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January–February

*
January January is the first month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the No ...
– The I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. *
January 5 Events Pre-1600 * 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 * 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French ...
Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
:
Alexander Dubček Alexander Dubček (; 27 November 1921 – 7 November 1992) was a Slovaks, Slovak statesman who served as the First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) (''de facto'' leader of Czech ...
is chosen as leader of the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...
. *
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 th ...
John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the leade ...
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 is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
, taking over from
John McEwen Sir John McEwen (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968, in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of prime minister Harold Ho ...
after being elected leader of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
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 Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
to become Prime Minister, though he immediately transfers to the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
through the
1968 Higgins by-election A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Division of Higgins, Higgins on 24 February 1968. It was triggered by the Disappearance of Harold Holt, presumed drowning death of the Prime Minister of Australia, Prime ...
in Holt's vacant seat. *
January 15 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Roman emperor, Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. *1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to set ...
– The 1968 Belice earthquake in
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
kills 380 and injures around 1,000. *
January 21 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded wh ...
**
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
:
Battle of Khe Sanh The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base ( ...
– 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 – ...
. **
1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident, sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (; ), involving a United States Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Gre ...
: A U.S.
B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, 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 ...
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 or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s. *
January 23 Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. * 1229 ...
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
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 dyn ...
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i submarine sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 69. *
January 28 Events Pre-1600 *AD 98, 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accessi ...
French 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 es ...
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...
begins as
Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
forces launch a series of surprise attacks across
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
. *
January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. * 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on th ...
**
Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
soldiers attack the
Embassy of the United States, Saigon The United States Embassy in Saigon was first established in June 1952, and moved into a new building in 1967 and eventually closed in 1975. The embassy was the scene of a number of significant events of the Vietnam War, most notably the Viet C ...
. **
Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...
president
Hammer DeRoburt Hammer DeRoburt (25 September 1922 – 15 July 1992) was a Nauruan politician and independence leader. He led negotiations for independence from Australia and the end of the country's status as a United Nations trust territory. He was subse ...
declares independence from
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. *
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), ...
**
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém – A
Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
officer is
summarily executed In civil and military jurisprudence, summary execution is the putting to death of a person accused of a crime without the benefit of a free and fair trial. The term results from the legal concept of summary justice to punish a summary offense, a ...
by
Nguyễn Ngọc Loan Nguyễn Ngọc Loan (; 11 December 193014 July 1998) was a South Vietnamese general and chief of the South Vietnamese National Police. Loan gained international attention when he summarily executed a handcuffed prisoner of war named Nguyễn ...
, a
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
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 as 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. At its ...
and the
New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
merge to form
Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...
, the largest ever corporate
merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
up to this date. *
February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Hormizd IV, king of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown and blinded by his brothers-in-law Vistahm and Vinduyih. * 1579 – The Diocese of Manila is erected by papal bull, with Domingo de Salazar appointe ...
18 – The
1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...
are held in
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
, France. *
February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...
Civil rights movement in the United States:
Orangeburg Massacre The Orangeburg Massacre was a shooting of student protesters on February 8, 1968, on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. Nine highway patrolmen and one city police officer opened fire on a ...
– A civil rights demonstration on a college campus to protest
racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...
in
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
is broken up by highway patrolmen; three African American students are killed, the first instance of police killing student protestors at an American campus. *
February 12 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. * 1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performed the first post- ...
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
:
Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre The Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre (, Vietnamese: ''Thảm sát Phong Nhất và Phong Nhị'') was a massacre of unarmed civilians in the villages of Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất, Điện Bàn District of Quảng Nam Province in Sout ...
. *
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. ...
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...
is halted;
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
recaptures
Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
. *
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 The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
:
Hà My massacre The Hà My Massacre was a massacre purportedly conducted by the South Korean Marines on 25 February 1968 of unarmed civilians in Hà My village, Điện Dương commune, Điện Bàn District, Quảng Nam Province in South Vietnam. Descrip ...
.


