1968 births
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The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.


Events


January–February

* January 5 – " Prague Spring":
Alexander Dubček Alexander Dubček (; 27 November 1921 – 7 November 1992) was a Slovak politician who served as the First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) (''de facto'' leader of Czechoslova ...
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 Cominte ...
. * January 10John Gorton is sworn in as 19th Prime Minister of Australia, taking over from John McEwen 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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
the previous day, following the
disappearance of Harold Holt On 17 December 1967, Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming in the sea near Portsea, Victoria. An enormous search operation was mounted in and around Cheviot Beach, but his body was never recovered. Holt was p ...
. Gorton becomes the only Senator to become Prime Minister, though he immediately transfers to the House of Representatives through the
1968 Higgins by-election A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Higgins on 24 February 1968. It was triggered by the presumed drowning death of the Prime Minister and Liberal Party MP Harold Holt on 17 December 1967. Background O ...
in Holt's vacant seat. * January 15 – The
1968 Belice earthquake The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale, with five others of magnitude 5+. The maximum perceived intensity was X (''Extreme'') on the Merc ...
in Sicily kills 380 and injures around 1,000. * January 21 ** Vietnam War:
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 (KSCB ...
– 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 – Rog ...
. **
1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident, sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (; da, Thuleulykken), involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. Th ...
: 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 bombs. *
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. * 1264 &nda ...
North Korea seizes the , claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying. * January 25Israeli submarine sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 69. * January 28
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
submarine '' Minerve'' sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 52. * January 30Vietnam War: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...
begins as
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
forces launch a series of surprise attacks across South Vietnam. *
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 the ...
**
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
soldiers attack the Embassy of the United States, Saigon. **
Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kir ...
president Hammer DeRoburt declares independence from Australia. *
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 The (First) Peace of Thorn w ...
** Vietnam War: A
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
officer named Nguyễn Văn Lém is executed by
Nguyễn Ngọc Loan Major General 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 Summary execution, summarily executed handcuffed ...
, a South Vietnamese 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 convictio ...
, and sways U.S. public opinion against the war. ** The
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
and the
New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...
merge to form Penn Central, the largest ever corporate merger up to this date. * February 6February 18 – The
1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...
are held in Grenoble, France. * February 12Vietnam War: Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre. * February 24Vietnam War: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...
is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Huế. * February 25Vietnam War: Hà My massacre.


