40 Years

Forty years ago we were entering the summer of 1968. In April Martin Luther King, Jr had been assassinated, which set up one of the most eventful summers in modern American history. The violence continued with the June assassination of Robert Kennedy on this very date. The Viet Nam War was raging, and protests here at home were increasing. James Earl Ray was arrested. Richard Nixon became the Republican nominee for president. Violence between protesters and the police became a bigger story at the Chicago Democratic Convention than the nominee, Hubert Humphrey.

I graduated from Hueneme High School in June, and we have a 40 year reunion coming up in August.

The Olympics were held in Mexico City. The high altitude of Mexico City (2240 m) made it difficult for many endurance athletes to adapt to the oxygen-deprived air. The high altitude was also credited with contributing to many record setting jumps and leaps in the long jump, high jump and pole vault events.
For the first time, athletes from East and West Germany were members of separate teams, after having competed in a combined team in 1964.
US discus thrower Al Oerter, won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the event to become only the second athlete to achieve this feat in an individual event.
Bob Beamon jumped 8.90 m in the long jump, a 55 cm improvement of the world record that would stand until 1991 (when it was broken by Mike Powell); it is still the Olympic record. United States athletes Jim Hines and Lee Evans also set long world records in the 100 m and 400 m, respectively, that would last for many years to come.
Dick Fosbury won the gold medal in the high jump using the radical Fosbury flop technique, which quickly became the dominant technique in the event.
In the 200 m medal award ceremony, two African-American athletes Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze) raised their black-gloved fists as a symbol of Black Power. As punishment, the International Olympic Committee banned them from the Olympic Games for life.
After winning the gold medal for heavyweight boxing, George Foreman walked around the ring with a tiny American flag, bowing several times to the audience.

And the music... ah, the music. 1968 produced some of the best rock ever. If you want a stroll down memory lane, among the top 100 songs for the year were:

HEY JUDE – The Beatles (Apple)
YOUNG GIRL – Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (Columbia)
(Sittin’ On) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – Otis Redding (Volt)
MRS. ROBINSON – Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)
HONEY – Bobby Goldsboro (United Artists)
PEOPLE GOT TO BE FREE – The Rascals (Atlantic)
GREEN TAMBOURINE – The Lemon Pipers (Buddah)
HARPER VALLEY P.T.A. – Jeannie C. Riley (Plantation)
HELLO, I LOVE YOU – The Doors (Elektra)
I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU – The Bee Gees (Atco)
CRY LIKE A BABY – The Box Tops (Mala)
LADY WILLPOWER – Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (Columbia)
THOSE WERE THE DAYS – Mary Hopkin (Apple)
BEND ME, SHAPE ME – The American Breed (Acta)
JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH – The Rolling Stones (London)
LADY MADONNA – The Beatles (Capitol)
SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE – Cream (Atco)
STONED SOUL PICNIC – The 5th Dimension (Soul City)
MIGHTY QUINN (Quinn The Eskimo) – Manfred Mann (Mercury)
BORN TO BE WILD – Steppenwolf (Dunhill)
ANGEL OF THE MORNING – Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts (Bell)
CLASSICAL GAS – Mason Williams (Warner Bros.–7 Arts)
DANCE TO THE MUSIC – Sly & The Family Stone (Epic)
JUST DROPPED IN (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) – The First Edition THE LOOK OF LOVE – Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 (A&M)
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME – Mama Cass (Dunhill)
SEALED WITH A KISS – Gary Lewis & The Playboys (Liberty)
SUZIE Q. – Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy)
REVOLUTION – The Beatles (Apple)

Forty years... the time has gone by more quickly than I'd expected. Here's to the next 40. :-)