Cool 1968 Facts
The following interesting bits of infomation about happenings in 1968 was sent to us by Ron McPherson-Central Classmate
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For All You Baby Boomers contributed by Ted Durante-East Classmate 1968: Long hair
2018: Longing for hair 1968: KEG
2018: EKG
1968: Acid rock
2018: Acid reflux 1968: Moving to California because it's cool
2018: Moving to Arizona because it's warm 1968: Trying to look like Marlon Brando/Liz Taylor
2018: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor 1968: Seeds and stems 2018: Roughage 1968: Hoping for a BMW 2018: Hoping for a BM 1968: Going to a new, hip joint 2018: Receiving a new hip joint 1968: Rolling Stones
2018: Kidney Stones 1968: Screw the system 2018: Upgrade the system 1968: Disco
2018: Costco 1968: Parents begging you to get your hair cut
2018: Children begging you to get their heads shaved 1968: Passing the drivers' test
2018: Passing the vision test 1968: Whatever 2018: Depends
Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change things.
The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 2000.
They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
Their lifetime has always included AIDS
Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic. The CD was introduced 9 years before they were born. They have always had an answering machine. They have always had cable. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws! They can't imagine what hard contacts lenses are. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from. They never heard "Where's the Beef?","I'd walk a mile for a Camel", or "de plane, Boss, de plane"... They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. even is. McDonald's never came in styrofoam containers. They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter. Do you feel old yet? Pass this on to the other old fogies in your list! So have a good day! It is good to have friends that know about these things and are still alive and kicking!
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What happened in 1968 Important News and Events, Key Technology and Popular Culture
What happened in 1968 Major News Stories include Dr. Christian Barnard performs the first successful heart transplant, Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , The first Big Mac goes on sale in McDonalds costing 49 cents, Boeing 747 made its maiden flight, Emergency 911 Telephone service is started in the USA, Hong Kong Flu pandemic, The Poor Peoples March on Washington, D.C, Vietnam US soldiers massacre men, women and children in My lai, Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia
Jump To 1968 Fashion -- World Leaders -- 1968 Calendar -- 1968 Technology -- Cost Of Living -- Popular Culture -- Toys
Cost of Living 1968
How Much things cost in 1968
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 4.27%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 4.7%
Year End Dow Jones Industrial Average 943
Average Cost of new house $14,950.00
Average Income per year $7,850.00
Average Monthly Rent $130.00
Gas per Gallon 34 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,822.00
Movie Ticket$1.50
The Federal Hourly Minimum Wage is $1.60 an hour
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 4,344
Gallon of Petrol 5 shillings 5 pence or 28 new pence
1968
In both Europe and America Japanese imported cars and other goods were continuing to rise and trouble the governments of UK and USA as they worried about industries in their own countries being effected and jobs lost. In the spring of 1968 on 4th April The Rev Martin Luther King was assassinated and Robert Kennedy was mortally wounded when he is shot by Sirhan Sirhan. The peace movement had continued to grow and more and more Americans were against the war in Vietnam, and once again more riots occurred throughout cities in America. The music scene was once again set by the "Beatles" and the "Rolling Stones" , and fashion flirted with see through blouses and midis and maxis skirts joined the Mini Skirt as part of the fashion trends. There is a Flu Pandemic in Hong Kong and the first Black power salute is seen on Television worldwide during an Olympics medal ceremony
United States -- Assassination Martin Luther King Jr.
1. 1929 January 15th Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States
2. 1948 Graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology
3. 1951 Graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania
4. 1953 June 18th Marries Coretta Scott on the lawn of her parents' house in her hometown of Heiberger, Alabama
5. 1954 Martin Luther King Jr. becomes pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama
6. 1955 Following the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to make room for a white passenger Martin Luther King Jr. leads the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasted for 385 days to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system.
7. 1957 Martin Luther King Jr. becomes president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
8. 1959 Martin Luther King Jr. visits Gandhi's birthplace in India where he affirms his commitment to non-violent resistance and America's struggle for civil rights.
7. 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a nonviolent direct action protest in Birmingham, Alabama to defy discrimination laws they considered unfair.
8. 1963 August 28th King, representing SCLC, was among the leaders of the so-called "Big Six" civil rights organizations who were instrumental in the organization of March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, it was the largest political rally for human rights in United States history .
