˌmiːˈlaɪ/; Vietnamese: Thảm sát Mỹ Lai, was the Vietnam War mass murder of unarmed Vietnamese civilians…
60 Minutes the American newsmagazine television program, debuted on September 24, 1968
60 Minutes is an American newsmagazine television program broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was…
November 22, 1968 “Star Trek” airs American television’s first interracial kiss
In an episode of TV’s original “Star Trek” entitled “Plato’s Stepchildren,” the crew aboard the Starship Enterprise became enslaved by…
Robert F. Kennedy Delivers Speech on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. was given by New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy on…
1968 Belice Earthquake (Sicily Italy)
The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on…
Democratic National Convention in Chicago – Tense and Violent Protest
August 26 Mayor Richard Daley opens the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. While the convention moves haltingly toward nominating Hubert…
Miami Civil Protest
A group of black organizations in Miami called for “a mass rally of concerned Black people,” to take place on…
Volatile Civil Unrest in France with Massive General Strikes
The volatile period of civil unrest in France during May 1968 was punctuated by demonstrations and massive general strikes as…
1968 movement in Italy or Sessantotto
The 1968 movement in Italy or Sessantotto was inspired by distaste for traditional Italian society and international protests. In May…
Mexican Student Movement of 1968
The Mexican Student Movement of 1968 was a student movement against the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which occurred in…
Student Union Building in Stockholm occupation
Scandinavia Police action in connection with the 1968 Båstad riots. On May 3, 1968 activists protested the participation of two…
Polish 1968 political crisis
The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968 or March events (Polish: Marzec 1968; wydarzenia marcowe),…
Pickering v. Board of Education , 391 U.S. 563 (1968)
Pickering v. Board of Education , 391 U.S. 563 (1968) Facts: A high school science teacher wrote a letter to…
The Prague Spring of 1968
The Prague Spring of 1968 is the term used for the brief period of time when the government of Czechoslovakia…
3.3% National Unemployment Rate
December 11 The unemployment rate, at 3.3 percent, is the lowest it has been in fifteen years.
Apollo 8 begins the first US mission to orbit the Moon
December 21 The launch of Apollo 8 begins the first US mission to orbit the Moon.
Close Election Results for POTUS
November 5 Election Day. The results of the popular vote are 31,770,000 for Nixon, 43.4 percent of the total; 31,270,000…
Jacqueline Kennedy is married to Aristotle Onassis
October 20 Jacqueline Kennedy is married to Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate on the private island of Skorpios.
Chief of Staff Curtis E. Lemay — “I don’t believe the world would end if we exploded a nuclear weapon.”
October 3 George Wallace, who has been running an independent campaign for the presidency which has met significant support in…
Women’s Liberation groups target the Miss America Beauty Contest
September 7 Women’s Liberation groups, joined by members of New York NOW, target the Miss America Beauty Contest in Atlantic…
Alice’s Restaurant
July 24 At the Newport (Rhode Island) Folk Festival singer Arlo Guthrie performs his 20 minute ballad “Alice’s Restaurant” to…
The Yippies are Going to Chicago
July 7 Abbie Hoffman’s “The Yippies are Going to Chicago” is published in The Realist. The yippie movement, formed by…
2,500 people occupy Resurrection City
May 11 Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King Jr.’s designated successor, and the Southern Christian Leadership Corps are granted a permit…
Martin Luther King Jr. leads a march in Memphis
March 28 Martin Luther King Jr. leads a march in Memphis which turns violent. After King himself had been led…
Walter Cronkite reports on his recent trip to Vietnam
February 27 Walter Cronkite reports on his recent trip to Vietnam to view the aftermath of the Tet Offensive in…
The East Los Angeles Walkouts or Chicano Blowouts
The East Los Angeles Walkouts or Chicano Blowouts were a series of 1968 protests by Chicano students against unequal conditions…
December 24: Apollo 8 is the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon
On Christmas Eve, three astronauts circled the moon 10 times. Jim Lovell, Bill Anders and Frank Borman became the first…
September 30: Boeing introduces the first 747 “Jumbo Jet”
When demand for air travel reached sky-high levels in the 1960s, the world’s then-largest passenger aircraft — the Boeing 747…
January 23: North Korea captures the USS Pueblo
When North Korea captured the American surveillance ship USS Pueblo, it sparked an 11-month crisis that threatened to worsen already…
Assassination attempt on Andy Warhol
On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas shot Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol’s studio. Before the…
Riots Following Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination Spread to Baltimore
The Baltimore Riot of 1968 began two days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, on…
Coretta Scott King Leads Silent Memorial March For Martin Luther King Jr.
