Cecil Day Lewis becomes Poet Laureate, succeeding John Masefield
Sislin Fay Allen, a Jamaican, becomes Britain's first coloured policewoman
Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump Caesar's Palace Fountain
The Netherlands gets colour television
Christiaan Barnard performs his second heart transplant operation
Leo Fender sells Fender Guitars for $13 million
Alexander Dubcek becomes First Secretary of Czechoslovakia - the 'Prague Spring' begins
The unmanned 'Surveyor 7' lands on the moon
Ian MacLagan of 'The Small Faces' is arrested at Heathrow for carrying cannabis
Beatles Film Production Ltd changes its name to Apple Film Production Ltd
An earthquake in Sicily kills 231 with 262 injured
The Youth International Party is founded
UK government announces £700million spending cuts and re-imposes prescription charges
The British Leyland Motor Corporation is formed
A US B-52 bomber crashes in Greenland and discharges four nuclear bombs
'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' premieres on America's NBC TV
North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo and its 83-man crew, claiming it was spying in its territorial waters
Great Train Robber Charles Wilson is recaptured at Rigaud in Quebec, Canada
The Israeli submarine 'Dakar' sinks in the Mediterranean, killing 69 crew
The National Provincial and Westminster banks merge to form the National Westminster bank
A French submarine sinks in the Mediterranean with 52 men
In Vietnam, the Tet Offensive begins
The Viet Cong attack the United States embassy in Saigon
Nauru's president Hammer DeRoburt declares independence from Australia

Richard Nixon announces his candidacy for the US presidential election
Radio Nottingham launches the first phone-in programme 'What Are They Up To Now?'
A British fishing trawler is lost in the North Atlantic off Iceland
The 10th Winter Olympic Games open in Grenoble, France
The Beatles shut down all their business in the U.S.A. and turn everything over to Apple
The Royal Navy's first Polaris submarine is successfully tested
America's first 911 phone system goes into service
George Harrison, John Lennon and their wives fly to India to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Permanent British Summer Time (B.S.T.) is reintroduced (until October 1971)
London Bridge is sold to an American oil company for £1,015,000
David Gilmour joins rock group 'Pink Floyd'
The government announces plans to end free milk in secondary schools
England bowler Fred Titmuss loses four toes in a boating accident in Barbados
The UK Government announces that Asian immigration is to be reduced to 1,500 per year
Rock group 'Genesis' release their first record 'Silent Sun'
Archbishop Makarios is re-elected as president of Cyprus
25 year-old pop singer Frankie Lymon dies of a heroin overdose
Astronomer Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell announces the discovery of the first 'pulsar'

'Pirate' radio station Atlantis South begins test transmissions
Country singers Johnny Cash and June Carter get married
In America, Lockheed present the world's largest aircraft, the C-5A Galaxy
The USSR launches space probe Zond 4 but it fails to leave Earth orbit
Radio Caroline goes off air when both ships are moved to Amsterdam for repair
Joe Frazier beats Buster Mathis to become World Heavyweight Boxing Champion (N.Y. State Title)
The US launches Solar Explorer 2 to study the Sun
Pop singer Sandie Shaw marries fashion designer Jeff Banks at Greenwich register office
Dr. Emil Savundra is sentenced to 8 years imprisonment and fined £50,000 for insurance fraud
The First Battle of Saigon begins in Vietnam
The BBC broadcasts the television news in colour for the first time
Newham Council takes possession of the Ronan Point highrise flats in Canning Town
Mauritius achieves independence from Britain
The British Minister of Foreign affairs, George Brown, resigns
Robert Kennedy announces his presidential campaign
General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado
The US Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back the dollar
The government announces an increase in Purchase Tax
The 'breathalyser' cuts road deaths by 23% in its first 3 months
First man in space, 34 year-old Yuri Gagarin, is killed in a plane crash during a training flight
Rolls-Royce wins a £150 million order, its largest ever, for RB2-11 engines, from Lockheed
General Ludvik Svoboda is elected president of Czechoslovakia
American President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that he will not seek re-election

Bombs placed by Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin explode at midnight in Frankfurt-am-Main
The Beatles form Python Music Ltd
North Vietnam agrees to meet US representatives to set up preliminary peace talks
Martin Luther King is assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee
The unmanned Apollo 6 is launched atop a Saturn V launch vehicle
Jim Clark is killed in a Formula 2 motor race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany
Other Grand Prix drivers to lose their lives in 1968 are Ludovico Scarfiotti, Jo Schlesser and Mike Spence
Martin Luther King Jr. is buried in Atlanta
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the U.S.A. Civil Rights Act
London Bridge is sold to oil tycoon Robert McCullough, to be dismantled and re-erected in Arizona
Ulrike Meinhof is among left-wing students arrested during the Springer Press blockade in Berlin
Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes Canada's fifteenth prime minister
Enoch Powell makes his 'rivers of blood' speech in Birmingham
The first decimal coins, the 5p and 10p pieces, are introduced in the UK
Surgeons at the Hopital de la Pitie, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant on Clovis Roblain
Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations
The musical 'Hair' is first seen officially on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre

Ten million workers come out in a general strike in France
Cliff Richard delivers three sermons at Kensington Temple, Notting Hill, for the Billy Graham Crusade
The first British heart transplant operation is carried out
Students, police, and right-wing agitators clash outside of the Sorbonne University
Dutch 'pirate' radio station VRON becomes 'Radio Veronica International'
Student revolution closes the Sorbonne University for the first time in its 700 year history
Spain closes its border with Gibraltar, except to Spaniards
Scottish actor Finlay Currie dies
Peace talks begin in Paris between the US and North Vietnam
The Beatles announce the formation of Apple Corporation
Tariq Ali publishes the first issue of 'Black Dwarf'
A gas explosion causes Ronan Point tower block to collapse, amazingly only killing 4 people
The European Space Research Organisation launches its first satellite
Rolling Stone Brian Jones is arrested for drug possession for the second time
The U.S. Navy's atomic submarine 'Scorpion' is confirmed lost 400 miles SW of the Azores, with 99 crew
The Beatles open a second Apple Boutique at 161 New Kings Road, London
An arson attack occurs on the French Stock Exchange
General de Gaulle promises a referendum on the French constitution in a television address
Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull are arrested for drug possession
Georges Pompidou reaches agreement with employers and workers over salary and conditions
President De Gaulle disbands the French parliament

Helen Keller dies in her sleep in Connecticut
Andy Warhol, working on a film in New York, is shot by actress and 'militant feminist' Valerie Solanis
Senator Robert Kennedy is shot by Sirhan Sirhan at The Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles after his victory speech in the California primary election. He dies early the following day
Post codes are launched in London W1
Mrs E. Matthews becomes the first woman to receive a heart transplant
James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, is arrested at London Airport
The body of assassinated U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
Prescription charges are re-introduced in the UK at 2s 6d per item
The Rolling Stones are involved in a studio fire while recording 'Sympathy For The Devil'
The Tremeloes cancel their American tour when they are refused work visas
Lee Trevino is the first player to play all 4 rounds of golf's US Open under par
Jim Hines becomes the first person to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds
Comedian Tony Hancock commits suicide in Sydney, Australia
Brian Jones' jury trial begins at Marlborough Street Court, London
Iwo Jima and Bonin islands are returned to Japan by the US
'The Nice' burn a US flag while performing and are banned for life from the Royal Albert Hall
The first free Hyde Park concert features Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Roy Harper, and Tyrannosaurus Rex

Trident Studios introduce 3M 8-track recording decks
Britain and 60 other nations sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Alec Rose completes his solo round the world voyage in 'Lively Lady'
RAE-A (Explorer 38), the first radio astronomy satellite, is launched
Lone yachtsman Alec Rose is knighted
John Lennon sells his psychedelic Rolls-Royce
The two-day Woburn Music Festival opens
Rock group 'The Yardbirds' disband
The Monopolies Commission vetoes a merger of Lloyds, Barclays and Martin's banks
Dr. Spock and three others are sentenced to two years jail in America for draft evasion
Mickey Dolenz of 'The Monkees' marries 'Top of the Pops' co-presenter Samantha Juste
Australian group 'The Seekers' disband
Commercial air travel begins between USA and USSR
The Beatles film 'Yellow Submarine' premieres at the London Pavilion
The Intel Corporation is founded in Santa Clara, California
Barclays Bank merges with Martin's Bank
Pope Paul VI announces an encyclical entitled "Humanae Vitae", condemning birth control
Decca refuses to release 'Beggars Banquet' by the Rolling Stones because of the 'graffiti' cover
South Vietnamese opposition leader Truong Dinh Dzu is sentenced to 5 years hard labour
Anthony Wedgewood-Benn announces a plan to convert to metric measurement
The Beatles' Apple boutique closes down after only 8 months. All the stock is given away, free

The first SRN4 hover ferry, the 'Princess Margaret', is used by Seaspeed on the Channel crossing
The Countryside Act comes into force in the UK
100,000 attend the Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, California
The Republican convention in Miami Beach nominates Nixon for presidential elections
The 3-day National Jazz and Blues Festival begins in Sunbury-on-Thames
The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain. A selection of locomotives make the 240-mile return journey from Liverpool to Carlisle
'Pirate' Radio Free London begins transmissions
Saddam Hussein becomes Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council in Iraq after a coup
200,000 troops and 5,000 tanks invade Czechoslovakia to end the 'Prague Spring' of liberalisation
Ringo Starr quits The Beatles, only to return on September 4th
Cynthia Lennon sues John Lennon for divorce on grounds of adultery
Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota, Colombia, for the first papal visit to Latin America
France becomes the fifth nuclear power as it explodes a hydrogen bomb at Mururoa in the South Pacific
Arthur Ashe becomes the first black player to win the US tennis singles championship
Arenal Volcano erupts in Costa Rica for the first time in centuries
The US Democratic party nominates Hubert H. Humphrey for presidential election
Garfield 'Gary' Sobers becomes the first man to hit six sixes in one over in County cricket

