The World · 1968
One Small Planet, One Enormous Year
From the surface of the moon to the streets of Paris — 1968 was a year the entire world felt.
The upheaval of 1968 was not confined to America. From Paris to Prague, Mexico City to Tokyo, the year's tremors were felt on every continent. And above it all, for the first time in human history, astronauts looked back at the fragile blue marble they had left behind.
Around the Globe
Global Events of 1968
May 1968 — Paris Uprising
Student protests at the Sorbonne ignited a general strike that brought France to a standstill. Ten million workers walked off the job in the largest general strike in French history, nearly toppling de Gaulle's government.
Tlatelolco Massacre
Ten days before the Mexico City Olympics opened, government forces opened fire on student protesters in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. The true death toll remains disputed; the event was suppressed for decades.
Prague Spring
Alexander Dubček's reform programme briefly transformed Czechoslovakia before Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces invaded in August, crushing the experiment in 'socialism with a human face'.
The Troubles Begin
Civil rights marches in Derry and Belfast met with violent opposition, marking the beginning of three decades of sectarian conflict that would define Northern Ireland's history.
The Olympic Games
The XIX Olympiad introduced the world to high-altitude athletics, the Fosbury Flop, and the Black Power salute — one of the most politically charged Games in Olympic history.
The My Lai Massacre
On March 16th, US Army soldiers killed between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians. The massacre, when it became public knowledge in 1969, deepened the crisis of confidence in the war.
Christmas Eve, 1968
Apollo 8: Earthrise
On Christmas Eve, 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders became the first humans to orbit the moon. Anders' photograph of Earth rising above the lunar horizon — Earthrise — became one of the most influential images ever taken, helping to spark the modern environmental movement.
"We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth."
— William Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut
Innovation & Discovery
Science & Technology
Intel Founded
Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce founded Intel Corporation in July 1968, setting in motion the microprocessor revolution that would transform the world.
The Mother of All Demos
Douglas Engelbart demonstrated the computer mouse, hypertext, and video conferencing to a stunned audience in San Francisco — a preview of the digital world to come.
Heart Transplant Era
Following Christiaan Barnard's first heart transplant in 1967, 1968 saw a wave of cardiac surgery that pushed the boundaries of medicine and raised profound ethical questions.
