THE WAY IT WAS IN 1969
HERE ARE SOME OF THINGS THAT WERE
HAPPENING IN THE YEAR WE GRADUATED
(compiled by Ed Albertson)
| SOME FACTS OF 1969 President - Richard Nixon (37th President) Vice President - Spiro T. Agnew U.S. Population - 202,676,946 World Population - 3.63 billion U.S. Life Expectancy - 70.5 years Federal Spending - $183.64 billion Federal Debt - $365.8 billion U.S. Median household income - $8,389 U.S. Unemployment - 3.6% Prime Interest Rate - 7% Inflation - 5.7% Dow Jones Industrial Average 952 (High) 769 (Low) Average price of a gallon of gas - $0.35/gallon Average New Home Cost - $27,900 Average price of a new car - $2,000 New Ford Mustang - $2,400 Average price of a gallon of milk - $1.10 Average price of a dozen eggs - $0.62 Average price of a loaf of bread - $0.20 Cost of a First Class U.S. stamp - $0.06 Ticket to Woodstock $6.00/day ($8.00 at the gate) SCIENCE IN 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become first humans to walk on the moon First in-vitro fertilization of human egg happens in Cambridge, England First bone marrow transplant First Artificial Heart planted in a human being (patient lived three days) Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) goes online in December, connecting four major U.S. universities and paving the way for what would later become known as the Internet. (No, Al Gore wasn't there.) Use of DDT is banned in residential areas The scanning electron microscope is developed
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EVENTS HAPPENING IN 1969 First ATM Machine introduced Concorde supersonic jet makes its first flight Battle for Hamburger Hill in South Vietnam Woodstock Moon Landing by Apollo 11 Chappaquiddick Chicago Seven (originally the Chicago Eight) trial opens in . . . Chicago!!! My Lai Massacre story by Seymour Hersh Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Tate/LaBianca murders by Charles Manson FCC bans cigarette advertising on TV and radio Yale University goes co-ed Frosted Mini-Wheats introduced by Kelloggs Pringles introduced by Procter & Gamble First Wendy's Restaurant opens in Ohio Environmental Protection Agency created Penthouse magazine debuts Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) takes over Harvard Sesame Street debuts Ford Maverick goes on sale GM introduces a plug-in hybrid (the XP-883) top speed was 60 mph (in just 28 seconds) BORN IN 1969 • Marilyn Manson • Jennifer Aniston • Chastity Bono • Renee Zellwegger • Cate Blanchett • Emmit Smith • Steffi Graf • Ice Cube • Jennifer Lopez • Christian Slater • Edward Norton • Jack Black • Rachel Hunter • Dweezil Zappa • Catherine Zeta-Jones • Brett Favre • Nancy Kerrigan • Ernie Els • Ken Griffey, Jr.
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SPORTS IN 1969 Super Bowl - N.Y. Jets defeat Baltimore 16-7 Kentucky Derby Winner - Majestic Prince World Series - N.Y. Mets defeat Baltimore 4-1 (it just wasn't Baltimore's year) NBA Championship - Boston defeats L.A. Lakers 4-3 Stanley Cup Montreal defeats St. Louis 4-0 NCAA Basketball Championship - UCLA defeats Purdue 92-72 NCAA Football Champions - Texas (11-0) ENTERTAINMENT IN 1969 |