In 1969...
There were 3.626 Billion people in the world
The U.S. population was 202,676,946
Politics
The president was Richard Nixon
Golda Meir, from Milwaukee WI, becomes the Prime Minister of Israel
250,000 people march in protest of the Vietnam War.
Joseph P. Kennedy (father of JFK) passed away.
The Supreme Court ordered the end to all school desegregation "at once".
News
Apollo space missions land Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin land on the moon.
Hurricane Camille hit the Mississippi coast killing 248 people.
Members of a cult led by Charles Manson murdered five people.
Chappaquiddick Affair: Senator Edward Kennedy crashes and drowns in a pond and a body of a woman passenger is later found in the car.
Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to sail around the world solo without stopping.
On February 8th , after 147 years, the last weekly issue of The Saturday Evening Post is published
Living
Home
Average yearly income was $8,550.00
A new house cost $15,550.00
You could rent a house for $135.00
Cars
The average new car cost $3,270.00
A Toyota Corona cost $1,950.00
Gas per gallon was 35 cents
The Pontiac Firebird is introduced
First Mini-bike introduced
Cost
$0.10 for a first class stamp
A newspaper was $0.10
Sugar was $0.29 for a 5 lbs bag
A loaf of bread cost $0.23
A gallon of milk $1.10
1 dozen eggs $0.62
A can of soup cost $0.10
Aladdin Lunch Box, with Thermos $0.99
Wendy’s Frosty $0.35
Hasbro Lite Brite $5.66
Entertainment
Music
Woodstock attracted more than 500,000 rock-n-roll fans.
The Altamont Speedway festival attracted 300,000 fans.
The Beatles' performed their last public concert on the roof of the Apple building in London and release Abbey Road which was their final album recorded together.
"Get Back and Come Together" The Beatles
"Honky Tonk Woman" The Rolling Stones
"Daddy Sang Bass" Johnny Cash
The Top Song was Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension
Led Zepplin released their first album on January 12
Movies
The Love Bug
Funny Girl
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
True Grit
Midnight Cowboy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Easy Rider
Where Eagles Dare
Television
Sesame Street makes it's first appearance on PBS.
The Bill Cosby Show debuts
Popular shows included The Liver Birds, Marcus Welby M.D. and Hee Haw.
Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicky on The Tonight Show
Technology
In Toulouse, France the first Concorde test flight is conducted.
First transplant of the human eye.
First ATM installed in the United States.
Creation of ARPANET, the first internet.
The invention of the microprocessor.
Debut of the Boeing 747 "jumbo jet" is flown for the first time, taking off from the Boeing airfield in Everett, Washington.
UNIX is developed by a group of people from AT&T and Bell South.
The first battery powered smoke detector
The laser printer is invented at Xerox by Gary Starkweather
Fashion
Bell bottoms
Pinstripe pants
Turtlenecks
Bib dresses
Mini-skirts
Sports
The New York Mets win the World Series.
Montreal Canadiens take the Stanley Cup.
Super Bowl champions The New York
Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Superbowl III 16-7.
Ohio State defeats the University Southern California in the Rose Bowl
Did You Know?
Born in 1969
Jennifer Aniston | Jay-Z | Jennifer Lopez | Ice Cube | Gwen Stefani | Ellen Pompeo | Jack Black | Tyler Perry | Matthew Perry |
Marilyn Manson
Famous People in 1969
Steve McQueen | Ann-Margret |Brigitte Bardot | Jamee Becker | Carol Burnett | Dyan Cannon | Veronica Carlson |Diahann Carroll | Julie Christie | Catherine Deneuve |Barbara Eden|Lola Falana | Barbara Feldon| Jane Fonda | Goldie Hawn | Katiti Kironde | Peggy Lipton |Sophia Loren |Elizabeth Montgomery | Caroline Munro | Ingrid Pitt | Diana Rigg| Naomi Sims| Elke Sommer| Sharon Tate | Marlo Thomas | Penelope Tree| Tina Turner| Twiggy| Veruschka | Raquel Welch | Natalie Wood
Books
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
The Godfather - Mario Puzo
Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula L.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
The Andromeda Strain - Michael Crichton
Sing the Body Electric! - Ray Bradbury
An airplane was hijacked to Cuba in 1969, but the passengers didn't think it was real because they saw Candid Camera creator Allen Funt on board.
The new North Face Sierra Parka was destined to be the clothing of choice for outdoors people.
Whizzzer toy was introduced, along with the Big Wheel tricycle.
Miss America 1969
Judith Ford from Belvidere, IL announced as Miss America.
Top 10 Baby Names
Lisa
Michelle
Jennifer
Kimberly
Melissa
Michael
David
James
John
Robert
Firsts
Scooby-Doo aired its first episode on CBS.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired on BBC
Sesame Street premiered on the NET
Hee Haw premiered on CBS
Chemical Bank installed the first automatic teller machine in the United States, in Rockville Centre, New York.
The first Led Zeppelin album, was released in the United States.
Frank Zappa’s album Hot Rats was one of the first albums to use a 16 track recorder, and among the first to record drums on multiple tracks, giving stereo drums, all of which helped achieve outstanding technical quality.
Wendy’s Hamburgers was founded by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio.
Soft drink Capri Suns first went on sale.
Sale Fail
In 1969 Neiman Marcus listed a $10,000 kitchen computer in its Christmas Catalog, which came with a cookbook, apron, and a 2 week programming course. None were sold.
School Days
About 90% of American Schoolchildren walked to school in 1969.
Gap 1969
Donald and Doris Fisher open their clothing store, The Gap, in San Francisco.
Let the Construction begin
In 1969, Sears, the largest retailer in the world at that time, began construction on the world's tallest skyscraper. The tower is 110 stories and 1,450 feet tall. Upon completion it surpassed the World Trade Center as the tallest building in the world. The skyscraper held the title for 25 years and continued to remain the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere until the new One World Trade building built at the site of the original World Trade Center Towers in 2014. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations.
A spill to remember
On January 28th a blowout on Union Oil's platform spills 3 million gallons of crude oil into a channel and onto the beaches of Santa Barbara County in Southern California on February 5th the spill closes the harbor. The incident inspired Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to organize the first Earth Day in 1970.
Top Gun
On March 3rd, The United States Navy established the Navy Fighter Weapons School (also known as Top Gun) at Naval Air Station Miramar now known as the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar