December 20th, 1968

What happened on this date?

Notable events that occurred on December 20th, 1968.

• The Zodiac Killer shoots high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday in Benicia.

Top songs.

These songs were on top of the music charts in the United States and the United Kingdom on December 20th, 1968.

• United States: I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
• United Kingdom: Lily The Pink - Scaffold

Take me back to December 20th, 1968!

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is December 20th, 1968, and it's a Friday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Sagittarius. Most people have "that Friday feeling" and are looking forward to the weekend.

Christmas Day of 1968 is fast approaching and the excitement is building. Department stores are thronged with Christmas shoppers. In America, the song I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye is at the top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Lily The Pink by Scaffold is the number-one hit song.

Lyndon Baines Johnson is the President of the United States, and the movie Funny Girl is at the top of the box office. Harold Wilson is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In fashion, a new "hippie subculture" has emerged, bringing with it laid-back Bohemian styles. Frayed bell-bottom jeans, Jesus sandals, crushed velvet suits, and bright tie-dye t-shirts are all popular items of clothing at the moment.

It's 1968, so radio stations are playing hit songs from artists such as The Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Bobby Goldsboro and Marvin Gaye. If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Judy Garland, Brian Jones, and Sharon Tate would all still be alive. On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "What's My Line?", "Steptoe and Son", "I Dream of Jeannie", and "Hawaii Five-O".

Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "The Bugs Bunny Show", "JOT the Dot", "Star Trek: The Original Series", and "The Archie Show". Popular toys at the moment include Troll doll, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Best of the West (action figures), and Battleship (game).

News topics, nostalgic fads, and pop culture events.

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on December 20th, 1968.

• 

  Christmas 1968 is days away.

  Christmas 1968 was just days away. The decorations were up, festive music was playing on the radio, people were buying last-minute presents for their loved ones, and stores were packed with shoppers. Schools, colleges, and non-retail businesses were also beginning to close for the holiday season.

• 

  The Volkswagen Beetle.

  The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the most common cars on the road. Sales of the vehicle increased following the release of the 1968 film The Love Bug (and its subsequent spin-offs).

• 

  The Vietnam War is becoming costly.

  In 1968, US troop numbers in Vietnam reached their peak. An estimated 536,100 service personnel were now stationed in the country. This was the deadliest and most expensive year for the American military in Vietnam. In 1968 alone, an estimated 16,592 US soldiers lost their lives. By this time, most Americans believed that military involvement in Vietnam was a mistake.

• 

  Who were the best NBA players in 1968?

  The best NBA players in 1968 were Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry Lucas, Dave Bing and Oscar Robertson.

• 

  Who were the best football players?

  In 1968, the best soccer players were George Best, Bobby Charlton, Dragan Džajić, Franz Beckenbauer, Giacinto Facchetti, Luigi Riva, Amancio Amaro, Eusébio, Gianni Rivera, Jimmy Greaves and Pirri.

• 

  Oliver!

  "Oliver!" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1968.

• 

  O. C. Smith - "Little Green Apples"

  "Little Green Apples" by O. C. Smith won a Grammy for 1968's Song of the Year.

• 

  1968 in music.

  The Billboard Charts in 1968 were dominated by the likes of Paul Mauriat, Otis Redding, Bobby Goldsboro, The Beatles, The Rascals and Herb Alpert.

• 

  1968 in movies.

  Movies released in 1968 included 2001: A Space Odyssey, Funny Girl, The Love Bug, The Odd Couple, Bullitt, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver!, Coogan's Bluff, Rosemary's Baby, Planet of the Apes, Night of the Living Dead and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

• 

  The Apollo 8 astronauts.

  "The Apollo 8 astronauts" were named Time Person of the Year in 1968 after they became the first humans to successfully leave low Earth orbit.

• 

  The Hippie movement.

