April 1968
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The following events occurred in April 1968:


April 1 Events Pre-1600 * 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held. * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. *1081 – Alexios I Kom ...
, 1968 (Monday)

*American bombers halted further aerial bombardment of those portions of North Vietnam that were north of the 20th parallel, an area which included
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
and Haiphong. Missions would continue for the remainder of the country, between the 17th parallel and 20th parallel. * An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude took place in Japan, its epicenter located in Hyūga-nada Sea, off the islands of
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
and Shikoku, and was followed by a tsunami. The quake struck at 9:44 a.m. local time and reportedly killed one person and injured 22 others. *The 249th and final original episode of '' The Andy Griffith Show'' was aired on CBS, two days after Andy Griffith's retirement was revealed to the general public. The final episode was a pilot for '' Mayberry R.F.D.'', with the focus on
Ken Berry Kenneth Ronald Berry (November 3, 1933 – December 1, 2018) was an American actor, dancer, and singer. Berry starred on the television series ''F Troop'', ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' and ''Mama's Family''. He also appea ...
in his fourth appearance as "Sam Jones". Griffith would make a final appearance as Andy Taylor in the series premiere of ''Mayberry R.F.D.''. *The
Abukuma Express Line The is a railway line in Japan, owned and operated by the third sector operator AbukumaExpress. The line connects Fukushima Station in Fukushima Prefecture and Tsukinoki Station in Miyagi Prefecture. Both of these stations are also on the ...
was opened in Japan. *Born: ** Julia Boutros, Lebanese pop music star, in Beirut **
Andreas Schnaas Andreas Schnaas (born 1 April 1968) is a German director and actor working exclusively in the horror film, horror genre. Since he first appeared on the film scene in 1989, he has become a leader in Germany's ultra-violent German underground horr ...
, German horror film director known for the ''Violent Shit'' film series; in Hamburg *Died: Lev Davidovich Landau, 60, Soviet physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, died of complications from injuries sustained in a car accident six years earlier.


April 2, 1968 (Tuesday)

* Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin firebombed two department stores in
Frankfurt-am-Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
in West Germany, attacking the Kaufhaus Schneider store and the Kaufhol store in the early morning hours after the stores had closed. They were arrested two days later, but would be released in 1969 and form the Baader-Meinhof Gang with Ulrike Meinhof. *
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
's classic film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' premiered at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C. *
Our Lady of Zeitoun Our Lady of Zeitoun, also known simply as El-Zeitoun, Zeitun or rarely Our Lady of Light, was a mass Marian apparition that was reported to have occurred in the Zeitoun district of Cairo, Egypt, during a period of about 3 years beginning on 2 Apr ...
, a Marian apparition, was first witnessed. The apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen on the roof of the Church of Saint Mary, a Coptic Christian church in the Zeitoun section of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and would continue to return for several months. *At a meeting in
Fort Lamy N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''. The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are th ...
(now N'Djamena), the capital of
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, President François Tombalbaye hosted President Alphonse Massamba-Débat of the
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and President Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic as the three nations created the Union of Central African States. *The Batallón de Paracaidistas Nº1, popularly known as "Pelantarú", was created as the first
Special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit in Chile. *Two days after U.S. President Johnson announced his interest in beginning peace talks to end the Vietnam War, North Vietnam's official government radio station responded that "The North Vietnamese government declares its readiness to send its representatives to make contact with U.S. representatives to decide with the U.S. side the unconditional cessation of bombing and all other war acts... so that talks could begin." *In Italy, RAI broadcast the first episode of the miniseries ''
La famiglia Benvenuti ''La famiglia Benvenuti'' (literally "The Benvenuti Family") is an Italian comedy television series that originally ran on RAI from 1968 to 1970. Two seasons were produced: the first shot in black and white, the second, experimentally, was inste ...
'' (The Benvenuti family), by
Alfredo Giannetti Alfredo Giannetti (1924–1995) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1962 for his work in ''Divorce Italian Style''. Selected filmography * ''The Railroad Man'' (1956) * ''A Man ...
, with Enrico Maria Salerno and
Valeria Valeri Valeria Valeri (born Valeria Tulli; 8 December 1921 – 11 June 2019) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography On stage A student of actress Elsa Merlini, Valeri began her professional acting career in 1948, working on stage with fel ...
, about the life of the Italian middle class. The show, innovative at that time, was received well by the public and critics alike, and the child actor
Giusva Fioravanti Giuseppe Valerio "Giusva" Fioravanti (born 28 March 1958) is an Italian former terrorist and actor, journalist and human rights activist, who, with Francesca Mambro, was a leading figure in a Far-right politics, far-right terrorism, terrorist gro ...
(later infamous
right-wing terrorist Right-wing terrorism, hard right terrorism, extreme right terrorism or far-right terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by a variety of different right-wing and far-right ideologies, most prominently, it is motivated by neo-Nazism, anti-communi ...
) became a star. *In the United States, NBC broadcast a television special in which British singer Petula Clark appeared with Harry Belafonte as her guest. An innocent, affectionate gesture between the two during a song (Clark touched Belafonte on the arm) had prompted concern from the show's sponsor (
Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
) due to the difference in their races. *Born: Hasan Nuhanović, Bosniak anti-genocide activist, in Zvornik, SFR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia


April 3, 1968 (Wednesday)

*At the request of Mayor Henry Loeb of Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. District Judge Bailey Brown issued a temporary restraining order to prohibit Martin Luther King Jr.'s plan to lead a march of 6,000 men through Memphis on April 8. King announced that he would ignore the order, telling the press "We are not going to be stopped by Mace or injunctions or any other method that the city plans to use." King's attorneys appeared in court the next morning for a hearing to set aside the injunction. *King delivered his final speech, later known as " I've Been to the Mountaintop", in the Masonic Temple in Memphis, in what was later described as "in many respects, a summary of the cause to which King had dedicated his life" and "An eerie prescience of his death". Commenting about a prior stabbing and about threats to his life, he asked "What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now... But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop." *The first round of the 22nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association was held. Wes Unseld was the first choice, picked by the Baltimore Bullets. *Following discussions at the Manned Space Flight Management Council meeting at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on March 21-24, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight
George E. Mueller George Edwin Mueller (; July 16, 1918 – October 12, 2015), was an American electrical engineer who was an associate administrator at NASA who headed the Office of Manned Space Flight from September 1963 until December 1969. Hailed as one of ...
and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Director
Robert R. Gilruth Robert Rowe Gilruth (October 8, 1913 – August 17, 2000) was an American aerospace engineer and an aviation/space pioneer who was the first director of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. He worked ...
concluded between April 3 and 15 that, with the stringent funding restraints facing the Apollo Applications Program (AAP), the most practical near-term program was a
Saturn IB The Saturn IB (also known as the uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It uprated the Saturn I by replacing the S-IV second stage (, ...
Orbital Workshop Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations in ...
(OWS) designed to simplify operational modes and techniques in Earth orbit.


