Born in 1968 - Zodiac Signs, Personality and Horoscopes

1968 Tropical Ephemeris

What happened in January 1968

• January 1, 1968: I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously to show support for the British economy.
• January 5, 1968: Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, signaling a period of political liberalization.
• January 10, 1968: John Gorton is sworn in as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, becoming the only Senator to hold the position.
• January 15, 1968: The 1968 Belice earthquake in Sicily kills 380 and injures around 1,000, causing significant damage.
• January 21, 1968: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the Vietnam War begins, lasting until April 8.
• January 23, 1968: North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying, escalating tensions between the two countries.
• January 25, 1968: Israeli submarine INS Dakar sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 69 crew members, becoming one of Israel's deadliest naval disasters.
• January 28, 1968: French submarine Minerve sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 52 crew members, leading to an extensive search and rescue operation.
• January 30, 1968: Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive begins as Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks across South Vietnam, marking a turning point in the war.
• January 31, 1968: Viet Cong soldiers attack the Embassy of the United States in Saigon, highlighting the intensity and reach of the Tet Offensive.
• February 1, 1968: Vietnam War: Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Viet Cong officer, is executed by Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, South Vietnamese National Police Chief. Eddie Adams' photograph of the event gains global attention, wins the 1969 Pulitzer Prize, and influences U.S. public opinion against the war.
• February 6, 1968: 1968 Winter Olympics: Held in Grenoble, France.
• February 12, 1968: Vietnam War: Massacre in Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất.
• February 24, 1968: Vietnam War: Tet Offensive ends; South Vietnam recaptures Huế.
• February 25, 1968: Vietnam War: Massacre in Hà My.
• March 2, 1968: Closure of Baggeridge Colliery, marking the end of 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country, England.
• March 6, 1968: Unrecognized Rhodesia executes 3 black citizens, prompting international condemnation.
• March 7, 1968: Vietnam War: The First Battle of Saigon ends.
• March 8, 1968: Student protests spark the 1968 Polish political crisis.
• March 10, 1968: Vietnam War: Battle of Lima Site 85, the largest single ground combat loss of U.S. Air Force members during the Laotian Civil War.
• March 11, 1968: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson mandates ASCII character encoding support for computers purchased by the federal government.
• March 12, 1968: Mauritius gains independence from British rule.
• March 13, 1968: The first Rotaract club is established in North Charlotte, North Carolina.
• March 14, 1968: Nerve gas leaks from the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground near Skull Valley, Utah.
• March 16, 1968: My Lai Massacre: American troops kill civilians, later undermining public support for the U.S. in Vietnam.
• March 18, 1968: U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back U.S. currency.
• March 19, 1968: Students at Howard University protest the ROTC program, the Vietnam War, and demand a more Afrocentric curriculum.
• March 22, 1968: Daniel Cohn-Bendit and students occupy the administrative offices of the University of Nanterre, triggering events leading to the May 1968 uprising in France.
• March 24, 1968: Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashes en route from Cork to London, killing 61 passengers and crew.
• March 28, 1968: Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is shot by police during a protest, sparking anti-dictatorship protests.
• April 2, 1968: Bombs explode in two department stores in Frankfurt-am-Main; Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin, members of the Red Army Faction, are later arrested and sentenced for arson.
• April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; riots erupt in major American cities, lasting for several days.
• April 6, 1968: "La, la, la" 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 in London. This marked Spain's first victory in the contest and remains their only win to date. It is considered a significant moment in Spanish music history, as it brought international recognition to Spanish artists and helped to popularize Spanish music around the world. The song itself became a hit in many countries, reaching the top of the charts in several European countries and becoming a signature song for Massiel. The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song competition held among the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It is one of the longest-running television programs in the world, first broadcast in 1956. The contest has been held every year since then, except in 2020, when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eurovision Song Contest is a popular event, with millions of viewers around the world. It has been credited with helping to promote peace and understanding among European countries and has launched the careers of many successful musicians."
• April 7, 1968: British racing driver Jim Clark dies in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim.
• April 10, 1968: The ferry TEV Wahine strikes a reef in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, causing 53 deaths, during Cyclone Giselle.
• April 11, 1968: Josef Bachmann attempts to assassinate Rudi Dutschke, leader of the left-wing movement (APO) in Germany; both Bachmann and Dutschke survive, but Dutschke dies of his brain injuries 11 years later.
