United States in 1968
You were born in 1968 — the year America lost MLK and RFK, HAL 9000 said 'I can't do that Dave,' and Hey Jude played for 9 weeks straight.
💰 How much things cost in 1968
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 0.34 USD/gallon | verified (U.S. EIA) |
| Cinema ticket | ~1.31 USD | estimate |
| Coffee | ~0.10 USD | estimate |
| Ice cream | ~0.15 USD (scoop) | estimate |
Currency: USD
🎵 The music of 1968
The song of the year: The Beatles – Hey Jude (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 #1)
Other songs people listened to in 1968:
- Paul Mauriat – Love Is Blue
- Otis Redding – (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
- The Rascals – People Got to Be Free
- Bobby Goldsboro – Honey
- Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World
- Steppenwolf – Born to Be Wild
- Simon & Garfunkel – Mrs. Robinson
- The Doors – Hello, I Love You
- Cream – Sunshine of Your Love
📺 TV, cinema and pop culture
Cartoons: Wacky Races (CBS, Sept 14, 1968) / The Beatles animated series (on CBS / ABC). 1968: MLK assassinated April 4. RFK assassinated June 5. Two of America's greatest voices, gone.
TV series: Laugh-In (NBC, premiere Jan 22, 1968) — irreverent comedy for a year that needed to laugh.
At the cinema: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) — the monolith, HAL 9000, and the most confusing ending in film history.
Person of the moment: HAL 9000 from 2001 — 'I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.'
The cult toy: Hot Wheels (launched 1968) / G.I. Joe / Lite-Brite. Hot Wheels launched 1968. Die-cast cars, orange track, loop-the-loops. Mattel's greatest invention.
👗 Fashion and snacks
Fashion: Anti-war: army surplus, tie-dye, peace symbols, long hair for men. Also: space-age mod fashion.
Snacks: Cracker Jack, Cap'n Crunch, Hot Wheels (not food but consumed obsessively), Oreos
📰 What happened in 1968
Event of the year: MLK and RFK both assassinated. Apollo 8 orbits the Moon at Christmas. Democratic Convention riots in Chicago.
Sport: Super Bowl II: Green Bay Packers beat Oakland Raiders 33-14. Vince Lombardi's final game.
💻 Technology and everyday life
Tech news: Intel founded. Computer mouse and hypertext publicly demonstrated by Douglas Engelbart. First Boeing 747.
The gadget to have: Hot Wheels toy cars (Mattel, 1968) / color TV everywhere
How people communicated: MLK killed April 4. RFK killed June 5. Chicago convention riots. America shaking.
How people listened to music: 'Hey Jude' was #1 for 9 weeks. 7 minutes 11 seconds. The longest Beatles single ever.
The weekend: Apollo 8 orbits the Moon Christmas Eve 1968. Astronauts read Genesis. The Earth seen from space.
📵 What didn't exist yet in 1968
- Moon landing (July 1969)
- personal computers
- cell phones
- internet
- Woodstock (1969)
🎯 Guess the year — Every day a new mystery year from United States. You have 5 guesses: every miss reveals another clue.
More years from the 1960s
Main sources: EIA, Billboard, NATO