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The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.


Events


January–February

* January 5 – "
Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. *
January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
John Gorton is sworn in as 19th
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
, taking over from John McEwen after being elected leader of the Liberal Party the previous day, following the disappearance of Harold Holt. Gorton becomes the only
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
to become Prime Minister, though he immediately transfers to the House of Representatives through the
1968 Higgins by-election A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Higgins on 24 February 1968. It was triggered by the presumed drowning death of the Prime Minister and Liberal Party MP Harold Holt on 17 December 1967. Background O ...
in Holt's vacant seat. *
January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– The
1968 Belice earthquake The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale, with five others of magnitude 5+. The maximum perceived intensity was X (''Extreme'') on the Mer ...
in Sicily kills 380 and injures around 1,000. * January 21 ** Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh – One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins, ending on
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
. **
1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident, sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (; da, Thuleulykken), involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. The ...
: A U.S.
B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
crashes in Greenland, discharging 4
nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
s. * January 23North Korea seizes the , claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying. *
January 25 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate. * 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
Israeli submarine sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 69. * January 28
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
submarine '' Minerve'' sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 52. *
January 30 Events Pre-1600 *1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. *1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 *1607 – An estimated ...
Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive begins as Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks across
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. * January 31 ** Viet Cong soldiers attack the Embassy of the United States, Saigon. **
Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
president Hammer DeRoburt declares independence from
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. *
February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
** Vietnam War: A Viet Cong officer named
Nguyễn Văn Lém Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元)is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this s ...
is executed by Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, a
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese National Police Chief. The event is photographed by Eddie Adams. The photo makes headlines around the world, eventually winning the
1969 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1969. Journalism awards *Public Service: **The ''Los Angeles Times'', for its exposé of wrongdoing within the Los Angeles City Government Commissions, resulting in resignations or criminal convictions ...
, and sways U.S. public opinion against the war. ** The
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
and the New York Central Railroad merge to form Penn Central, the largest ever corporate
merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
up to this date. *
February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
February 18 – The
1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...
are held in Grenoble, France. * February 12Vietnam War:
Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre The Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre ( ko, 퐁니·퐁넛 양민학살 사건, Vietnamese: ''Thảm sát Phong Nhất và Phong Nhị'') was a massacre of unarmed citizens in the villages of Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất, Điện Bàn D ...
. *
February 24 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. * 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. * 13 ...
Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted;
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
recaptures Huế. *
February 25 Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...
Vietnam War: Hà My massacre.


March–April

* March 2Baggeridge Colliery closes marking the end of over 300 years of
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
in the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...
of England. * March 6 – Un-recognized
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
executes 3 black citizens, the first executions since
UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...
, prompting international condemnation. *
March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...
Vietnam War: The
First Battle of Saigon The First Battle of Saigon, fought during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, was the coordinated attack by communist forces, including both the North Vietnamese Army and the ''Viet Cong'' (VC), against Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. ...
ends. * March 8 ** The first student protests spark the
1968 Polish political crisis The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968, Students' March, or March events ( pl, Marzec 1968; studencki Marzec; wydarzenia marcowe), was a series of major student, intellectual and other protests against the ruling Poli ...
. ** The Soviet
ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...
''K-129'' sinks with all 98 crew members, about 90
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (104 miles or 167 km) southwest of Hawaii. * March 1011Vietnam War: Battle of Lima Site 85, the largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members (12) during the (at this time) secret war later known as the
Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...
. * March 11 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson mandates that all computers purchased by the federal government support the ASCII character encoding. *
March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
** Mauritius achieves independence from British rule. ** U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson barely edges out antiwar candidate
Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...
in the
New Hampshire Democratic primary The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of United States presiden ...
, a vote which highlights the deep divisions in the country, and the party, over Vietnam. * March 13 – The first Rotaract club is chartered in
North Charlotte Old North Charlotte is a neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. Old North Charlotte, contrary to its name, comprises a large section of the city's east side. Old North Charlotte is one of Charlotte's oldest neighborhoods and can trace its ...
, North Carolina. *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
Nerve gas leaks from the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground near
Skull Valley, Utah Skull Valley is a long''Utah Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 6th ed., 2014, pp. 15, 16, 23 & 24 valley located in east Tooele County, Utah, United States at the southwest of the Great Salt Lake. The valley trends north–south, but turns sligh ...
. * March 16 ** Vietnam WarMy Lai Massacre: American troops kill scores of civilians. The story will first become public in November 1969 and will help undermine public support for the U.S. efforts in Vietnam. ** U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy enters the race for the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
presidential nomination. * March 18Gold standard: The United States Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back U.S. currency. * March 1923Afrocentrism, Black Power, Vietnam War: Students at Howard University in Washington, D.C., signal a new era of militant student activism on college campuses in the U.S. Students stage rallies, protests and a 5-day
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
, laying siege to the administration building, shutting down the university in protest over its
ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
program and the Vietnam War, and demanding a more Afrocentric curriculum. * March 22Daniel Cohn-Bendit ("Danny the Red") and 7 other students occupy the administrative offices of the
University of Nanterre Paris Nanterre University (French: ''Université Paris Nanterre''), formerly Paris-X and commonly referred to as Nanterre, is a public research university based in Nanterre, Paris, France. It is one of the most prestigious French universities, ma ...
, setting in motion a chain of events that lead France to the brink of revolution in May. * March 24
Aer Lingus Flight 712 Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashed en route from Cork to London on 24 March 1968 killing all 61 passengers and crew. The aircraft, a Vickers Viscount 803 named "St. Phelim", crashed into the sea off Tuskar Rock, County Wexford. Although the investi ...
crashes en route from
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
to London near Tuskar Rock, Wexford, killing 61 passengers and crew. * March 28Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is shot by the police in a protest for cheaper meals at a restaurant for low-income students. The aftermath of his death is one of the first major events against the
military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
. * April 2 – Bombs explode at midnight in two department stores in
Frankfurt-am-Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
; Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin are later arrested and sentenced for
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
. *
April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...
**
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...
: Martin Luther King Jr. is shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King-assassination riots erupt in major American cities, lasting for several days afterwards. ** Apollo program: Apollo-Saturn mission 502 ( Apollo 6) is launched, as the second and last uncrewed test-flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ** AEK Athens wins the FIBA European Cup Winners Cup Final in basketball against Slavia Prague, in front of a record attendance of 80,000 spectators. It is the first major European trophy won at club level of any sport in Greece. * April 6 ** " La, la, la" by Massiel (music and lyrics by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 for Spain, at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in London. ** A shootout between
Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...
and police in Oakland, California, results in several arrests and deaths, including 17-year-old Panther
Bobby Hutton Robert James Hutton (April 21, 1950 – April 6, 1968), also known as "Lil' Bobby", was the treasurer and first recruit to join the Black Panther Party.Richmond, Indiana explosion The Richmond, Indiana, explosion was a double explosion in the United States in 1968. It occurred at 1:47 PM EST on April 6, in downtown Richmond, Indiana. The explosions killed 41 people and injured more than 150. The primary explosion was du ...
: A double explosion in downtown
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
kills 41 and injures 150. * April 7 – British racing driver
Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
is killed in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim. * April 10 – The ferry strikes a reef at the mouth of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, with the loss of 53 lives, in Cyclone Giselle, which has created the windiest conditions ever recorded in New Zealand. * April 11 **
Josef Bachmann Josef Erwin Bachmann (12 October 1944 – 24 February 1970) became widely known in Germany for his assassination attempt on the Marxist activist Rudi Dutschke, firing three bullets at him, on 11 April 1968. Bachmann was convicted of the attack an ...
tries to assassinate Rudi Dutschke, leader of the left-wing movement ( APO) in Germany, and tries to commit suicide afterwards, failing in both, although Dutschke dies of his brain injuries 11 years later. ** German left-wing students blockade the
Springer Press Axel Springer SE () is a German digital and popular periodical publishing house which is the largest in Europe, with numerous multimedia news brands, such as '' Bild'', ''Die Welt'', and ''Fakt'' and more than 15,000 employees. It generated to ...
HQ in Berlin and many are arrested (one of them Ulrike Meinhof). * April 20Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes the 15th Prime Minister of Canada. *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
** President Mobutu releases captured
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
in the
Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
. ** Surgeons at the Hôpital de la Pitié, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant, on Clovis Roblain. ** The United Methodist Church is created by the union in Dallas, Texas, of the former Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches. *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
30Vietnam War: Columbia University protests of 1968 – Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university. * April 26 – The nuclear weapon "Boxcar" is tested at the Nevada Test Site in the biggest detonation of Operation Crosstie.