• April 20, 1968: Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes the 15th Prime Minister of Canada.
• April 23, 1968: President Mobutu of Congo releases captured mercenaries.
• April 26, 1968: The nuclear weapon "Boxcar" is tested at the Nevada Test Site in the biggest detonation of Operation Crosstie.
• May 2, 1968: Israel Broadcasting Authority commences television broadcasts.
• May 3, 1968: Braniff Flight 352 crashes near Dawson, Texas, United States, killing all 85 people on board.
• May 13, 1968: Paris student riots: One million march through the streets of Paris.
• May 16, 1968: Ronan Point, a 23 floor tower block in Canning Town, east London, partially collapses after a gas explosion, killing 5.
• May 17, 1968: 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 22, 1968: The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
• May 29, 1968: Manchester United wins the European Cup Final, becoming the first English team to do so.
• June 2, 1968: Student demonstrations in Yugoslavia start in Belgrade, expressing dissatisfaction with the government and demanding reforms.
• June 3, 1968: Radical feminist Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol at his New York City studio, The Factory; he survives after a 5-hour operation. This incident highlights the growing tension between art and politics.
• June 4, 1968: The Standard & Poor's 500 index in the United States closes above 100 for the first time, at 100.38, marking a significant milestone in the stock market.
• June 5, 1968: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Robert F. Kennedy, a leading 1968 Democratic presidential candidate, is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. This tragic event had a profound impact on the political landscape of the United States.
• June 7, 1968: The Ford sewing machinists strike for equal pay starts at the Ford Dagenham plant in London, highlighting the ongoing struggle for gender equality in the workplace.
• June 10, 1968: Italy beats Yugoslavia 2–0 in a replay to win the 1968 European Championship, showcasing the high level of competition in European football.
• June 12, 1968: The horror film Rosemary's Baby premieres in the U.S., introducing audiences to a new era of psychological horror cinema.
• June 17, 1968: The Malayan Communist Party launches a second insurgency and the state of emergency is again imposed in Malaysia, underscoring the ongoing political instability in the region.
• June 20, 1968: Austin Currie, Member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, along with others, squats in a house in Caledon to protest discrimination in housing allocations, bringing attention to the issue of housing inequality.
• June 21, 1968: A student demonstration in front of the Jornal do Brasil ("JB") building ends with 28 dead and over a thousand arrested, highlighting the government's crackdown on dissent in Brazil.
• June 23, 1968: Puerta 12 tragedy: A football stampede in Buenos Aires leaves 74 dead and 150 injured, emphasizing the need for improved safety measures at sporting events.
• June 26, 1968: The Bonin Islands are returned to Japan after 23 years of occupation by the United States Navy, marking a significant geopolitical shift in the Asia-Pacific region.
• July 1, 1968: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty opens for signature, aiming to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
• July 4, 1968: British yachtsman Alec Rose completes a 354-day solo round-the-world trip, receiving a hero's welcome upon his return.
• July 17, 1968: Saddam Hussein rises to power in Iraq after a coup d'état, marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
• July 18, 1968: Intel, a prominent semiconductor company, is founded, playing a crucial role in the development of modern computing technology.
• July 20, 1968: The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held, promoting sports and inclusivity for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
• July 23, 1968: The Glenville Shootout occurs in Cleveland, Ohio, involving a fierce gunfight between black militants and police, highlighting racial tensions and social unrest.
• July 25, 1968: Pope Paul VI publishes the encyclical Humanae vitae, reiterating the Catholic Church's stance against artificial birth control.
• July 26, 1968: South Vietnamese opposition leader Trương Đình Dzu is sentenced to hard labor for advocating a coalition government to end the Vietnam War, reflecting the political turmoil during the conflict.
• July 29, 1968: Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica erupts for the first time in centuries, causing significant damage and prompting evacuations.
• August 1, 1968: The Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul is established in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo.
• August 2, 1968: The magnitude 7.6 Casiguran earthquake affects the Aurora province in the Philippines, killing at least 207 and injuring 261.
• August 5, 1968: The Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida nominates Richard Nixon for U.S. president and Spiro Agnew for vice president.
• August 11, 1968: The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain.
• August 18, 1968: Two charter buses are forced into the Hida River in Japan in an accident caused by heavy rain; 104 are killed.
• August 20, 1968: 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.
• August 22, 1968: 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.