  The hippie counterculture reached its peak during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The movement, which sprung up in opposition to the Vietnam War, was centered around peace, psychedelic music, sexual liberation, bright colors, and drugs such as LSD and marijuana.

• 

  Lava lamps are all the rage.

  Sales of lava lamps increased in the late 1960s. It wasn't until the second half of the 1970s that they started to go out of fashion.

• 

  The afro hairstyle is at its peak in popularity.

  The afro hairstyle took off during the 1960s and early 1970s. Public figures such as Angela Davis, Pam Grier, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jackson 5 were among those who sported the style.

• 

  Color TV.

  Although color television was rising in popularity, black-and-white TV sets were still the most popular.

• 

  The push-button telephone.

  Push-button telephones were beginning to replace the older rotary-style landlines.

• 

  The miniskirt has taken over.

  In the mid-to-late 1960s, the miniskirt became a favored clothing item among women. The skirt countered the conservatism of the 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, many people at the time saw it as a rebellious fashion statement.

• 

  The Suzy Homemaker.

  A miniature oven called the "Suzy Homemaker" was a sought-after toy around this time.

• 

  Fast food is replacing diners and drive-ins.

  The fast food industry was steadily growing, much to the detriment of local diners and drive-in restaurants. Consequently, things such as jukeboxes and carhops also started to decline.

Facts.

Basic facts and information about this date:

• 54 years, 9 months, and 8 days have passed since December 20th, 1968.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 51 of 1968.
• Leap Year: 1968 was a leap year, which means that it contained 366 days instead of 365 (with an extra day in February).
• Age: People born on December 20th, 1968, are now 54 years old.
• Generation: People born in 1968 belong to the Generation X generation.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on December 20th, 1968.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Around this time.

Notable events that happened close to December 20th, 1968.

• November 20th, 1968: 79 miners lose their lives after an explosion occurs at a coal mine near Farmington, West Virginia.
• November 22nd, 1968: One of television's first interracial kisses occurs when the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" is aired.
• December 10th, 1968: The "300 million yen robbery" takes place in Tokyo, Japan.
• This date: December 20th, 1968
• December 23rd, 1968: North Korea releases 82 American sailors after 11 months of internment.
• December 24th, 1968: The crew of Apollo 8 become the first humans to orbit around the Moon.
• January 12th, 1969: Super Bowl III: The New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Flordia.
• January 12th, 1969: Led Zeppelin release their first album.
• January 14th, 1969: Manchester United manager Matt Busby announces that he will retire at the end of the season.
• January 18th, 1969: 38 people are killed when United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay.
• January 18th, 1969: Actress Audrey Hepburn and Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti are married.

Horoscope, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Zodiac and birthstone information.

NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.

• Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on December 20th, 1968, will have the star sign Sagittarius.
• Zodiac Element: Fire.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1968 was the year of the Monkey (Yang Water).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 11.
• Native American Zodiac: December 20th, 1968 falls under the Owl.
• Birthstone: A person during the month of December will have the birthstones Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise.
• Birth flower (December): The Narcissus and the Holly.

Photos of 1960s fashion.

Photographs of 1960s fashion and hairstyles.

Cars in 1968.

1968 saw the introduction of cars such as the Audi 100, the Chevrolet Chevy Malibu, the Volkswagen Type 4, the BMW New Six, the Ford Torino and the AMC Javelin.

Were you born on this date?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1968.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out December 20th, 1974, instead.

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on December 20th, 1968 was most likely conceived around March 29th, 1968.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on December 20th, 1968 is close to September 12th, 1969.

How old was I?

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Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about December 20th, 1968.

• 20,005 days have passed since this date.
• 2,857 weeks have passed.
• 1,728,432,000 seconds have passed since December 20th, 1968.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,016,504,000 times.
• Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 891,870,912,000 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 288,072,000 times.
• You have taken approximately 148,645,152 steps. That's roughly 66,065 miles!
• Since this date, 20,741,184 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!
• How many years ago was 1968?

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