March–April

*
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 cut ...
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 of ...
closes marking the end of over 300 years of
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...
in the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its rol ...
of England. *
March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 ...
– Un-recognized
Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to th ...
executes 3 black citizens, the first executions since
UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...
, prompting international condemnation. * March 7Vietnam War: The
First Battle of Saigon The First Battle of Saigon, fought during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, was the coordinated attack by communist forces, including both the North Vietnamese Army and the ''Viet Cong'' (VC), against Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. ...
ends. * March 8 ** The first student protests spark the
1968 Polish political crisis The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968, Students' March, or March events ( pl, Marzec 1968; studencki Marzec; wydarzenia marcowe), was a series of major student, intellectual and other protests against the ruling Poli ...
. ** The
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...
''K-129'' sinks with all 98 crew members, about 90 nautical miles (104 miles or 167 km) southwest of Hawaii. * March 1011Vietnam War:
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. *
March 11 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. * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
– U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
mandates that all computers purchased by the federal government support the
ASCII ASCII ( ), abbreviated from American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Because of ...
character encoding Character encoding is the process of assigning numbers to graphical characters, especially the written characters of human language, allowing them to be stored, transmitted, and transformed using digital computers. The numerical values that ...
. * March 12 ** Mauritius achieves independence from British rule. ** U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
barely edges out antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy 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 choosi ...
, a vote which highlights the deep divisions in the country, and the party, over Vietnam. * March 13 – The first
Rotaract Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goo ...
club is chartered in
North Charlotte Old North Charlotte is a neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. Old North Charlotte, contrary to its name, comprises a large section of the city's east side. Old North Charlotte is one of Charlotte's oldest neighborhoods and can trace its ...
, North Carolina. * March 14Nerve gas leaks from the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground near Skull Valley, Utah. * March 16 ** Vietnam WarMy Lai Massacre: American troops kill scores of civilians. The story will first become public in November 1969 and will help undermine public support for the U.S. efforts in Vietnam. ** U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy enters the race for the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...
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 Arab ...
Gold standard: The United States Congress repeals the requirement for a gold 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 end ...
23
Afrocentrism Afrocentrism is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the history of people of recent African descent. It is in some respects a response to Eurocentric attitudes about African people and their historical contributions. It ...
, Black Power, Vietnam War: Students at Howard University in Washington, D.C., signal a new era of militant student activism on college campuses in the U.S. Students stage rallies, protests and a 5-day
sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...
, laying siege to the administration building, shutting down the university in protest over its ROTC 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 – Æthelred ...
Daniel Cohn-Bendit ("Danny the Red") and 7 other students occupy the administrative offices of the
University of Nanterre Paris Nanterre University (French: ''Université Paris Nanterre''), formerly Paris-X and commonly referred to as Nanterre, is a public research university based in Nanterre, Paris, France. It is one of the most prestigious French universities, m ...
, 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 Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashed en route from Cork to London on 24 March 1968 killing all 61 passengers and crew. The aircraft, a Vickers Viscount 803 named "St. Phelim", crashed into the sea off Tuskar Rock, County Wexford. Although the investi ...
crashes en route from
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
to London near Tuskar Rock, Wexford, killing 61 passengers and crew. *
March 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 Didiu ...
Brazilian 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 of Rio de Janeiro after a confrontation in the restaurant Calabouço (), in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Edson was one o ...
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. *
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. Joh ...
– Bombs explode at midnight in two department stores in Frankfurt-am-Main;
Andreas Baader Berndt Andreas Baader (6 May 1943 – 18 October 1977) was one of the first leaders of the West German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction (RAF), also commonly known as ''the Baader-Meinhof Group''. Life Andreas Baader was born in ...
and Gudrun Ensslin are later arrested and sentenced for arson. * April 4 ** Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: Martin Luther King Jr. is shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King-assassination riots erupt in major American cities, lasting for several days afterwards. ** Apollo program: Apollo-Saturn mission 502 (Apollo 6) is launched, as the second and last uncrewed test-flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. ** AEK Athens B.C., AEK Athens wins the 1967–68 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, FIBA European Cup Winners Cup Final in basketball against USK Praha, Slavia Prague, in front of a record attendance of 80,000 spectators. It is the first major European trophy won at club level of any sport in Greece. * April 6 ** "La, la, la" by Massiel (music and lyrics by Manuel de la Calva and Ramón Arcusa) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 for Spain, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. ** A shootout between Black Panthers and police in Oakland, California, results in several arrests and deaths, including 17-year-old Panther Bobby Hutton. ** Richmond, Indiana explosion: A double explosion in downtown Richmond, Indiana, Richmond kills 41 and injures 150. * April 7 – British racing driver Jim Clark is killed in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheimring, Hockenheim. * April 10 – The ferry strikes a reef at the mouth of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, with the loss of 53 lives, in Cyclone Giselle, which has created the windiest conditions ever recorded in New Zealand. * April 11 ** Josef Bachmann tries to assassinate Rudi Dutschke, leader of the left-wing movement (Ausserparlamentarische Opposition, 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 Axel Springer AG, Springer Press HQ in Berlin and many are arrested (one of them Ulrike Meinhof). * April 20 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes the 15th Prime Minister of Canada. * April 23 ** President Mobutu releases captured mercenary, mercenaries 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–April 30, 30 – Vietnam War: Columbia University protests of 1968 – Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City take over administration buildings and shut down the university. * April 26 – The nuclear weapon "Boxcar" is 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. * May 13 – Manchester City F.C., Manchester City wins the 1967–68 Football League First Division by 2 clear points, over 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. * May 18 ** Mattel's ''Hot Wheels'' toy cars are introduced. ** West Bromwich Albion win the Football Association Cup, defeating Everton 1–0 after extra time. The winning goal is scored by Jeff Astle. * May 19 ** 1968 Italian general election, A general election is held in Italy. ** 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: U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles), Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sirhan Sirhan is arrested. * June 7 – The 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. 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 23 ** Superclásico#Puerta 12 tragedy, 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 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. * 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 entitled ''Humanae vitae'', on birth control. * July 26 – Vietnam War: South Vietnamese 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 Railways steam locomotives make the 120-mile journey from Liverpool to Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle and return to Liverpool – 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' 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 – Police clash with anti-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 – Eswatini, Swaziland (now eSwatini) becomes independent. * 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 while making its approach to Nice following its departure from the island of Corsica. * The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is founded. * September 13 ** Albania officially withdraws from the Warsaw Pact upon the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, having already ceased to participate actively in Pact activity since 1962. * September 17 – The D'Oliveira affair: The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of South Africa is cancelled when the South Africans refuse to accept the presence of Basil D'Oliveira, a Cape Coloured, in the side. * September 21 – The Soviet's Zond 5 uncrewed lunar flyby mission returns to earth, with its first-of-a-kind biological payload intact. * September 23 – Vietnam War: The
Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...
comes to an end in South Vietnam. * 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 – Operation Sealords: United States and South Vietnamese forces launch a new operation in the Mekong Delta. * October 11 ** Apollo program: 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 Games of the XIX Olympiad are held in Mexico City, Mexico. * October 12 – Equatorial Guinea receives its independence from Spain. * October 14 ** Vietnam War: The United States Department of Defense announces that the United States Army and United States Marines will send about 24,000 troops back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours. * October 16 ** In Mexico City, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a 1968 Olympics Black Power salute, black power salute after winning, respectively, the gold and bronze medals in the Olympic men's 200 metres. ** Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney Riots, provoked by the banning of Walter Rodney from the country. * October 18 – US athlete Bob Beamon breaks the long jump world record by 55 cm / 21 ins at the 1968 Summer Olympics, Olympics in Mexico City. His record stands for 23 years, and is still the second longest jump in history. * October 25 – Led Zeppelin make their first live performance, at Surrey University in England * October 31 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in the Paris peace talks, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1.