March–April

*
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
**
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 (c. 9) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act The Act amended the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 (which had stripped most citizens of Commonwealth countries of the rights of entry, a ...
further reduces right of entry for citizens from the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...
to the United Kingdom. ** First performance of an
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...
musical, ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
'' in its original form as a "pop
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
", by pupils of a private school in London. *
March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost ...
Baggeridge Colliery Baggeridge Colliery was a colliery located in Sedgley, West Midlands England. Colliery History The Baggeridge Colliery was an enterprise of the Earls of Dudley, whose ancestors had profited from mineral extraction in the Black Country area o ...
closes marking the end of over 300 years of
coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
in the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of England's West Midlands. It is mainly urban, covering most of the Dudley and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs, with the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton. The road between Wolverhampto ...
of England. *
March 3 Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan. * 1575 ...
Air France Flight 212, a
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
, crashed in
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
while approaching an airport. As a result, 63 people die. *
March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. * 1204 &ndas ...
– Un-recognized
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
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 Hills, Enugu State, Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People Given name * Udi Aloni (born 1959), Israeli-American film ...
, 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 Cobl ...
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: The First Battle of Saigon ends. *
March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...
** The first student protests spark the
1968 Polish political crisis A series of major student, intellectual and other protests against the ruling Polish United Workers' Party of the Polish People's Republic took place in Poland in March 1968. The crisis led to the suppression of student strikes by security forces ...
. ** The
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capabi ...
''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 at t ...
s (104 miles or 167 km) southwest of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. *
March 10 Events Pre-1600 * 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. * 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
11
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
:
Battle of Lima Site 85 The Battle of Lima Site 85, also called Battle of Phou Pha Thi, was fought as part of a military campaign waged during the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Pathet Lao, against airm ...
, 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 was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. The Kingdom of Laos was a covert Theatre (warfare), theater during the Vietnam War with both sides receiving heavy ...
. *
March 11 Events Pre-1600 * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire. * 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...
– U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
mandates that all computers purchased by the federal government support the
ASCII ASCII ( ), an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for representing a particular set of 95 (English language focused) printable character, printable and 33 control character, control c ...
character encoding Character encoding is the process of assigning numbers to graphical character (computing), characters, especially the written characters of human language, allowing them to be stored, transmitted, and transformed using computers. The numerical v ...
. *
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 th ...
**
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
achieves independence from British rule. ** U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
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 the process of choo ...
, a vote which highlights the deep divisions in the country, and the party, over
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 * 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. * 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Mu ...
– The first
Rotaract Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote int ...
club is chartered in North Charlotte, 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 H ...
** The
London Gold Pool The London Gold Pool was the pooling of gold reserves by a group of eight central banks in the United States and seven European countries that agreed on 1 November 1961 to cooperate in maintaining the Bretton Woods System of fixed-rate convertible ...
is suspended by the U.K. government at the request of the U.S.
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * Ge ...
is forced to resign as British Foreign Secretary after appearing drunk at a meeting to discuss the issue. **
Nerve gas Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that ...
leaks from the U.S. Army
Dugway Proving Ground Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a United States Army facility established in 1942 to test biological and chemical weapons, located about southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah and south of the Utah Test and Training Range. Location Dugway Provin ...
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, Tooele County, Utah, United States at the southwest of the Great Salt Lake. The valley trends north–s ...
. *
March 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. * 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. * 1355 – Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, ...
**
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
My 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 Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
enters the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. *
March 18 Events Pre-1600 * 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10. * 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ar ...
Gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...
: The
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
repeals the requirement for a
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
reserve to back U.S. currency. *
March 19 Events Pre-1600 * 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire. * 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
23
Afrocentrism Afrocentrism is a worldview that is centered on the history of people of African descent or a view that favors it over non-African civilizations. It is in some respects a response to Eurocentric attitudes about African people and their hist ...
,
Black Power Black power is a list of political slogans, political slogan and a name which is given to various associated ideologies which aim to achieve self-determination for black people. It is primarily, but not exclusively, used in the United States b ...
,
