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WORLD EVENTS AND THE YEAR 1968
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World Events of 1968
- The US Navy ship Pueblo is seized by North Korea. 83 on board are held as spies.
- The North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive. This is considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War.
North Vietnamese troops
- Worldwide outrage at America's continued presence in Vietnam is reflected in global protests.
Anti-war demonstrators
- First computer to be made from integrated circuits is developed.
- American soldiers massacre 347 civilians at My Lai. The news of which would later weaken the US public's resolve in the US / Vietnamese war.
- Czechoslovakia is invaded Warsaw Pact forces.
Czechoslovakia
- Johnson announces he will not seek another term of office.
- A Viet Cong officer is executed by Nguyen Ngoc Loan, 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, and sways U.S. public opinion against the war.
Execution of Vietnamese prisoner
- "May of 68" is a symbol of the resistance of that generation. Agitations and strikes in Paris lead many youth to believe that a revolution is starting. Student and worker strikes, sometimes referred to as the French May, nearly bring down the French government.
"May-68" poster
- US Presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy is assassinated.
- The Intel Corporation is formed.
- France explodes its first hydrogen bomb.
- Swaziland, and Equatorial Guinea gain independence.
- Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey is released.
2001: A Space Odyssey
- Future U.S. president George W. Bush is able to avoid going to Vietnam by enlisting in the Texas Air National Guard. To his credit we can say that during his time there, no North Vietnamese were ever able to attack Texas.
George W. Bush
- China's "Cultural Revolution" continues.
Cultural Revolution
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© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 David and Chandrakantha Courtney
For comments, corrections, and suggestions, kindly contact David Courtney at david@chandrakantha.com