November–December

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


Dates unknown

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


Births


January

* January 1 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer * January 2 **Violet Berlin, British presenter and script writer **Cuba Gooding Jr., African-American actor * January 3 – Matheus Nachtergaele, Brazilian actor and director * January 5 ** DJ BoBo, Swiss singer, songwriter and dancer ** Andrzej Gołota, Polish boxer ** Carrie Ann Inaba, American choreographer, game show host and singer * January 6 ** Blanca Eekhout, Venezuelan politician ** John Singleton, African-American film director and writer (d. 2019) * January 8 – James Brokenshire, British politician (d. 2021) * January 11 – Benjamin List, German organic chemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry * January 12 – Rachael Harris, American actress and comedian * January 13 – Pat Onstad, Canadian footballer * January 14 – LL Cool J, African-American rapper and actor * January 15 – Chad Lowe, American actor and director * January 16 ** Stephan Pastis, American cartoonist ** Atticus Ross, English musician, songwriter, record producer and audio engineer * January 17 – Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete * January 21 – Charlotte Ross, American actress * January 22 – Guy Fieri, American chef * January 24 ** Michael Kiske, German musician ** Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast * January 26 ** Eric Davis (American football), Eric Davis, American football player ** Novala Takemoto, Japanese author and fashion designer * January 27 – Mike Patton, American singer * January 28 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer * January 29 – Edward Burns, American actor * January 30 – 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 The (First) Peace of Thorn w ...
** Lisa Marie Presley, American singer ** Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player ** Pauly Shore, American actor * February 3 ** David Scarboro, English actor (d. 1988) ** Vlade Divac, Serbian basketball player ** Marwan Khoury, Lebanese singer and composer * February 5 ** Roberto Alomar, American baseball player ** Marcus Grönholm, Finnish rally driver ** Qasim Melho, Syrian television actor * February 7 ** Peter Bondra, Slovakian ice hockey player ** Porntip Nakhirunkanok, Miss Universe 1988 * February 8 ** Gary Coleman, African-American actor (d. 2010) ** April Stewart, American voice actress * February 10 ** Laurie Foell, New Zealand/Australian actress ** Atika Suri, Indonesian television newscaster * February 11 ** Lavinia Agache, Romanian artistic gymnast ** Mo Willems, American children's book author * February 12 – Josh Brolin, American actor * February 13 ** Kelly Hu, American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen ** Niamh Kavanagh, Irish singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1993 winner * February 14 – Jules Asner, American model and television personality * February 15 – Gloria Trevi, Mexican singer and actress * February 18 ** Molly Ringwald, American actress ** Dennis Satin, German film director * February 21 – Pellom McDaniels, American football player (d. 2020) * February 22 ** Bradley Nowell, American musician (d. 1996) ** Jeri Ryan, American actress * February 24 ** Andy Berman, American actor, director, producer, writer, voice artist, and comedian ** Mitch Hedberg, American stand-up comedian (d. 2005) * February 29 – Sam Sneed, American producer and rapper