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Students at
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
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. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...
program and the Vietnam War, and demanding a more Afrocentric curriculum. *
March 22 Events Pre-1600 * 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea. * 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century. * 871 – Æthel ...
Daniel Cohn-Bendit Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit (; ; born 4 April 1945) is a French-German politician. Born stateless to a German-Polish Ashkenazi Jewish family, Daniel Cohn-Bendit obtained German citizenship in 1959 and French citizenship in 2015. Cohn-Bendit was a ...
("Danny the Red") and 7 other students occupy the administrative offices of the
University of Nanterre Paris Nanterre University (), formerly University of Paris West, Paris-X and commonly referred to as Nanterre, is a public research university based in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, France, in the Paris metropolitan area. It is one of the most prest ...
, setting in motion a chain of events that lead France to the brink of revolution in May. *
March 24 Events Pre-1600 *1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6. * 1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian- Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margat ...
Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashes en route from
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
to London near Tuskar Rock, Wexford, killing 61 passengers and crew. *
March 28 Events Pre-1600 * AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate. * 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Did ...
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian high school student
Edson Luís de Lima Souto Edson Luís de Lima Souto (; February 24, 1950 – March 28, 1968) was a Brazilian teenage student killed by the Military Police (Brazil), military police of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro after a confrontation in the restaurant Calabou� ...
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, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...
. *
March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. * 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging ...
– In a televised address, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
announces that he will not be a candidate for re-election. *
April 2 Events Pre-1600 * 1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St ...
– Bombs explode at midnight in two department stores in
Frankfurt-am-Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
;
Andreas Baader Berndt Andreas Baader (6 May 1943 – 18 October 1977) was a West German communist and leader of the far-left terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF), also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Group. Life Andreas Baader was born in Mu ...
and
Gudrun Ensslin Gudrun Ensslin (; 15 August 1940 – 18 October 1977) was a German far-left terrorist and founder of the West German far-left militant group Red Army Faction (, or RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang). After becoming involved with co-fou ...
are later arrested and sentenced for
arson Arson is the act 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, watercr ...
. *
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 &nd ...
**
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, 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 was pronounced dead at 7:05& ...
:
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
is shot dead at the
Lorraine Motel The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built ar ...
in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
by
James Earl Ray James Earl Ray (March 10, 1928 – April 23, 1998) was an American fugitive who was convicted of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. After the assassination, Ray fled to London and ...
.
King-assassination riots The King assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, were a wave of civil disturbance which swept across the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Some of the biggest riots took ...
erupt in major American cities, lasting for several days afterwards. **
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
: Apollo-Saturn mission 502 (
Apollo 6 Apollo 6 (April 4, 1968), also known as AS-502, was the third and final uncrewed flight in the United States' Apollo Program and the second test of the Saturn V launch vehicle. It qualified the Saturn V for use on crewed missions, and it was us ...
) is launched, as the second and last uncrewed test-flight of the
Saturn V The Saturn V is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA under the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. The rocket was human-rated, had multistage rocket, three stages, and was powered by liquid-propel ...
launch vehicle. **
AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...
wins the FIBA European Cup Winners Cup Final in
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
against
Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in t ...
, 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 Events Pre–1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus. * 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia. * ...
** 13th Eurovision Song Contest is held in the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
, London. The winning song,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
's " La, la, la" (music and lyrics by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa) is sung in Spanish by
Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), known professionally as Massiel (), is a Spanish pop and protest singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song " La, la, la", being the first performer ...
after Spanish authorities refuse to allow
Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer, and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style has b ...
to perform it in Catalan. The
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
finishes in second place, one point behind, with the song "
Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television * Congratulations (2010 film), an Egyptian film * Congratulations (2023 film), a Gujarati drama film *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme ...
" sung by
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...
, which goes on to outsell the winning Spanish entry throughout Europe. ** A shootout between
Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, California ...
and police in
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
, 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: A double explosion in downtown
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
caused by a methane leak kills 41 and injures 150. *
April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First '' Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Em ...
– British racing driver
Jim Clark James Clark (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British racing driver from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Clark won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Lotus, and—at the time of his death—held the ...
is killed in a
Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...
race at
Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
. *
