1968

1968 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. It was a year of widespread political upheaval, social unrest, and notable developments in science and culture.

Global events and politics: The Tet Offensive, launched in January by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and influenced public opinion worldwide. In April, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In June, United States Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. In France, May protests and general strikes challenged the government of Charles de Gaulle. In Czechoslovakia, the Prague Spring movement promoted liberal reforms, but the Warsaw Pact invasion in August ended those reforms. The Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August was the scene of protests and a violent police response.

Space, science, and culture: The United States achieved a major space milestone when Apollo 8 orbited the Moon in December, sending back the first widely seen Earthrise image. The My Lai Massacre occurred in March 1968 during the Vietnam War and later became widely known after investigations in 1969. The Summer Olympics in Mexico City featured the Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the medal ceremony.

Legacy: 1968 is often cited as a symbol of late-1960s political and cultural upheaval, illustrating tensions between reform movements, international conflicts, and evolving social norms that shaped subsequent decades.