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 – ...
, 1968 (Thursday)

*NASA launched the unmanned Apollo 6 from Cape Kennedy at 7:00 a.m. as the second test flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. The rocket propelled a mockup of the 28-ton CSM (Command/Service Module) and the 17-ton
Apollo Lunar Module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...
into earth orbit, but the premature shutdown of two second stage engines and the overcompensation of other engines put the vehicles into an altitude "110 miles too high" and consumed most of the fuel that would have been necessary to propel the craft out of Earth orbit and to the Moon. "If the Apollo 6 had carried men," an AP report noted, "a mission to the moon would have been aborted." The craft re-entered the atmosphere almost 10 hours after its launch; the USS ''Okinawa'' recovered it in the Pacific Ocean. *The Reverend Terence Cooke was installed as the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York in an investiture ceremony that began at 1:00 p.m. at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. *
Jozef Lenárt Jozef Lenárt (3 April 1923 – 11 February 2004) was a Slovak politician who was the prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1963 to 1968. Life and career Born in Liptovská Porúbka, Slovakia, he graduated from a chemistry high school and worke ...
, who had been Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia since 1963, resigned along with his cabinet in the wake of the reforms of the
Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
. The Central Committee of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party asked Lenart to step down at an evening meeting, where its members took an unprecedented vote by secret ballot. The Central Committee appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oldrich Cernik to succeed Lenart. *American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was
assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
as he stood on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. King and his associate, Ralph Abernathy, had been staying at Room 306 of the motel. James Earl Ray had rented a room at a boarding house that had a view of the motel. At 6:01 in the evening, King was preparing to go to dinner with his associates and was walking back into the room to get his overcoat. At that moment, Ray allegedly fired a single shot from a .30-06 rifle, and the bullet struck King in the neck. King was rushed to the St. Joseph's Hospital and pronounced dead at 7:05. The powerful figure, described as a weapon of non-violence, died at the age of 39. *U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy went ahead with a rally in Indianapolis, where he gave a short but powerful speech that is sometimes credited with having limited the rioting that would be seen in many other American cities immediately following the assassination. *Died: Erno Crisa, 54, Italian character actor


April 5 Events Pre-1600 * 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I. * 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
, 1968 (Friday)

*The United States returned
Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...
and the other Bonin Islands to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese sovereignty, 23 years after the
Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...
that claimed 6,800 American and 19,000 Japanese lives. *In protest against the lack of an aerial display to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force four days earlier, and as a gesture against the British government,
Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
Alan Pollock of No. 1 Squadron RAF flew a jet fighter under the top span of
Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...
, making an unauthorized display flight in a
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
and marking the first jet flight under the bridge. Pollock was arrested upon his return to base, and was subsequently retired from the RAF for health reasons. *Rioting broke out in Chicago after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...
on the previous day, leading to 11 deaths and more than 2,000 arrests. Violence was reported in 41 cities in the U.S., with fatalities in Chicago, Washington, Detroit, New York, Minneapolis, Memphis, and Tallahassee. By Sunday, there would be 85 cities hit by violence, 30 people killed, and at least 2,000 injured. *At the instigation of Governor Spiro Agnew, Maryland National Guard troops were activated in anticipation of rioting in Baltimore and suburban Washington, DC. On April 14, Agnew declared the state of emergency in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
over and stood down the National Guard. *Born: ** Paula Cole, American singer and songwriter; in
Rockport, Massachusetts Rockport is a seaside New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,992 in 2020. Rockport is located approximately northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. Rockport borders Gloucester ...
** Diamond D (stage name for Joseph Kirkland), American rapper, record producer and member of hip hop group D.I.T.C.; in The Bronx, New York City ** Stewart Lee, English stand-up comedian, in Wellington, Shropshire


April 6, 1968 (Saturday)

* Voters in East Germany overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, with a reported 98.1% turnout and a vote of 96.4% in favor (11,536,265 for and 409,329 against). *'' La, la, la'', performed by Massiel (music and lyrics by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa), won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 for Spain, at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in London. It was the first time the contest had been televised in color. *Forty-one people were killed and over 100 injured in a double explosion in downtown
Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...
. The initial blast at 1:45 p.m. was from a leaking natural gas pipe at East Main and South 6th Street. The resulting fire at a sporting goods store and gun shop then caused the explosion of gunpowder stored in the basement, and spread to three other businesses at the intersection. *Justice Minister
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...
won the delegate voting for leadership of Canada's ruling Liberal Party, getting the required majority on the fourth ballot and the right to become the new Prime Minister of Canada. Trudeau got 752 of 2,390 votes (31.5%) on the first round as one of 9 candidates, and Trade and Commerce Minister
Robert Winters Robert Henry Winters, (August 18, 1910 – October 10, 1969) was a Canadian politician, businessman, and businessman. Life and career Born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, the son of a fishing captain, Winters went to Mount Allison University in Ne ...
was second with 293. On the final ballot, Trudeau had 1,203 votes, Winters had 954 and future Prime Minister John Turner had 195. * HemisFair, a six-month World's Fair to celebrate the nations of the Western Hemisphere, opened as scheduled in San Antonio, Texas to coincide with the city's 250th anniversary. The exposition lost six million dollars, but the construction that it generated would help spur the growth of San Antonio from 650,000 residents to nearly 1.5 million, the seventh most populated city in the United States. The tall Tower of the Americas still remains from the original fair. * Rioting broke out in Baltimore after a peaceful memorial service for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ended. A crowd gathered on Gay Street in East Baltimore, and by 5 pm windows were being smashed and police moved in. The city declared a 10 pm curfew and sales of alcohol and firearms were banned. The crowd moved north on Gay St. up to Harford Rd. and Greenmount Ave. Mayor
Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III (July 24, 1929 – October 20, 2019) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the president of the Balti ...
was unable to respond effectively. Around 8 pm, Governor Agnew declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
. *Died:
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.Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), 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, Califo ...
, was killed in a shootout between
Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...
and
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, police in California.