April 10 Events Pre-1600 * 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople. * 837 – Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles). * 140 ...
– The ferry strikes a
reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...
at the mouth of
Wellington Harbour Wellington Harbour ( ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of ...
, New Zealand, with the loss of 53 lives, in Cyclone Giselle, which has created the windiest conditions ever recorded in New Zealand. *
April 11 Events Pre-1600 * 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. * 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi. *1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: Franco-Ferra ...
** Josef Bachmann tries to assassinate
Rudi Dutschke Alfred Willi Rudolf Dutschke (; 7 March 1940 – 24 December 1979) was a German sociologist and political activist who, until severely injured by an assassin in 1968, was a leading charismatic figure within the Socialist Students Union (SDS) in ...
, 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 European multinational mass and online media company, based in Berlin, Germany. The company offers printing and publishing of advertisements, digital classifieds portfolio, marketing models and related services. Axel S ...
headquarters in Berlin and many are arrested (one of them
Ulrike Meinhof Ulrike Marie Meinhof (7 October 1934 – 9 May 1976) was a German left-wing militant, journalist and founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) in West Germany, commonly referred to in the press as the "Baader-Meinhof gang". She is the repute ...
). *
April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. * 1428 – Peace of Ferrara ...
London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...
is sold to U.S. entrepreneur
Robert P. McCulloch Robert Paxton McCulloch (May 11, 1911 – February 25, 1977) was an American entrepreneur from Missouri, best known for McCulloch chainsaws and purchasing the "New" London Bridge (Lake Havasu City), London Bridge, which he moved to Lake Havasu Ci ...
for reconstructiion at
Lake Havasu City, Arizona Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. History The community first started du ...
. *
April 20 Events Pre-1600 * 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 * 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. * 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...
**
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
becomes the 15th Prime Minister of Canada. ** Conservative British politician
Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, scholar and writer. He served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South West for the Conservative Party (UK), Conserv ...
makes a controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech in Birmingham deploring the effects of immigration; he is dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet the following day. **
South African Airways Flight 228 South African Airways Flight 228 was a scheduled flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, to London, England. The Boeing 707-300, Boeing 707-300C operating the flight, which was only six weeks old, flew into the ground soon after take-off after a ...
an
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
crashed shortly after take-off killing 123 people on board *
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 so ...
** President
Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...
releases captured
mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo. ** 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 so ...
–April 30, 30 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: 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 nuclear weapons testing, 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 crashes near Dawson, Texas, United States, killing all 85 people on board. * May 13 ** May 1968 protests in France, Paris student riots: One million march through the streets of Paris. ** Manchester City F.C., Manchester City wins the 1967–68 Football League First Division by 2 clear points, over English club rivals Manchester United. * May 16 – Ronan Point, a 23 floor tower block in Canning Town, east London, partially collapses after a gas explosion, killing 5. * May 17 – The Catonsville Nine enter the Selective Service offices in Catonsville, Maryland, take dozens of selective service draft records, and burn them with napalm as a protest against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. * May 18 ** Mattel's ''Hot Wheels'' toy cars are introduced in the United States. ** West Bromwich Albion win the English Football Association Cup, defeating Everton 1–0 after extra time. The winning goal is scored by Jeff Astle. * May 19 ** 1968 Italian general election. ** Nigerian forces capture Port Harcourt and form a ring around the Nigerian Civil War, Biafrans. This contributes to a humanitarian disaster as the surrounded population already suffers from hunger and starvation. * May 22 – The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion (SSN-589), ''Scorpion'' sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores. * May 29 – Manchester United F.C., Manchester United wins the European Champion Clubs' Cup, European Cup Final, becoming the first English team to do so. * May 30 – Bobby Unser wins the Indianapolis 500. * June 2 – 1968 student demonstrations in Yugoslavia, Student demonstrations in Yugoslavia start in Belgrade. * June 3 – Radical feminist Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol at his New York City studio, The Factory; he survives after a 5-hour operation. * June 4 – The S&P 500, Standard & Poor's 500 index in the United States closes above 100 for the first time, at 100.38. * June 5 – Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Senator
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
, a leading 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1968 Democratic presidential candidate, is shot at the Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles), Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Palestinian-born Sirhan Sirhan is arrested. * June 7 – Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968, Ford sewing machinists strike for equal pay starts at the Ford Dagenham plant in London. * June 10 – Italy national football team, Italy beats Yugoslavia national football team, Yugoslavia 2–0 in a replay to win the UEFA Euro 1968, 1968 European Championship in Association football. The original final on June 8 ended 1–1. * June 12 – The horror film ''Rosemary's Baby (film), Rosemary's Baby'' premieres in the U.S. * June 17 – The Malayan Communist Party launches a Second Malayan Emergency, second insurgency and the state of emergency is again imposed in Malaysia. * June 20 – Austin Currie, Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, along with others, squats in a house in Caledon, County Tyrone, Caledon to protest discrimination in housing allocations. * June 21 – A student demonstration in front of the Jornal do Brasil ("JB") building in Rio de Janeiro ends with 28 dead and over a thousand arrested. * June 23 ** The Tragedy of Gate 12, Puerta 12 tragedy: A football stampede in Buenos Aires leaves 74 dead and 150 injured. ** The first round of voting takes place in the 1968 French legislative election, French legislative elections scheduled following the public unrest of May 1968 in France, 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" takes place in Rio de Janeiro as crowds demonstrate against the Brazilian military government.


