1966 Key Events

  • Blackbird

    Blackbird
    Launch of SR-71 Blackbird spy plane
  • 8000 U.S. soldiers land in South Vietnam

    8000 U.S. soldiers land in South Vietnam
    Approximately 8000 U.S. soldiers land in South Vietnam. U.S. troops now total 190,000.
  • Sir Robert Menzies resigns

    Sir Robert Menzies resigns
    Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies resigns after 16 straight years in position.
  • The Beaumont children dissappear

    The Beaumont children, Jane, Arnna and Grant disappear from the suburb of Glenelg, in Adelaide.
  • 'anti-Soviet' writings

    Soviet writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to around 5 and 7 years, for 'anti-Soviet' writings.
  • Decimal currency

    Decimal currency
    Australia changes to decimal currency. The Australian dollar is introduced at a rate of 2 dollars per pound, or 10 shillings per dollar.
  • Sydney Opera House construction

    Sydney Opera House construction
    Joern Utzon quits the construction of the Sydney Opera House.
  • We [Beatles] are more popular than Jesus."

    We [Beatles] are more popular than Jesus."
    John Lennon is annoyed and says, "We [Beatles] are more popular than Jesus."
  • Massive theft in Brazil

    A massive theft of nuclear materials is revealed in Brazil.
  • Increase troops in Vietnam

    U.S announces it will considerably increase its number of troops in Vietnam.
  • Luna 10 enters lunar object

    Luna 10 enters lunar object
    The first manmade object Luna 10 enters lunar orbit.
  • Artificial heart is installed

    An artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a Houston, Texas hospital.
  • U.S. troops 250,000

    U.S. troops in Vietnam total 250,000.
  • Hovercraft service

    Regular hovercraft service begins over the English Channel (discontinued in 2000 due to the Channel Tunnel).
  • Church of Satan is formed

    Church of Satan is formed
    The Church of Satan is formed by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco
  • Fiat car factory Soviet Union

    Fiat car factory Soviet Union
    Fiat signs a contract to build a car factory Soviet Union
  • Pet Sounds

    Pet Sounds
    The legendary album Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is released.
  • An XB-70 Valkyrie prototype

    An XB-70 Valkyrie prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with a F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot. NASA pilot Joseph A. Walker and USAF test pilot Carl Cross are both killed.
  • Air France strike begins

    An Air France personnel strike begins.
  • Hanoi and Haipong bombing

    Hanoi and Haipong bombing
    Vietnam War: U.S. planes begin bombing Hanoi and Haiphong.
  • FIFA 1966 World Cup

    The 1966 FIFA World Cup begins in England.
  • Clash over Jordan River

    Israeli and Syrian jet fighters clash over the Jordan River.
  • Plane disappeared over Cuba

    The U.S. announces that a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane has disappeared over Cuba.
  • England beats West Gremany- 1966 FIFA World Cup

    England beats West Gremany- 1966 FIFA World Cup
    England beats West Germany 4–2 to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley after extra time.
  • 13 people killed and the University of Texas

    Sniper Charles Whitman kills 13 people and wounds 31 from atop the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower, after earlier killing his wife and mother.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Chicago

    Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Chicago
    Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Chicago, during which he is struck by a rock thrown from an angry white mob.
  • Lunar Orbiter 1

    Lunar Orbiter 1
    Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit another world, is launched.
  • Attempt to end the war in Yemen

    Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic begin negotiations in Kuwait to end the war in Yemen.
  • Beatles last concert in Candlestick Park

    Beatles last concert in Candlestick Park
    The Beatles play their very last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
  • Star Trek- first episode

    Star Trek- first episode
    Star Trek, the classic science fiction television series, debuts with its first episode, titled "The Man Trap."
  • SHAPE headquaters to belgium

    NATO decides to move SHAPE headquarters to Belgium.
  • Ronald Edwards arrested

    Scotland Yard arrests Ronald Edwards, suspected of involvement in the Great Train Robbery.
  • Chinese students must leave the country

    The Soviet Union declares that all Chinese students must leave the country before the end of October.
  • Ex-foreign minister Subandrio sentenced to death

    Ex-foreign minister Subandrio sentenced to death
    A military court in Jakarta sentences ex-foreign minister Subandrio to death.
  • NATO HQ is Brussels

    NATO moves its HQ from Paris to Brussels.
  • Arno river floods Florence

    Arno river floods Florence
    The Arno river floods Florence, damaging many art treasures.
  • Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched

    Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched
    Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched.
  • Boeing 727 crashes near Berlin

    A Boeing 727 carrying Pan Am Flight 708 crashes near Berlin, Germany, killing all three people on board.
  • The Beatles begin recording sessions for their landmark Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album

    The Beatles begin recording sessions for their landmark Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
  • Death of Walt Disney

    Death of Walt Disney
    Walt Disney dies while producing The Jungle Book, the last animated feature under his personal supervision.