March

* March 1 ** Kat Cressida, American voice actress ** Kunjarani Devi, Indian weightlifter ** Muho Noelke, German Zen master *
March 2 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 cut ...
– Daniel Craig, British actor * March 3 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player * March 4 ** Giovanni Carrara, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player ** Patsy Kensit, British actress * March 5 ** Gordon Bajnai, Hungarian Prime Minister ** Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, 10th Prime Minister of Eswatini (d. 2020) *
March 6 Events Pre-1600 * 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 ...
** Moira Kelly, American actress ** :pt:Mara Maravilha, Mara Maravilha, Brazilian singer, songwriter, television presenter, actress and businesswoman * March 7 – Jeff Kent, American baseball player *
March 11 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. * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
– Lisa Loeb, American singer * March 12 – Aaron Eckhart, American actor * March 13 ** Akira Nogami, Japanese professional wrestler ** Masami Okui, Japanese singer * March 14 ** Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress ** James Frain, British actor * March 15 ** Mark McGrath, American singer ** Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian politician ** Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer * March 16 ** David MacMillan, Scottish-born organic chemist, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry ** Trevor Wilson (basketball), Trevor Wilson, American basketball player * March 20 ** Carlos Almeida (athlete), Carlos Almeida, Cape Verdean long-distance runner ** Ultra Naté, American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ and promoter *
March 22 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 – Æthelred ...
**Euronymous, Norwegian musician (d. 1993) * March 23 ** Damon Albarn, English singer-songwriter and musician ** Mike Atherton, English cricketer * March 26 ** Kenny Chesney, American country music singer ** James Iha, American rock musician * March 27 – Ben Koldyke, American actor *
March 28 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 Didiu ...
– Iris Chang, American author (d. 2004) * March 29 – Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress and singer * March 30 – Celine Dion, Canadian singer


April

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


May

* May 1 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer * May 2 ** Jeff Agoos, American soccer player ** Hikaru Midorikawa, Japanese voice actor * May 3 ** Nina Paley, American cartoonist ** Li Yong (television host), Chinese host (d. 2018) * May 4 ** Julian Barratt, English comedian, actor, musician and music producer ** Momoko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and singer * May 5 – John Soko, Zambian footballer (d. 1993) * May 7 ** Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish-born musician ** Traci Lords, American actress * May 8 – Mickaël Madar, French footballer * May 9 – Marie-José Pérec, French athlete * May 10 – Al Murray, English comedian * May 12 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder * May 13 ** Sonja Zietlow, German television presenter ** Scott Morrison, 30th Prime Minister of Australia * 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 – Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark * May 27 ** Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player ** Frank Thomas (AL baseball player), Frank Thomas, American baseball player * May 28 ** Kylie Minogue, Australian actress and singer ** Tetsu Nagasawa, Japanese footballer & manager * May 30 – 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 * June 9 – Aleksandr Konovalov (politician, born 1968), Aleksandr Konovalov, Russian lawyer and politician * June 10 ** Bill Burr, American comedian ** Nobutoshi Canna, Japanese voice actor * June 14 – Yasmine Bleeth, American actress * June 20 – Mateusz Morawiecki, Polish banker and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Poland * June 24 – Boris Gelfand, Israeli chess grandmaster * June 25 – Albert Fulivai, Tongan rugby league player * June 26 ** Paolo Maldini, Italian football player ** Jovenel Moïse, 42nd President of Haiti (d. 2021) ** Iwan Roberts, Welsh footballer * June 28 ** Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer ** Adam Woodyatt, English actor * June 29 ** Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player ** Brian d'Arcy James, American actor and musician * June 30 – Phil Anselmo, American heavy metal vocalist