9. 1963 August 28th Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial to an estimated crowd of 250,000
10. 1965 March 25th Martin Luther King, Jr. at the end of the third Selma to Montgomery march delivered the speech "How Long, Not Long." on the steps of the State Capitol Building to a crowd of 25,000
11. 1967 April 4th Martin Luther King, Jr. during a speech at the New York City Riverside Church spoke strongly against the U.S.'s role in the war, insisting that the U.S. was in Vietnam "to occupy it as an American colony"
12. 1967 After his speech against the Vietnam War many supporters of Martin Luther King, Jr. including President Johnson, union leaders and powerful media publishers began to line up against him.
13. 1968 April 4th Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot and killed by James Earl Ray
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Civil Rights Movement, takes place in April of 1968 when he was killed by James Earl Ray. King's assassination leads to violence and race riots in U.S. cities.
United States -- Senator Robert Kennedy Assassinated
U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, also known as Bobby Kennedy or RFK, was assassinated at the age of 42 on June 5th. Kennedy was shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just finished giving a speech after his victory in California’s presidential primary. Senator Kennedy died the following day and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia near the grave of his brother, President John F. Kennedy who had been assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969, his sentence was later commuted to life in prison.
United Kingdom - Anti-Vietnam Protests
Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations turn violent during March in London, England. Between 8,000 and 10,000 protesters marched from Trafalgar Square to the United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square. According to attendees, the initial mood of the gathering was positive but quickly turned violent when they encountered hundreds of police surrounding the embassy. About 200 people were arrested during the riots and between 80 and 100 people, including several police, were injured.
United States -- Intel Corporation is created
The Intel Corporation was founded in Santa Clara, California during July . Engineers Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce created the company after receiving $2.5 million in funding from venture capitalist and financier Arthur Rock. Noyce and Moore set out to build a company that could make and develop semiconductor computer circuits like the ones they had invented at their former employer, Fairchild Semiconductor, in the 1950's. Intel began producing memory chips as their primary product with great success until their engineers created the first microprocessor in 1971, changing the course of technology and computing forever. Since then, Intel has been one of the top companies in the world and has remained a leading innovator.
NASA’s Apollo 7 Mission Launches
NASA launches the Apollo 7 mission on October 11th. It was the first manned mission in the Apollo program which was created with the ultimate goal of landing a man on the Moon. The purpose of the mission was to test out the command and service module (CSM). It launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carried astronauts Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham around the Earth’s orbit 163 times. The flight lasted 10 days and 20 hours and it was the first mission to complete a live television broadcast.
NASA’s Apollo 8 Mission Launches
NASA’s Apollo 8 space mission was launched on December 21st. It was the first manned mission to leave Earth’s orbit, orbit the Moon, and return to Earth safely. The crew consisted of Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr., and William Anders. It was also the first manned mission to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. The crew successfully landed in the Northern Pacific Ocean after just over six days in space. Apollo 8 was most well-known for the live television broadcast made by the astronauts on Christmas eve. The mission was a critical step in the process to land a man on the Moon.
United States - Surveyor 7 Lunar Lander
NASA launches the final Surveyor mission, Surveyor 7 on January 7th. The mission objectives for Surveyor 7 were to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon in the highland area, photograph the area after landing, test the chemical composition of the soil, and gather data related to the mechanics of the landing. The spacecraft was successful in its landing and achieved its mission objectives. The surveyor program was overall successful as well, providing the necessary data to determine the feasibility of a manned Moon mission.
United Kingdom -- Beatles "White Album"
On November 22nd the popular rock band the Beatles released the "White Album," an untitled double album that featured some of the legendary band's most experimental music. Many of the songs were written when the band was in Rishikesh, India while they were attending a meditation camp. While the album received mixed reviews at the time, it still reached the number one spot on the music charts in both the United Kingdom and United States. Modern critics mark the album as on of the best albums ever created and it remains popular today.
France -- Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games are held in Grenoble, France during the month of February . These gamed marked the tenth time the Winter Olympics took place and were the first Winter Games to be broadcast in color on television. The 1968 Winter Olympics also marked the first time they did gender testing and doping tests during the winter games. It was also the first time that a country other than the Soviet Union won the most medals since the USSR's first games in 1956 with Norway taking home the most medals of the 37 competing nations.
