Historical Events
- A rare Australian 1-2 in track & field; Maureen Caird in Olympic record 10.39s beats teammate Pam Kilborn by 0.07s to win the 80m hurdles at the Mexico City Games
- American athletes sweep the medals in the men's 400m at the Mexico City Olympics; Lee Evans wins gold in world record 43.86s ahead of Larry James and Ron Freeman
- American long jumper Bob Beamon sets an incredible world record (8.90m, 29' 2½") in high altitude at the Mexico City Olympics; 0.55m (22") improvement over previous world record
- American swimmer Don Schollander anchors US 4 × 200m freestyle relay team to world record 7:52.1 and the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo; Schollander's 4th gold of the Games
- Circus Circus hotel opens in Las Vegas, largest permanent big top in the world
Music History
Police find 219 grains of cannabis resin in John Lennon and Yoko Ono's apartment, they are fined £150 for marijuana possession
- Polish sprinter Irena Szewińska runs a world record 22.58s to beat Australian Raelene Boyle by 0.16s and win the 200m gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics
Black Power Salute
US Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the Black Power salute to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans during Olympic medal ceremony
1968 History
Famous Birthdays
- Denisa Szabova, Bratislava Czech, tennis star (1987 Futures-GER)
- Michael Stich, German tennis star
- Narendra Hirwani, Indian cricketer (16 wickets v WI on debut 1988), born in Gorakhpur, India
- Rhod Gilbert, Welsh comedian (Never Mind the Buzzcocks), born in Carmarthen, Wales
- Stuart Law, cricketer (prolific Queensland batsman, Australia 1995)
Famous Deaths
- Lee Tracy, American actor (Dinner at Eight, Martin Kane Private Eye), dies of cancer at 70
About October 18, 1968
Day of the Week: Friday
How Long Ago? 54 years, 11 months and 14 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Libra
Music Charts
#1 Song: Hey Jude - The Beatles
#1 Song: Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin
