Historical Events in May 1968

Music History

May 2 Roger Sessions' 8th Symphony premiers in New York City with William Steinberg conducting the New York Philharmonic

Composer and Musicologist Roger Sessions

May 3 Holland Pirate Radio Station VRON becomes Radio Veronica Intl
May 4 1st ABA championship: Pitts Pipers beat NO Buccaneers, 4 games to 3
May 4 94th Kentucky Derby: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins
May 4 Dancer Image disqualified due to drugs after winning 94th Kent Derby in 2:02½

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

May 6 Columbia Records releases "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison", the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded in January 1968

May 6 Giants reliever Lindy McDaniel sets NL record of 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964)
May 6 Spain closes border to Gibraltar except to Spaniards
May 6 Street battle between students & troops in Paris, 1,000 injured
May 8 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
May 8 Pulitzer prize awarded to William Styron (Confessions of Nat Turner)
May 10 Vietnam peace talks began in Paris between the US and North Vietnam

MacArthur Park

May 11 Irish actor Richard Harris releases single "MacArthur Park"; it becomes a million-seller topping the charts in Canada and Australia, and peaking at #2 in US and #4 in UK

May 11 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Defenceman J. C. Tremblay fires home the winner as Montreal Canadiens edge St Louis Blues, 3-2 for a 4-0 series sweep
May 11 Students & police battle in Paris, 100s injured
May 11 Toronto Transit Commission opens the largest expansion of its Bloor-Danforth Line, going to Scarborough in the east, Etobicoke in the west

Event of Interest

May 12 "March of the Poor" under Rev Ralph Abernathy reaches Washington, D.C.

May 12 WSKG TV channel 46 (PBS) in Binghamton, NY, begins broadcasting

Event of Interest

May 13 1,000,000 French demonstrate against Charles de Gaulle & Georges Pompidou

May 14 Beatles announce formation of Apple Corp

Event of Interest

May 14 Czech government announces liberalizing reforms under Alexander Dubček

Leader of Czechoslovakia Alexander Dubček

Event of Interest

May 14 RAF-leader Andreas Baader sentenced to 3 years in West Berlin

Wonderwall

May 15 "Wonderwall" with music by George Harrison, premieres at Cannes Film Festival

May 15 1st AL game played in Milwaukee, is a 4-2 California win against Chicago

TV Show Appearance

May 15 Paul McCartney & John Lennon appear on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", to promote Apple Records, Joe Garagiola is substitute host

May 15 Tornado strikes Jonesboro, Arkansas at 10 PM, killing 36
May 16 Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
May 16 In the Stormont (Northern Ireland Parliament) by-election in the city of Londonderry (Derry) the Ulster Unionists retain the seat
May 17 European Space Research Org launches 1st satellite
May 17 Frank Howard belts record 8th HR in 5th straight game
May 17 US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
May 18 93rd Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 1:56.8

Baseball Record

May 18 Al Kaline hits his 307th HR, surpassing Hank Greenberg as a Tiger

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Al Kaline

May 18 Frank Howard ties AL record with HR in his 6th consecutive game his 10 home runs in the most in 6 games
May 19 20th Emmy Awards: "Get Smart", "Mission Impossible" & Barbara Bain win
May 19 Frank Howard fails to homer, after hitting 10 in 6 consecutive games
May 19 Pirate Radio Brumble of Northern England 1st heard

Event of Interest

May 20 Terence O'Neill, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, is showered with eggs, flour and stones after a meeting of the Woodvale Unionist Association, a loyalist vigilante group

Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill

May 21 Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs sets outfielder record of 695 straight MLB games
May 21 Nuclear-powered sub USS Scorpion, with 99 men, reported missing & is later found at the bottom of the ocean off Azores
May 21 Paul McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attend an Andy Williams concert
May 21 USSR performs nuclear test (underground)
May 21 WEKW TV channel 52 in Keene, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting

Baseball Record

May 22 Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball HOF outfielder Willie Stargell hits 3 HRs, a double and a single in a 13-6 rout of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field

May 23 AC Milan of Italy win 8th European Cup Winner's Cup against Hamburger SV of West Germany 2-0 in Rotterdam
May 23 Beatles open 2nd Apple Boutique at 161 New Kings Road, London
May 24 American boxer Bob Foster defeats holder Dick Tiger for the world light-heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Gardens, New York (goes on to defend title x 14)
May 24 FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City

Event of Interest

May 24 French President Charles de Gaulle proposes referendum & students set fire to Paris bourse

May 24 Haiti closes down shortwave station 4VEH for 40 days

Music History

May 24 Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull arrested for drug possession in England

May 25 BPAA All-Star Bowling Tournament won by Jim Stefanich
May 25 BPAA US Women's Bowling Open won by Dotty Fothergill
May 25 Gateway Arch in St Louis dedicated
May 25 Rolling Stones release song "Jumping Jack Flash"
May 25 Unicorn by The Irish Rovers hits #7

Sports History

May 27 George Halas retires from coaching, finishing with 318 regular-season wins and 6 NFL titles

American Football Coach and Team Owner George Halas

May 27 NL awards Montreal & SD major league franchises
May 27 The meeting of the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (National Union of the Students of France) takes place. 30,000 to 50,000 people gather in the Stade Sebastien Charlety.
May 28 MLB: AL announces it is splitting into 2 divisions
May 28 MLB: NL grants San Diego Padres a franchise

Event of Interest

May 28 Senator Eugene McCarthy wins Democratic presidential primary in Oregon

Politician and Presidential Candidate Eugene McCarthy

May 29 European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Bobby Charlton scores twice as Manchester United beats Benfica, 4-1; first English club to win the trophy
May 29 UN resolves sanctions on white-minority-ruled Rhodesia
May 29 US Truth in Lending Act signed into law
May 30 Beatles begin work on their only double album "Beatles"