More News and Key Events From 1968
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Winter Olympic Games
Anti Vietnam War protests
Tet offensive
My lai
North Vietnam
RMS Queen Elizabeth
Dutch Elm Disease
UK - First Class Post
China
Senator Robert Kennedy
Earthquake in Sicily -
Enoch Powell
race relations act
Heart transplant
London Bridge
President Johnson
Redwood National Park
contraceptive pill
The Poor Peoples March
Population 455 million Europe
Kray twins
Zodiac serial murderer
Televisions
fifth nuclear power
Alec Rose
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Student Occupation at Columbia University
Jacqueline Kennedy
TEV Wahine
U.S. submarine Scorpion
Hong Kong Flu pandemic
Student riots Mexico
Black power salute
The Aswan Dam
The Gateway Arch
Truth In Lending Act
Spain and Gibraltar Border
Equatorial Guinea
Popular Culture 1968
The first Big Mac goes on sale in McDonalds costing 49 cents
The Beatles create Apple Records and record "Hey Jude" as the first single on the label
The CBS television news magazine program "60 Minutes" shown for the first time
Musical Hair opens at Shaftesbury Theatre in London featuring nudity and drug-taking
Popular Films
Technology
Political Elections 1968
United States Presidential Election -- 1968 -- Richard Nixon (Republican) defeats Hubert Humphrey (Democratic) and George Wallace (American Independent) --
Canadian Federal Election -- 1968 -- Pierre Trudeau ( Liberal ) defeats Robert Stanfield ( Progressive Conservatives ) --
What happened in 1968 Major News Stories include Dr. Christian Barnard performs the first successful heart transplant, Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , The first Big Mac goes on sale in McDonalds costing 49 cents, Boeing 747 made its maiden flight, Emergency 911 Telephone service is started in the USA, Hong Kong Flu pandemic, The Poor Peoples March on Washington, D.C, Vietnam US soldiers massacre men, women and children in My lai, Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia
Jump To 1968 Fashion -- World Leaders -- 1968 Calendar -- 1968 Technology -- Cost Of Living -- Popular Culture -- Toys
How Much things cost in 1968
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 4.27%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 4.7%
Year End Dow Jones Industrial Average 943
Average Cost of new house $14,950.00
Average Income per year $7,850.00
Average Monthly Rent $130.00
Gas per Gallon 34 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,822.00
Movie Ticket$1.50
The Federal Hourly Minimum Wage is $1.60 an hour
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 4,344
Gallon of Petrol 5 shillings 5 pence or 28 new pence
In both Europe and America Japanese imported cars and other goods were continuing to rise and trouble the governments of UK and USA as they worried about industries in their own countries being effected and jobs lost. In the spring of 1968 on 4th April The Rev Martin Luther King was assassinated and Robert Kennedy was mortally wounded when he is shot by Sirhan Sirhan. The peace movement had continued to grow and more and more Americans were against the war in Vietnam, and once again more riots occurred throughout cities in America. The music scene was once again set by the "Beatles" and the "Rolling Stones" , and fashion flirted with see through blouses and midis and maxis skirts joined the Mini Skirt as part of the fashion trends. There is a Flu Pandemic in Hong Kong and the first Black power salute is seen on Television worldwide during an Olympics medal ceremony
- Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Leader of Negro Civil Rights Movement is killed by James Earl Ray which leads to Violence and Race Riots in US Cities
1. 1929 January 15th Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States
2. 1948 Graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology
3. 1951 Graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania
4. 1953 June 18th Marries Coretta Scott on the lawn of her parents' house in her hometown of Heiberger, Alabama
5. 1954 Martin Luther King Jr. becomes pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama
6. 1955 Following the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat to make room for a white passenger Martin Luther King Jr. leads the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasted for 385 days to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system.
7. 1957 Martin Luther King Jr. becomes president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
8. 1959 Martin Luther King Jr. visits Gandhi's birthplace in India where he affirms his commitment to non-violent resistance and America's struggle for civil rights.
7. 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a nonviolent direct action protest in Birmingham, Alabama to defy discrimination laws they considered unfair.
8. 1963 August 28th King, representing SCLC, was among the leaders of the so-called "Big Six" civil rights organizations who were instrumental in the organization of March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, it was the largest political rally for human rights in United States history .