May–June

* May 2 – The Israel Broadcasting Authority commences television broadcasts. * May 3
Braniff Flight 352 Braniff International Airways Flight 352 was a scheduled domestic flight from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, United States, to Dallas Love Field in Dallas; on May 3, 1968, a Lockheed L-188A Electra flying on the route, registration ...
crashes near
Dawson, Texas Dawson is a town in Navarro County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 807 at the 2010 census. History The town was established in 1847 and was the second town established in the county. Geography Dawson is located at (31.895427 ...
, United States, killing all 85 people on board. *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
Paris student riots: One million march through the streets of Paris. *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
wins the
1967–68 Football League First Division In the 1967–68 Football League First Division season Manchester City won the First Division title for the second time in the club's history. They won the title on 11 May, with a 4–3 win at Newcastle United whilst the defending champions and th ...
by 2 clear points, over club rivals Manchester United *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...
Ronan Point Ronan Point was a 22-storey tower block in Canning Town in Newham, East London, that partly collapsed on 16 May 1968, only two months after it had opened. A gas explosion blew out some load-bearing walls, causing the collapse of one entire corn ...
, a 23 floor tower block in Canning Town, east London, partially collapses after a gas explosion, killing 5. * May 17 – The
Catonsville Nine The Catonsville Nine were nine Catholic activists who burned draft files to protest the Vietnam War. On May 17, 1968, they took 378 draft files from the draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland and burned them in the parking lot. List of the N ...
enter the Selective Service offices in
Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...
, take dozens of selective service draft records, and burn them with napalm as a protest against the Vietnam War. *
May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...
** Mattel's ''
Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have ...
'' toy cars are introduced. ** West Bromwich Albion win the Football Association Cup, defeating Everton 1–0 after extra time. The winning goal is scored by Jeff Astle. * May 19 ** A general election is held in Italy. ** Nigerian forces capture Port Harcourt and form a ring around the
Biafrans Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated f ...
. This contributes to a humanitarian disaster as the surrounded population already suffers from hunger and starvation. *
May 22 Events Pre-1600 * 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. * 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. * 11 ...
– The U.S. nuclear-powered
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
''Scorpion'' sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores. * May 29
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
wins the European Cup Final, becoming the first English team to do so. *
May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...
Bobby Unser wins the Indianapolis 500. * June 2Student demonstrations in Yugoslavia start in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. * June 3Radical feminist Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol at his New York City studio, The Factory; he survives after a 5-hour operation. * June 4 – The Standard & Poor's 500 index in the United States closes above 100 for the first time, at 100.38. *
June 5 Events Pre-1600 *1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights. *1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sirhan Sirhan is arrested. * June 7 – The Ford sewing machinists strike for equal pay starts at the Ford Dagenham plant in London. * June 10Italy beats Yugoslavia 2–0 in a replay to win the 1968 European Championship. The original final on June 8 ended 1–1. *
June 12 Events Pre-1600 * 910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors. * 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of Fr ...
– The horror film '' Rosemary's Baby'' premieres in the U.S. *
June 17 Events Pre-1600 * 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. * 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were bur ...
– The Malayan Communist Party launches a second insurgency and the state of emergency is again imposed in Malaysia. *
June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. * 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting ...
Austin Currie, Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, along with others, squats in a house in Caledon to protest discrimination in housing allocations. *
June 23 Events Pre-1600 * 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. * 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. * 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
** Puerta 12 tragedy: A football stampede in Buenos Aires leaves 74 dead and 150 injured. ** The first round of voting takes place in the French legislative elections scheduled following the public unrest of
May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...
. * June 26 ** The Bonin Islands are returned to Japan after 23 years of occupation by the United States Navy. ** The "
March of the One Hundred Thousand The March of the One Hundred Thousand ( pt, Passeata dos Cem Mil) was a manifestation of popular protest against the Military dictatorship in Brazil, which occurred on June 26, 1968 in Rio de Janeiro, organized by the student movement and with the p ...
" takes place in Rio de Janeiro as crowds demonstrate against the
Brazilian military government The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dicta ...
.