July

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


August

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


September

* September 1 ** Mohamed Atta, 9/11 ringleader of the hijackers and pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001) ** Atsuko Yuya, Japanese voice actress * September 3 – Ray Coulthard, Raymond Coulthard, English actor * September 4 ** John DiMaggio, American voice actor and comedian ** Mike Piazza, American baseball player * September 5 – Thomas Levet, French golfer * September 7 ** Marcel Desailly, French footballer ** Lucy Robinson (actress), Lucy Robinson, British actress * September 9 – Julia Sawalha, English actress * September 10 ** Big Daddy Kane, American hip-hop artist ** Guy Ritchie, British film director * September 11 ** Kay Hanley, American musician ** Tetsuo Kurata, Japanese actor * September 13 – Laura Cutina, Romanian artistic gymnast * September 15 – Danny Nucci, American actor * September 16 – Marc Anthony, American actor and singer * September 17 ** Anastacia, American singer-songwriter ** Tito Vilanova, Spanish football manager (d. 2014) * September 18 – Toni Kukoč, Croatian basketball player * September 20 ** Philippa Forrester, British TV presenter ** Van Jones, African-American author ** Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress * September 21 ** Lisa Angell, French singer ** Kevin Buzzard, British mathematician ** Ricki Lake, American actress, producer, and television presenter * September 22 ** Megan Hollingshead, American voice actress ** Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, 62nd Prime Minister of Romania * September 23 ** Yvette Fielding, English television presenter ** Michelle Thomas, American actress (d. 1998) * September 25 ** Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, (d. 2013) ** John A. List, American economist ** Will Smith, African-American actor and rapper * September 26 ** James Caviezel, American actor ** Michelle Meldrum, American guitarist (d. 2008) ** Tricia O'Kelley, American actress ** Ben Shenkman, American television, film and stage actor * September 27 ** Mari Kiviniemi, 62nd Prime Minister of Finland ** Paul Rudish, American voice actor and animator * September 28 ** Mika Häkkinen, Finnish double Formula 1 world champion ** Naomi Watts, British actress and film producer * September 29 ** Patrick Burns (paranormal investigator), Patrick Burns, American paranormal investigator and television personality ** Alex Skolnick, American jazz/heavy metal guitarist ** Samir Soni, Indian film and TV actor


October

* October 1 ** Mark Durden-Smith, British television presenter ** Jay Underwood, American actor * October 2 ** Lucy Cohu, English actress ** Victoria Derbyshire, English broadcast presenter ** Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player (d. 2017) * October 3 – Paul Crichton, English footballer * October 7 ** Luminița Anghel, Romanian dance/pop recording artist, songwriter, television personality and politician ** Thom Yorke, British singer-songwriter * October 8 ** Daniela Castelo, Argentine journalist (d. 2011) ** Emily Procter, American actress * October 9 ** Troy Davis, American high-profile death row inmate and human rights activist (d. 2011) ** Pete Docter, American animator, director * October 10 ** Bart Brentjens, Dutch mountainbiker ** Feridun Düzağaç, Turkish rock singer-songwriter * October 11 ** Tiffany Grant, American voice actress ** Jane Krakowski, American actress ** Brett Salisbury, American football quarterback * October 12 ** Paul Harragon, Australian rugby league player ** Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer * October 13 ** Preet Bharara, Indian-American politician ** Tisha Campbell-Martin, American actress and singer * October 14 ** Matthew Le Tissier, English footballer * October 15 ** Didier Deschamps, French footballer ** Jyrki 69, Finnish singer ** Vanessa Marcil, American actress * October 20 – Damien Timmer, British joint-managing director, television producer, television executive producer * October 22 – Shaggy (musician), Shaggy, Jamaican singer * October 24 – Mark Walton (story artist), Mark Walton, American story artist, actor * October 27 – Alain Auderset, Swedish writer * October 28 – Juan Orlando Hernández, 55th President of Honduras * October 29 – Tsunku, Japanese singer, music producer and song composer * October 30 ** Moira Quirk, English actress and voice actress ** Jack Plotnick, American film and television actor, writer, and producer


November

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


December

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


Unknown date

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


Deaths


January

* January 4 ** Armando Castellazzi, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1904) ** Joseph Pholien, Belgian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1884) * January 6 – Karl Kobelt, 2-time President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1891) * January 7 ** Gholamreza Takhti, Iranian wrestler (b. 1930) ** Mario Roatta, Italian general (b. 1887) * January 9 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese athlete (b. 1940) * January 10 ** 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 – Leopold Infeld, Polish physicist (b. 1898) * January 16 – Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, religious broadcaster, and founder of Bob Jones University (b. 1883) * January 18 – John Ridgely, American actor (b. 1909) * January 21 – Georg Dertinger, German politician (b. 1902) * January 22 ** Aleksandr Arbuzov, Russian chemist (b. 1877) ** Duke Kahanamoku, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1890) * January 29 – Tsuguharu Foujita, Japanese-French painter and printmaker (b. 1886)