'Cream' announce that they will disband after a farewell tour
The first part of the £80 million Victoria underground line opens between Walthamstow and Highbury
GEC announces an £892 million merger with General Electric
Saundra Williams wins the first 'Miss Black America' pageant
Swaziland becomes independent
Air France Flight 1611 crashes off Nice, France, killing 89 passengers and 6 crew
Jimmy Ellis beats Floyd Patterson in 15 rounds for the heavyweight boxing title
In the UK, banks open on a Saturday for the last time
Michael Carr, composer of tunes for 'The Shadows' and others, dies
The two-tier post system comes into operation in the UK with postage stamps costing 4d and 5d
The MCC tour of South Africa is cancelled as they refuse to accept Basil D'Oliveira being in the side
Stage play censorship is abolished in the UK by the Theatres Act
'Hawaii Five-O' premieres on American CBS-TV
Brian Jones is fined £50 and £105 in court costs for possession of cannabis
Thirteen cast members appear nude when the musical 'Hair' opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London
Marcelo Caetano becomes Prime Minister of Portugal
France yet again vetoes the UK's entry into the EEC
Janis Joplin announces that she is leaving the 'Big Brother & Holding Co'
The first Boeing 747 rolls out

A civil rights march in Derry, N.I. is batoned off the streets by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Radio Free London, Viking Radio, and Radio Tower broadcast briefly in defiance of the government's ban
US and South Vietnamese forces launch Operation Sealords in the Mekong Delta
NASA launches the first manned Apollo (7) mission with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham - the mission will include the first live television broadcast from orbit
British publisher Sir Stanley Unwin dies
The new Euston Station is opened by The Queen
Apollo 7 transmits TV images from inside the capsule to the USA
The Foreign and Commonwealth offices merge
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their arms in a black power salute at the Mexico Olympics
John Lennon appears in his first solo film role in 'How I Won The War'
John Lennon and Yoko Ono are charged with the possession of cannabis
The National Giro Bank opens at Bootle, Liverpool
Comedian Bud Flanagan of 'The Crazy Gang' dies, aged 72
'The Yardbirds' make their last performance, playing at Liverpool University
Jackie Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis on the isle of Skorpios
Yoko Ono announces she is having John Lennon's baby
Lyndon B. Johnson announces a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective from November 1st

Peter Noone - 'Herman' of 'Herman's Hermits' - marries Mireille Strasser
In one of the closest US presidential elections in history, Republican Richard Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey and George C. Wallace
2300 jobs are lost as British Eagle airlines stop flying
The last uncaught 'Great Train Robber' Bruce Reynolds is arrested in Torquay
Actor Wendell Corey dies, aged 54
Cynthia Lennon is granted a divorce from John Lennon
The Rolling Stones finally work out an agreement over the cover art for 'Beggars Banquet'
A second republic is declared in the Maldives
John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear nude on the cover of the 'Two Virgins' album
Edward Heath appoints Margaret Thatcher as shadow Transport Minister
BAC 1-11 enters commerical service with BEA
The first interracial TV kiss occurs on 'Star Trek' between Kirk and Uhura
The Beatles release 'Beatles' (The White Album), their only double album
The Race Relations Bill becomes law in the UK
'Cream' hold their last concert, playing at The Royal Albert Hall
John Lennon is fined £150 for possession of cannabis
Steve Winwood leaves pop group 'Traffic'. They reform with Dave Mason and Mick Weaver

Peter Tork leaves 'The Monkees'
Gonzalo Barrios is elected president of Venezuela
The NBC Elvis comeback 'special' airs on US television
Tory chiefs ban Enoch Powell from making a planned speech on Rhodesia
Nat Hiken, producer, director and writer of TV's 'Bilko' and 'Car 54 Where Are You?' dies
Japan's biggest crime, the still-unsolved '300 million yen robbery', occurs in Tokyo
The Rolling Stones, The Who, and others begin filming 'Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'
Legendary actress and personality Tallulah Bankhead dies of pneumonia aged 66
Arthur Ashe becomes the first black player to be ranked number one in world tennis
World Heavyweight boxing champion 1915-1919 Jess Willard, 'The Pottawatomie Giant', dies
Colin Davis is chosen to succeed Georg Solti as Director of The Royal Opera House
At the London Palladium, 'The Shadows' give their last performance
In Spain, Franco banishes Prince Carlos, pretender to the Spanish throne
American 'Grapes of Wrath' and 'East of Eden' author John Steinbeck dies, aged 66
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash premiere together in California
Apollo 8 enters lunar orbit. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders are the first humans to orbit the moon, see the far side and the planet earth as a whole
Led Zeppelin make their concert debut in Denver as opener for Vanilla Fudge
Cunard postpone the first voyage of the QEII as she is still unfit to sail
The 'Giant New Year's Eve Gala Pop and Blues Party' happens at Alexandra Palace
Steve Marriot leaves 'The Small Faces' during their performance at the Ally Pally
The first supersonic airliner is flown, the Russian Tupolev TU-144