July–August

*
July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
– The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty opens for signature. * July 4 – British yachtsman Alec Rose, 59, receives a hero's welcome as he sails into Portsmouth, after his 354-day round-the-world trip. * July 17Saddam Hussein becomes Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq after a '' coup d'état''. * July 18 – The semiconductor company Intel is founded. * July 20 – The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill, with about 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities. * July 2328 – Black militants led by Fred (Ahmed) Evans engage in a fierce gunfight with police in the Glenville Shootout of
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, in the United States. *
July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...
Pope Paul VI publishes the
encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...
entitled '' Humanae vitae'', on
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
. * July 26 – Vietnam War:
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese opposition leader
Trương Đình Dzu Trương Đình Dzu (10 November 1917 – ) was a South Vietnamese lawyer and politician who unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for the presidency in the 1967 elections against Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and his running mate Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, who ...
is sentenced to 5 years hard labor, for advocating the formation of a
coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
as a way to move toward an end to the war. * July 29Arenal Volcano erupts in
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
for the first time in centuries. * August 1 – The Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul is established in
São Caetano do Sul São Caetano do Sul (or São Caetano) ('' Saint Cajetan of the South''. ) is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 161,957 (2020 est.) in an area of 15.33 km2. It is the ci ...
, São Paulo. *
August 2 Events Pre-1600 *338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. *216 BC – The Carthaginian arm ...
– The magnitude () 7.6 Casiguran earthquake affects the
Aurora province Aurora, officially the Province of Aurora ( fil, Lalawigan ng Aurora; ilo, Probinsia ti Aurora), is a province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. Its capital is Baler and borders, cl ...
in the Philippines with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), killing at least 207 and injuring 261. *
August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
8 – The
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in
Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
nominates Richard Nixon for U.S. president and Spiro Agnew for vice president. *
August 11 Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founde ...
– The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain. A selection of
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
steam
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
s make the 120-mile journey from Liverpool to
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
and return to Liverpool – the journey is known as the
Fifteen Guinea Special The ''Fifteen Guinea Special'' was the last main-line passenger train to be hauled by steam locomotive power on British Rail on 11 August 1968 before the introduction of a steam ban that started the following day, the extra day added to allow fo ...
. * August 18 – Two charter buses are forced into the
Hida River The has its source in Mount Norikura (乗鞍岳 ''Norikura-ga-take'') in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It flows from the northern to the southern section of the prefecture before emptying into the Kiso River in Minokamo. River communit ...
on National Highway Route 41 in Japan in an accident caused by heavy rain; 104 are killed. * August 2021Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia: The '
Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
' of political liberalization ends, as 750,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 6,500 tanks with 800 aircraft invade Czechoslovakia, the largest military operation in Europe since the end of World War II. * August 24Canopus (nuclear test): France explodes its first
hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...
in a test at Fangataufa atoll in
French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
. * August 2230 – Police clash with anti-war protesters in Chicago outside the
1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...
, which nominates Hubert Humphrey for U.S. president and
Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28, 1914March 26, 1996) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 58th United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, a United States Senator from Maine from 1959 to 1980, the 6 ...
for vice president. The riots and subsequent trials are an essential part of the activism of the Youth International Party. * August 29Crown Prince Harald of Norway marries
Sonja Haraldsen Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relations ...
, the commoner he has dated for 9 years.


September–October

* September 6Swaziland (now eSwatini) becomes independent. * September 7 **The crash of
Air France Flight 1611 __NOTOC__ Air France Flight 1611 (AF1611) was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III en route from Ajaccio, in the island of Corsica, to Nice, France, on 11 September 1968 when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Nice, killing all 95 on ...
kills 95 people, including French Army General
René Cogny René Cogny (25 April 1904, Saint-Valery-en-Caux – 11 September 1968) was a French Général de corps d'armée, World War II and French Resistance veteran and survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp, Buchenwald and Mauthausen-Gusen concentratio ...
, as the Caravelle jetliner plunges into the Mediterranean Sea while making its approach to Nice following its departure from the island of
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
. * The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is founded. * September 13 ** Albania officially withdraws from the Warsaw Pact upon the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, having already ceased to participate actively in Pact activity since 1962. *
September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". * 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empi ...
– The D'Oliveira affair: The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of South Africa is cancelled when the South Africans refuse to accept the presence of Basil D'Oliveira, a Cape Coloured, in the side. * September 21 – The Soviet's Zond 5 uncrewed lunar flyby mission returns to earth, with its first-of-a-kind biological payload intact. *
September 23 Events Pre-1600 * 38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. * 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat ...
Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive comes to an end in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. * September 27Marcelo Caetano becomes prime minister of Portugal. * September 29 – A referendum in Greece gives more power to the military junta. *
October 2 Events Pre-1600 * 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. * 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...
Tlatelolco massacre: A student demonstration ends in bloodbath at La Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, Mexico, 10 days before the inauguration of the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
. 300-400 are estimated to have been killed. * October 3 – In Peru,
Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian general who served as the President of Peru after a successful coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency in 1968. Under his presidency, nationalism ...
takes power in a revolution. * October 8Vietnam War
Operation Sealords Operation Sealords was a military operation that took place during the Vietnam War. SEALORDS acronym SEALORDS is an acronym for Southeast Asia Lake, Ocean, River, and Delta Strategy. It was a joint operation between United States and South Vi ...
: United States and
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese forces launch a new operation in the
Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...
. * October 11 ** Apollo program: NASA launches ''
Apollo 7 Apollo 7 (October 1122, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts during a launch rehearsal test on Ja ...
'', the first crewed Apollo mission ( Wally Schirra,
Donn Eisele Donn Fulton Eisele (June 23, 1930 – December 1, 1987) (Colonel (United States), Colonel United States Air Force, USAF) was a United States Air Force, United States Air Force officer, test pilot, and later a List of astronauts by selection ...
, Walter Cunningham). Mission goals include the first live television broadcast from orbit and simulating
lunar module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...
rendezvous and docking, using the S-IVB rocket stage as a test target. ** In Panama, a military ''coup d'état'', led by Col. Boris Martinez and Col. Omar Torrijos, overthrows the democratically elected (but highly controversial) government of President Arnulfo Arias. Within a year, Torrijos ousts Martinez and takes charge as de facto Head of Government in Panama. * October 1227 – The
Games of the XIX Olympiad The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
are held in Mexico City, Mexico. * October 12
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
receives its independence from Spain. *
October 14 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. * 1322 – Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's i ...
** Vietnam War: The United States Department of Defense announces that the United States Army and United States Marines will send about 24,000 troops back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours. * October 16 ** In Mexico City, African-American athletes
Tommie Smith Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track and field, track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold me ...
and
John Carlos John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945) is an American former track and field athlete and professional American football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power sal ...
raise their fists in a
black power salute During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled ...
after winning, respectively, the gold and bronze medals in the Olympic men's 200 metres. **
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...
is rocked by the Rodney Riots, provoked by the banning of Walter Rodney from the country. * October 18 – US athlete Bob Beamon breaks the long jump world record by 55 cm / 21 ins at the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in Mexico City. His record stands for 23 years, and is still the second longest jump in history. *
October 25 Events Pre-1600 * 285 (or 286) – Execution of Saints Crispin and Crispinian during the reign of Diocletian, now the patron saints of leather workers, curriers, and shoemakers. * 473 – Emperor Leo I acclaims his grandson Leo II a ...
– Led Zeppelin make their first live performance, at Surrey University in England * October 31 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in the Paris peace talks, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1.