April 7, 1968 (Sunday)

* Luna 14 was launched by the Soviet Union and placed into orbit around the Moon three days later to map gravitational anomalies. * Parliamentary elections in Lebanon ended and "independent" candidates won the majority of seats. The voter turnout was 49.6%. *
Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
, 32, Scottish racing driver and twice racing world champion, was killed while competing in for the
1968 Deutschland Trophäe The 1968 Deutschland Trophäe, also known as the Martini Gold Cup, was a motor race, run to Formula Two rules, held on 7 April 1968 at the Hockenheimring, Germany. The race was run over two heats of 20 laps of the circuit, and was the first round ...
, a Formula 2 auto race, at the
Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it has hos ...
in West Germany. Clark was driving at top speed on a straightaway during the rain when he lost control. His Lotus-Ford 48 suddenly veered off the track and flipped into trees in an adjacent forest, and Clark died instantly from a broken neck and multiple skull fractures. * Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman won the first of 8 rounds of the
1968 British Sports Car Championship The 1968 RAC British Sports Car Championship was the fifth season of the British Sports Car Championship. The championship was won by Bill Bradley driving a Porsche Carrera 6.Simon Taylor, Brands: Easy win for Gardner, Autosport, September 6, 196 ...
(which would conclude on September 2) at Brands Hatch in a
Ford GT40 The Ford GT40 is a high-performance endurance racing car commissioned by the Ford Motor Company. It grew out of the "Ford GT" (for Grand Touring) project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, which wo ...
. *A national day of mourning for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took place in the United States. Nina Simone dedicated her performance at Westbury Music Fair to Dr. King. Written for the occasion by Gene Taylor, the song "Why? (the King of Love Is Dead)" was performed for the first time.


April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...
, 1968 (Monday)

*All 36 people on board LADECO Airlines Flight 213 were killed when the Chilean Douglas C-49K crashed into a mountain as it was making its approach to the city of Coyhaique on a flight from Santiago. *Five people aboard BOAC Flight 712 were killed in a fire after the Boeing 707 lost an engine following takeoff from London Heathrow Airport. Despite a successful emergency landing, the fire spread, although another 122 people survived. Among the injured were diplomat
Katriel Katz Katriel Katz (1908–1988) was an Israeli diplomat who served as ambassador to the Soviet Union between 1965 and 1967 and Poland between 1956 and 1958. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Katz was the Israeli ambassador to the Soviet Union in the r ...
and singer Mark Wynter. Flight attendant Barbara Jane Harrison, who remained on the plane to evacuate most of its passengers to the escape chute, was killed in the fire and would posthumously receive the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
for her heroism. Chief Steward Nevile Davis-Gordon would be awarded the
British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...
for Gallantry. Air traffic controller John Davis would be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. *The Soviet Army Group South, stationed in Hungary, received orders from Moscow to begin preparation for the
invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...
. *By a 6-2 decision in the case of ''
United States v. Jackson ''United States v. Jackson'', 390 U.S. 570 (1968), was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled part of the Federal Kidnapping Act unconstitutional.. Background In the wake of the Lindbergh kidnapping Congress decided to adopt a feder ...
'' (390 U.S. 570), the U.S. Supreme Court voided a law making kidnapping a capital offense. Since 1932, the
Federal Kidnapping Act Following the historic Lindbergh kidnapping (the abduction and murder of Charles Lindbergh's toddler son), the United States Congress passed a federal kidnapping statute—known as the Federal Kidnapping Act, (a)(1) (popularly known as the Lindbe ...
, better known as the "Lindbergh Law", had provided for the death penalty if the perpetrator had failed to let the victim go free. *What would eventually (in 1983) become Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first proposed, just four days after the civil rights leader was assassinated. U.S. Senator
Edward W. Brooke Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015) was an American politician of the Republican Party, who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 until 1979. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as th ...
of Massachusetts originally suggested that January 15 become an annual holiday. It is now observed on the third Monday of January every year. *The U.S. Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs became operational as an agency of the United States Department of Justice, combining the staffs of divisions from the Treasury Department ( Federal Bureau of Narcotics) and the Food and Drug Administration ( Bureau of Drug Abuse Control). In 1973, its functions would be taken over by the new Drug Enforcement Administration. *U.S. Army Captain Max Cleland, who would later become the U.S. Administrator of Veterans Affairs and then a U.S. Senator for Georgia, was seriously wounded during the Battle of Khe Sanh as a victim of friendly fire. A carelessly handled grenade exploded behind him after one of his soldiers dropped it, and Cleland required the amputation of both legs above the knee, and his right forearm. Cleland would pursue a career of government service despite his disability. *The final run of the '' Golden State''
passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
on the Rock Island and
Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
railroads left Los Angeles, California. *Born: ** Patricia Arquette, American actress and the daughter of Lewis Arquette, in Chicago. ** Stretch, American hip hop rapper and producer; as Randy Walker in New York City (murdered 1995)


April 9, 1968 (Tuesday)

*The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made its first humanitarian aid flight to aid Biafra, arriving and departing by night on a poorly-lit airstrip. During the first three months of bringing supplies to relieve famine and disease in the west African area, the ICRC made one flight per week, for 13 in all. * Funeral services were held in Atlanta for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., beginning with a private service for family and friends at
Ebenezer Baptist Church Ebenezer Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was co-past ...
, where King and his father had both served as senior pastors. Those attending included Mahalia Jackson, who sang King's favorite hymn, " Take My Hand, Precious Lord". Afterward, a procession, observed by an estimated 150,000 people, was made to
Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...
, King's alma mater, for a public service. *Mrs. Lorraine "Loree" Bailey, the co-owner of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and the inspiration for its name, died at the age of 58. Mrs. Bailey had suffered a stroke just 2½ hours after King's assassination. *Born: ** Jay Chandrasekhar, American actor, director and writer, in Chicago, Illinois ** Giovanni Piacentini, Italian association football player, in
Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...


April 10, 1968 (Wednesday)

*Fifty-three people were killed when the New Zealand inter-island ro-ro
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
struck Barrett Reef at the mouth of Wellington Harbour. The disaster came in the wake of Cyclone Giselle, which created the windiest conditions ever recorded in New Zealand. Reportedly, most of the 691 survivors from the ferry "were saved by a Dunkirk-like flotilla of small boats which put out into the tumultuous seas" to effect the rescue. * Jacobus J. Fouché was inaugurated to complete a 7-year term as the second
President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nationa ...
in Cape Town, and rode in a post-inaugural military parade that took place despite a downpour. He would serve until February 21, 1975.