9. 1963 August 28th Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating racial harmony at the Lincoln Memorial to an estimated crowd of 250,000
10. 1965 March 25th Martin Luther King, Jr. at the end of the third Selma to Montgomery march delivered the speech "How Long, Not Long." on the steps of the State Capitol Building to a crowd of 25,000
11. 1967 April 4th Martin Luther King, Jr. during a speech at the New York City Riverside Church spoke strongly against the U.S.'s role in the war, insisting that the U.S. was in Vietnam "to occupy it as an American colony"
12. 1967 After his speech against the Vietnam War many supporters of Martin Luther King, Jr. including President Johnson, union leaders and powerful media publishers began to line up against him.
13. 1968 April 4th Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot and killed by James Earl Ray
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Civil Rights Movement, takes place in April of 1968 when he was killed by James Earl Ray. King's assassination leads to violence and race riots in U.S. cities.
U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, also known as Bobby Kennedy or RFK, was assassinated at the age of 42 on June 5th. Kennedy was shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He had just finished giving a speech after his victory in California’s presidential primary. Senator Kennedy died the following day and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia near the grave of his brother, President John F. Kennedy who had been assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969, his sentence was later commuted to life in prison.
Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations turn violent during March in London, England. Between 8,000 and 10,000 protesters marched from Trafalgar Square to the United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square. According to attendees, the initial mood of the gathering was positive but quickly turned violent when they encountered hundreds of police surrounding the embassy. About 200 people were arrested during the riots and between 80 and 100 people, including several police, were injured.
- The Intel Corporation is created by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce.
The Intel Corporation was founded in Santa Clara, California during July . Engineers Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce created the company after receiving $2.5 million in funding from venture capitalist and financier Arthur Rock. Noyce and Moore set out to build a company that could make and develop semiconductor computer circuits like the ones they had invented at their former employer, Fairchild Semiconductor, in the 1950's. Intel began producing memory chips as their primary product with great success until their engineers created the first microprocessor in 1971, changing the course of technology and computing forever. Since then, Intel has been one of the top companies in the world and has remained a leading innovator.
NASA’s Apollo 7 Mission Launches
NASA launches the Apollo 7 mission on October 11th. It was the first manned mission in the Apollo program which was created with the ultimate goal of landing a man on the Moon. The purpose of the mission was to test out the command and service module (CSM). It launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carried astronauts Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham around the Earth’s orbit 163 times. The flight lasted 10 days and 20 hours and it was the first mission to complete a live television broadcast.
NASA’s Apollo 8 space mission was launched on December 21st. It was the first manned mission to leave Earth’s orbit, orbit the Moon, and return to Earth safely. The crew consisted of Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr., and William Anders. It was also the first manned mission to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. The crew successfully landed in the Northern Pacific Ocean after just over six days in space. Apollo 8 was most well-known for the live television broadcast made by the astronauts on Christmas eve. The mission was a critical step in the process to land a man on the Moon.
NASA launches the final Surveyor mission, Surveyor 7 on January 7th. The mission objectives for Surveyor 7 were to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon in the highland area, photograph the area after landing, test the chemical composition of the soil, and gather data related to the mechanics of the landing. The spacecraft was successful in its landing and achieved its mission objectives. The surveyor program was overall successful as well, providing the necessary data to determine the feasibility of a manned Moon mission.
- The Beatles release the "White Album" to mixed reviews.
On November 22nd the popular rock band the Beatles released the "White Album," an untitled double album that featured some of the legendary band's most experimental music. Many of the songs were written when the band was in Rishikesh, India while they were attending a meditation camp. While the album received mixed reviews at the time, it still reached the number one spot on the music charts in both the United Kingdom and United States. Modern critics mark the album as on of the best albums ever created and it remains popular today.
- The Winter Olympics are held in Grenoble, France.
The Winter Olympic Games are held in Grenoble, France during the month of February . These gamed marked the tenth time the Winter Olympics took place and were the first Winter Games to be broadcast in color on television. The 1968 Winter Olympics also marked the first time they did gender testing and doping tests during the winter games. It was also the first time that a country other than the Soviet Union won the most medals since the USSR's first games in 1956 with Norway taking home the most medals of the 37 competing nations.
