Dashed left edge = started before June 1968 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond June 1968
Events in June 1968 14
1880 – 1968Helen Keller (1880-1968)Died 1 June 1968, aged 87Deaf and blind from infancy, Keller became a renowned author, disability rights advocate and political activist after being taught to communicate by her teacher Anne Sullivan. She died at her home in Connecticut. Her life and achievements made her one of the most widely recognized figures of the twentieth century.
1898 – 1968Dorothy Gish (1898-1968)American actress of silent film, sister of Lillian Gish and a star of D. W. Griffith's films.
1968May 1968 EventsStudent RiotsA period of civil unrest across France characterized by student protests and general strikes.
1968May 1968 protests in FranceStudent unrest and general strike nearly topple the French governmentStudent demonstrations in Paris escalated into the largest general strike in French history, with roughly ten million workers walking out. The unrest paralyzed the country and briefly threatened President Charles de Gaulle's government before subsiding. It reshaped French social and labor politics for decades afterward.
1968Poor People's CampaignMultiracial march on Washington for economic justicePlanned by Martin Luther King Jr before his death and carried out by Ralph Abernathy, the campaign brought thousands of demonstrators to Washington DC to demand economic justice for the poor. Protesters built a shantytown called Resurrection City on the National Mall. It ended when police cleared the encampment in late June.
1968A Saucerful of Secrets -- the transition albumA Saucerful of Secrets (June 1968) is the transitional album -- half Barrett, half post-Barrett. Barrett contributes one track ('Jugband Blues' -- possibly the most poignant self-aware breakdown in rock music, its final section dissolving into chaos as Barrett asks 'what exactly is a dream, and what exactly is a joke?'). The rest of the album points toward the extended instrumental pieces and concept-driven structures that will define the band's future. The title track is Pink Floyd's first major composition by Waters, Wright and Mason -- abstract, dynamic and exploratory.
1968French Open 1968 — first Open Era Grand SlamMen: Ken Rosewall · Women: Nancy RicheyThe French Open was the FIRST Grand Slam to be played in the Open Era, allowing professionals. Ken Rosewall won at age 33.
1968The Temptations fire David RuffinDennis Edwards joinsRuffin is fired after missing a show.
1968Warhol shot by Valerie SolanasNearly killed at the FactoryRadical feminist Valerie Solanas shot Warhol at the Factory on June 3, 1968. He was clinically dead for several minutes and required emergency surgery. The shooting profoundly changed him — he became more private and guarded.
1968Dorothy Gish dies in RapalloDorothy Gish dies aged 70.
1968Assassination of Robert F. KennedyUS presidential candidate shot after winning the California primarySenator Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after declaring victory in the California Democratic primary. He died the following day. His death, coming two months after Martin Luther King Jr's assassination, deepened a sense of national crisis in the United States.
1968 – 2021Jovenel Moise (1968-2021)Died 7 July 2021, aged 53President of Haiti from 2017 until his assassination by a commando unit at his home in Port-au-Prince.
1968 – presentPaolo MaldiniIl CapitanoLegendary AC Milan defender who won five Champions League titles.
1968Aretha Franklin on the cover of TimeThe Sound of SoulTime's cover story on the new queen of soul.