April 11, 1968 (Thursday)

* Rudi Dutschke, the leader of the West German left-wing movement ( APO), was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by
Josef Bachmann Josef Erwin Bachmann (12 October 1944 – 24 February 1970) became widely known in Germany for his assassination attempt on the Marxist activist Rudi Dutschke, firing three bullets at him, on 11 April 1968. Bachmann was convicted of the attack an ...
, who shot Dutschke twice in the head outside the
Socialist German Student Union The Sozialistische Deutsche Studentenbund — the Socialist German Students' Union or Socialist German Students' League — was founded in 1946 in Hamburg, Germany, as the collegiate branch of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In the ...
(Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund, or SDS) offices on the Kurfürstendamm in West Berlin. Dutschke survived after emergency surgery, but would suffer seizures for the rest of his life and would die of his brain injuries 11 years later. *German left-wing students blockaded the
Springer Press Axel Springer SE () is a German digital and popular periodical publishing house which is the largest in Europe, with numerous multimedia news brands, such as '' Bild'', ''Die Welt'', and ''Fakt'' and more than 15,000 employees. It generated to ...
HQ in Berlin and many were arrested, including Ulrike Meinhof, who would found the Baader-Meinhof Gang. *U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the
Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a landmark law in the United States signed into law by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles II through VII comprise the Indian Civil Rights Act, which applie ...
, which included the
Fair Housing Act The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a landmark law in the United States signed into law by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles II through VII comprise the Indian Civil Rights Act, which applie ...
as its Title VIII section, into law. For the first time, it was a violation of federal law for a homeowner to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling to a person based upon race, color, religion, or national origin. A day earlier, the bill had been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, 250 to 172, after clearing the U.S. Senate, 71-20, on March 11. *
Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
, Florida, became the first city to rename a street as a legacy to Martin Luther King Jr., with the city council voting unanimously "to change the name of Main Street, between North Boulevard and MacDill Avenue to Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in honor of the assassinated Negro leader."


April 12, 1968 (Friday)

*The 36-story Kasumigaseki Building was opened in Tokyo as the first modern office skyscraper in Japan. It would remain the tallest building in Tokyo until 1970 when superseded by the
World Trade Center (Tokyo) was a 40-story commercial skyscraper located in Hamamatsuchō, Minato, Tokyo. Completed in 1970, the building is one of Japan's earliest skyscrapers. Upon its completion, the 163-meter-tall WTC Building took the title of Japan's tallest skyscra ...
. *The
Passover Seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew c ...
was celebrated in the city of Hebron ten months after Israel had acquired the territory in the Six-Day War, and for the first time since the
1929 Hebron massacre The Hebron massacre refers to the killing of sixty-seven or sixty-nine Jews on 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of Mandatory Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were planning to seize control of the Temple Mount in ...
. Over 40 Orthodox Jews gathered at the Al-Naher Al-Khaled Hotel (as the guests of the Palestinian Arab hotel owner, Fahed Al-Qwasmeh) after Rabbi Moshe Levinger had advertised the gathering in a newspaper advertisement. Although Israeli General Uzi Narkiss had granted Levinger's party permission to enter the Palestinian city on the agreement that they would depart the next day, the group hoisted the Israeli flag over the hotel and announced their plans to stay in town permanently. After moving from the hotel to a military compound on the edge of Hebron, the increasing number of Israeli settlers would establish Kiryat Arba, a permanent settlement on the West Bank, in 1970. *Born: Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Pakistani civil servant *Died: Heinz Nordhoff, 69, CEO of Volkswagen who rebuilt the "people's car" company in West Germany after World War II


April 13 Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
, 1968 (Saturday)

* Tanzania became the first nation to give diplomatic recognition to the
Republic of Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...
, which had seceded the year before from Nigeria. Gabon,
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
and Zambia would grant recognition the following month. * Singapore held its first Parliamentary elections since becoming independent from Malaysia. The Barisan Sosialis (Socialist Front) and most of the lesser opposition political parties boycotted the voting, and the candidates of the People's Action Party won all 58 seats in Parliament. * A total lunar eclipse took place, the first of two during 1968, and was visible over nearly all of the Western Hemisphere.


April 14, 1968 (Sunday)

*Golf's
Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
was won by one stroke by
Bob Goalby Robert George Goalby (March 14, 1929 – January 19, 2022) was an American professional golfer. He won the Masters Tournament in 1968 Masters Tournament, 1968, after Roberto De Vicenzo notably made an error on his scorecard. It was Goalby's lon ...
, even though he and Roberto De Vicenzo had both made 277 strokes on 72 holes. On the par-4 17th (and penultimate) hole, De Vicenzo had made a
birdie Birdy or Birdie may refer to: Places in the United States * Birdie, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Birdie, Mississippi, an unincorporated community People with the name * Birdie Blye (1871–1935), American pianist * Birdy (singer) ...
(one stroke under the par-4, or three strokes overall), but his golfing partner, Tommy Aaron, had written "4" on the scorecard and added the score to 66. De Vicenzo then signed the card without noting the error, and rather than heading to an 18-hole playoff to break a 277-277 tie with Goalby, De Vicenzo was deemed under Masters Tournament rules to have finished in second place. Argentina-born De Vicenzo was a good sport about the loss by a technicality, and, in acknowledging that he had signed the scorecard without looking at it, commented to reporters, "What a stupid I am!". *A
nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
of the star LV Vul, located within the region of the constellation
Vulpecula Vulpecula is a faint constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for "little fox", although it is commonly known simply as the fox. It was identified in the seventeenth century, and is located in the middle of the Summer Triangle (an ...
, was observed on Earth for the first time. English astronomer
George Alcock George Eric Deacon Alcock, MBE (28 August 1912, in Peterborough, Northamptonshire – 15 December 2000) was an English astronomer. He was one of the most successful visual discoverers of novae and comets. George’s interest in astronomy wa ...
spotted the event nine months after he discovered Nova Delphini (HR Del) in 1967. The peak magnitude of LV Vul (4.8) would be observed on April 21. *Infiltrators from North Korea crossed the demilitarized zone into South Korea and ambushed a United States Army truck carrying six soldiers about 800 yards away from Panmunjom, killing two Americans and two South Koreans. The other two occupants, both American, survived. *The Soyuz test spacecraft
Kosmos 212 Kosmos 212 (russian: Космос 212 meaning ''Cosmos 212'') was one of a series of Soviet Soyuz programme test spacecraft whose purpose was to further test and develop the passenger version. Scientific data and measurements were relayed to eart ...
was launched by the Soviet Union. The next day, Kosmos 213 was launched and the two unmanned ships were linked together by remote commands from the Soviet Union. *Born: Anthony Michael Hall, American film and television actor; in
West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...
, Boston


April 15, 1968 (Monday)