July–August

* July 1 – 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 solo round-the-world trip. * July 17 – Saddam Hussein becomes Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq after a ''coup d'état''. * July 18 – The semiconductor company Intel is founded in what becomes known as the Silicon Valley of California. * 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 23–July 28, 28 – Black militants led by Fred (Ahmed) Evans engage in a fierce gunfight with police in the Glenville Shootout of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. * July 25 – Pope Paul VI publishes the encyclical ''Humanae vitae'', reaffirming the Catholic Church's opposition to artificial birth control. * July 26 – Vietnam War:
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
ese opposition leader Trương Đình Dzu is sentenced to 5 years hard labor for advocating the formation of a coalition government as a way to move toward an end to the war. * July 29 – Arenal Volcano erupts in Costa Rica for the first time in centuries. *August 1 – The Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul, Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul is established in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo. *August 2 – The magnitude () 7.6 1968 Casiguran earthquake, Casiguran earthquake affects the Aurora (province), Aurora province in the Philippines with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), killing at least 207 and injuring 261. * August 5–August 8, 8 – The Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida nominates Richard Nixon for U.S. president and Spiro Agnew for vice president. * August 11 – The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain. A selection of British Rail steam locomotives make the 120-mile journey from Liverpool Lime Street railway station, Liverpool to Carlisle railway station, Carlisle and return – the journey is known as the Fifteen Guinea Special. * August 18 – Two charter buses are forced into the Hida River on National Highway Route 41 in Japan in an accident caused by heavy rain; 104 are killed. * August 20–August 21, 21 – Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia: The '
Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
' 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 24 – Canopus (nuclear test): France explodes its first hydrogen bomb in a test at Fangataufa atoll in French Polynesia. * August 22–August 30, 30 – 1968 Democratic National Convention protests: Police clash with Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam War protesters in Chicago outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which nominates Hubert Humphrey for U.S. president and Edmund Muskie for vice president. The riots and subsequent trials are an essential part of the activism of the Youth International Party. * August 29 – Harald V of Norway, Crown Prince Harald of Norway marries Sonja Haraldsen, the commoner he has dated for 9 years.


September–October

* September 6 – Swaziland (later known as Eswatini) becomes independent of the United Kingdom. * September 7 – The crash of Air France Flight 1611 kills 95 people, including French Army General René Cogny, as the Sud Aviation Caravelle, Caravelle jetliner plunges into the Mediterranean Sea following a fire while making its approach to Nice following its departure from the island of Corsica. * September 11 – The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is founded. * September 11 – John Eliot Gardiner conducts Monteverdi's ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' with the Monteverdi Choir at the BBC Proms, Proms. * 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 – 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 England side. * September 21 – The Soviet Zond 5 uncrewed lunar flyby mission returns to Earth, with its first-of-a-kind biological payload intact. * September 23 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...
comes to an end in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
. * September 27 – Marcelo Caetano becomes prime minister of Portugal. * September 29 – A referendum in Greece gives more power to the military junta. * October 2 – Tlatelolco massacre: A student demonstration ends in bloodbath at La Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco (Mexico City), Tlatelolco, Mexico City, Mexico, 10 days before the inauguration of the 1968 Summer Olympics. 300-400 are estimated to have been killed. * October 3 – In Peru, Juan Velasco Alvarado takes power in a revolution. * October 8 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Operation Sealords – United States and
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
ese forces launch a new operation in the Mekong Delta. * October 11 **
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo mission (Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, Walter Cunningham). Mission goals include the first live television broadcast from orbit and simulating lunar module 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 12–October 27, 27 – The 1968 Summer Olympics are held in Mexico City, Mexico. * October 12 – Equatorial Guinea receives its independence from Spain. * October 14 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: 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 Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
for involuntary second tours. * October 16 ** 1968 Olympics Black Power salute: In Mexico City, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a
Black Power Black power is a list of political slogans, political slogan and a name which is given to various associated ideologies which aim to achieve self-determination for black people. It is primarily, but not exclusively, used in the United States b ...
salute after winning, respectively, the gold and bronze medals in the Olympic men's 200 metres (with the support of Australian silver medallist Peter Norman). ** Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney Riots, provoked by the banning of Guyanese-born academic and activist Walter Rodney from the country. * October 18 – U.S. athlete Bob Beamon breaks the long jump world record by 55 cm / 21 ins at the 1968 Summer Olympics, Olympics in Mexico City. His record stands for 23 years, and remains the second longest jump in history. * October 25 – Rock band Led Zeppelin make their first live performance, at Surrey University in England * October 31 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Citing progress in the Paris peace talks, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
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 7 – Start of the 1968 movement in Pakistan, which leads to the resignation of General Ayub Khan, and ultimately the split of the country and formation of Bangladesh. * November 8 – The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals is signed and ratified. * November 11 – A second republic is declared in the Maldives. * November 15 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: 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 (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
. 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, ''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 22 ** ''The Beatles (album), The Beatles'' ("The White Album") and ''The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society'' are released. ** Japan Air Lines Flight 2, flying from Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo to San Francisco International Airport ditches in San Francisco Bay due to pilot error; all 107 on board survive without injury. * 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,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian 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 Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
: 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 – 1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon: Israeli forces fly into Lebanon, Lebanese airspace, launching 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. * Drainage of the Flevopolder in the Netherlands is completed, creating by some definitions the largest artificial island in the world. * An oil field is confirmed in Northern Alaska: the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.


