1969 was a favorite year of mine. Now, I was way too young to enjoy/experience most of it, but having lived on a college campus at the time, I did get to see some of what was going on during those turbulent days (albeit from my tricycle).
In 2015, I see very little exciting news. Mostly, it's about problems in the middle-east or Eastern Europe...not really news, now is it? But in '69, cars were fast and gas was cheap! And EVERYTHING was happening: Science, entertainment, war, sports, politics, alphas and omegas, 1969 had it all...
Led Zeppelin releases their first album; the Beatles play their last public performance (atop the Abby Road Studios building, in London).
Nixon takes over; Johnson didn't want the job, any longer.
Joe Namath catapults the NY Jets into prominence by upsetting the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. He'd go on to wear pantyhose in a commercial, (sigh).
The Boeing 747 makes its inaugural flight.
Jim Morrison (of The Doors) is arrested in Miami...put it back Jim.
Jacksonville native, LeeRoy Yarbrough wins the Daytona 500!!
Golda Meir becomes the first woman Prime Minister of Israel.
WWII Supreme Allied Commander and President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, dies.
The salt-water fishing Mecca's of Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky, are homes to start-ups: Captain D's, Arthur Treacher's and Long John Silver's, respectively. Must be the Year of the Fish...nope...a rooster.
British troops arrive in Northern Ireland (not a good time for Annie's father).
SBMC establishes the Little Gator Bowl game, to be played during halftime!!
The Battle of Dong Ap Bia (aka. Hamburger Hill) begins in Vietnam.
Queen Elizabeth crowns Prince Charles, as heir to the throne!! (cricket sounds)
Chappaquiddick: Teddy's more of a Mark Spitz, than a Richard Petty.
Butch Cassidy, Midnight Cowboy (oh my), and Easy Rider are top-grossing movies.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin...and that other guy, land on the moon!!
Charles Manson horrifies the country; Woodstock Festival promotes Aquarian peace (happened this week); Altamont (Speedway) Free Concert ends it...again.
Pele' scores his 1,000th goal in soccer! Who?
Indira Gandhi gets kicked out of her party, but retains power in India.
Cat. 5 Hurricane Camille slams Mississippi with 200 mph sustained winds.
Scooby-Doo, the Brady Bunch, Sesame Street, and Monty Python's Flying Circus begin airing. Yes, I watched the first three back then, the fourth was later.
Willie Mays hits 600 home runs (the first since Babe Ruth).
Trial of the Chicago Seven (Eight) begins. Seale can't keep his mouth shut.
Wal-Mart is incorporated. Sears would later rue that move.
SALT (1) talks between U.S. and Soviet Union to reduce strategic weapons.
Now that I think about it...I've got all the excitement I can handle. In 1969, I still had a lot of mistakes yet to be made in my life...hopefully I have most of that behind me now.
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