November–December

* November 5 ** 1968 United States presidential election: Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate Richard Nixon defeats the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace. ** Luis A. Ferré, of the newly formed New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico), New Progressive Party is elected Governor of Puerto Rico, by beating incumbent governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella of the People's Party (Puerto Rico), People's Party, Luis Negrón López of the Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico), Popular Democratic Party and Antonio J. Gonzalez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, he also becomes the first "statehooder" governor of the Island. * November 11 – A second republic is declared in the Maldives. * November 15 – Vietnam War: Operation Commando Hunt is initiated to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh trail, through Laos into
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. By the end of the operation, 3 million tons of bombs are dropped on Laos, slowing but not seriously disrupting trail operations. * November 17 ** British European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service. ** The Heidi Game: NBC cuts off the final 1:05 of an Oakland Raiders–New York Jets football game to broadcast the pre-scheduled ''Heidi (1968 film), Heidi''. Fans are unable to see Oakland (which had been trailing 32–29) score 2 late touchdowns to win 43–32; as a result, thousands of outraged football fans flood the NBC switchboards to protest. * November 19 – In Mali, President Modibo Keïta's regime is overthrown in a bloodless military coup led by Moussa Traoré. * November 20 – The Farmington Mine disaster in Farmington, West Virginia, kills seventy-eight men. * November 24 – 4 men Aircraft hijacking, hijack Pan Am Flight 281 from JFK International Airport, New York to Havana, Cuba. * December 9 – Douglas Engelbart publicly demonstrates his pioneering hypertext system, NLS (computer system), NLS, in San Francisco, together with the computer mouse, at what becomes retrospectively known as "The Mother of All Demos". * December 10 – Japan's biggest heist, the never-solved "300 million yen robbery", occurs in Tokyo. * December 11 ** The film ''Oliver! (film), Oliver!'' based on the hit London and Broadway theatre, Broadway musical, opens in the U.S. after being released first in the UK. It goes on to win the Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture. * December 13 – Prompted by growing unrest and a perceived proliferation of "pro-communist" violent actions, Brazilian President of Brazil, president Artur da Costa e Silva enacts the so-called AI-5, the fifth of a series of non-constitutional emergency decrees allegedly to help "stabilize" the country after the turmoils of the early 1960s. * December 22 – Mao Zedong advocates that educated urban youth in China be sent for re-education in the Rural area, countryside. It marks the start of the Down to the Countryside Movement, "Up to the mountains and down to the villages" movement. * December 24 – Apollo program: The crewed U.S. spacecraft Apollo 8 enters orbit around the Moon. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders become the first humans to see the Far side (Moon), far side of the Moon and planet Earth as a whole, as well as having traveled further away from Earth than any people in history. Anders photographs ''Earthrise''. The crew also give a Apollo 8 Genesis reading, reading from the Book of Genesis. * December 28 – Israeli forces fly into Lebanon, Lebanese airspace, launching 1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon, an attack on the airport in Beirut and destroying more than a dozen aircraft.


Dates unknown

* The Khmer Rouge is officially formed in Cambodia as an offshoot movement of the Vietnam People's Army from North Vietnam to bring communism to the nation. A few years later, they will become bitter enemies. * La Maestra, a Latin American play is written by Enrique Buenaventura. * An oil field is confirmed in Northern Alaska: the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. * Midea Group, a well-known home appliance worldwide, founded in Guangdong Province, China.


Births


January

* January 1 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer * January 2 **Violet Berlin, British presenter and script writer **Cuba Gooding Jr., African-American actor * January 3 – Matheus Nachtergaele, Brazilian actor and director * January 5 ** DJ BoBo, Swiss singer, songwriter and dancer ** Andrzej Gołota, Polish boxer ** Carrie Ann Inaba, American choreographer, game show host and singer * January 6 ** Blanca Eekhout, Venezuelan politician ** John Singleton, African-American film director and writer (d. 2019) * January 8 – James Brokenshire, British politician (d. 2021) * January 11 – Benjamin List, German organic chemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry * January 12 – Rachael Harris, American actress and comedian * January 13 – Pat Onstad, Canadian footballer * January 14 – LL Cool J, African-American rapper and actor *
January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Chad Lowe, American actor and director * January 16 ** Stephan Pastis, American cartoonist ** Atticus Ross, English musician, songwriter, record producer and audio engineer * January 17 – Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete * January 21 – Charlotte Ross, American actress * January 22 – Guy Fieri, American chef * January 24 ** Michael Kiske, German musician ** Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast * January 26 ** Eric Davis (American football), Eric Davis, American football player ** Novala Takemoto, Japanese author and fashion designer * January 27 – Mike Patton, American singer * January 28 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer * January 29 – Edward Burns, American actor *
January 30 Events Pre-1600 *1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. *1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 *1607 – An estimated ...
– King Felipe VI of Spain


February

*
February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
** Lisa Marie Presley, American singer ** Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player ** Pauly Shore, American actor * February 3 ** David Scarboro, English actor (d. 1988) ** Vlade Divac, Serbian basketball player ** Marwan Khoury, Lebanese singer and composer * February 5 ** Roberto Alomar, American baseball player ** Marcus Grönholm, Finnish rally driver ** Qasim Melho, Syrian television actor * February 7 ** Peter Bondra, Slovakian ice hockey player ** Porntip Nakhirunkanok, Miss Universe 1988 * February 8 ** Gary Coleman, African-American actor (d. 2010) ** April Stewart, American voice actress * February 10 ** Laurie Foell, New Zealand/Australian actress ** Atika Suri, Indonesian television newscaster * February 11 ** Lavinia Agache, Romanian artistic gymnast ** Mo Willems, American children's book author * February 12 – Josh Brolin, American actor * February 13 ** Kelly Hu, American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen ** Niamh Kavanagh, Irish singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1993 winner * February 14 – Jules Asner, American model and television personality * February 15 – Gloria Trevi, Mexican singer and actress * February 18 ** Molly Ringwald, American actress ** Dennis Satin, German film director * February 21 – Pellom McDaniels, American football player (d. 2020) * February 22 ** Bradley Nowell, American musician (d. 1996) ** Jeri Ryan, American actress *
February 24 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. * 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. * 13 ...
** Andy Berman, American actor, director, producer, writer, voice artist, and comedian ** Mitch Hedberg, American stand-up comedian (d. 2005) * February 29 – Sam Sneed, American producer and rapper


March

* March 1 ** Kat Cressida, American voice actress ** Kunjarani Devi, Indian weightlifter ** Muho Noelke, German Zen master * March 2 – Daniel Craig, British actor * March 3 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player * March 4 ** Giovanni Carrara, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player ** Patsy Kensit, British actress * March 5 ** Gordon Bajnai, Hungarian Prime Minister ** Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, 10th Prime Minister of Eswatini (d. 2020) * March 6 ** Moira Kelly, American actress ** :pt:Mara Maravilha, Mara Maravilha, Brazilian singer, songwriter, television presenter, actress and businesswoman *
March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...
– Jeff Kent, American baseball player * March 11 – Lisa Loeb, American singer *
March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– Aaron Eckhart, American actor * March 13 ** Akira Nogami, Japanese professional wrestler ** Masami Okui, Japanese singer *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
** Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress ** James Frain, British actor * March 15 ** Mark McGrath, American singer ** Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian politician ** Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer * March 16 ** David MacMillan, Scottish-born organic chemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry ** Trevor Wilson (basketball), Trevor Wilson, American basketball player * March 20 ** Carlos Almeida (athlete), Carlos Almeida, Cape Verdean long-distance runner ** Ultra Naté, American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ and promoter * March 22 **Euronymous, Norwegian musician (d. 1993) * March 23 ** Damon Albarn, English singer-songwriter and musician ** Mike Atherton, English cricketer * March 26 ** Kenny Chesney, American country music singer ** James Iha, American rock musician * March 27 – Ben Koldyke, American actor * March 28 – Iris Chang, American author (d. 2004) * March 29 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress and singer * March 30 – Celine Dion, Canadian singer