Births


January

* January 1 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer * January 2 ** Oleg Deripaska, Russian businessman ** Cuba Gooding Jr., American actor ** Anky van Grunsven, Dutch equesterian *
January 5 Events Pre-1600 * 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 * 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French ...
** DJ BoBo, Swiss singer, songwriter and dancer ** Andrzej Gołota, Polish boxer ** Carrie Ann Inaba, American choreographer, game show host and singer * January 6 – John Singleton, African-American film director and writer (d. 2019) * January 9 – Silver King (wrestler), Silver King, Mexican luchador (d. 2019) * 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 soccer player * January 14 – LL Cool J, African-American rapper and actor * January 16 – Atticus Ross, English musician, songwriter, record producer and audio engineer * January 17 – Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete * January 24 ** Michael Kiske, German musician ** Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast * January 26 – Novala Takemoto, Japanese author and fashion designer * January 27 – Mike Patton, American singer *
January 28 Events Pre-1600 *AD 98, 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accessi ...
– 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 es ...
– 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), ...
** Lisa Marie Presley, American singer, songwriter and daughter of Elvis Presley (d. 2023) ** Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player * February 3 – Vlade Divac, Serbian basketball player * February 5 ** 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 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...
** 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 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. * 1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performed the first post- ...
– 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 23 – Jagath Wickramaratne, Sri Lankan politician and 23rd Speaker of the Parliament *
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. ...
** 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 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
** Kat Cressida, American voice actress ** Kunjarani Devi, Indian weightlifter ** Muho Noelke, German Zen master *
March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost ...
– Daniel Craig, British actor *
March 3 Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan. * 1575 ...
– 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 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. * 1204 &ndas ...
– Moira Kelly, American actress *
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 Cobl ...
– Jeff Kent, American baseball player * March 9 ** Youri Djorkaeff, French footballer ** Rexy Mainaky, Indonesian badminton player *
March 11 Events Pre-1600 * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire. * 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...
– 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 th ...
** Aaron Eckhart, American actor ** Tammy Duckworth, US Senator *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 * 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. * 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Mu ...
** Gillian Keegan, British politician ** 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 H ...
** 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 Events Pre-1600 * 1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. * 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. * 1355 – Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, ...
** 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 Events Pre-1600 * 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea. * 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century. * 871 – Æthel ...
– Euronymous, Norwegian musician (d. 1993) * March 23 ** Damon Albarn, English singer-songwriter and musician ** Mike Atherton, English cricketer ** Fernando Hierro, Spanish football player and coach * March 26 ** Kenny Chesney, American country music singer ** James Iha, American rock musician * March 27 – Ben Koldyke, American actor *
March 28 Events Pre-1600 * AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate. * 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Did ...
– Iris Chang, American author (d. 2004) * March 29 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress and singer * March 30 – Celine Dion, Canadian singer *
March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. * 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging ...
– César Sampaio, Brazilian football player and coach


April

* April 1 ** Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer ** Andreas Schnaas, German director ** Alexander Stubb, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland * April 5 ** Paula Cole, American singer ** Stephen Bardo, American basketball player ** Stewart Lee, English stand-up comedian *
April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First '' Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Em ...
– 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 – ...
** Patricia Arquette, American actress ** Shawn Fonteno, American actor and rapper * April 9 – Tom Brands, American Olympic Games, Olympic wrestler *
April 11 Events Pre-1600 * 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. * 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi. *1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: Franco-Ferra ...
– CB Milton, Dutch electronic music vocalist * April 12 ** Ott (record producer), Ott, English musician and record producer ** Neil Brady, Canadian ice hockey player * April 13 – Necrobutcher, 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 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. * 1428 – Peace of Ferrara ...
– David Hewlett, English-born Canadian actor, writer and director * April 19 – Ashley Judd, American actress *
April 20 Events Pre-1600 * 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 * 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. * 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...
** J. D. Roth, American television host ** Yelena Välbe, Russian cross-country skier * April 22 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2017) *
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 so ...
– 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 ** Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of Croatia (2015–2020) ** 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), Li Yong, Chinese host (d. 2018) ** Amy Ryan, American actress * 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 ** Éric Martineau, French politician * May 9 ** Carla Overbeck, American soccer player ** Marie-José Pérec, French athlete ** Nataša Pirc Musar, Slovenian politician, attorney, author, journalist and 5th President of Slovenia * May 10 – Al Murray, English comedian * May 12 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder * May 13 ** Sonja Zietlow, German television presenter ** Scott Morrison, 30th Prime Minister of Australia * May 14 – Greg Davies, English actor, comedian and presenter * May 16 – Chingmy Yau, Hong Kong actress * May 17 – Constance Menard, French professional dressage rider * May 18 – 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 ** 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 – Frederik X, King Frederik X 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 * May 30 – 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 – Sandra Annenberg, Brazilian newscaster, previously actress ** Mel Giedroyc, English comedian and presenter * June 9 – Aleksandr Konovalov (judge), Aleksandr Konovalov, Russian lawyer and politician * June 10 ** Bill Burr, American comedian ** Nobutoshi Canna, Japanese voice actor * June 14 – Yasmine Bleeth, American actress * June 16 – Mariana Mazzucato, Italian born-American economist * June 20 – 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 27 – Isabel Saint Malo, Panamian politician * June 28 ** Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer ** Adam Woodyatt, English actor * June 29 – Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player * 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 ** Rosalinda Celentano, Italian actress * 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 20 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player * July 23 ** Gary Payton, American basketball player ** Stephanie Seymour, American model and actress * July 24 ** Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer ** Laura Leighton, American actress ** Troy Kotsur, American actor * July 25 – John Grant (musician), John Grant, American singer-songwriter * July 27 ** Cliff Curtis, New Zealand actor ** Julian McMahon, Australian actor * July 30 ** Robert Korzeniowski, Polish athlete ** Terry Crews, American actor, television host, artist, and former American football player


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 – Patricia Tarabini, Argentine tennis player ** Marine Le Pen, French politician ** Colin McRae, Scottish rally car driver (d. 2007) * August 6 * 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 11 – Vladimir Kosterin, Ukrainian businessman and foundation president * 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 ** Jennifer Flavin, businesswoman and former model * August 15 – Debra Messing, American actress * August 16 – Arvind Kejriwal, Indian politician * August 17 ** Ed McCaffrey, American football player ** Bruno van Pottelsberghe, Belgian economist ** Helen McCrory, English actress (d. 2021) * 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 24 ** Shoichi Funaki, Japanese professional wrestler ** Hiroshi Kitadani, Japanese singer ** Tim Salmon, American baseball player ** Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (d. 1992) * 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 2 – Francisco Acevedo, American serial killer * 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 * 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 model * September 13 – Laura Cutina, Romanian artistic gymnast * September 15 – Danny Nucci, American actor * September 16 – Marc Anthony, American actor and singer * September 17 ** Anastacia, American singer-songwriter ** Tito Vilanova, Spanish football manager (d. 2014) * September 18 – Toni Kukoč, Croatian basketball player * September 20 – Van Jones, African-American author * September 21 ** Lisa Angell, French singer ** Kevin Buzzard, British mathematician ** Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and television presenter * September 22 – Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, 62nd Prime Minister of Romania * September 23 – 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 ** Luke Goss, English singer and actor ** Alex Skolnick, American jazz/heavy metal guitarist ** Samir Soni, Indian film and TV actor * September 30 – Bennet Omalu, Nigerian pathologist