*The New York Mets and the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
went into extra innings in a game at the Astrodome, summarized by the headline in '' The Sporting News'', "24 Innings, Six Hours, One Run". The game ended at 1:37 on Tuesday morning when Mets' shortstop Al Weis let a ground ball roll between his feet with the bases loaded, permitting the Astros' Norm Miller to score the winning run for the 1-0 victory. By then, less than 1,000 of the 14,219 paid customers were still watching. *Born: **
Perseo Miranda Perseo Miranda (born Angelo Spaggiari) is an Italian vocalist and songwriter, and founder of the heavy metal band Perseo Miranda. He's been active since 1980 but only recently obtained a discrete attention in the music scene. Biography He sta ...
, Italian heavy metal singer, in Genoa. ** Alessio Vinci, Italian TV journalist for CNN and
Mediaset Mediaset Italia S.p.A., also known as Mediaset, is an Italian-based mass media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The company is controlled by the holding company MFE - MediaForEurope. Founded in 1987 by former ...
; in Luxembourg. **Giuseppe Manunta, Italian erotic cartoonist, in Naples *Died: **
Boris Lyatoshinsky Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshynsky ( uk, Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський ()), also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky (russian: Бори́с Николаевич Лятоши́нский), (3 January 189515 Apr ...
, 73, Russian composer ** Henry Beston, 79, American author


April 16, 1968 (Tuesday)

*A huge contingent of Italian
neo-fascists Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, Nativism (politics), nativism, xenophobia, and an ...
began a “study trip” in Greece, organized by the colonels’ regime to teach the techniques of the
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
and of the coup d’état. Some of the “students”, including
Pino Rauti Giuseppe Umberto "Pino" Rauti (19 November 1926 – 2 November 2012) was an Italian fascist and politician who was a leading figure on the radical right for many years, although Rauti was describing himself as a "leftist" and "non-fascist." Invo ...
and Stefano Delle Chiaie, would later be involved in the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing. *The Memphis sanitation strike, which had brought Martin Luther King Jr. to the site of his assassination, ended after 65 days with an agreement between the city of Memphis, Tennessee and its 1,300 garbage collectors. The men's right to organize a labor union took effect immediately, and effective May 1, sanitation workers, were to see a 10 cent per hour increase in their wages, which ranged from $1.65 to $2.10 per hour. *In a speech before the
National Space Club The National Space Club is a non-profit corporation in the US which contains representatives of industry, government, educational institutions and private individuals in order to enhance the exchange of information on astronautics, and to relay th ...
in Washington, AAP Director Charles W. Mathews stated that, beyond the goal of
landing on the Moon A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959. The United S ...
, NASA's overall plan for human space exploration comprised "a balanced activity of
lunar exploration The physical exploration of the Moon began when ''Luna 2'', a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation ...
and extension of man's capabilities in Earth orbit." The AAP, Mathews declared, contained sufficient flexibility so that it could be conducted in harmony with available resources: "We are also prepared to move forward at an increased pace when it is desirable and possible to do so." He said contingency planning left room for both budgetary and mission goal changes, thus answering congressional criticism that NASA had not provided sufficient flexibility regarding long-term goals. *Born: ** Martin Dahlin, Swedish National Team soccer football striker; in Uddevalla ** Vickie Guerrero, American professional wrestling celebrity; as Vickie Lynn Lara in El Paso, Texas *Died: **
Fay Bainter Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter wa ...
, 74, American film actress and Academy Award winner for her supporting role in the 1938 film '' Jezebel'' **
Albert Betz Albert Betz (25 December 1885 – 16 April 1968) was a German physicist and a pioneer of wind turbine technology. Education and career Betz was born in Schweinfurt. In 1910 he graduated as a naval engineer from Technische Hochschule Berlin ( ...
, 82, German physicist and aerospace engineering pioneer for his developments of wind turbine technology. The
Betz limit Betz's law indicates the maximum power that can be extracted from the wind, independent of the design of a wind turbine in open flow. It was published in 1919 by the German physicist Albert Betz. The law is derived from the principles of conserv ...
equation (also known as Betz's law for maximum capture of kinetic energy from wind was discovered by him in 1919. **
Nelly Corradi Nelly Corradi (1914–1968) was an Italian opera singer and actress. She made her screen debut in Max Ophüls' 1934 film '' Everybody's Woman''.Bayman p.101 Selected filmography * '' Dimmed Lights'' (1934) * '' Everybody's Woman'' (1934) * '' Il ...
, 53, Italian opera singer and actress ** Edna Ferber, 82, American novelist, playwright, and Pulitzer Prize winner


April 17 Events Pre-1600 *1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized. *1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan ...
, 1968 (Wednesday)

*The FBI identified a suspect in the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...
, filing a request for an arrest warrant and releasing a photograph of fugitive "Eric Starvo Galt", which would turn out to be an alias for James Earl Ray. The warrant request, filed in Birmingham, Alabama, alleged a conspiracy between Galt "and an individual whom he alleged to be his brother". Following the granting of the warrant, police in Memphis, Tennessee, filed charges of murder against "Galt". *A state election was held in South Australia. Steele Hall (
Liberal and Country League Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...
) defeated Don Dunstan ( ALP), and became the new Premier of South Australia. *Born: Richie Woodhall, WBC super-middleweight boxing champion from 1998 to 1999; in Birmingham


April 18, 1968 (Thursday)

*The famous
London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
(specifically the 1831 "New" London Bridge designed by
John Rennie the Elder John Rennie FRSE FRS (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron. Early years He was born the younger son of James ...
) was sold to American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch as the McCulloch Oil Corporation paid $2,240,000 for the landmark. It would be shipped overseas to be rebuilt, and would reopen in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in 1971. *Born: David Hewlett, British-born Canadian television and film actor known for his portrayal of Dr. Rodney McKay in the '' Stargate SG-1'' series; in
Redhill, Surrey Redhill () is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead within the county of Surrey, England. The town, which adjoins the town of Reigate to the west, is due south of Croydon in Greater London, and is part of the London commuter belt. The ...


April 19, 1968 (Friday)

*Minnesota insurance agent
Ralph Plaisted Ralph Summers Plaisted (September 30, 1927 – September 8, 2008) was an American explorer who, with his three companions, Walt Pederson, Gerry Pitzl and Jean-Luc Bombardier, are regarded by most polar authorities to be the first to succeed in a s ...
and three other members of his amateur exploration expedition became the first people to reach the North Pole by an overland route since 1909, and possibly the first ever, after completing a 474-mile, 44-day trip by snowmobiles. Plaisted, Walter H. Pederson, Gerald R. Pitzel and Jean Luc Bombardier (employed by
Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Inc. () is a Canadian business jet manufacturer. It was also formerly a manufacturer of commercial jets, public transport vehicles, trains, and recreational vehicles, with the last being spun-off as Bombardier Recreational Pro ...
as a technician to service the Bombardier snowmobiles) arrived at the top of the world at 2100 UTC (3:00 p.m. in Minnesota). In later years, as historians came to doubt that
Robert Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
's expedition had actually reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909, a historian would note that although "most of the media considered Plaisted's trek more of a stunt than the actual achievement that it was... it was Plaisted, the amateur explorer and insurance salesman from Duluth— and not Robert Peary— who was first to reach the Pole over the pack ice." *Led by Sergeant Major John Amadu Bangura of the Army of Sierra Leone, a group of non-commissioned officers overthrew the military government of General
Andrew Juxon-Smith Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith (30 November 1931 – 1996) was a Creole politician and military officer in Sierra Leone. He was briefly (27 March 1967 to 18 April 1968) Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-Genera ...
and other members of the National Reformation Council who had staged a coup in 1967. Juxon-Smith and his deputy, Major William Leigh, were arrested and the mutineers set up a 14-member "National Interim Council" chaired by Warrant Officer First Class Patrick Conteh."Sierra Leone, Republic of" in ''Heads of States and Governments: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Over 2,300 Leaders, 1945 through 1992'', ed. by Harris M. Lentz (Routledge, 2013) p679 Bangura pledged to restore civilian rule and to invited Sir
Henry Lightfoot Boston Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston, GCMG (19 August 1898 – 14 December 1969) was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician. He was the first Sierra Leonean Governor-General of Sierra Leone. He was a member of the Creole ethnic group (descenda ...
, who had forced to leave after the 1967 coup, to reassume his role as Governor-General. * Amby Burfoot won the 72nd
Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
. *In
Valdagno Valdagno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, north-eastern Italy. The town was the birthplace of the textile manufacturing company Marzotto, and home to the Italian hotel chain "Jolly Hotels" Geography The town extends along the ...
( Vicenza) a strike at the Marzotto textile factory, to protest 400 layoffs, became a battle between workers (joined by some students) and police. The protesters knocked over the monument of the company founder, Gaetano Marzotto, and seized the villas of the estate managers. Dozens of protesters and policemen were injured and 42 workers were arrested. A week later, in solidarity with the strikers, most of the Valdagno town council resigns. The episode started the Hot Autumn, a season of hard conflicts in other Italian factories. *Born: Ashley Judd, American actress and political activist; as Ashley Tyler Ciminella in Los Angeles *Died: Major General
Ronald Urquhart Major General Ronald Walton Urquhart CB DSO (26 March 1906 – 19 April 1968) was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Early life Urquhart was the son of W. L. A. W. Urquhart, Esq, of Montev ...
, 62, British Army officer and former commandant of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst


April 20, 1968 (Saturday)

* South African Airways Flight 228 crashed just after its 9:00 p.m. takeoff from J. G. Strijdom International Airport in Windhoek,
South-West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
(now Namibia), killing 123 of the 128 people on board. The destruction of the Boeing 707-344C jet ''Pretoria'' remains the deadliest aviation accident in Namibian history. *British Conservative MP Enoch Powell made what would become known as the Rivers of Blood speech, criticising Commonwealth immigration and anti-discrimination legislation in the Race Relations Bill. Addressing the annual meeting of the West Midlands Conservative Political Centre in Birmingham, Powell did not use the phrase "rivers of blood" but quoted a section of Virgil's '' Aeneid'' and said that as he looked ahead, like the Roman author, "I seem to see 'the River Tiber foaming with much blood.'” (''Bella, horrida bella, Et Thybrim multo spumantem sanguine''), an allusion to a civil war brought on by the decline of an empire. *
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...
was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of Canada, 48 hours ahead of the originally-scheduled Monday ceremony, in order to "make it possible for the new government to call an election on June 17 and be within the 58 days required by the election machinery". However, Trudeau adjourned his first cabinet meeting without taking action before the 7:00 p.m. deadline. *The FBI placed the name of James Earl Ray, whom it had initially identified as "Eric Starvo Galt", on its "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" List. The link to Ray, described as "a habitual criminal and escapee from the Mississippi State Prison", was made after comparison of fingerprints at the scene to records of more than 53,000 convicted criminals. Since nobody was removed from the list, the naming of Ray marked the second time in FBI history that there were 11 people on the 10-person list. Four days later, the list would return to 10 after the arrest of fugitive Howard Callens Johnson. * MGM's classic film ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
'' made its NBC debut after having been telecast on CBS since 1956. It would remain on NBC for the next 8 years. *Born: **
Yelena Välbe Yelena Valeryevna Välbe (russian: Елена Валерьевна Вяльбе, née ''Trubitsyna''; born 20 April 1968) is a Russian former cross-country skier. She won a record-high 14 gold, including all five golds at the 1997 World Champion ...
, Russian Olympic cross-country skier, gold medalist in 1992, 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics and winner of five consecutive world championships; in
Magadan Magadan ( rus, Магадан, p=məɡɐˈdan) is a port town and the administrative center of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Sea of Okhotsk in Nagayev Bay (within Taui Bay) and serving as a gateway to the Kolyma region. History Maga ...
, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union **
J. D. Roth James David Weinroth (born April 20, 1968), known professionally as J.D. Roth, is an American television producer, actor, voice actor, game show host, and television personality. Roth is the co-creator of the reality show ''The Biggest Loser'' ...
, American game show host and reality show producer; as James David Weinroth in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.


April 21 Events Pre-1600 *753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date). * 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered ...
, 1968 (Sunday)

* Enoch Powell was dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet by Opposition leader Edward Heath as a result of his "Rivers of Blood" speech of the previous day, despite several opinion polls suggesting that many of the public shared Powell's anti-immigrant views. Heath, a future Prime Minister, said in a statement that "I have told Mr. Powell that I consider the speech he made in Birmingham yesterday to have been racialist in tone, and liable to exacerbate racial tensions. This is unacceptable from one of the leaders of the Conservative Party..." *Died: Armando Borghi, 86, journalist and historical leader of the
Italian anarchism Italian anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, Giuseppe Fanelli, and Errico Malatesta. Rooted in collectivist anarchism, it expanded to include illegalist individualist anarchism, mutualism, anarcho-syn ...
.