April

* April 1 ** Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer ** Andreas Schnaas, German director * April 5 ** Paula Cole, American singer ** Stewart Lee, English stand-up comedian * April 7 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
– Patricia Arquette, American actress * April 12 – Ott (record producer), Ott, English musician and record producer * April 13 – Jørn Stubberud, Norwegian musician * April 14 – Anthony Michael Hall, American actor and singer * April 15 – Stacey Williams, American model * April 16 ** Greg Baker, American actor and musician ** Martin Dahlin, Swedish football player ** Vickie Guerrero, American professional wrestler * April 17 ** Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer ** Adam McKay, American film director, producer, screenwriter, comedian, and actor * April 18 – David Hewlett, English-born Canadian actor, writer and director * April 19 – Ashley Judd, American actress * April 20 ** J. D. Roth, American television host ** Yelena Välbe, Russian cross-country skier *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
– Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist (d. 2001) * April 24 ** Stacy Haiduk, American actress ** Jorge Medina, Bolivian civil rights activist and politician (d. 2022) ** Yuji Nagata, Japanese professional wrestler * April 28 – Howard Donald, British singer (Take That) * April 29 ** Michael Herbig, German film director, actor and author ** Darren Matthews, English professional wrestler


May

* May 1 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer * May 2 ** Jeff Agoos, American soccer player ** Hikaru Midorikawa, Japanese voice actor * May 3 ** Nina Paley, American cartoonist ** Li Yong (television host), Chinese host (d. 2018) * May 4 ** Julian Barratt, English comedian, actor, musician and music producer ** Momoko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and singer * May 5 – John Soko, Zambian footballer (d. 1993) * May 7 ** Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish-born musician ** Traci Lords, American actress * May 8 – Mickaël Madar, French footballer * May 9 – Marie-José Pérec, French athlete * May 10 – Al Murray, English comedian * May 12 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder *
May 13 Events Pre-1600 *1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
** Sonja Zietlow, German television presenter ** Scott Morrison, 30th Prime Minister of Australia *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...
– Chingmy Yau, Hong Kong actress * May 17 – Constance Menard, French professional dressage rider *
May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...
– Vanessa Leggett, American freelance journalist, author, lecturer and First Amendment advocate * May 19 – Kyle Eastwood, American jazz bass musician * May 20 ** Timothy Olyphant, American actor ** Waisale Serevi, Fijian rugby player *
May 22 Events Pre-1600 * 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. * 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. * 11 ...
** Michael Kelly (American actor), Michael Kelly, American actor ** Graham Linehan, Irish television writer and director * May 23 – John Ortiz, American actor * May 24 – Charles De'Ath, English actor * May 26 – Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark * May 27 ** Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player ** Frank Thomas (AL baseball player), Frank Thomas, American baseball player * May 28 ** Kylie Minogue, Australian actress and singer ** Tetsu Nagasawa, Japanese footballer & manager *
May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...
– Zacarias Moussaoui, French-Moroccan 9/11 conspirator


June

* June 1 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor and singer * June 2 ** Beetlejuice (entertainer), Beetlejuice, American entertainer, member of the Wack Pack (''The Howard Stern Show'') ** Jon Culshaw, English impressionist * June 4 – Scott Wolf, American actor *
June 5 Events Pre-1600 *1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights. *1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
– Sandra Annenberg, Brazilian newscaster, previously actress * June 9 – Aleksandr Konovalov (politician, born 1968), Aleksandr Konovalov, Russian lawyer and politician * June 10 ** Bill Burr, American comedian ** Nobutoshi Canna, Japanese voice actor * June 14 – Yasmine Bleeth, American actress *
June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. * 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting ...
– Mateusz Morawiecki, Polish banker and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Poland * June 24 – Boris Gelfand, Israeli chess grandmaster * June 25 – Albert Fulivai, Tongan rugby league player * June 26 ** Paolo Maldini, Italian football player ** Jovenel Moïse, 42nd President of Haiti (d. 2021) ** Iwan Roberts, Welsh footballer * June 28 ** Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer ** Adam Woodyatt, English actor * June 29 ** Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player ** Brian d'Arcy James, American actor and musician * June 30 – Phil Anselmo, American heavy metal vocalist


July

* July 5 ** Ken Akamatsu, Japanese Mangaka, manga artist ** Michael Stuhlbarg, American actor ** Darin LaHood, American attorney and politician * July 6 – Rashid Sidek, Malaysian badminton player and coach * July 7 ** Jorja Fox, American actress ** Allen Payne, American actor ** Jeff VanderMeer, American writer * July 8 ** Billy Crudup, American actor ** Akio Suyama, Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor ** Josephine Teo, Singaporean politician ** Michael Weatherly, American actor * July 9 – Eduardo Santamarina, Mexican actor * July 10 – Hassiba Boulmerka, Algerian athlete * July 11 – Conrad Vernon, American voice actor and director * July 13 ** Robert Gant, American actor ** Omi Minami, Japanese voice actress * July 14 – Samantha Gori, Italian basketball player * July 15 ** Leticia Calderón, Mexican actress ** Eddie Griffin, American actor and comedian * July 16 ** Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player ** Barry Sanders, American football player ** Olga de Souza, Brazilian-Italian singer, model and dancer * July 17 ** Darren Day, British actor and TV presenter ** Beth Littleford, American actress and comedian * July 18 – Grant Bowler, New Zealand-born Australian actor * July 19 – Robert Flynn, American vocalist and guitarist (Machine Head (band), Machine Head) * July 23 ** Gary Payton, African-American basketball player ** Stephanie Seymour, American model and actress * July 24 ** Kristin Chenoweth, American soprano and actress ** Laura Leighton, American actress ** Troy Kotsur, American actor *
July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...
– John Grant (musician), John Grant, American singer-songwriter * July 27 – Julian McMahon, Australian actor * July 30 – Robert Korzeniowski, Polish athlete


August

* August 1 – Pavo Urban, Croatian photographer (d. 1991) * August 3 – Rod Beck, American baseball player (d. 2007) * August 4 ** Lee Mack, English actor and stand-up comedian ** Olga Neuwirth, Austrian composer *
August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
** Marine Le Pen, French politician ** Colin McRae, Scottish rally car driver (d. 2007) * August 7 – Lynn Strait, American musician (d. 1998) * August 8 – Kimberly Brooks, American actress and voice artist * August 9 ** Gillian Anderson, American actress ** Eric Bana, Australian actor ** James Roy (writer), James Roy, Australian author * August 12 ** Pablo Rey, Spanish painter ** Paul Tucker (musician), Paul Tucker, English songwriter and record producer ** Kōji Yusa, Japanese voice actor * August 14 ** Catherine Bell (actress), Catherine Bell, American actress ** Darren Clarke, Northern Irish professional golfer ** Jason Leonard, English rugby player * August 15 – Debra Messing, American actress * August 17 ** Ed McCaffrey, American football player ** Bruno van Pottelsberghe, Belgian economist * August 20 ** Klas Ingesson, Swedish footballer (d. 2014) ** Yuri Shiratori Japanese actress and singer ** Bai Yansong, Chinese host * August 21 ** Dina Carroll, British singer ** Stretch (rapper), Stretch, American rapper and record producer (d. 1995) * August 23 – KK (singer), KK, Indian singer (d. 2022) * August 24 ** Shoichi Funaki, Japanese professional wrestler ** Hiroshi Kitadani, Japanese singer ** Tim Salmon, American baseball player * August 25 – Rachael Ray, American television chef and host * August 27 – Luis Tascón, Venezuelan politician (d. 2010) * August 28 ** Billy Boyd (actor), Billy Boyd, Scottish actor ** Tom Warburton, American animator * August 31 ** Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician and Australian football player ** Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player