- Following the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968
- The Winter Olympic Games are held in Grenoble, France
- Anti Vietnam War protests throughout the western world
- North Vietnam and Viet Cong troops launch the Tet offensive
- Vietnam US soldiers massacre men, women and children in My lai
- President Lyndon Johnson orders an end to the bombing of North Vietnam
- RMS Queen Elizabeth - retired from service
- Dutch Elm Disease continues to increase with tens of thousands of trees now destroyed
- British Post office introduces First Class Post
- China celebrates 20 years of communist rule by Mao Tse-tung
- Senator Robert Kennedy is assassinated on June 5th by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles
- Earthquake in Sicily - 231 dead, 262 injured.
- Enoch Powell's delivers his "Rivers of Blood" anti immigration speech
- The new wide ranging race relations act goes into force
- The Third Heart transplant is performed in South Africa By Dr Christian N Barnard
- London Bridge sold for 1 million. and later re-erected in Lake Havasu City, Arizona .
- President Johnson announces on nationwide television he would not run for another term of office
- The Redwood National Park is created in California to protect the Giant Redwoods.
- Pope Paul VI bans Catholics from using the contraceptive pill for birth control
- 50,000 people participated in " The Poor Peoples March " on June 19th Washington, D.C.
- Population in Europe reaches 455 million ( excluding USSR )
- The Kray twins, arrested for the murders of George Cornell and Jack 'The Hat' McVitie, members of the London underworld.
- The Zodiac serial murderer begins his reign of terror in California in what has been described as the perfect crime ( He claimed in letters sent to the newspapers to have murdered 37, but police files put the number at 11. ( He has never been caught )
- Televisions Installed increases 25 million US , 20.5 million Japan , 19 Million Great Britain
- France becomes the world's fifth nuclear power
- Alec Rose completes his single-handed 354-day round-the-world trip.
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes the Prime Minister of Canada
- Student Occupation at Columbia University over Universities affiliation with the Institute for Defense.
- Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy marry
- The Ferry "TEV Wahine" capsizes in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand
- The nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion sank in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of 99 crew members.
- Hong Kong Flu pandemic begins in Hong Kong.
- Student riots threaten Mexico Olympics when thousands of students protest against the military occupation of the National Polytechnic Institute.
- Black power salute is seen on Television worldwide after the gold and bronze medalists in Olympics show salute during medal ceremony in Mexico City, Mexico
- The Aswan Dam in Egypt is completed
- The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is dedicated
- Truth In Lending Act is passed to protect consumers during credit transactions.
- The border between Spain and Gibraltar is closed
- Equatorial Guinea Gains Independence From Spain
The first Big Mac goes on sale in McDonalds costing 49 cents
The Beatles create Apple Records and record "Hey Jude" as the first single on the label
The CBS television news magazine program "60 Minutes" shown for the first time
Musical Hair opens at Shaftesbury Theatre in London featuring nudity and drug-taking
Popular Films
- The Graduate
- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
- Bonnie and Clyde
- Valley of the Dolls
- The Odd Couple
- Planet of the Apes
- Rosemary's Baby
- The Rolling Stones
- The Supremes
- The Beatles with -- " Hey Jude "
- Fleetwood Mac
- Aretha Franklin
- Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
- The Grateful Dead
- The Monkees
- Simon and Garfunkel -- " Mrs Robinson "
- The Beach Boys
- The Bee Gees
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Cream
- The Doors -- " Hello I Love You "
- Pink Floyd
- Moody Blues
- Bobby Goldsboro -- " Honey "
- Marvin Gaye -- " I heard it through the Grapevine "
- David Bowie
- Boeing 747 made its maiden flight.
- NASA launches Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission
- Air Bags , Allen K Breed invents an air bag that deploys and inflates automatically on violent impact using nitrogen gas.
- Apollo 8 orbits the Moon, becoming the first manned space mission to achieve the feat.
- Dr. Christian Barnard performs the first successful heart transplant.
- US Explodes experimental hydrogen Bomb.
- The Emergency 911 Telephone service is started in the USA which provides a single number for reporting emergencies and is manned 24 hrs per day 365 days per year
- ATM First Philadelphia Bank installs the first automated teller machine in the U.S.
United States Presidential Election -- 1968 -- Richard Nixon (Republican) defeats Hubert Humphrey (Democratic) and George Wallace (American Independent) --
Canadian Federal Election -- 1968 -- Pierre Trudeau ( Liberal ) defeats Robert Stanfield ( Progressive Conservatives ) --