It was the year of the assassinations of MLK and RFK, Richard Nixon's election as president, the Mexico City Summer Olympic Games, the release of the "White Album" by the Beatles, Elvis Presley's "Comeback Special," the release of "2001: A Space Odyssey," and the Christmas Eve orbit around the moon by Apollo 8. Check back often for another dose of 1968! Monday, September 16, 2013 Chitty Chitty Bang BangThe movie trailer for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," released on December 16, 1968: If you're puzzled by Dick Van Dyke's American accent, according to the film's IMDB entry, he got so much grief for his horrible faux Cockney in "Mary Poppins" that he only agreed to do this film after being assured that he didn't have to attempt a British accent. Labels: 1968 movies, Dick Van Dyke link 0 commentsMonday, February 11, 2013 1968: The Year of the PitcherAccording to this 2011 ESPN story, 1968 was the Year of the Pitcher: The numbers are staggering, even when compared to 2010-11. In 1968, the average of runs per game was 6.8, compared to 8.4 in 2011. There were 1.2 home runs per game in 1968, compared to 1.7 this season. The major league batting average was .237, compared to .250. And the major league ERA was 2.98, compared to 3.86. That bears repeating: The average pitcher in 1968 had an ERA under 3.00. The highest team ERAs in baseball that season -- 3.64 by the Washington Senators (American League) and 3.56 by the Cincinnati Reds (National League) -- would be in the top 10 today. Labels: 1968 sports link 0 commentsMonday, January 28, 2013 Chicago's Congress Expressway in 1968
A 1968 view of Chicago from a bridge over the Congress Expressway (290). There's an amazing detail noted on this picture's Flickr page -- the flag you see on the left is at half mast because the photo was taken four days after the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Posted on Flickr by David Wilson. link 0 comments Monday, January 14, 2013 The 1968 Republican National Convention
Nixon supporters at the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida, posted on Flickr by the State Library and Archives of Florida. Labels: Miami Beach, politics, Republican National Convention, Richard Nixon link 0 commentsWednesday, September 26, 2012 1968 Television: Walter Cronkite Reports the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.The CBS Evening News on April 4, 1968: Labels: 1968 television, Martin Luther King, politics, Walter Cronkite link 0 commentsFriday, September 14, 2012 The Movies of 1968: Planet of the ApesThe movie trailer for the original Planet of the Apes movie, starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, released on February 8, 1968: You can find a plot summary, cast information, and other details about "Planet of the Apes" at Wikipedia and IMDB. Labels: 1968 movies, Charlton Heston, Planet of the Apes, Roddy McDowall link 0 commentsFriday, July 20, 2012 1968 Photo: George Foreman at the Mexico City Olympics
Long before he started hawking grills, George Foreman won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Photo posted on Flickr by mezcal&tequila. Labels: 1968 Olympics, 1968 sports, George Foreman, Mexico City link 0 commentsFriday, June 15, 2012 1968 Television: George Harrison on the Smothers Brothers ShowOn November 17, 1968, George Harrison of the Beatles was a surprise guest on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." A transcript of Harrison's brief appearance is here. Labels: 1968 television, George Harrison, The Beatles, The Smothers Brothers link 0 commentsThursday, June 14, 2012 1968 Television: Elvis Presley's Comeback SpecialElvis Presley performs "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" during his 1968 comeback special, broadcast on December 3, 1968 on NBC. Labels: 1968 television, Elvis Presley link 0 commentsWednesday, June 13, 2012 The 1968 Christmas Eve Broadcast from Apollo 8The Apollo 8 astronauts -- Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders -- read from the Book of Genesis as they orbit the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968. Labels: 1968 television, Apollo 8, Christmas link 0 commentsMonday, June 11, 2012 Life Magazine Coverage of the 1968 Democratic Convention in ChicagoGoogle Books has every issue of Life Magazine from November 1936 to December 1972 scanned and available for online viewing. Click here to see a feature on the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Labels: Chicago, Democratic National Convention, politics link 0 commentsMonday, January 30, 2012 State Street in Chicago in 1968
A postcard view of Chicago's State Street in 1968, looking south from Lake Street. Posted on Flickr by Roloff. Note the films on the theatre marquees -- "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Odd Couple." Labels: 1968 movies, Chicago, postcards link 0 comments |
Other years to explore -- what happened in: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 recent posts Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 1968: The Year of the Pitcher Chicago's Congress Expressway in 1968 The 1968 Republican National Convention 1968 Television: Walter Cronkite Reports the Assas... The Movies of 1968: Planet of the Apes 1968 Photo: George Foreman at the Mexico City Olym... 1968 Television: George Harrison on the Smothers B... 1968 Television: Elvis Presley's Comeback Special The 1968 Christmas Eve Broadcast from Apollo 8 archives January 2012 June 2012 July 2012 September 2012 January 2013 February 2013 September 2013 |