An assassin finally snuffed out Dr. King’s life on April 4, 1968, while he led a strike of 1,300 black…
Richmond Explosion
The Richmond, Indiana explosion was a double explosion which occurred at 1:47 PM EST on Saturday, April 6, 1968 in…
A speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. was given by New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy
A speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. was given by New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy on…
“The Producers” Is Released
The Producers is a 1968 comedy film written and directed by Mel Brooks, which tells the story of a theatrical…
Apollo 5 Mission
Apollo 5 was the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later carry astronauts to the lunar…
Aretha Franklin Releases “Lady Soul”
Lady Soul is a soul album by Aretha Franklin, released on January 22, 1968 (see 1968 in music). The album…
United States Air Force Launches Operation Igloo White
Operation Igloo White was a covert United States Air Force electronic warfare operation conducted from late January 1968 until February…
“2001: A Space Odyssey” Is Published
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It was developed concurrently with Stanley…
Shriver Creates the Special Olympics
The first International Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago in 1968. Anne McGlone Burke, a physical education teacher with…
George Foreman won a gold medal heavyweight bout against Soviet boxer
And on the last day in Mexico City, George Foreman won a gold medal heavyweight bout against Soviet boxer Ionas…
Bob Beamon set a long-jump world record
Bob Beamon set a long-jump world record that would last nearly 23 years.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar boycotted the Olympics
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then named Lew Alcindor, boycotted the Olympics because of inequality at home.
Willie Horton lead the Tigers to a Game 7 World Series victory
It was the year when Detroit outfielder Willie Horton, who, in 1967, walked the Motor City streets wearing his uniform…
Bob Gibson most dominant pitching season in baseball history
It was the year when St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson compartmentalized his grief over the assassination of King — “the…
Bill Russell, first black head coach of a major American pro team to win a championship.
It was the year when Boston Celtics player-coach Bill Russell, one of the most influential athlete activists ever, became the…
Arthur Ashe – first black man to win a major tennis title
It was the year when Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win a major tennis title, at the…
Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte remember a televised moment that inadvertently became a scandal—and a civil-rights cause célèbre.
50 Years Ago, a White Woman Touching a Black Man on TV Caused a National Commotion On April 2, 1968,…
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., an American clergyman and civil rights leader, was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee,…
San Francisco State College Student Strike
“On strike! Shut it down!” From November 1968 to March 1969, those words rang out daily on the campus of…
1968 Olympics Human Rights Salute
The 1968 Olympics Human Rights Salute was a political demonstration conducted by African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during…
1968 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party
The 1968 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois….
The Poor People’s Campaign
The Poor People’s Campaign, or Poor People’s March on Washington, was a 1968 effort to gain economic justice for poor…
Columbia University protests of 1968
The Columbia University protests of 1968 were one among the various student demonstrations that occurred around the globe in that…
The Mỹ Lai Massacre
The Mỹ Lai Massacre (/ˌmiːˈlaɪ/; Vietnamese: Thảm sát Mỹ Lai, [tʰâːm ʂǎːt mǐˀ lāːj] was the Vietnam War mass murder…
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission after its chair, Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. of…
Franklin Lymon
Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968), known professionally as Frankie Lymon, was an American rock and…
Orangeburg massacre
The Orangeburg massacre refers to the shooting of protesters by South Carolina Highway Patrol officers in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on…
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (often simply referred to as Laugh-In) is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for…
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive (Vietnamese: Sự kiện Tết Mậu Thân 1968), or officially called The General Offensive and Uprising of Tet…
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
On June 5, 1968, 42-year-old presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded shortly after midnight PDT at the Ambassador…