1968
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1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar.
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Events
- January 5 – Alexander Dubček elected as leader of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party – the "Prague Spring" begins in Czechoslovakia
- January 15 – An earthquake in Sicily – 231 dead, 262 injured
- January 21 – US B-52 Stratofortress crashes in Greenland and in the process discharges four nuclear bombs
- January 23 – North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying.
- January 25 – The Israeli Submarine Dakar sinks in the Mediterranean Sea – 69 dead
- January 27 – French submarine sinks in the Mediterranean with 52 men
- January 30 – Vietnam War: The Tết Offensive begins, as NLF forces launch a series of surprise attacks across South Vietnam.
- January 31 – NLF soldiers attack the United States embassy in Saigon
- January 31 – Nauru's president Hammer DeRoburt declares independence from Australia.
- February 19 – PBS airs the first episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood with host Fred Rogers
- April 4 – Martin Luther King Jr. is shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee.
- June 5 – Robert F. Kennedy is shot, and dies on the following day.
- August 20 – The Prague Uprising is crushed.
- December 22 - Cultural Revolution: People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that it is "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."(Down to the Countryside Movement)
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Births
- January 5 - Adel Aljabrin, Saudi Arabian archer
- January 14 – LL Cool J, American singer and musician
- January 28 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian musician
- January 30 – Crown Prince Felipe of Spain
- February 1 – Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley (d. 2023)
- February 8 – Gary Coleman, American actor (d. 2010)
- February 18 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
- March 2 – Daniel Craig, British actor
- March 6 – Moira Kelly, American actress
- March 30 – Céline Dion, Canadian singer and actress
- April 1 – Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer
- April 19 – Arshad Warsi, Indian actor
- April 28 - Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
- May 1 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
- May 7 – Traci Lords, American actress & singer
- May 26 – Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- May 28 – Kylie Minogue, Australian singer & actress
- June 1 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor & singer
- June 21 – Chris Gueffroy, last person to be shot at the Berlin Wall (d. 1989)
- June 26 – Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
- July 16 – Larry Sanger, Wikipedia co-founder
- July 21 – Brandi Chastain, American footballer
- August 2 – Stefan Effenberg, German footballer
- August 4 – Daniel Dae-Kim, American actor
- August 5 – Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (d. 2007)
- August 9 – Gillian Anderson, American actress
- August 16 – Arwind Kejriwal, Indian politician
- September 1 – Mohamed Atta, Egyptian terrorist (d. 2001)
- September 7 – Marcel Desailly, French footballer
- September 10 – Andreas Herzog, Austrian footballer
- September 25 – Will Smith, American actor
- September 28 – Naomi Watts, American actress
- October 12 – Hugh Jackman, Australian actor
- October 17 - Ziggy Marley, Jamaican singer (Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers)
- October 18 – Michael Stich, German tennis player
- December 2 – Lucy Liu, American actress
- December 3 – Brendon Fraser, Canadian-American actor
- December 9 – Kurt Angle, American professional wrestler
- December 18 – Mario Basler, German footballer
- December 30 – Meredith Monroe, American actress
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Deaths
- January 22 – Duke Kahanamoku, American athlete (b. 1890)
- March 27 – Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1934)
- April 4 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1929)
- April 7 – Jim Clark, Scottish racing driver (b. 1936)
- June 1 – Helen Keller, American educator (b. 1880)
- June 6 – Robert F. Kennedy, American politician (b. 1925)
- November 28 – Enid Blyton, British writer (b. 1897)
- December 20 – John Steinbeck, American writer (b. 1902)
- December 30 – Trygve Lie, UN Secretary-General (b. 1896)
Movies released
- 2001: A Space Odyessy
- Barbarella
- No Way to Treat a Lady
- The Odd Couple
- Yellow Submarine
- Once Upon A Time in West
- Oliver!
- Rosemary's Baby
- Night of the Living Dead
New books
Hit songs
- "Born To Be Wild" – Steppenwolf
- "Dance To The Music" – Sly and the Family Stone
- "Harper Valley P.T.A" – Jeannie C. Riley
- "Hello, I Love You" – The Doors
- "Hey Jude"/"Revolution" – The Beatles
- "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" – John Fred & his Playboy Band
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – Rolling Stones
- "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" – Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
- "Lady Madonna" – The Beatles
- "Chain of Fools" – Aretha Franklin
- "Valleri" – The Monkees
- "Mony Mony" – Tommy James & the Shondells
- "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon and Garfunkel
- "(Sittin' On The) Dock Of The Bay" – Otis Redding
- "Sunshine Of Your Love" – Cream
- "This Guy's in Love With You" – Herb Alpert
- "Midnight Confessions" – The Grass Roots
- "Classical Gas" – Mason Williams
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