Apollo 7
Serves among the Apollo 7 flight directors.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1968 in United States of America — Page 4
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
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28Named events on this page
17Named people on this page
11Places on this page
October
Apollo 7
Works as a flight director during Apollo 7.
Apollo 7
Helps direct the first crewed Apollo mission from Mission Control.
Apollo 7
Commands Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo spacecraft mission.
First Crewed Apollo CSM Operations
Commands the first crewed test of the redesigned Apollo command and service module.
Peace
Preconditions to cease bombing are made informal, they are still rejected
Saturn IB
Flies aboard the Saturn IB launch vehicle during Apollo 7.
Apollo 7 SPS First Burn
Helps conduct the first Service Propulsion System burn of Apollo 7 during rendezvous preparations.
S-IVB Rendezvous
Participates in rendezvous operations with the spent S-IVB stage to test techniques needed for later Apollo missions.
Apollo 7 First Live Television
Leads the first live television broadcast from an American crewed spacecraft.
Apollo 7 Minimum-Impulse SPS Burn
Controls a brief Service Propulsion System firing to test minimum-impulse performance.
Apollo 7 Long SPS Burn
Manually assists a long Service Propulsion System burn that verifies engine performance and propellant monitoring.
Apollo 7 Splashdown
Returns with the Apollo 7 crew after the first successful crewed test of Apollo spacecraft systems.
Gun Control Act
Signs the Gun Control Act of 1968 after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Government
Will restore the National Security Council to its preeminent role in national security
Bombing of Vietnam
Announces negotiations will begin, 5 days before the presidential election. Announces bombing in North Vietnam will stop
Election
Announces negotiations will begin, 5 days before the presidential election
Peace
Announces negotiations will begin, 5 days before the presidential election
Apollo 7 Cabin Systems Test
Tests life-support, electrical and crew systems in the redesigned Apollo command module.
Apollo 7 Navigation Tests
Performs navigation and spacecraft systems checks during the eleven-day Apollo 7 engineering mission.
Apollo 7 Television Tour
Appears in later Apollo 7 television broadcasts showing the spacecraft interior and crew operations.
November
Bombing of Vietnam
Calls a complete halt to the bombing of North Vietnam during diplomatic talks
Diplomatic Negotiations
Calls a complete halt to the bombing of North Vietnam during diplomatic talks
Operation Rolling Thunder
Brought to a halt, emphasis is placed on the trail network in Laos
Election
Defeated by Richard Nixon by 31.7 million to 31.2 million votes
Government
Appointed President of the USA, 37th President, 1st term
Vice Presidency
Defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey & Governor George Wallace
Withdrawal Negotiations at Washington
Withdraws from Vietnam without "defeat" by improving relations with China & Russia
December
Cruising with Ruben & the Jets
Releases Cruising with Ruben & the Jets, a deliberately stylised tribute to doo-wop and 1950s vocal-group music.
Death of John Ernst Steinbeck
Death of John Ernst Steinbeck
Peace
A message is sent to Hanoi indicating an interest in a peace settlement
Apollo 8
Serves as lunar module pilot on Apollo 8.
Apollo 8
Commands Apollo 8 on the first crewed flight to the Moon.
Apollo 8
Serves as command module pilot on Apollo 8.
Apollo 8 Translunar Injection
Commands Apollo 8 as the Saturn V third stage sends the crew from Earth orbit toward the Moon.
Apollo 8 Midcourse Navigation
Uses Apollo navigation procedures during the translunar coast to refine the spacecraft trajectory.
Apollo 11 Assignment
Is selected to command Apollo 11 after serving as Apollo 8 backup commander.
Apollo 11 Assignment
Offers Neil Armstrong command of Apollo 11 after Armstrong backs up Apollo 8.
Apollo 8
Congratulates the Apollo 8 crew during the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon.
Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast
Participates in the Christmas Eve television broadcast from lunar orbit.
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.