September

* September 1 ** Mohamed Atta, 9/11 ringleader of the hijackers and pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001) ** Atsuko Yuya, Japanese voice actress * September 3 – Ray Coulthard, Raymond Coulthard, English actor * September 4 ** John DiMaggio, American voice actor and comedian ** Mike Piazza, American baseball player * September 5 – Thomas Levet, French golfer * September 7 ** Marcel Desailly, French footballer ** Lucy Robinson (actress), Lucy Robinson, British actress * September 9 – Julia Sawalha, English actress * September 10 ** Big Daddy Kane, American hip-hop artist ** Guy Ritchie, British film director * September 11 ** Kay Hanley, American musician ** Tetsuo Kurata, Japanese actor * September 13 – Laura Cutina, Romanian artistic gymnast * September 15 – Danny Nucci, American actor * September 16 – Marc Anthony, American actor and singer *
September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". * 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empi ...
** Anastacia, American singer-songwriter ** Tito Vilanova, Spanish football manager (d. 2014) * September 18 – Toni Kukoč, Croatian basketball player * September 20 ** Philippa Forrester, British TV presenter ** Van Jones, African-American author ** Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress * September 21 ** Lisa Angell, French singer ** Kevin Buzzard, British mathematician ** Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and television presenter * September 22 ** Megan Hollingshead, American voice actress ** Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, 62nd Prime Minister of Romania *
September 23 Events Pre-1600 * 38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. * 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat ...
** Yvette Fielding, English television presenter ** Michelle Thomas, American actress (d. 1998) * September 25 ** Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, (d. 2013) ** John A. List, American economist ** Will Smith, African-American actor and rapper * September 26 ** James Caviezel, American actor ** Michelle Meldrum, American guitarist (d. 2008) ** Tricia O'Kelley, American actress ** Ben Shenkman, American television, film and stage actor * September 27 ** Mari Kiviniemi, 62nd Prime Minister of Finland ** Paul Rudish, American voice actor and animator * September 28 ** Mika Häkkinen, Finnish double Formula 1 world champion ** Naomi Watts, British actress and film producer * September 29 ** Patrick Burns (paranormal investigator), Patrick Burns, American paranormal investigator and television personality ** Alex Skolnick, American jazz/heavy metal guitarist ** Samir Soni, Indian film and TV actor


October

* October 1 ** Mark Durden-Smith, British television presenter ** Jay Underwood, American actor *
October 2 Events Pre-1600 * 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. * 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...
** Lucy Cohu, English actress ** Victoria Derbyshire, English broadcast presenter ** Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player (d. 2017) * October 3 – Paul Crichton, English footballer * October 7 ** Luminița Anghel, Romanian dance/pop recording artist, songwriter, television personality and politician ** Thom Yorke, British singer-songwriter * October 8 ** Daniela Castelo, Argentine journalist (d. 2011) ** Emily Procter, American actress * October 9 ** Troy Davis, American high-profile death row inmate and human rights activist (d. 2011) ** Pete Docter, American animator, director * October 10 ** Bart Brentjens, Dutch mountainbiker ** Feridun Düzağaç, Turkish rock singer-songwriter * October 11 ** Tiffany Grant, American voice actress ** Jane Krakowski, American actress ** Brett Salisbury, American football quarterback * October 12 ** Paul Harragon, Australian rugby league player ** Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer * October 13 ** Preet Bharara, Indian-American politician ** Tisha Campbell-Martin, American actress and singer *
October 14 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. * 1322 – Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's i ...
** Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer * October 15 ** Didier Deschamps, French footballer ** Jyrki 69, Finnish singer ** Vanessa Marcil, American actress * October 20 – Damien Timmer, British joint-managing director, television producer, television executive producer * October 22 – Shaggy (musician), Shaggy, Jamaican singer * October 24 – Mark Walton (story artist), Mark Walton, American story artist, actor * October 27 – Alain Auderset, Swedish writer * October 28 – Juan Orlando Hernández, 55th President of Honduras * October 29 – Tsunku, Japanese singer, music producer and song composer * October 30 ** Moira Quirk, English actress and voice actress ** Jack Plotnick, American film and television actor, writer, and producer


November

<----> * November 1 – Silvio Fauner, Italian cross-country skier * November 4 ** Lee Germon, New Zealand cricketer ** Daniel Landa, Czech composer, singer and actor ** Miles Long, American pornographic actor and film director, director * November 5 ** Mr. Catra, Brazilian musician (d. 2018) ** Sam Rockwell, American actor ** Seth Gilliam, African-American actor **Penny Wong, Australian politician, Foreign Minister * November 6 – Kelly Rutherford, American actress * November 7 – Ignacio Padilla, Mexican writer (d. 2016) * November 8 ** Parker Posey, American actress ** Zara Whites, Dutch actress * November 9 – Nazzareno Carusi, Italian classical pianist * November 10 – Tracy Morgan, African-American actor and comedian * November 12 **Kathleen Hanna, American musician and activist ** Aya Hisakawa, Japanese voice actress ** Sammy Sosa, Dominican Major League Baseball player * November 13 – Pat Hentgen, American baseball player * November 15 ** Fausto Brizzi, Italian screenwriter and film director ** Ol' Dirty Bastard, American rapper (d. 2004) * November 16 – Tammy Lauren, American actress * November 18 ** Barry Hunter (footballer), Barry Hunter, Northern Irish footballer and football manager ** Luizianne Lins, Brazilian politician ** Owen Wilson, American actor and comedian * November 20 ** Chew Chor Meng, Singaporean Chinese television actor ** John Trobaugh, American artist and photographer * November 21 – Qiao Hong, Chinese table tennis player * November 23 – Hamid Hassani, Iranian scholar * November 24 ** Phil Starbuck, former English association football, footballer ** Awie, Malaysian rock singer ** yukihiro (musician), yukihiro, Japanese musician * November 25 ** Tunde Baiyewu, British singer ** Jill Hennessy, Canadian actress * November 27 – Michael Vartan, French actor * November 29 ** Hayabusa (wrestler), Eiji Ezaki, Japanese professional wrestler (d. 2016) ** Jonathan Knight, American singer * November 30 – Rica Matsumoto, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer


December

* December 2 ** Lucy Liu, American actress, voice actress, director, singer, dancer, model, and artist ** Rena Sofer, American actress * December 3 ** Brendan Fraser, Canadian-American actor ** Montell Jordan, American singer * December 5 – Margaret Cho, American actress and comedian * December 7 – Mark Geyer, Australian rugby league player * December 9 – Kurt Angle, American amateur and professional wrestler, 1996 Summer Olympics, 1996 Olympic gold medalist * December 11 ** Emmanuelle Charpentier, French biochemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry ** Monique Garbrecht-Enfeldt, German speed skater ** Eula Valdez, Filipino actress * December 18 – Rachel Griffiths, Australian actress * December 19 – Ken Marino, American actor and comedian * December 21 – Khrystyne Haje, American actress * December 22 – Dina Meyer, American actress * December 23 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American photographer * December 24 – Choi Jin-sil, South Korean actress and model (d. 2008) * December 25 – Helena Christensen, Danish model * December 28 – Lior Ashkenazi, Israeli actor * December 30 – Fabrice Guy, French Olympic skier


Unknown date

* Eleonora Requena, Venezuelan poet. * Isadora Zubillaga, Venezuelan diplomat and activist.


Deaths


January

* January 4 ** Armando Castellazzi, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1904) ** Joseph Pholien, Belgian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1884) * January 6 – Karl Kobelt, 2-time President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1891) * January 7 ** Gholamreza Takhti, Iranian wrestler (b. 1930) ** Mario Roatta, Italian general (b. 1887) * January 9 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese athlete (b. 1940) *
January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
** Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Turkish politician (b. 1882) ** Eben Dönges, acting Prime Minister of South Africa and elected President of South Africa (b. 1898) *
January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Leopold Infeld, Polish physicist (b. 1898) * January 16 – Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, religious broadcaster, and founder of Bob Jones University (b. 1883) * January 18 – John Ridgely, American actor (b. 1909) * January 21 – Georg Dertinger, German politician (b. 1902) * January 22 ** Aleksandr Arbuzov, Russian chemist (b. 1877) ** Duke Kahanamoku, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1890) * January 29 – Tsuguharu Foujita, Japanese-French painter and printmaker (b. 1886)


February

* February 4 ** Eddie Baker, American actor (b. 1897) ** Neal Cassady, American author and poet (b. 1926) * February 7 – Nick Adams (actor, born 1931), Nick Adams, American actor (b. 1931) * February 10 – Pitirim Sorokin, Russian-American sociologist (b. 1889) * February 11 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1888) * February 13 ** Mae Marsh, American actress (b. 1894) ** Ildebrando Pizzetti, Italian composer (b. 1880) * February 15 – Little Walter, American blues musician, singer, and songwriter (b. 1930) * February 17 – Sir Donald Wolfit, English actor (b. 1902) * February 19 – Georg Hackenschmidt, German strongman and professional wrestler (b. 1877) * February 20 – Anthony Asquith, British director and writer (b. 1902) * February 21 – Howard Florey, Australian-born pharmacologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (b. 1898) * February 22 – Peter Arno, American cartoonist (b. 1904) *
February 25 Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...
– Camille Huysmans, Belgian politician, 34th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1871) * February 27 ** Frankie Lymon, American singer (b. 1942) ** Hertha Sponer, German physicist and chemist (b. 1895) * February 29 – Hugo Benioff, American seismologist (b. 1899)


March

* March 6 – Joseph W. Martin Jr., American politician (b. 1884) * March 8 – Jerzy Braun (rower), Jerzy Braun, Polish athlete (b. 1911) *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
– Erwin Panofsky, German-Jewish art historian (b. 1892) * March 15 – Khuang Aphaiwong, 4th Prime Minister of Thailand, country leader during World War II (b. 1902) * March 16 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Italian composer (b. 1895) * March 20 – Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish film director (b. 1889) * March 23 – Edwin O'Connor, American journalist, novelist, and radio commentator (b. 1918) * March 24 – Alice Guy-Blaché, French filmmaker (b. 1873) * March 27 – Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut, first human in space (b. 1934) March 30- American child actor, Bobby Driscoll (b. 1937)


April

* April 1 – Lev Landau, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908) *
April 4 Events Pre-1600 * 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...
– ** Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1929) ** Assis Chateaubriand, Brazilian newspaper magnate (b. 1892) * April 7
Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
, Scottish racing driver and double Formula One World Champion (b. 1936) *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
– Harold D. Babcock, American astronomer (b. 1882) * April 15 – Boris Lyatoshinsky, Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher (b. 1895) * April 16 ** Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893) ** Albert Betz, German physicist (b. 1885) ** Edna Ferber, American writer (b. 1885) * April 24 ** Tommy Noonan, American actor (b. 1921) ** Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876) * April 25 – Gunnar Andersen, Norwegian footballer and ski jumper (b. 1890) * April 26 – John Heartfield, German visual artist (b. 1891)


May

* May 5 – Albert Dekker, American actor (b. 1905) * May 7 – Lurleen Wallace, American politician (b. 1926) * May 9 ** Finlay Currie, Scottish actor (b. 1878) ** Marion Lorne, American actress (b. 1883) ** Mercedes de Acosta, American poet, playwright, and novelist (b. 1892) * May 10 – Scotty Beckett, American child actor (b. 1929) * May 11 – Robert Burks, American cinematographer (b. 1909) * May 14 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (b. 1882) * May 25 – Georg von Küchler, German field marshal and war criminal (b. 1881) * May 26 – Little Willie John, American R&B singer (b. 1937) * May 28 ** Kees van Dongen, Dutch-French painter (b. 1877) ** Fyodor Okhlopkov, Soviet sniper (b. 1908)


June

* June 1 – Helen Keller, American activist and spokeswoman for the deaf and blind (b. 1880) * June 2 – R. Norris Williams, American tennis player (b. 1891) * June 4 ** Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898) ** Walter Nash, Sir Walter Nash, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1882) * June 6 ** Randolph Churchill, British politician, son of Winston Churchill (b. 1911) ** Robert F. Kennedy, American lawyer and politician (United States Senator, U.S. Attorney General) (b. 1925) * June 7 – Dan Duryea, American actor (b. 1907) * June 14 ** Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Swedish composer (b. 1916) ** Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901) * June 15 ** Sam Crawford, American baseball player (b. 1880) ** Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923) *
June 17 Events Pre-1600 * 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. * 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were bur ...
– José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1901) * June 18 – Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, German general and war criminal (b. 1885) * June 25 – Tony Hancock, English comedian and actor (b. 1924)


