Death of Jack Ruby
Ruby made a final statement from his hospital bed that he and he alone had been responsible for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1966 in United States of America — Page 2
Explore 97 historical events and records for United States of America in 1966.
Historical records for United States of America in 1966
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 97 unique records.
97Unique records
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38Named events on this page
31Named people on this page
7Places on this page
December
First Garrison Interview
Garrison first interviewed Shaw in connection with the renewed assassination investigation in December 1966.
Other events (month unknown)
A Christmas Memory
Publication of "In Cold Blood". Publication of "A Christmas Memory"
A Man For All Seasons
Directs, "A Man For All Seasons"
Academy Award
Winner of Best Actor for Cat Ballou
Academy Award
Winner of Best Supporting Actress for A Patch Of Blue
American Moon Treaty Draft Submitted
The United States submitted draft provisions addressing exploration of the Moon before negotiators agreed to a broader treaty covering outer space.
Bestseller Impact
Rush to Judgment became a bestseller and helped bring detailed criticism of the Warren Commission from specialist circles into a much larger national audience.
Big Bang
Gamow promotes the microwave background discovery as strong support for the hot Big Bang model
Black Panthers
Bobby Seale & Huey Newton found the Black Panthers
Blonde on Blonde
The Nashville sessions produce the album "Blonde on Blonde", featuring what Dylan later calls "that thin wild mercury sound". Releases Album, "Blonde on Blonde"
Buffalo Springfield
Forms Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young and becomes his major early songwriting counterpart.
Chicago Freedom Movement
The SCLC forms a coalition with CCCO, Coordinating Council of Community Organisations, an organisation founded by Albert Raby, the combined organisations efforts are fostered under the aegis of The Chicago Freedom Movement (CFM)
Civil Disobedience
King turns toward economic issues; SCLC moves civil rights struggle to the North; opens Chicago office to organize protests against housing and employment discrimination. Growing popularity of the black power movement, blacks stressing self-reliance and self-defense, indicates King's influence was declining, especially among young blacks
Commander of 3rd Marine Amphibious Force
Appointed Commander 3rd Marine Amphibious Force
Commission Procedure Critique
Lane argued that the Warren Commission's procedures were insufficiently adversarial and that its investigation too readily accepted the premise that Oswald was the lone assassin.
Community Organisations
The SCLC forms a coalition with CCCO, Coordinating Council of Community Organisations, an organisation founded by Albert Raby, the combined organisations efforts are fostered under the aegis of The Chicago Freedom Movement (CFM)
Demonstrations
The SCLC forms a coalition with CCCO, Coordinating Council of Community Organisations, an organisation founded by Albert Raby, the combined organisations efforts are fostered under the aegis of The Chicago Freedom Movement (CFM)
Director of Central Intelligence
Appointed Director of the CIA
Domestic Operations Role Concludes
Hunt's period directing covert-action work in the Domestic Operations Division concluded after several years in that assignment.
Draft Refusal
"I aint got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called me nigger". Ali refuses to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, because "War is against the teachings of the Holy Quran". Ali is banned from fighting in the United States and forced to accept bouts abroad for most of 1966
Duel at Diablo
Stars in Duel at Diablo
Election
Elected to the House of Representatives
Emmy Award I Spy Actor
Bill Cosby received the Emmy for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for I Spy.
Exploding Plastic Inevitable
Manages the Velvet Underground and presents them with the multimedia Exploding Plastic Inevitable shows.
Eyewitness Testimony Review
Rush to Judgment emphasized eyewitness accounts that Lane believed had been discounted or inadequately considered by the Warren Commission, particularly testimony concerning the direction of the gunfire in Dealey Plaza.
Garrison Investigation
Jim Garrison began re-examining the Kennedy assassination in the fall of 1966 and later focused part of his investigation on David Ferrie.
Good Vibrations
The Beach Boys release, "Good Vibrations", no 1 in the USA & UK
Governor
Appointed Governor of Maryland
Governor
Appointed Governor of California
Grassy Knoll Argument
Lane used witness statements concerning the grassy knoll to argue that the Warren Commission had not convincingly excluded the possibility that shots came from a location other than the Depository.
Grateful Dead
Founder Member of Grateful Dead
Growth of Public Skepticism
The book appeared during a broader rise in public skepticism toward the Warren Report and became one of the most prominent early works arguing that the official account was incomplete.
Harper
Stars in "Harper"
Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited connects Dylan's roots to blues, folk and rock.
In Cold Blood
Publication of "In Cold Blood". Publication of "A Christmas Memory"
Inquest
Epstein published Inquest, arguing that the Warren Commission's procedures and institutional pressures left serious contradictions unresolved in the official account of Kennedy's assassination.
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Chas Chandler helps Hendrix form a new band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, with guitarist-turned-bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, both British musicians
Jimmy James and The Blue Flames
Hendrix forms his own band, Jimmy James and The Blue Flames
Khartoum
Stars in, "Khartoum"
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.