What Happened in 1968

Major Events

1968 in Film & TV

  • Feb 27 CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite delivers a scathing editorial on America's chances of winning the Vietnam War
  • Mar 17 Bee Gees make their US TV debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" performing "To Love Somebody" and "Words"
  • Apr 2 "2001 A Space Odyssey" directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, premieres at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C.
  • Sep 24 "60 Minutes" premieres on CBS-TV
  • Sep 26 "Oliver!" directed by Carol Reed and starring Mark Lester and Ron Moody premieres in London (Best Picture 1969)
  • Oct 1 Cult zombie film "Night of the Living Dead" directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea premieres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Dec 3 Elvis Presley's Comeback Special airs on NBC, his 1st live performance in seven years, re-launching his singing career
  • Dec 30 Frank Sinatra first records "My Way" with lyrics were written by Paul Anka and based on the French song "Comme d'habitude"

1968 in Music

  • Jan 22 "Lady Soul" 14th studio album by Aretha Franklin is released (Billboard Album of the Year, 1968)
  • Feb 16 Beatles George Harrison, John Lennon and their wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
  • Feb 29 Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" wins Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the first rock LP to do so
  • Jun 1 Simon & Garfunkel's single "Mrs Robinson" from "The Graduate" hits #1 (first rock song to win Grammy for Record of the Year)
  • Jul 15 Fantasy Records releases the self-titled debut album "Creedence Clearwater Revival"; it feature's their cover of Dale Hawkin's "Susie Q"
  • Aug 26 "Hey Jude" single released by the Beatles in US (Billboard Song of the Year 1968, Billboard 10th biggest song of all time 2013)
  • Aug 30 1st record released on Apple label in UK is The Beatles single "Hey Jude"
  • Sep 28 Beatles' "Hey Jude" single goes #1 and stays #1 for 9 weeks
  • Dec 21 Glen Campbell's album "Wichita Lineman" goes to #1 in the US

1968 in Sport

Did You Know?

American radical feminist Valerie Solanas attempts to assassinate Andy Warhol by shooting him three times. She is later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and pleads guilty to "reckless assault with intent to harm", serving a 3 year sentence.

June 3, 1968


More People Born in 1968

Fun Fact About 1968

Japan's biggest heist, the still-unsolved "300 million yen robbery", occurs in Tokyo.

December 10, 1968


More 1968 Deaths

Famous Weddings in 1968

Famous Divorces in 1968

  • Aug 8 Actor Jack Nicholson (31) divorces Sandra Knight (28) after 6 years of marriage
  • Aug 16 Singer and actor Frank Sinatra and 3rd wife actress Mia Farrow divorce after 2 years of marriage
  • Aug 22 Cynthia Lennon sues Beatle member John Lennon for divorce on grounds of adultery

More 1968 Weddings