Economy of USA
Johnson calls for the non-conversion of the U.S. dollar
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1968 in United States of America
Explore 273 historical events and records for United States of America in 1968.
Historical records for United States of America in 1968
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 273 unique records.
273Unique records
1 of 7Page
29Named events on this page
17Named people on this page
12Places on this page
January
Demonstrations
At a White House conference on crime, singer and actress Eartha Kitt denounces the Vietnam War to Lady Bird Johnson while attending a "ladies lunch"
Demonstrations
At a White House conference on crime, singer and actress Eartha Kitt denounces the Vietnam War to Lady Bird Johnson while attending a "ladies lunch"
Battle of Khe Sanh
Battle of Khe Sanh: one of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins, ending on April 8
Niagra
Orders Operation Niagra after the Viet Cong strke Khe Sanh
Apollo 5
Apollo 5 tests the lunar module in Earth orbit.
North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial
North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying
USS Pueblo
North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated its territorial waters while spying
White Light White Heat
Releases White Light White Heat, pushing the Velvet Underground toward a harsher experimental rock sound.
Saigon Defense
Commands US II Field Force elements defending the Saigon region during Tet
Tet Emergency
Commands US forces as communist attacks hit cities across South Vietnam
Tet Offensive
An offensive launched by the North Vietnamese to overthrow the South Vietnamese Government
Tet Offensive
Commands US forces during the Tet Offensive
Tet Offensive Response
Responds to the Tet Offensive and mounting questions about US strategy
USS Pueblo
The North Koreans capture USS Pueblo, Johnson sends 26 more B-52s to the Pacific
February
Operation Arc Light
McNamara approves a sortie rate of 1,200 effective from 1st Feb
Operation Arc Light
McNamara approves a sortie rate of 1,200 effective from 1st Feb
Saigon Execution Photograph
Takes the photograph of Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a prisoner
Saigon Execution Photograph
Takes the photograph of Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a prisoner in Saigon
Civil Rights
Civil rights disturbances occur at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Demonstrations
Civil rights disturbances occur at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Civil Rights
A civil rights protest staged at a white-only bowling alley in Orangeburg, South Carolina is broken up by highway patrolmen; 3 college students are killed
Demonstrations
A civil rights protest staged at a white-only bowling alley in Orangeburg, South Carolina is broken up by highway patrolmen; 3 college students are killed
Change of Venue Motion
Shaw formally sought a change of venue on February 19, 1968, citing the extensive publicity surrounding the case.
Strike
The Florida Education Association (FEA) initiates a mass resignation of teachers to protest state funding of education, in effect, the first statewide teachers strike in the United States
Challenge during Tonkin Hearings
Morse used the Senate investigation to challenge the administration's interpretation of the 1964 naval events and to argue that Congress had not received the full context before voting on the resolution.
Closed Testimony on Tonkin
McNamara gave closed testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the confirmed 2 August attack and the disputed reports of a second attack on 4 August 1964.
Review of Senate Tonkin Inquiry
Johnson discussed the renewed Senate scrutiny of the Tonkin episode with his senior foreign-policy advisers as the hearings raised questions about the evidence presented to Congress in 1964.
Tonkin Gulf Hearings Opened
Fulbright's Senate Foreign Relations Committee opened closed hearings that reexamined the evidence behind the 1964 Tonkin incidents and questioned the credibility of the administration's original account.
Tet Aftermath Commentary
Broadcasts a widely noted assessment after reporting from Vietnam following Tet
Vietnam Commentary
Broadcasts a commentary saying the war appears stalemated
Vietnam Commentary
Broadcasts that the Vietnam War appears stalemated after visiting Vietnam
Operation Light Arc
The monthly sortie rate is increased to 1,800
March
We're Only in It for the Money
Releases We're Only in It for the Money, satirising contemporary counterculture and mainstream American society.
ASCII
President Lyndon B. Johnson mandates that all computers purchased by the federal Government support the ASCII character encoding
ASCII
President Lyndon B. Johnson mandates that all computers purchased by the federal Government support the ASCII character encoding
Election
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson edges out antiwar candidate Eugene J. McCarthy in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, a vote which highlights the deep divisions in the country, as well as the party, over Vietnam
New Hampshire Primary
Challenges Johnson's Vietnam policy in the Democratic presidential primary
Antiwar Campaign
Enters the presidential race while criticizing Vietnam policy
Election
US Senator Robert F. Kennedy enters the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination
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.