The Year 1968
Histroy and Politics
US Navy intelligence ship "Pueblo," is captured by N. Korea on charge of violation of
N. Korean waters; her crew is finally released in Dec. upon admission by US,
instantly repudiated, that violations of water took place.
Isreal and UAR agree to general exchange of prisoners of war.
Brit. colony Mauritius becomes independent state within Commonwealth.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy announces his candidacy for Dem. presidential nomination.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated in a Memphis motel; Scotland Yard
arrests James Earl Ray and extradites him to US to stand trial.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau sworn in as Canadian Prime Minister.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles; Jordanian , Sirhan Sirhan
is arrested, charged, and later convicted of the crime.
Hubert H. Humphrey wins Democratic nomination.
Leadership of Czech Communist Party wins endorsement of Central Committee for its
policy of resisting pressure from USSR.
Czechoslavia invaded at night by Soviet and Warsaw-pact troops.
Czech leaders accede in Moscow to Soviet demands to abolish liberal policies and agree
that foreign troops will stay indefinitely; summit meeting of Czech and Soviet leaders held.
Brit. government restricts immigration from India, Pakistan, and the W. Indies.
Richard M. Nixon, promising to end the Vietnam war, elected 37th
President of US by narrowest margin since 1912.
Science, Technology, Growth
Philip Blaiberg (S. Africa) becomes the 3rd recipient of a transplanted heart.
US spacecraft Surveyor 7 lands successfully on the moon.
Two unmanned Soviet satellites find each other by while in earth orbit.
Apollo 7 spacecraft with 3 astronauts aboard on 11 day orbiting flight with splashdown in Atlantic.
Intelsat 3A, first of new series of communication satellites, launched.
Apollo 8, with 3 astronauts aboard, launched on flight to moon,
orbits the moon and splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.
Pulsating radio sources (Pulsars) discovered by Hewish and Bell,
Mullard Observatory, Cambridge, England.
Benjamin Masar (Jerusalem Univ.) discovers foundations of the Temple Of Herod, destroyed 70 A.D.
Daily Life
A 28 million year old skull of an ape found by Elwyn L. Simons in the Fayyum region of the U.A.R.
World heavyweight championship in dispute.
US gross national product is at almost $861 billion.
Bridge team Olypmiad won by Italy against France.
Crimes of violence in US has increased 57% since 1960.
Hugh Porter (Brit) wins world cycling championship, Rome.
Population of Europe (excluding USSR) is 455 milliom; USSR is 239 million.
78 million TV sets in US; 25 million in USSR; 20.5 million in Japan; 19 million
in Great Britian; 13.5 million in W. Germany; 10 million in France.
Mixico City Olympics; US, 45 gold medals and USSR, 29 gold medals.
US takes Davis Cup (tennis) away from Australia.
Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle S. Onassis.
Aswan Dam completed. (Egypt)
Earthquake strikes Iran, killing 12,000.
Julie Nixon, daughter of the president-elect, marries Dwight David Eisenhower.
S. California defeats Indiana, 14-3 to win Rose Bowl.
Peggy Fleming wins the only US gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
"Forward Pass" wins the Preakness and Kentucky Derby.
Lee Trevino defeats Jack Nicklaus to win US Open.
Julius Boro wins the Pro Colf Assoc., defeating Arnold Palmer.
Detroit (AL) defeats St Louis (NL) in World Series, 4-3.
An Atlantic blue marlin weighing 845 lbs. is caught by E J Fishman at St. Thomas, Virgin Is.
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page