1968 Visual Timeline

  • USS Pueblo is Seized

    USS Pueblo is Seized
    The USS Pueblo is seized by North Korea. One man was killed and 82 were held hostage during an 11 month standoff between the two countries.
  • Viet Cong Public Execution

    Viet Cong Public Execution
    General Nguyen Ngoc Loan is seen executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon. The iconic photo shown all across the news was used to protest US involvement in Vietnam
  • Death of Sanitation Workers

    Death of Sanitation Workers
    African-American sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, are crushed to death in the back of a malfunctioning trash truck. Their deaths start a strike in Memphis for better working conditions.
  • Deaths at a South Carolina Protest

    Deaths at a South Carolina Protest
    Students from South Carolina State protest segregation at the town's only bowling alley. Police open fire on the protest killing 3 and wounding 27. The police were acquitted but the protest coordinator was arrested.
  • MLK is assassinated

    MLK is assassinated
    Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis
  • Fair Housing Act

    Fair Housing Act
    A small victory for the civil rights movement, President Lyndon Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act. This act is supposed to prevent racial, religion, or gender discrimination in housing sales, rentals, and financing.
  • Take Over of Columbia University

    Take Over of Columbia University
    Students of Columbia University are angered by the University's ties with military research. They take over 5 buildings and briefly hold a dean hostage. On April 30th administrators call the police who respond with 1,000 officers. In this process, 700 people are arrested and there are about 148 injuries (132 students, 4 faculty, and 12 officers).
  • Burning Draft Cards

    Burning Draft Cards
    The Supreme Court ruled that burning draft cards in not an act of free speech protected by the First Amendment.
  • Apollo 7

    Apollo 7
    Apollo 7 is the first Apollo flight to have astronauts on board. The 3 astronauts orbit the Earth for 11 days before safely returning home.
  • Black Power at the Olympics

    Black Power at the Olympics
    During the medal ceremony, two African-American track athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, hold up the black power salute. Because of this protect, they are kicked off the US track team
  • Richard Nixon becomes President

    Richard Nixon becomes President
    Former Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon wins the popular vote over Vice President Hubert Humphrey becoming President
  • African-American Congress(wo)man

    African-American Congress(wo)man
    New York's 12th district elects democrat Shirley Chisholm to represent them in Congress. She is the first African-American woman in Congress.