October

* October 1 **Kevin Griffin, American singer-songwriter, frontman of Better Than Ezra ** Mark Durden-Smith, British television presenter ** Jay Underwood, American actor * October 2 ** Lucy Cohu, English actress ** Victoria Derbyshire, English broadcast presenter ** Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player (d. 2017) * October 3 – Nadia Calviño, Spanish politician * 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 ** Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer * October 15 ** Didier Deschamps, French footballer ** Jyrki 69, Finnish singer ** Nashwa Mustafa, Egyptian actress * October 16 – Michael Stich, German tennis player * 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 ** Johann Olav Koss, Norwegian speed skater ** Tsunku, Japanese singer, music producer and song composer ** John Farley (actor), John Farley, American actor and comedian * 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 ** Jules Trobaugh, American artist and photographer * November 21 **Qiao Hong, Chinese table tennis player **Sean Schemmel, American voice actor * 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), Hayabusa, 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 ** Wendi Deng Murdoch, Chinese-American entrepreneur and businesswoman * December 7 ** Mark Geyer, Australian rugby league player ** David Kabré, Burkinabe military leader and politician * 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 ** Casper Van Dien, American actor ** Rachel Griffiths, Australian actress * December 19 – Ken Marino, American actor and comedian * December 20 – Nadia Farès, Moroccan born-French actress * 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. * Martin Ssempa, Ugandan pastor and internet meme. * 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 th ...
** 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 *AD 69, 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Roman emperor, Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. *1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to set ...
– 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 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded wh ...
– 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 film 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 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. * 1204 &ndas ...
– Joseph W. Martin Jr., American politician (b. 1884) *
March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...
– 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 H ...
– 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 Events Pre-1600 * 1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. * 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. * 1355 – Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, ...
– 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 Events Pre-1600 *1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6. * 1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian- Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margat ...
– Alice Guy-Blaché, French filmmaker (b. 1873) * March 27 – Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut, first human in space (b. 1934) * March 30 – Bobby Driscoll, American child actor (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 &nd ...
**
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
, American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1929) ** Assis Chateaubriand, Brazilian newspaper magnate (b. 1892) *
April 7 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town. * 529 – First '' Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Em ...
Jim Clark James Clark (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British racing driver from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Clark won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Lotus, and—at the time of his death—held the ...
, Scottish racing driver and double Formula One World Champion (b. 1936) * April 12 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German automotive engineer (b. 1899) * 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 20 Events Pre-1600 * 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 * 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. * 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...
– Soraya Tarzi, Afghan queen (b. 1899) * April 24 ** Tommy Noonan, American actor (b. 1921) ** Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876) * April 26 – John Heartfield, German visual artist (b. 1891) * April 28 – Raoul Abatchou, Central African politician and mining operator (b. 1926)


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 Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
, American lawyer, politician (United States Senator, U.S. Attorney General) and a leading 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1968 Democratic presidential candidate (b. 1925) * June 7 – Dan Duryea, American actor (b. 1907) * June 8 – Ludovico Scarfiotti, Italian racing driver (b. 1933) * June 14 ** Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Swedish composer (b. 1916) ** Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901) ** Ernest Stoneman, American country music artist (b. 1893) * June 15 ** Sam Crawford, American baseball player (b. 1880) ** Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923) * June 17 – 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 ** 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 7 – Jo Schlesser, French racing driver (b. 1928) * 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 – Luther Perkins, American guitarist (b. 1928) * August 6 – Ye Gongchuo, Chinese politician, poet, and calligrapher (b. 1881) * August 10 – Ratna Asmara, Indonesian actress and director (b. 1913) * 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 – 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 – Padre Pio, 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 – 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) * October 15 ** Franz Beyer (general), Franz Beyer, German general (b. 1892) ** Herbert Copeland (biologist), Herbert Copeland, American biologist (b. 1902) * October 18 – Lee Tracy, American actor (b. 1898) * October 20 – Bud Flanagan, British entertainer and comedian (b. 1896) * October 26 – Sergei 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 ** Rose Wilder Lane, American author (b. 1886) ** 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 ** Abdul Wahed Bokainagari, Bengali politician (b. 1876) ** 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 24 – István Dobi, prime minister of Hungary (b. 1898) * 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 (cyclist), 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. 1886) ** Thomas Merton, American author (b. 1915) * December 12 ** Tim Ahearne, Irish athlete (b. 1885) ** Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902) * December 14 – Dorothy Payne Whitney, American-born philanthropist, social activist (b. 1887) * 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 21 – Vittorio Pozzo, Italian football player and manager (b. 1886) * December 30 ** Augustus Agar, British naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1890) ** Trygve Lie, Norwegian politician, 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 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