• August 24, 1968: Canopus (� test): France explodes its first hydrogen bomb in a test at Fangataufa atoll in French Polynesia.
• August 29, 1968: Crown Prince� of Norway marries Sonja Haraldsen, the commoner he has dated for 9 years.
• September 7, 1968: Air France Flight 1611 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea, killing 95, including French General René Cogny.
• September 13, 1968: Albania withdraws from the Warsaw Pact due to Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.
• September 17, 1968: The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of South Africa is canceled due to South Africa's refusal to accept Basil D'Oliveira, a Cape Coloured, in the side.
• September 21, 1968: The Soviet's Zond 5 uncrewed lunar flyby mission successfully returns to Earth with biological payload intact.
• September 23, 1968: The Tet Offensive in South Vietnam ends.
• September 27, 1968: Marcelo Caetano becomes prime minister of Portugal.
• September 29, 1968: A referendum in Greece grants more power to the military junta.
• October 2, 1968: The Tlatelolco massacre, a student demonstration in Mexico City, resulted in a bloodbath, killing an estimated 300-400 people just before the 1968 Summer Olympics.
• October 3, 1968: In Peru, Juan Velasco Alvarado takes power through a revolution.
• October 8, 1968: Operation Sealords, a joint operation between the United States and South Vietnam, commences in the Mekong Delta.
• October 11, 1968: Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo mission, is launched by NASA, aiming for live television broadcast from orbit and simulating lunar module maneuvers.
• October 12, 1968: The 1968 Summer Olympics are held in Mexico City, Mexico.
• October 14, 1968: The United States Department of Defense announces the involuntary return of approximately 24,000 troops to Vietnam for second tours.
• October 16, 1968: At the Olympics in Mexico City, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a black power salute after winning medals in the men's 200 meters.
• October 18, 1968: US athlete Bob Beamon sets a new world record in long jump at the Olympics, breaking the previous record by a significant margin.
• October 25, 1968: Led Zeppelin, a renowned rock band, makes its debut live performance at Surrey University in England.
• October 31, 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson announces a complete cessation of air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam, citing progress in the Paris peace talks.
• November 5, 1968: Richard Nixon wins the United States presidential election, defeating Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace. This election is significant as it marked a shift in American politics, with Nixon representing a more conservative approach.
• November 11, 1968: The Maldives declares a second republic, transitioning from a sultanate to a republic. This event is important as it marked the beginning of a new era in the Maldives' political history.
• November 15, 1968: Operation Commando Hunt begins in the Vietnam War, aiming to disrupt supplies and personnel along the Ho Chi Minh trail. This operation is notable for its extensive use of aerial bombardment, dropping 3 million tons of bombs on Laos.
• November 17, 1968: British European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service. This aircraft played a significant role in the development of short-haul air travel in Europe.
• November 19, 1968: President Modibo Keïta of Mali is overthrown in a bloodless military coup led by Moussa Traoré. This event marked a change in Mali's political landscape and had long-term implications for the country's stability.
• November 20, 1968: The Farmington Mine disaster in West Virginia kills seventy-eight men. This tragedy brought attention to the need for improved safety measures in mining operations.
• November 24, 1968: Four men hijack Pan Am Flight 281 from New York to Havana, Cuba. This incident highlights the issue of air piracy and the need for enhanced security measures in air travel.
• December 9, 1968: Douglas Engelbart publicly demonstrated his pioneering hypertext system, NLS, along with the computer mouse, at "The Mother of All Demos".
• December 10, 1968: The "300 million yen robbery", Japan's biggest heist, occurred in Tokyo, remaining unsolved.
• December 11, 1968: The film "Oliver!" opened in the U.S. after a successful run in London and Broadway, later winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.
• December 13, 1968: Brazilian president Artur da Costa e Silva enacted the AI-5 decree in response to growing unrest and perceived "pro-communist" violence, aiming to "stabilize" the country.
• December 22, 1968: Mao Zedong initiated the "Up to the mountains and down to the villages" movement, sending educated urban youth to the countryside for re-education.
• December 24, 1968: Apollo 8, a crewed U.S. spacecraft, entered orbit around the Moon, with astronauts becoming the first humans to see the far side of the Moon and Earth as a whole, capturing the iconic Earthrise photograph and reading from the Book of Genesis.
• December 28, 1968: Israeli forces launched an air attack on the airport in Beirut, destroying over a dozen aircraft.