The ‘60s was a decade defined by change. Society worldwide was rallying against war through mass protests and movements, promoting peace. It was a time self-expression too, where individuals experimented with music, fashion and freedom. The ‘60s witnessed some of the world’s greatest events and icons, all cataloged in our 1968 newspaper archives.
January 13, 1968
Johnny Cash records “Live at Folsom Prison“.
January 20, 1968
The Viet Cong and North Vietnam launch the Tet Offensive against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
February 6-18, 1968
The 1968 Winter Olympics are held in Grenoble, France.
February 11, 1968
Madison Square Garden in New York City opens.
March 16, 1968
The My Lai massacre takes place, with American troops killing scores of civilians. The story will first become public in November 1969 and will help undermine public support for the U.S. efforts in Vietnam.
March 17, 1968
A demonstration in London’s Grosvenor Square against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War leads to violence. 91 people are injured, 200 demonstrators arrested.
March 31, 1968
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces he will not seek re-election in the 1968 presidential election.
April 4, 1968
Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupt in major American cities for several days afterwards.
April 11, 1968
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
June 6, 1968
Robert F. Kennedy, former United States Attorney General, is assassinated.
July 17, 1968
Saddam Hussein becomes Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq after a coup d’état.
October 12-27, 1968
The Summer Olympics take place in Mexico City. The event is officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad.
November 22, 1968
The Beatles release “White Album“.
December 3, 1968
Elvis Presley returns to live performances in a special Christmas television program that would later be dubbed the “’68 Comeback Special”.
December 10, 1968
Japan’s biggest heist, the still-unsolved “300 Million Yen Robbery”, takes place in Tokyo.
What kind of 1968 newspaper headlines could you find in the archive? A lot can happen over a year. Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations were taking place and Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated. It was also the year the Beatles released their iconic “The White Album” and Arthur Ashe became the first black tennis player to be ranked #1.
Though the world remembers this decade as the Swinging Sixties, it’s impossible not to associate the period with tragedy. In our archive, we could stock a Martin Luther King JR newspaper article, or if you want an exact newspaper on particular events or persons, you can contact research@historic-newspapers.co.uk for in-depth articles available on the Civil Rights Movement.
Some of the world’s most important events took place during this year, many of which have come to define the decade. You’ll find 1968 newspaper articles, features, adverts and interviews, available for a wide range of national and regional titles, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and many more.