February

* February 4 ** Eddie Baker, American actor (b. 1897) ** Neal Cassady, American author and poet (b. 1926) * February 7 – Nick Adams (actor, born 1931), Nick Adams, American actor (b. 1931) * February 10 – Pitirim Sorokin, Russian-American sociologist (b. 1889) * February 11 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1888) * February 13 ** Mae Marsh, American actress (b. 1894) ** Ildebrando Pizzetti, Italian composer (b. 1880) * February 15 – Little Walter, American blues musician, singer, and songwriter (b. 1930) * February 17 – Sir Donald Wolfit, English actor (b. 1902) * February 19 – Georg Hackenschmidt, German strongman and professional wrestler (b. 1877) * February 20 – Anthony Asquith, British director and writer (b. 1902) * February 21 – Howard Florey, Australian-born pharmacologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (b. 1898) * February 22 – Peter Arno, American cartoonist (b. 1904) * February 25 – 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. * 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. * 845 ...
– Joseph W. Martin Jr., American politician (b. 1884) * March 8 – Jerzy Braun (rower), Jerzy Braun, Polish athlete (b. 1911) * March 14 – Erwin Panofsky, German-Jewish art historian (b. 1892) * March 15 – Khuang Aphaiwong, 4th Prime Minister of Thailand, country leader during World War II (b. 1902) * March 16 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Italian composer (b. 1895) * March 20 – Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish film director (b. 1889) * March 23 – Edwin O'Connor, American journalist, novelist, and radio commentator (b. 1918) *
March 24 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- American child actor, Bobby Driscoll (b. 1937)


April

* April 1 – Lev Landau, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908) * April 4 – ** Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1929) ** Assis Chateaubriand, Brazilian newspaper magnate (b. 1892) * April 7 – Jim Clark, Scottish racing driver and double Formula One World Champion (b. 1936) *
April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Rog ...
– Harold D. Babcock, American astronomer (b. 1882) * April 15 – Boris Lyatoshinsky, Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher (b. 1895) * April 16 ** Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893) ** Albert Betz, German physicist (b. 1885) ** Edna Ferber, American writer (b. 1885) * April 24 ** Tommy Noonan, American actor (b. 1921) ** Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876) * April 25 – Gunnar Andersen, Norwegian footballer and ski jumper (b. 1890) * April 26 – John Heartfield, German visual artist (b. 1891)


May

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


June

* June 1 – Helen Keller, American activist and spokeswoman for the deaf and blind (b. 1880) * June 2 – R. Norris Williams, American tennis player (b. 1891) * June 4 ** Dorothy Gish, American actress (b. 1898) ** Walter Nash, Sir Walter Nash, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1882) * June 6 ** Randolph Churchill, British politician, son of Winston Churchill (b. 1911) ** Robert F. Kennedy, American lawyer and politician (United States Senator, U.S. Attorney General) (b. 1925) * June 7 – Dan Duryea, American actor (b. 1907) * June 14 ** Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Swedish composer (b. 1916) ** Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901) * June 15 ** Sam Crawford, American baseball player (b. 1880) ** Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923) * June 17 – 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 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 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 – Pio of Pietrelcina, Italian Roman Catholic priest and saint (b. 1887) * September 24 – Virginia Valli, American actress (b. 1898) * September 28 – Norman Brookes, Sir Norman Brookes, Australian tennis champion (b. 1877)


October

* October 1 – Romano Guardini, Italian-German Catholic priest and theologian (b. 1885) * October 2 – Marcel Duchamp, French artist (b. 1887) * October 4 ** Francis Biddle, American politician (b. 1886) ** Hitoshi Imamura, Japanese general (b. 1886) * October 13 ** Manuel Bandeira, Brazilian poet, literary critic, and translator (b. 1886) ** Bea Benaderet, American actress (b. 1906) ** John L. Hines, American general, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (b. 1868) * October 15 ** Franz Beyer (general), Franz Beyer, German general (b. 1892) ** Herbert Copeland, American biologist (b. 1902) * October 18 – Lee Tracy, American actor (b. 1898) * October 26 – Sergei Natanovich Bernstein, Russian and Soviet mathematician (b. 1880) * October 27 – Lise Meitner, German-Austrian physicist, discoverer of nuclear fission (b. 1878) * October 28 – Hans Cramer, German general (b. 1896) * October 30 ** Ramon Novarro, Mexican-born American actor (b. 1899) ** Conrad Richter, American writer (b. 1890)


November

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


December

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


Date unknown

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


Nobel Prizes

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


References


Further reading

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

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

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


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


External links

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