WHAT ALL HAPPENED AUGUST TO DECEMBER 1968
Find out what all happened August to December 1968

Vietnam War October surprise: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1. (31. October 1968)

The Zodiac Killer kills Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California. (20. December 1968)

Vietnam War: The United States Department of Defense announces that the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps will send about 24,000 soldiers and Marines back to Vietnam for involuntary second tours of duty in the combat zone there. (14. October 1968)

Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans. (21. December 1968)

An earthquake rated at 6.8 on the Richter Scale destroys the Australian town of Meckering, Western Australia, and it also ruptures all nearby main highways and railroads. (14. October 1968)

The last steam hauled train runs on British Rail (11. August 1968)

Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon. (27. December 1968)

A peaceful student demonstration in Mexico City culminates in the Tlatelolco massacre by the order of the president, Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, to the soldiers of killing unarmed students, hiding the event from the public eye. The 1968 Summer Olympics hosted in Mexico City, started 10 days after the massacre. (2. October 1968)

Equatorial Guinea joins the United Nations. (12. November 1968)

Swaziland becomes independent. (6. September 1968)

Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens. (13. August 1968)

The Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. (15. September 1968)

60 Minutes debuts on CBS. (24. September 1968)

The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is signed to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety by standardising the uniform traffic rules among the signatories. (8. November 1968)

Apollo program: The first live TV broadcast, by American astronauts in orbit, was performed by the Apollo 7 crew. (14. October 1968)

Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history. (24. December 1968)

The Boeing 747 is rolled out and shown to the public for the first time at the Boeing Everett Factory. (30. September 1968)

Vietnam War: Operation Commando Hunt initiated. The goal is to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through Laos into South Vietnam. (11. November 1968)

The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving a "black power" salute during a victory ceremony at the Mexico City games. (18. October 1968)