April 22, 1968 (Monday)

*Civilian government was partially restored to the West African nation of Sierra Leone, three days after a coup overthrew the military government, as Chairman Patrick Conteh of the National Interim Council yielded to Chief Justice
Banja Tejan-Sie Sir Banja Tejan-Sie (1917-2000) was the Governor General of Sierra Leone and one of the "founding fathers" of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen, with the most distinguished Order - The Grand Cross of ...
as the nation's acting Governor-General. Tejan-Sie would continue in that role until his dismissal on March 31, 1971. *The
Treaty of Tlatelolco The Treaty of Tlatelolco is the conventional name given to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is embodied in the OPANAL (french: Agence pour l'interdiction des armes nucléaires en Amérique l ...
, a pledge by most of the nations of the Western Hemisphere agreeing to ban "the testing, use, manufacture, production or acquisition by any means or type" of nuclear weapons within their countries, went into effect. It had been signed in Mexico City on February 14, 1967. *The United Nations Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, conventionally known as the
Rescue Agreement The Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, also referred to as the Rescue Agreement is an international agreement setting forth rights and obligations of states concer ...
, was signed by the United States, the Soviet Union, and other nations. It would enter into force on December 3, 1968. *The Lebanese cargo ship ''Alheli'' (which had served in World War II as the Liberty ship SS ''Henry Dodge'') was abandoned in the North Atlantic Ocean after springing a leak while en route from Almería to Wilmington, Delaware with a cargo of
fluorspar Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs scal ...
. All 26 members of the crew were rescued by a British freighter, the ''Megantic'', 900 miles east of Bermuda, and were then transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC ''Mendota''. The Alheli would sink to the bottom of the sea two days later at . *Died:
Stephen H. Sholes Stephen Henry Sholes (February 12, 1911 – April 22, 1968) was a prominent American recording executive with RCA Victor. Career Sholes was born in Washington, D.C. and moved with his family to Merchantville, New Jersey, at the age of nine ...
, 57, American record producer for RCA Victor; of a heart attack


April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
, 1968 (Tuesday)

*The United Methodist Church was established in the United States by the merger of the former Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. At Dallas Memorial Auditorium, a crowd of 10,000 members of both churches joined hands and repeated the proclamation "Lord of the Church, we are united in Thee, in thy Church, and now in the United Methodist Church". EUBC bishop Reuben Mueller and Methodist bishop Lloyd Wicke led the proclamation ceremony accepting the 307-page Plan of Union. *The Soviet Union made an unsuccessful launch of an unmanned Zond space capsule that was intended to orbit the Moon as the next step in testing a Soviet manned lunar mission. Three minutes and 15 seconds after the launch, the Zond's escape system activated inadvertently, shutting down the rocket engines and jettisoning the capsule back to Earth. The vehicle was recovered, intact, away from the launch site, but the next attempt could not be launched for three months. *Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau asked Governor-General Roland Michener to dissolve Parliament and to schedule a general election for June 25. *The
murder of Roy Tutill The murder of Roy Tutill occurred on 23 April 1968 in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. The victim was a 14-year-old schoolboy who was raped and murdered on his way home from school. The murder went unsolved for 33 years, until Brian Lunn Field ...
occurred in
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England. The victim was a 14-year-old schoolboy who was raped and murdered on his way home from school. The murder went unsolved for 33 years. *Born: ** Timothy McVeigh, American domestic terrorist, in Lockport, New York (d. 2001) **
Princess Aisha bint Hussein Princess Aisha bint Hussein ( ar, الأميرة عائشة بنت الحسين) (born 23 April 1968) is the sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan and is the twin sister of Princess Zein. Her parents are Princess Muna and King Hussein. Education ...
, Jordanian princess and sister of King Abdullah II **
Princess Zein bint Hussein Princess Zein bint Hussein (born 23 April 1968) is the sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan and the twin sister of Princess Aisha bint Hussein. Biography She attended Westover School, where she captained the volleyball team and graduated in 19 ...
, Jordanian princess and sister of King Abdullah II *Died: ** William C. "King" Cole, 86, American
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
player and coach **
Syarif Kasim II Yang Dipertuan Besar Syarif Kasim Abdul Jalil Saifuddin or Sultan Syarif Kasim II ( Jawi: ; 1 December 1893 – 23 April 1968) was the 12th and last sultan of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura. He was crowned as the sultan at the age of 23 s ...
, 74, 12th and last sultan of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura ** John Laurence Pritchard, 83, British mathematician and writer specialising in works on aviation


April 24, 1968 (Wednesday)

* Columbia University students, protesting against the Vietnam War, took over administration buildings and effectively shut down the Ivy League institution in New York City. The siege would last for six days until broken up by the New York Police Department on April 30. *The International Olympic Committee announced that South Africa would be excluded from participating in the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
. After the ballots were counted from the 71 IOC Board members, the result was 47 in favor of banning South Africa, 16 against, and 8 abstaining. *By a margin of just 8 votes, the government of France's Prime Minister Georges Pompidou survived a motion of censure on plans to introduce commercial advertising on France's ORTF state-operated television network. At the time, there were 486 members of the
Assemblée Nationale The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...
, and the motion required at least 244 members to vote in its favor, which would require every one of the 244 opposition members to approve. A coalition of Socialists, Communists and Centrists was able to get 236 votes. *Police in Mexico arrested an American hitchhiker on suspicion that he was the assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Daniel D. Kennedy, of Baltimore, was handcuffed while dining in a cafe in the town of Caborca in the state of
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, then brought to Hermosillo for 12 hours of questioning. He was released the next day. A police spokesman told the press afterward that Kennedy "didn't match the photographs" of James Earl Ray "at all". On the same day, a Canadian passport was issued to Ray in the name of Ramon George Sneyd, a Toronto policeman whose identity Ray had stolen. *Born: ** Stacy Haiduk, American television actress, in Grand Rapids, Michigan ** Yuji Nagata, Japanese professional wrestler, in Togane, Chiba Prefecture **
Joseph di Pasquale Joseph Di Pasquale is an Italian architect. Biographical notes Graduated magna cum laude in architecture at Politecnico di Milano in 1991. He has been contract professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Society at Politecnico di Milano from ...
, Italian architect, in Como. *Died: ** Walter Tewksbury, 92, American track and field athlete who won five medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics ** Tommy Noonan, 46, American film actor, died of a brain tumor


April 25, 1968 (Thursday)

*The Politburo of the Romanian Communist Party removed
Alexandru Drăghici Alexandru Drăghici (; September 27, 1913 – December 12, 1993) was a Romanian communist activist and politician. He was Interior Minister in 1952 and from 1957 to 1965, and State Security Minister from 1952 to 1957. In these capacities, he exerci ...
, the former
Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
for Romania and the chief rival to Nicolae Ceaușescu within the Party, from all of his posts. As Minister of Romania's feared secret police, the '' Securitate'', Drăghici had orchestrated the execution of Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu in 1954. *The 23rd Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) bicycle race began. It would be won by
Felice Gimondi Felice Gimondi (; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the ...
on May 12 after he was the leader at the completion of the 18 stages of the race. *Algeria's President Houari Boumedienne survived an assassination attempt. He was being driven away from a cabinet meeting when two assailants fired machine guns at his car, killing one of his bodyguards and causing the President to be struck by flying glass. Police killed the assassins after they fled to the hills overlooking Algiers. *NASA published a report containing 18 conceptual designs for the Earth-orbital spacecraft
lunar module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...
adapter laboratory prepared by spacecraft design experts of the MSC Advanced Spacecraft Technology Division. One such configuration (pictured) was developed to illustrate the extent to which the building block philosophy could be carried. It would utilize both Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and would require 2 uncrewed launches and 10 crewed logistic launches. *Born:
Massimo Di Cataldo Massimo Di Cataldo (born 25 April 1968) is an Italian singer-songwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Rome, after the high school Di Cataldo made several experiences poised between singing and acting, including a 1993 appearance in the Ra ...
, Italian singer, in Rome *Died: ** Donald Davidson, 74, American poet, author, and proponent of racial segregation ** Anna Maria Mussolini, 38, daughter of
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. She had been disabled by polio since childhood. In order not to be identified with the Fascist era, she had attempted to start a career as a radio host under a nickname.


April 26, 1968 (Friday)

* The second-largest hydrogen bomb ever tested in the continental United States was detonated underground at the Nevada Test Site. With a yield of 1.3 Megaton, the blast was so powerful that it registered at 6.5 on the Richter Scale and shook buildings 100 miles away in Las Vegas. The crater formed by the weapon, code-named "Boxcar", was 300 feet wide and 50 feet deep. * Siaka Stevens was sworn in as the
Prime Minister of Sierra Leone This is a list of heads of government of Sierra Leone, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1954 until the present day. The office of Prime Minister was abolished after the constitutional referendum in 1978, and reinstated ...
, taking the office to which he had been elected in 1967 before a military coup, and restoring Sierra Leone to civilian rule. In 1971, Stevens would become the nation's first President when his nation became a republic. *An estimated 200,000 college and high school students in New York City failed to show up for school after a call for a nationwide protest by the Student Mobilization Committee To End the War In Vietnam, but, as contemporary accounts noted "outside of New York City, it appeared that only small numbers of students were taking part in the activities" and "most schools across the country reported normal or near-normal activities". More than 20 years later, a historian would claim that "the largest student protest in the nation's history occurred as more than one million high school and college students boycotted classes to show their disdain for the war." *Born: Corrinne Wicks, English TV soap opera actress, in
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
*Died: John Heartfield (Helmut Herzfeld), 76, German artist and anti-fascist activist


April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
, 1968 (Saturday)

*The Abortion Act 1967 came into effect in the UK, legalizing abortion on a number of grounds, with the abortions paid by the National Health Service. The law required an agreement by "two registered medical practitioners" that the risk to the life or to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman would be "greater than if the pregnancy was not terminated" or if there was a substantial risk that the unborn child would be seriously handicapped. *Surgeons at the Hôpital de la Pitié in Paris, began the first heart transplant operation to be performed in Europe, and the seventh in the world. A three-man surgical team, led by Dr. Christian Cabrol, began the surgery after 23-year old Michel Gyppaz died of brain injuries received in an automobile accident, and completed it nine hours later. The recipient, Clovis Roblain, suffered damage during the operation after a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to his brain. He never regained consciousness and died 51 hours after receiving the new heart. *The vacant world heavyweight boxing championship was filled by
Jimmy Ellis Jimmy Ellis may refer to: * Jimmy Ellis (boxer) (1940–2014), American boxer * Jimmy "Orion" Ellis (1945–1998), American singer * Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis (born 1935), American musician * Jimmy Ellis (1938–2012), lead singer of The Trammps * Ji ...
, one year to the day after the World Boxing Association had stripped the title from
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
on April 28, 1967. Ellis— who, like Ali, was a native of Louisville, Kentucky— was considered the underdog in the fight in
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
against Jerry Quarry, won in a split decision after 15 rounds against Quarry, with two judges in his favor and the third calling the bout a draw. *U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey formally announced that he would seek the Democratic Party nomination to run for President of the United States. Humphrey committed to the run during a speech to supporters at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, and American television networks interrupted their regular programming to show the speech live. * National Airlines stopped operating its last
Lockheed L-188A Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensi ...
propjets and became an "all-jet airline". Its fleet operated Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 727 aircraft. The final flight originated in Boston and made five stops before touching down in Fort Myers, Florida.


April 28, 1968 (Sunday)

*Five athletes on the track and field team of Lamar University in Texas were killed, along with their coach and a pilot, when their twin-engine Beechcraft airplane crashed near Beaumont and exploded. The group was returning home after competing the day before at the Drake Relays outdoor event in
Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
, Iowa.


April 29, 1968 (Monday)

*The musical ''
Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
'', with music by Galt McDermott and lyrics by Gerome Ragni, opened on Broadway, at the Biltmore Theatre, and would run for 1,873 performances. *The
Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
decommissioned its last aircraft carrier, HNLMS ''Karel Doorman'' (R81). *Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro laid the cornerstone of the government-owned Alfa Romeo auto factory in Pomigliano d’Arco. While the factory was intended to bring jobs and more industry to Southern Italy, it would prove to be an economic failure. *Born: Jürgen Vogel, German character actor; in Hamburg


April 30, 1968 (Tuesday)

*New York Governor
Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
announced that he would challenge frontrunner
Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...
for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States. *Officers of the NYPD retook control of five occupied buildings on the campus of Columbia University, arrested 720 demonstrators, and ended the strike that had closed the institution. *
Jim Cairns James Ford Cairns (4 October 191412 October 2003) was an Australian politician who was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. He is best re ...
unsuccessfully challenged Gough Whitlam for leadership of the Australian Labor Party. The ALP caucus gave Whitlam 38 votes and Cairns 32. *The deployment of the 27th U.S. Marine Regimental Landing Team brought the number of Marines stationed in Vietnam to four less than 86,000. The 85,996 U.S. Marines represent the peak of that service branch's presence in the Vietnam War. *Died: Clovis Roblain, 65, died less than six hours after receiving the first heart transplant performed in Europe."Transplant Patient Dies In France", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', May 1, 1968, p2


References

{{Events by month links
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
*1968-04 *1968-04