(CNN) -- 1968 was a year of triumphs and tragedies. While America reached new heights by introducing the first 747 and orbiting the moon, all was not well down on Earth. The United States lost a Navy intelligence ship and two proponents of peace -- the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Here are eight events that made history during that unforgettable year. 1. January 23: North Korea captures the USS Pueblo When North Korea captured the American surveillance ship USS Pueblo, it sparked an 11-month crisis that threatened to worsen already high Cold War tensions in the region.
@highlight
1968 remains arguably the most historic year in modern American history
@highlight
Revered leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated
@highlight
North Korea captured a U.S. ship; Olympic athletes raised fists in Black Power salute
@highlight
With the Apollo 8 mission, for the first time in history humans orbited the Moon
@placeholder's fellow civil rights pioneers made public pleas for a nonviolent response to honor his memory.
He called on them to embrace @placeholder's message of love, wisdom and compassion toward one another.