July

*
July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
** Fritz Bauer, German judge and prosecutor (b. 1903) ** Virginia Weidler, American actress (b. 1927) * July 2 ** Zaki al-Arsuzi, Syrian philosopher, philologist, sociologist, and historian (b. 1899) ** Francis Brennan (cardinal), Francis Brennan, American cardinal (b. 1894) * July 9 ** Viktor Blinov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1945) ** Alexander Cadogan, British diplomat (b. 1884) * July 12 – José Bordas Valdez, 43rd President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1874) * July 14 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian-Soviet writer (b. 1892) * July 15 – Cai Chusheng, Chinese film director (b. 1906) * July 18 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892) * July 20 – Joseph Keilberth, German conductor (b. 1908) * July 21 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer (b. 1879) * July 22 – Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist (b. 1908) * July 23 ** Luigi Cevenini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1895) ** Henry Hallett Dale, Sir Henry Dale, English pharmacologist and physiologist (b. 1875) * July 27 – Lilian Harvey, Anglo-German actress and singer (b. 1906) * July 28 ** Otto Hahn, German chemist, discoverer of nuclear fission, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879) ** Ángel Herrera Oria, Spanish journalist, politician, cardinal and servant of God (b. 1886)


August

* August 3 – Konstantin Rokossovsky, Soviet officer, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1896) *
August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
– Luther Perkins, American guitarist (b. 1928) * August 19 – George Gamow, Soviet-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist (b. 1904) * August 25 – Stan McCabe, Australian cricketer (b. 1910) * August 26 – Kay Francis, American actress (b. 1905) * August 27 ** Robert Z. Leonard, American film director (b. 1889) ** Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (b. 1906) * August 29 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier and planner (b. 1881) * August 30 – William Talman (actor), William Talman, American actor (b. 1915) * August 31 – Dennis O'Keefe, American actor (b. 1908)


September

* September 3 – Juan José Castro, Argentine composer and conductor (b. 1895) * September 7 – Lucio Fontana, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1899) * September 13 – Frank Barson, English footballer (b. 1891) *
September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". * 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empi ...
– Armand Blanchonnet, French Olympic cyclist (b. 1903) * September 18 ** Franchot Tone, American actor (b. 1905) ** Francis McDonald, American actor (b. 1891) * September 19 ** Chester Carlson, American physicist, and inventor (b. 1906) ** Red Foley, American singer (b. 1910) *
September 23 Events Pre-1600 * 38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. * 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat ...
– Pio of Pietrelcina, Italian Roman Catholic priest and saint (b. 1887) * September 24 – Virginia Valli, American actress (b. 1898) * September 28 – Norman Brookes, Sir Norman Brookes, Australian tennis champion (b. 1877)


October

* October 1 – Romano Guardini, Italian-German Catholic priest and theologian (b. 1885) *
October 2 Events Pre-1600 * 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. * 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...
– Marcel Duchamp, French artist (b. 1887) * October 4 ** Francis Biddle, American politician (b. 1886) ** Hitoshi Imamura, Japanese general (b. 1886) * October 13 ** Manuel Bandeira, Brazilian poet, literary critic, and translator (b. 1886) ** Bea Benaderet, American actress (b. 1906) ** John L. Hines, American general, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (b. 1868) * October 15 ** Franz Beyer (general), Franz Beyer, German general (b. 1892) ** Herbert Copeland, American biologist (b. 1902) * October 18 – Lee Tracy, American actor (b. 1898) * October 26 – Sergei Natanovich Bernstein, Russian and Soviet mathematician (b. 1880) * October 27 – Lise Meitner, German-Austrian physicist, discoverer of nuclear fission (b. 1878) * October 28 – Hans Cramer, German general (b. 1896) * October 30 ** Ramon Novarro, Mexican-born American actor (b. 1899) ** Conrad Richter, American writer (b. 1890)


November

* November 1 – Georgios Papandreou, 3-Time Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1888) * November 6 – Charles Munch (conductor), Charles Munch, French conductor (b. 1891) * November 7 – Alexander Gelfond, Soviet mathematician (b. 1906) * November 8 – Wendell Corey, American actor (b. 1914) * November 9 ** Jan Johansson (jazz musician), Jan Johansson, Swedish jazz pianist (b. 1931) ** Gerald Mohr, American actor (b. 1914) * November 11 – Jeanne Demessieux, French composer (b. 1921) * November 14 – Ramón Menéndez Pidal, Spanish philologist and historian (b. 1869) * November 15 – Charles Bacon, American athlete (b. 1885) * November 16 ** Augustin Bea, German cardinal (b. 1881) ** Carl Bertilsson, Swedish gymnast (b. 1889) * November 17 – Mervyn Peake, English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator (b. 1911) * November 18 – Walter Wanger, American film producer (b. 1894) * November 20 – Helen Gardner (actress), Helen Gardner, American actress (b. 1884) * November 25 – Upton Sinclair, American writer (b. 1878) * November 26 – Arnold Zweig, German writer, pacifist and socialist (b. 1887) * November 28 – Enid Blyton, English writer (b. 1897) * November 30 – Charles Henry Bartlett, British cyclist (b. 1885)


December

* December 1 ** Hugo Haas, Czech actor, director and writer (b. 1901) ** Darío Moreno, Turkish-Jewish polyglot singer, composer, lyricist, and guitarist (b. 1921) * December 4 – Archie Mayo, American actor and director (b. 1891) * December 5 – Fred Clark, American actor (b. 1914) * December 9 – Enoch L. Johnson, American political boss and racketeer (b. 1883) * December 10 ** Karl Barth, German Protestant theologian (b. 1888) ** Thomas Merton, American author (b. 1915) * December 12 ** Tim Ahearne, Irish athlete (b. 1885) ** Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902) * December 18 – Giovanni Messe, Italian field marshal and politician (b. 1883) * December 19 – Norman Thomas, American socialist (b. 1884) * December 20 ** Max Brod, Czech-born Israeli composer, writer and biographer (b. 1884) ** John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902) * December 30 ** Trygve Lie, 1st United Nations Secretary General, Secretary General of the United Nations (b. 1896) ** Kirill Meretskov, Soviet military officer, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1897) * December 31 – George Lewis (clarinetist), George Lewis, American musician (b. 1900)


Date unknown

* Sami as-Solh, 5-Time Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1887)


Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Luis Walter Alvarez * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Lars Onsager * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Robert W. Holley, Har Gobind Khorana, Marshall W. Nirenberg * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Yasunari Kawabata * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – René Cassin


References


Further reading

* Sherman, Daniel J. et al. eds. ''The Long 1968: Revisions and New Perspectives'' (Indiana University Press; 2013) 382 pages; essays by scholars on the cultural and political impact of 1968 in France, Mexico, Northern Ireland, the United States, etc. * Kurlansky, Mark. (2004). ''1968: The Year that Rocked the World''. London: Jonathan Cape. * NPR
Echoes of 1968
report series.
1968 – The Year in Sound
An Audiofile produced by Lou Zambrana of WCBS Newsradio 880 (WCBS-AM New York) Part of WCBS 880's celebration of 40 years of newsradio. * ''Time'', 40th Anniversary Special (2008). "1968: The Year That Changed the World." * ''Newsweek''.
1968: The Year That Made Us Who We Are
" November 19, 2007.

time.com, January 11, 1988.
Magnum Photos, Historic photos from 1968

BBC Radio 4 – 1968 Myth or Reality?
– six months of 'news on this day' programmes and documentaries


Reflections on 1968
Read people's memories of the year 1968. Minnesota Historical Society


External links

* {{Authority control 1968, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar