1969 New York City mayoral election, Results
Note: In one of the most unusual primary seasons since the conglomeration of greater New York, the incumbent Mayor (Lindsay) and a former incumbent (Robert F. Wagner, Jr.) both lost their parties' primaries. Procaccino won with less than 33% of the vote against four opponents, which inspired the use of runoffs in future primaries. In the Democratic Primary, Norman Mailer and Jimmy Breslin, running under a platform of secession from the state, finished in fourth place.


1969 New York City mayoral election, Results
In the general election, Lindsay carried Manhattan (the only borough he had carried in losing the Republican primary to Marchi, 107,000 to 113,000) as he did in 1965, but he was only 4,000 votes ahead of giving first place in Queens to Procaccino. Turnout dropped to 2.4 million from 2.6 million in 1965. (In the same election, Lindsay's 1965 opponent Abe Beame was easily returned to his old job of Comptroller.)


1969 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
The 35th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honored the best filmmaking of 1969.


1969 New York Giants season
The 1969 New York Giants season was the franchise's 45th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants moved back to the Century Division in 1969, after one season in the Capitol Division. They finished with a 6–8 record, and had one victory less than the previous year. New York placed second in the Century Division, four-and-a-half games behind the Cleveland Browns.


1969 New York Giants season
Before the season, the Giants selected Fred Dryer in the first round of the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft, with the thirteenth overall pick, and traded with the Atlanta Falcons for running back Junior Coffey in late October. New York lost all of its preseason games, including a 37–14 rout by the New York Jets at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, leading the team to fire head coach Allie Sherman in mid-September, a week before the regular season began. Offensive backfield coach Alex Webster was promoted to head coach.


1969 New York Giants season
The Giants opened the season with a one-point win over the Minnesota Vikings, the eventual league champion, and held a 3–1 record after four games. However, they went on a seven-game losing streak, then won the final three games in December to close the season.


1969 New York Giants season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1969 New York Jets season
The 1969 New York Jets season was the tenth season for the team, and their final season in the American Football League (AFL). Attempting to defend their AFL championship and Super Bowl III title, they failed to improve on their 11-3 record from 1968, however, they won the AFL Eastern Division again with a 10–4 record. In the divisional playoffs, they fell to the eventual AFL and Super Bowl IV champion, the Kansas City Chiefs.


1969 New York Jets season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1969 New York Mets season
The 1969 New York Mets season was the team's eighth as a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise and culminated when they won the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. They played their home games at Shea Stadium and were managed by Gil Hodges. The team is often referred to as the "Amazin' Mets" (a nickname coined by Casey Stengel, who managed the team from their inaugural season to 1965) or the "Miracle Mets".


1969 New York Mets season
The 1969 season was the first season of divisional play in Major League Baseball. The Mets were assigned to the newly created National League East division. In their seven previous seasons, the Mets had never finished higher than ninth place in the ten-team National League and had never had a winning season. They lost at least one hundred games in five of the seasons. However, they overcame mid-season difficulties while the division leaders for much of the season, the Chicago Cubs, suffered a late-season collapse. The Mets finished 100–62, eight games ahead of the Cubs.


1969 New York Mets season
The Mets went on to defeat the National League West champion Atlanta Braves three games to none in the inaugural National League Championship Series. The Mets then went on to defeat the American League champion Baltimore Orioles in five games. First baseman Donn Clendenon was named the series' most valuable player on the strength of his .357 batting average, three home runs, and four runs batted in.


1969 New York Mets season
On Saturday, August 22, 2009, many of the surviving members of the 1969 championship team reunited at the New York Mets' present park, Citi Field.


1969 New York Mets season, Spring training
The 1969 New York Mets held spring training at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 8th season.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets had never finished higher than ninth place in a ten-team league in their first seven seasons. As an expansion team, they went 40–120 in 1962, the most losses by an MLB team in one season in the 20th century, and the 1962 Mets' .250 winning percentage was higher than only the .248 posted by the 1935 Boston Braves.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets never had been over .500 after the ninth game of any season. Seven years after their disastrous inaugural season, "The Amazin' Mets" (as nicknamed by previous manager Casey Stengel) won the World Series, the first expansion team to do so.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
1969 was the first year of divisional baseball, precipitated by the expansion of each league from 10 to 12 teams. The Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots joined the American League. The San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos joined the National League. Before 1969, the first place team in each league advanced directly to the World Series. Under the new structure, each league was divided into East and West divisions, each comprising six teams, with the divisional winners facing off in a best-of-five playoff for the right to represent their league in the World Series.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets were slotted into the National League Eastern Division, along with the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, expansion Montreal Expos, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who had been World Champions in 1964 and 1967 and losers of the 1968 World Series. For the first time since joining the National League in 1962, the Mets could finish no lower than 6th. The New York Times journalist, Joseph Durso, predicted the Mets would finish 4th in the East, ahead of the Pirates and the Expos.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
On Tuesday April 8, with 44,541 fans in attendance at Shea Stadium, the Mets and the Expos played the first international baseball game in major league baseball history. The Mets had lost seven straight opening day games since joining the national league in 1962. That dubious record reached eight when the Expos prevailed in an 11-10 slugfest, despite the Mets scoring four runs with two down in the bottom of the ninth, highlighted by a pinch hit three-run homer by Duffy Dyer. Apparently, this was axiomatic Mets baseball, as one columnist described the Mets as "masters of the lingering death."


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
The Mets took the next two games from the Expos, but then lost six of the following 7 games, bringing their record to 3–7. After a 9–14 start, the Mets won 9 of their next 13 games, including consecutive shutouts in late April against the Cubs and Expos. When Tom Seaver shutout the Atlanta Braves 5–0 on May 21, the Mets were 18-18, their best start in franchise history.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
But the Mets lost their next five games, starting with a 15-3 drubbing from the Atlanta Braves, followed by a 3-game sweep by the Astros, who outscored the Mets 18–4, and finishing with a loss at Shea Stadium to the lowly Padres. At the end of play on May 27, the Mets' record stood at 18–23. Then, in late May, the Mets reeled off a club-record 11 straight wins, which included three walk-off wins and dominant pitching, as the Mets pitching staff yielded a stingy 2-runs per game. Starting with their 42nd game, the Mets went 82–39 (a .678 winning percentage), including an astonishing 38–11 in their last 49 games.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
Despite that performance, the Mets suffered two mid-season three-game series sweeps at the hands of the Houston Astros, who manhandled the Mets all season, taking 10 of the 12 games the teams played. They were also no-hit by Bob Moose of the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20, only five days after becoming the first major league team to strike out 19 times in a nine-inning game, a game they won, 4–3, on a pair of two-run home runs by Ron Swoboda, against the Cardinals' Steve Carlton.


1969 New York Mets season, Regular season
Trailing the Chicago Cubs for much of the season, the Mets found themselves in third place, 10 games back, on August 14 but they won 14 of their last 17 games during August, and 24 of their 32 games during September and October, to surge past the Cubs, finishing 100–62, eight games ahead of the Cubs. That 18 game differential is one of the largest turnarounds in MLB history.


1969 New York Mets season, The final out
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, starting pitcher Jerry Koosman faced Orioles second baseman Davey Johnson (who later managed the Mets to their second World Series championship in 1986). After taking a pitch of two balls and one strike, Johnson hit a fly-ball out to left field which was caught by Cleon Jones.


1969 New York Mets season, Hall of Fame members who played in the 1969 World Series
Three future Hall of Fame members were on that Mets' roster: pitcher Tom Seaver (who won twenty-five games en route to winning the Cy Young Award), a young Nolan Ryan (playing in his third season), and New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra (who briefly played for the Mets in 1965). Berra was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972, Seaver in 1992, and Ryan in 1999.


1969 New York Mets season, Hall of Fame members who played in the 1969 World Series
The Baltimore Orioles boasted four future Hall of Famers on their roster: pitcher Jim Palmer, outfielder Frank Robinson, third baseman Brooks Robinson, and manager Earl Weaver.


1969 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1969 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1969 New York Mets season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York Mets season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York Mets season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York Mets season, NLCS, Game 2
Sunday, October 5, 1969, at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia


1969 New York Mets season, NLCS, Game 3
Monday, October 6, 1969, at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York


1969 New York Mets season, World Series, Game 1
Saturday, October 11, 1969, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland


1969 New York Mets season, World Series, Game 2
Sunday, October 12, 1969, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland


1969 New York Mets season, World Series, Game 3
Tuesday, October 14, 1969, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York


1969 New York Mets season, World Series, Game 4
Wednesday, October 15, 1969, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York


1969 New York Mets season, World Series, Game 5
Thursday, October 16, 1969, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, New York


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In the movie Oh, God!, God, as played by George Burns, explains to John Denver that "the last miracle I performed was the 1969 Mets."


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
Part of the movie Frequency is set in Queens, New York, in 1969, as firefighter and avid Mets fan Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid) and his family follow the "Amazin's" throughout the World Series.


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In Moonlighting, Season 2, Episode 13, "In God We Strongly Suspect", when David is attempting to define the parameters of Maddie's skepticism and atheism by inviting her to provide logical explanations for various phenomena seemingly beyond man's understanding, he mentions the "'69 Mets" which she immediately dismisses as "a myth and a hoax".


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In his song "Faith and Fear in Flushing Meadows", twee/folk artist Harry Breitner makes mention of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman.


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In the TV sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond episode "Big Shots", Ray and Robert visit the Baseball Hall of Fame to meet members of the '69 Mets.


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In the film Men in Black 3, set shortly before the Apollo 11 launch in July 1969, Griffin, an alien from the fifth dimension who can see the future, says the Mets' title is his favorite human history moment for "all the improbabilities that helped".


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In the TV show Growing Pains, the family's name was the Seavers and their neighbors were the Koosmans.


1969 New York Mets season, In popular culture
In the TV Sitcom The Simpsons episode MoneyBart, Homer Simpson says the 1969 Mets will live on forever.


1969 New York Yankees season
The 1969 New York Yankees season was the 67th season for the team in New York, and its 69th season overall. The team finished in fifth-place in the newly established American League East with a record of 80–81, 28½ games behind the Baltimore Orioles. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.


1969 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Mickey Mantle's retired number
On Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969, in addition to the retirement of his uniform number 7, Mantle was given a plaque that would hang on the center field wall at Yankee Stadium, near the monuments to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins. The plaque was given to him by Joe DiMaggio, and Mantle then gave DiMaggio a similar plaque, telling the crowd, "His should be just a little bit higher than mine." The televised ceremony, aired on WPIX, was hosted by the team's television analyst Frank Messer and long time radio broadcaster Mel Allen.


1969 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1969 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1969 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 New York state election
The 1969 New York state election was held on November 4, 1969, to elect a judge of the New York Court of Appeals.


1969 New York state election, Background
On May 20, 1969, Judge Kenneth B. Keating resigned, and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to India.


1969 New York state election, Nominations
On August 30, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller recommended to the Republican State Committee the nomination of the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division (Third Dept.) James Gibson for the Court of Appeals.


1969 New York state election, Nominations
On September 4, Gibson was nominated by the Republican, Democratic and Conservative state committees. The Liberal Party refused to endorse Gibson or any other candidate.


1969 New York state election, Nominations
On September 15, Governor Rockefeller appointed Gibson to fill the vacancy temporarily.


1969 New Zealand Grand Prix
The 1969 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 4 January 1969. The race had 20 starters.


1969 New Zealand Grand Prix
It was the 16th New Zealand Grand Prix, and doubled as the opening round of the 1969 Tasman Series. Chris Amon won his second NZGP, leading home Austrian star Jochen Rindt.


1969 New Zealand Open
The 1969 New Zealand Open (also known as the 1969 Benson & Hedges Open for sponsorship reasons) was the first New Zealand Open to be staged as an open tournament (allowing amateurs and professionals to play together). It was a joint men's and women's event.


1969 New Zealand Open – Singles
Tony Roche defeated Rod Laver 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 to win the 1969 New Zealand Open singles event. Barry Phillips-Moore was the champion but did not defend his title.


1969 New Zealand Open – Singles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1969 New Zealand bravery awards
The 1969 New Zealand bravery awards were announced via two Special Honours Lists dated 21 April and 17 September 1969, and recognised two people for acts of bravery in 1968 and 1969.


1969 New Zealand bravery awards, George Medal (GM)
In recognition of his outstanding bravery in the arrest of an armed and dangerous man at Whangarei on 11 July 1969.


1969 New Zealand bravery awards, British Empire Medal (BEM)
For his great courage in going to the assistance of a Detective Constable who had been attacked by a man armed with a knife at the Khandallah Domain on Sunday, 15 December 1968.


1969 New Zealand gallantry awards
The 1969 New Zealand gallantry awards were announced via three Special Honours Lists dated 14 February, 18 March and 24 September 1969, and recognised 11 New Zealand military personnel for gallantry and distinguished service during operations in Vietnam.


1969 New Zealand general election
The 1969 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of Parliament's 36th term. It saw the Second National Government headed by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake of the National Party win a fourth consecutive term.


1969 New Zealand general election, 1967 electoral redistribution
Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, an increase of one since the 1962 electoral redistribution. It was accepted that through the more rapid population growth in the North Island, the number of its electorates would continue to increase, and to keep proportionality, three new electorates were allowed for in the 1967 electoral redistribution for the next election.


1969 New Zealand general election, 1967 electoral redistribution
In the North Island, five electorates were newly created (Birkenhead, Hamilton West, Henderson, Mangere, and Western Hutt) and one electorate was reconstituted (Waikato) while three electorates were abolished (Hamilton, Waipa, and Waitakere). In the South Island, three electorates were newly created (Papanui, South Canterbury, and Wigram) and one electorate was reconstituted (Oamaru) while three electorates were abolished (Ashburton, Fendalton, and Waitaki). The overall effect of the required changes was highly disruptive to existing electorates, with all but three electorates (Franklin, Wairarapa, and St Kilda) having their boundaries altered. These changes came into effect with the 1969 election.


1969 New Zealand general election, 1967 electoral redistribution
The increase to 84 electorates was the first since the 1902 electoral distribution. Due to the fixed number of South Island electorates, the number of North Island electorates has increased in every subsequent election until the introduction of mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) for the 1996 election, which fixed the number of seats at 120.


1969 New Zealand general election, 1967 electoral redistribution, MPs retiring in 1969
Four National MPs and five Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 35th Parliament.


1969 New Zealand general election, 1967 electoral redistribution, MPs retiring in 1969
Sir Walter Nash MP for Hutt had announced he would retire at the end of the term in 1969, but he died on 4 June 1968 triggering a by-election instead.


1969 New Zealand general election, Election
The election was held on 29 November. Turnout was 88.94%. The total number of MPs had increased to 84, with at least 3 of the 4 new seats likely Labour seats. 55 and 25 electorates were in the North Island and South Island, respectively, plus the 4 Māori electorates.


1969 New Zealand general election, Results
National pulled off a cliff-hanger victory. National won 45 seats, and Labour won 39 seats, though Labour's share of the vote was only 1% behind National. The Social Credit Party lost its only seat in Parliament: Hobson, formerly held by then party leader Vernon Cracknell.


1969 New Zealand general election, Results
Despite the hopes of a reinvigorated Labour party under Norman Kirk, Labour was overconfident, started too late, and did not win in Auckland. Relations with the Federation of Labour and the unions were not good, and an industrial dispute on the ship Wainui cost Labour three Auckland seats according to Kirk. Labour MP Warren Freer personally believed that had it not been for the seamen's strike during the election period, we could have won.


1969 New Zealand general election, Results
In Eden, Labour was first on election night but lost when special votes were counted.


1969 New Zealand general election, Results, Votes summary
The table below shows the results of the 1969 general election:


1969 New Zealand rugby league season
The 1969 New Zealand rugby league season was the 62nd season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
New Zealand drew 1-all with Australia. New Zealand included Don Ladner, Phillip Orchard, Roy Christian, Brian Clark, Mocky Brereton, Gary Woollard, Graeme Cooksley, Oscar Danielson, captain Colin O'Neil, Doug Gailey, Bill Deacon, Bill Noonan and Tony Kriletich.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
Australia defeated a North Island colts side 17-13 before defeating the South Island 24-15 at the Show Grounds. The South Island included Bill Johnsen, Bob Irvine, Gary Clarke and Angus Thompson.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
Australia then defeated Wellington 48-7 before beaten by Auckland 14-15 at Carlaw Park. During the game referee Earle Pilcher collided with Kangaroo Col Weiss and was knocked out, also suffering a broken neck. This occurred as Auckland were racing away to score a would be try, only to have no one able to award it. Auckland team: John Young; John Sparnon, Roy Christian, Paul Schultz, Mike McClennan; Gary Woollard, Eric Carson; Doug Gailey, Bill Burgoyne, Victor Yates (replaced by Tony Kriletich), Eddie Moore, Ernie Wiggs, Ray Sinel.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
In a special fixture to mark the New Zealand Rugby League's diamond jubilee, a match was played between Auckland and New Zealand at Carlaw Park in front of 12,000 fans. Ernie Asher was present at the match and carried out the ceremonial kick-off. Auckland included Australians John Raper, Phil Hawthorne and Dick Thornett as guest players.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
The Colin O'Neil won the New Zealand Rugby League's player of the year award.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
New Zealand Universities Rugby League team also toured Australia where they played 3 tests against the Australian Universities team.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Rugby League Cup
West Coast held the Rugby League Cup at the end of the season, after defeating Canterbury 23-19 at the Show Grounds to win the trophy and then defending it 14-2 in Greymouth. During the year the Northern Union Cup was renamed the Rugby League Cup.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-zone competition
Southern Zone defeated Northern Zone 13-12. The Southern Zone included Graeme Cooksley and Rodney Walker.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
Auckland won the Rothmans trophy, defeating Canterbury 48-16 in the final at Carlaw Park.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
Auckland included Len Morgan, Bland Liles, Henry Tatana, Bob Mincham, captain Roger Bailey, Ernie Wiggs, Paul Schultz, Mike McClennan, Eric Carson, Len Morgan and Oscar Danielson.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
Canterbury included Brian Langton, Bill Noonan, Rodney Walker and Graeme Cooksley.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
The West Coast included Don Ladner, Bill Johnsen and John Hibbs.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Mount Albert won the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Trophy and Stormont Shield. They defeated Marist 20-0 in the Fox Memorial grand final. Otahuhu won the Rukutai Shield and Kiwi Shield, the first time this Shield was contested. Richmond won the Roope Rooster while City Newton won the Sharman Cup and Mangere East won the Norton Cup.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Gary Woollard, from Mount Albert, won the Lipscombe Cup, Eric Carson, from Glenora, won the Rothville Trophy and Ernie Wiggs, from Otahuhu, again won the Painter Rosebowl Trophy.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Canterbury
Hornby won the Canterbury Rugby League's Pat Smith Challenge Trophy, defeating Marist-Western Suburbs 10-9 in the Grand Final. Marist-Western Suburbs won the Massetti Cup while Linwood won the Gore Cup.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Canterbury
Eddie Brown (Addington), Robert Lanauze (Addington) and Robin Moffat (Hornby) shared the A.G.Bailey Challenge Cup as leading try scorers while John Rosanowski (Linwood) won the Turner and Le Brun Cup as leading goalscorer.


1969 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Other Competitions
Runanga	and Hornby drew 0-all, which meant the West Coast Rugby League retained the Thacker Shield.


1969 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election
The Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election of 30 October 1969 was caused by the death of Labour MP Stephen Swingler. It was held on the same day as four other by-elections and the seat was retained by Labour. (in Glasgow Gorbals, Islington North, Paddington North, and Swindon.)


1969 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election, Aftermath
Although the Conservatives achieved a 10.7% swing from Labour, John Golding claimed that his victory was a vote of confidence in Harold Wilson's Government. Conservative supporters responded by shouting "Rubbish", while their unsuccessful candidate, Nicholas Winterton, stated the result was notice for the Government "to quit - and soon". The other three by-elections in England held on the same day also saw similar large swings to the Conservatives, with Swindon being gained by the latter party.


1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash
On August 31, 1969, a Cessna 172 crashed in Newton, Iowa, killing world heavyweight champion boxer Rocky Marciano and two others.


1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash, The flight
On Sunday, August 31, 1969 at 8:05 pm CDT, the Cessna 172 with registration number N3149X crashed in a pasture near Newton, Iowa, approximately thirty miles (50 km) east of Des Moines.


1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash, The flight
It had departed from Chicago Midway Airport at 6 pm (1800 hrs) and was en route to Des Moines, where Marciano was to celebrate his 46th birthday at a party the next day. This was to be a surprise party for him; he was to give a speech in support of his friend, Louis Fratto's son. Marciano intended to later fly to Florida to celebrate his birthday at home with his family.


1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash, Accident
A storm system was building in the Des Moines region at the time of the accident. The airplane's pilot was 37-year-old Glenn Belz, who was not experienced with night flying or flying during bad weather. Belz decided to head to Newton instead of continuing to Des Moines as planned, which would have risked him losing his pilot's license. The airplane was also short of fuel at the time of the crash.


1969 Newton Cessna 172 crash, Accident
Witness Coleen Swarts observed the airplane reverse its course and then heard a loud sound as it crashed.


1969 Nippon Professional Baseball season
The 1969 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 20th season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Irish author Samuel Beckett "for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation."


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, Laureate
Samuel Beckett wrote novels, plays, short stories and essays. In his most famous work Waiting for Godot he examines the basic foundations of human life with strikingly dark humour.


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, Prize decision
The decision to award Samuel Beckett was controversial within the Swedish Academy. While some members of the Nobel committee was enthusiastic about the idea of awarding Beckett, the Nobel committee chairman Anders Österling had serious doubts that Beckett's writing was in the spirit of Alfred Nobel's will. In 1964 he had argued that he “would almost consider a Nobel prize for him as an absurdity in his own style”. Beckett was a leading candidate for the 1968 prize along with André Malraux, W.H. Auden and the Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata, but was rejected in favour of Kawabata.


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, Prize decision
Despite Österling's reservations Beckett was awarded in 1969. The Nobel committee had received five nominations for Beckett that year, but was split as Österling and one other member supported a prize to André Malraux. Other nominations that year included Simone de Beauvoir, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda and Graham Greene. While Österling acknowledged the possibility that behind Beckett's “depressing motives” might lie a “secret defence of humanity”, he argued that in the eyes of most readers it “remains an artistically staged ghost poetry, characterised by a bottomless contempt for the human condition”.


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, Prize decision
Beckett's main supporter on the committee, Karl Ragnar Gierow, on the other hand, argued that Beckett's “black vision” was “not the expression of animosity and nihilism” but “portrays humanity as we have all seen it, at the moment of its most severe violation”, and searches for the depths of degradation because even there, “there is the possibility of rehabilitation”. Beckett was awarded and in his award ceremony speech Gierow expanded on his arguments, saying Beckett's work goes “to the depths” because “it is only there that pessimistic thought and poetry can work their miracles".


1969 Nobel Prize in Literature, Reactions
While not rejecting the prize, Beckett did not attend the prize ceremony, nor did he deliver a Nobel lecture. His wife described his reaction to the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as a "catastrophe". He quickly donated the prize money, much of it to Trinity College, Dublin.


1969 North American Soccer League season
The 1969 North American Soccer League season was the second season of the North American Soccer League, the top division in US soccer in 1969.


1969 North American Soccer League season
Five teams competed in the league's 2nd season. The season was divided into two parts; the International Cup and the regular season. The Kansas City Spurs won the International Cup. The Kansas City Spurs also won the NASL championship by finishing at the top of the table in the regular season. For the second straight year the team with the best winning percentage (Atlanta) did not win the premiership due to the NASL's points system. But unlike the previous year, the Chiefs got no opportunity to claim any title, as this would be the only year that the league did not hold a post-season Championship Final.


1969 North American Soccer League season, Changes from the previous season
No new teams were added and total of 12 teams folded between the 1968 and 1969 seasons:


1969 North American Soccer League season, 1969 NASL International Cup
The NASL held a double round-robin tournament that was called the International Cup. The league imported teams from England and Scotland to stand in for the U.S. clubs.


1969 North American Soccer League season, 1969 NASL International Cup
Atlanta Chiefs were represented by Aston VillaBaltimore Bays were represented by West Ham UnitedDallas Tornado were represented by Dundee UnitedKansas City Spurs were represented by Wolverhampton WanderersSt. Louis Stars were represented by Kilmarnock F.C.


1969 North American Soccer League season, 1969 NASL International Cup
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.


1969 North American Soccer League season, 1969 NASL International Cup
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts= point system


1969 North American Soccer League season, NASL Final 1969 season standings
The regular season rosters were made of the teams' own players. With no playoff or final, Kansas City was crowned league champion.


1969 North American Soccer League season, NASL Final 1969 season standings
6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored up to three per game.


1969 North American Soccer League season, NASL Final 1969 season standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, GD = Goal Differential, Pts= point system, Avg Att= Average Attendance


1969 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The Tar Heels were led by third-year head coach Bill Dooley and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in third.


1969 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team
The 1969 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team, also known as the Nodaks, was an American football team that represented the University of North Dakota in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In its second year under head coach Jerry Olson, the team compiled a 4–5 record (3–3 against NCC opponents), tied for third place out of seven teams in the NCC, and was outscored by a total of 254 to 205. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, North Dakota.


1969 North Dakota State Bison football team
The 1969 North Dakota State Bison football team was an American football team that represented North Dakota State University as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In their fourth season under head coach Ron Erhardt, the team compiled a 10–0 record (6–0 against conference opponents) and won the conference championship. The team was also ranked No. 1 in the 1969 AP and UPI small college polls. The 1969 season was part of an unbeaten streak that lasted from the team's defeat in the 1967 Pecan Bowl until October 16, 1971.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season is an active cyclone season. It has no bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Sea to the west of India.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. An average of four to six storms form in the North Indian Ocean every season with peaks in May and November. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm One
A low-pressure area on the Bay of Bengal intensified to a depression on May 14. Moving west-northwest, it further strengthened to a deep depression on the next day, with ships in the area reporting below gale-force winds and a cyclonic storm on May 16. ESSA-8 satellite imageries reported that the storm has winds equivalent to a Category 2 storm at that time, before crossing the coast between Ongole and Masulipatam (now Machilipatnam) on the next day, maintaining its intensity. Inland, it rapidly weakened to a depression and an area of low-pressure on May 19 and 20, respectively.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm One
Heavy rains and gusty winds were reported on the northern parts of Andhra Pradesh, causing widespread destruction and unprecedented floods. Chinnaganjam got the highest rainfall amount from the system, at 31 cm (310 mm). Over 600 individuals and a few lakh heads of cattle were rendered dead as a result of the storm, while many croplands were destroyed. Total loss was estimated to be at a hundred crores of rupees.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Two
A trough of low-pressure was first located over the east-central portion of Arabian Sea, off Mysore and southern coasts of Maharastra. It further extended and moved northwards before becoming well-marked by June 3. On the next day, a depression formed from this feature near south Gujarat and north Maharastra coasts, two days later. This time, it tracked east-northeastwards before crossing land near Diu on June 6, where Veraval recorded its peak winds from the northwest of 35 km/h (25 mph), while its barometric pressure toppled at 998.9 hPa (29.50 inHg) on Mahuva. It subsequently weakened to a low-pressure area that day.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Two
Under the influence of the system, the monsoon advanced on the Arabian Sea, particularly on Maharastra and south Gujarat coasts from June 6 – 7.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Three
A cyclonic circulation formed over the Bay of Bengal on June 15. This feature spawned a low-pressure area on the basin which intensified to a depression on the evening of the next day. Ship ATAF reported winds of 55 km/h (35 mph), a minimum pressure of 1001.8 hPa (29.58 inHg) and intermittent rains on that day. Its wind speeds were equivalent of a modern-day deep depression; however, the IMD treated the system a depression, as such. Later, it slowed down as it moved northwards before taking a northwesterly turn as it accelerated towards East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). On July 20 in the night, it made landfall on the country near Chittagong before rapidly weakening to a low-pressure area and merging with the seasonal trough over Assam.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Three
Widespread rainfall were reported on Assam on July 20 as a result of the system.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Four
After a month-long inactivity over the basin, a low-pressure area developed over the northwest portion of the Bay of Bengal on July 26. It became well-marked by that evening and a depression on July 28. Moving northwestward, it further became a deep depression on the next day, with Sandheads recording a minimum pressure of 990.7 hPa (29.26 inHg) that day. ESSA-8 satellite imagery on July 29 depicted that the bands of the system located on all of its peripheries.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Four
Before the afternoon of the next day, it moved over Balasore while continuing its movement before weakening to a depression over Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh that evening. It shifted its movement towards the west on July 31 before degrading further to a low-pressure area over Madhya Pradesh on the first day of August.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Four
Under the storm's influence, the monsoon further became active in eastern Madhya Pradesh and Orissa (now Odisha). Bhubaneshwar recorded the heaviest rainfall from the system on July 30 at 28 cm (280 mm), while its remnants produced light downpour at Hoshangabad and Pachmarhi on August 2. According to press reports, these rains caused flooding on many districts in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Jagdalpur. Villages in these areas and near rivers were inundated and traffics were affected.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Five
An area of low-pressure formed in the Bay of Bengal on August 7. It became well-marked that evening and further strengthened to a depression on the next day. Moving northwest, the system crossed the coast over Sundarbans before rapidly weakening back to a low-pressure area that day. It then moved over Uttar Pradesh on August 12, where it was last noted.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Five
The system caused an active monsoon condition in Orissa and the Gangetic West Bengal on August 8-10. Dhanbad on August 9 reported the highest rainfall from the depression, standing at 12 cm (4.7 in).


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm Six
An upper air cyclonic circulation formed over East Pakistan and the adjoining Bay of Bengal on August 12 in the morning. A low-pressure area subsequently developed on that evening before strengthening to a depression on the next day. Meteorological analysis revealed that there was a fall in pressure at that time inland the Gangetic West Bengal and Orissa. While moving west-northwestwards, it rapidly intensified to a cyclonic storm near Chuksar Island, or south-southwest of Sagar Island.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm Six
Sandheads reported winds of 95 km/h (60 mph) that day, well equivalent to a severe cyclonic storm in the modern-day NIO scale, while its pressure bottomed at 990 hPa (29.23 inHg) at 17:30 IST. Continuing its course, it crossed north Orissa near Balasore that night before weakening to a deep depression, about 100 kilometres to the south of Jamshedpur. As it changed its movement towards the northwest, it further weakened to a depression before degenerating to an area of low-pressure over northwest Madhya Pradesh and the adjoining southwest Uttar Pradesh on August 16 in the evening.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm Six
The influence of the cyclone caused active monsoon conditions on Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and east Rajasthan from August 13-17. Chandabali got the highest amount of rainfall from the storm, at 23 cm (9.1 in) on August 14. Meanwhile, as east Rajashthan was impacted by these rains, particularly the districts of Chittorgarh and Jhalawar, it caused flooding that caused road communication problems.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Seven
After almost another month of no activity on the basin, an east-west trough located over north Indian peninsula and a well-marked trough line over 17.0 N spawned a cyclonic circulation on September 4. A low-pressure area formed from this feature on that day before strengthening to a depression, two days later. Moving to the northwest, the storm didn't strengthen much and crossed Orissa near Gopalpur on September 7 in the morning. Despite tracking inland, a 09:13 IST ESSA-8 satellite imagery revealed a cyclonic circulation over Gujarat. Later moving in a north-northeast movement after tracking west-northwestwards and northwards, it weakened further to an area of low-pressure on September 11 before merging into the seasonal trough on the evening of the next day.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Seven
In association with the troughs, the monsoon further advanced through Haryana, Maharastra, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, western Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar Plateau and the Gangetic West Bengal from September 5-13. Alwar in Rajasthan reported the highest rain accumulation from the storm at 22 cm (220 mm) on September 10.


1969 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm Twelve
Storms in May and November struck Andhra Pradesh, killing 858 people.


1969 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team
The 1969 Northeast Louisiana Indians football team was an American football team that represented Northeast Louisiana University (now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe) in the Gulf States Conference during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In their sixth year under head coach Dixie B. White, the team compiled a 1–9 record.


1969 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
The 1969 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as an independent during the 1969 NAIA football season. In their first year under head coach John Symank, the Lumberjacks compiled a 7–3 record and outscored opponents by a total of 284 to 182.


1969 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
The team played its home games at Lumberjack Stadium in Flagstaff, Arizona.


1969 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 1969 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. This was the Huskies' first year at the highest level in college football, making the transition from College Division to University Division at the end of the previous season. The Huskies competed among the Independents of the league during this season, and the next 5 seasons afterwards before joining the Mid-American Conference. They were led by first year head coach Doc Urich, and played their home games at Huskie Stadium.


1969 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
The 1969 Northern Iowa Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Northern Iowa in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. In its 10th season under head coach Stan Sheriff, the team compiled a 5–5 record, 4–2 against conference opponents, and finished in second place out of seven teams in the NCC.


1969 Northern Ireland general election
The 1969 Northern Ireland general election was held on Monday 24 February 1969. It was the last election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland before its abolition by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.


1969 Northern Ireland general election
Unlike previous elections that produced a large unambiguous majority for the Ulster Unionist Party, this one gave more complex results. The Ulster Unionists were divided over a variety of reforms introduced by Prime Minister Terence O'Neill and this division spilled over into the election with official Ulster Unionist candidates standing either in support of or opposition to O'Neill and a number of independent pro O'Neill Unionists standing against opposing candidates. The results left O'Neill without a clear majority for his reforms and he resigned not long afterwards.


1969 Northern Ireland general election
This was the first (and only) election since the 1929 general election to see changes to the constituencies. The Queen's University of Belfast seat was abolished and four new constituencies were created in the suburbs of Belfast to compensate for population growth there.


1969 Northern Ireland riots
During 12–16 August 1969, there was an outbreak of political and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, which is often seen as the beginning of the almost thirty-year conflict known as the Troubles. There had been sporadic violence throughout the year arising out of the civil rights campaign, which demanded an end to discrimination against Catholics and Irish nationalists. Civil rights marches had been repeatedly attacked by Ulster Protestant loyalists and also came into frequent conflict with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the overwhelmingly Protestant police force.


1969 Northern Ireland riots
On 12 August, the Battle of the Bogside erupted in Derry: three days of fierce clashes in the Bogside district between the RUC and thousands of Catholic/nationalist residents. The besieged residents built barricades and set up first aid posts and workshops for making petrol bombs. Police fired CS gas at rioters for the first time in the history of the United Kingdom. In support of the Bogsiders, on 13 August Catholics/nationalists held protests elsewhere in Northern Ireland, some of which led to violence. The bloodiest clashes were in Belfast, where seven people were killed and hundreds wounded.


1969 Northern Ireland riots
Protesters clashed with both the police and with loyalists, who attacked Catholic districts. Scores of homes and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics, and thousands of mostly Catholic families were driven from their homes. In some cases, police officers helped the loyalists and failed to protect Catholic areas. Both republican and loyalist paramilitaries were involved in the clashes. The events in Belfast are viewed by some as an attempted pogrom against the Catholic minority. There were also clashes between protesters and police in Armagh (where a protester was killed), Dungannon and Newry.


1969 Northern Ireland riots
The British Army was deployed to restore order on 14 August, beginning the 37-year Operation Banner, and peace lines were built to separate Catholic and Protestant districts. The Republic of Ireland's government set up field hospitals and refugee centres near the border, and called for a United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to Northern Ireland. The British government held an inquiry into the riots, and the reserve police force was disbanded. The riots led to the formation of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Official Irish Republican Army. It also lead to the growth of loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background
Northern Ireland was destabilised in 1968 by sporadic rioting arising out of the civil disobedience campaign of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) and the police and loyalist reaction to it. The civil rights campaign demanded an end to discrimination against Catholics in voting rights, housing and employment. NICRA was opposed by Ian Paisley's Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC) and other loyalist groups.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background
During the summer of 1969, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) published a highly critical report on the British government's policy in Northern Ireland. The Times wrote that this report "criticised the Northern Ireland Government for police brutality, religious discrimination [against Catholics] and gerrymandering in politics". The ICJ secretary general said that laws and conditions in Northern Ireland had been cited by the South African government "to justify their own policies of discrimination" (see South Africa under apartheid).


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background
The Times also reported that the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC), Northern Ireland's reserve police force, was "regarded as the militant arm of the Protestant Orange Order". The Belfast Telegraph reported that the ICJ had added Northern Ireland to the list of states/jurisdictions "where the protection of human rights is inadequately assured".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
The first major confrontation between civil rights activists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) occurred in Derry on 5 October 1968, when a NICRA march was baton-charged by the RUC. Disturbed by the prospect of major violence, the prime minister of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill, promised reforms in return for a "truce", whereby no further demonstrations would be held.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
In spite of these promises, in January 1969 People's Democracy, a left-wing group, staged an anti-government march from Belfast to Derry. Ulster loyalists, including off-duty USC members, attacked the marchers a number of times, most determinedly at Burntollet Bridge (about five miles (8 km) outside Derry). The RUC were present but failed to adequately protect the marchers. This action, and the RUC's subsequent entry into the Bogside, led to serious rioting in Derry.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
In March and April 1969, there were six bomb attacks on electricity and water infrastructure targets, causing blackouts and water shortages. At first the attacks were blamed on the Irish Republican Army (IRA), but it later emerged that members of the loyalist Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) had carried out the bombings in an attempt to implicate the IRA, destabilise the Northern Ireland Government and halt the reforms promised by Terence O'Neill.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
There was some movement on reform in Northern Ireland in the first half of 1969. On 23 April Ulster Unionist Party Members of the Northern Ireland Parliament voted by 28 to 22 to introduce universal adult suffrage in local government elections in Northern Ireland at their parliamentary party meeting. The call for "one man, one vote" had been one of the key demands of the civil rights movement. Five days later, Terence O'Neill resigned as UUP leader and Northern Ireland Prime Minister and was replaced in both roles by James Chichester-Clark. Chichester-Clark, despite having resigned in protest over the introduction of universal suffrage in local government, announced that he would continue the reforms begun by O'Neill.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
Street violence, however, continued to escalate. On 19 April there was serious rioting in the Bogside area of Derry following clashes between NICRA marchers against loyalists and the RUC. A Catholic, Samuel Devenny, was severely beaten by the RUC and later died of his injuries. On 12 July, during the Orange Order's Twelfth of July marches, there was serious rioting in Derry, Belfast and Dungiven, causing many families in Belfast to flee from their homes. Another Catholic civilian, Francis McCloskey (67), died one day after being hit on the head with batons by RUC officers during disturbances in Dungiven.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Background, Events leading up to the August riots
As a result of these events, residents of the Catholic Bogside area of Derry set up the Derry Citizens' Defence Association to organise the defence of the neighbourhood, should the need arise.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Battle of the Bogside
This unrest culminated in a pitched battle in Derry from 12–14 August, known as the Battle of the Bogside. As the yearly march by the Protestant loyalist Apprentice Boys skirted the edge of the Catholic Bogside, stone-throwing broke out. The RUC—on foot and in armoured vehicles—drove back the Catholic crowd and attempted to force its way into the Bogside, followed by loyalists who smashed the windows of Catholic homes. Thousands of Bogside residents mobilised to defend the area, and beat back the RUC with a hail of stones and petrol bombs.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Battle of the Bogside
Barricades were built, petrol bomb 'factories' and first aid posts were set up, and a radio transmitter ("Radio Free Derry") broadcast messages and called on "every able-bodied man in Ireland who believes in freedom" to come defend the Bogside. The overstretched police resorted to throwing stones back at the Bogsiders, and were helped by loyalists. They received permission to fire CS gas into the Bogside – the first time it had been used by police in the UK. The Bogsiders believed that the USC, the wholly Protestant police reserves, would be sent in and would massacre the Catholic residents. On 13 August, the NICRA called for protests across Northern Ireland in support of the Bogside, to draw police away from the fighting there. That night it issued a statement:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Battle of the Bogside
A war of genocide is about to flare across the North. The CRA demands that all Irishmen recognise their common interdependence and calls upon the Government and people of the Twenty-six Counties to act now to prevent a great national disaster. We urgently request that the Government take immediate action to have a United Nations peace-keeping force sent to Derry.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast
Belfast saw by far the most intense violence of the August 1969 riots. Unlike Derry, where Catholic nationalists were a majority, in Belfast they were a minority and were also geographically divided and surrounded by Protestants and loyalists. For this reason, whereas in Derry the fighting was largely between nationalists and the RUC, in Belfast it also involved fighting between Catholics and Protestants, including exchanges of gunfire and widespread burning of homes and businesses.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast
On the night of 12 August, bands of Apprentice Boys arrived back in Belfast after taking part in the Derry march. They were met by Protestant pipe bands and a large crowd of supporters. They then marched to Shankill Road waving Union Flags and singing "The Sash My Father Wore" (a popular loyalist ballad).


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast
According to journalists Patrick Bishop and Eamonn Mallie, "Both communities were in the grip of a mounting paranoia about the other's intentions. Catholics were convinced that they were about to become victims of a Protestant pogrom; Protestants that they were on the eve of an IRA insurrection".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
The first disturbances took place on the night of 13 August. Derry activists Eamonn McCann and Seán Keenan contacted Frank Gogarty of the NICRA to organise demonstrations in Belfast to draw off police from Derry. Independently, Belfast IRA leader Billy McMillen ordered republicans to organise demonstrations, "in support of Derry".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
In protest at the RUC's actions in Derry, a group of 500 nationalists assembled at Divis flats and staged a rally outside Springfield Road RUC station, where they handed in a petition.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
After handing in the petition, the crowd of now 1,000–2,000 people, including IRA members such as Joe McCann, began a protest march along Falls Road and Divis Street to the Hastings Street RUC police station. When they arrived, about 50 youths broke away from the march and attacked the RUC police station with stones and petrol bombs. The RUC responded by sending out riot police and by driving Shorland armoured cars at the crowd. Protesters pushed burning cars onto the road to stop the RUC from entering the nationalist area.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
At Leeson Street, roughly halfway between the clashes at Springfield and Hastings Street RUC police stations, an RUC Humber armoured car was attacked with a hand grenade and rifle fire. At the time, it was not known who had launched the attack, but it has since emerged that it was IRA members, acting under the orders of Billy McMillen. McMillen also authorised members of the Fianna (IRA youth wing) to attack the Springfield Road RUC police station with petrol bombs. Shots were exchanged there between the IRA and RUC.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
In addition to the attacks on the RUC, the car dealership of Protestant Isaac Agnew, on the Falls Road, was destroyed. The nationalist crowd also burnt a Catholic-owned pub and betting shop. At this stage, loyalist crowds gathered on Shankill Road but did not join in the fighting.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Wednesday 13 August
That night, barricades went up at the interface areas between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August
On 14 August, many Catholics and Protestants living on the edge of their ghettos fled their homes for safety.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August
The loyalists viewed the nationalist attacks of Wednesday night as an organised attempt by the IRA "to undermine the constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August
The IRA, contrary to loyalist belief, was responding to events rather than orchestrating them. Billy McMillen called up all available IRA members for "defensive duties" and sent parties out to Cupar Street, Divis Street and St Comgall's School on Dover Street. They amounted to 30 IRA volunteers, 12 women, 40 youths from the Fianna and 15–20 girls. Their arms consisted of one Thompson submachine gun, one Sten submachine gun, one Lee–Enfield rifle and six handguns. A "wee factory" was also set up in Leeson Street to make petrol bombs. Their orders at the outset were to, "disperse people trying to burn houses, but under no circumstances to take life".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
That evening, a nationalist crowd marched to Hastings Street RUC station, which they began to attack with stones for a second night. Loyalist crowds (wielding petrol bombs, bricks, stones, sharpened poles and protective dustbin lids) gathered at neighbouring Dover and Percy Streets. They were confronted by nationalists, who had hastily blocked their streets with barricades. Fighting broke out between the rival factions at about 11:00 pm. The RUC concentrated their efforts on the nationalist rioters, who they scattered with armoured cars. Catholics claimed that USC officers had been seen giving guns to the loyalists, while journalists reported seeing pike-wielding loyalists standing among the RUC officers.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
From the nearby rooftop of Divis Tower flats, a group of nationalists would spend the rest of the night raining missiles on the police below. A chain of people were passing stones and petrol bombs from the ground to the roof.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
Loyalists began pushing into the Falls Road area along Percy Street, Beverly Street and Dover Street. The rioters contained a rowdy gang of loyalist football supporters who had returned from a match. On Dover Street, the loyalist crowd was led by UUP MP John McQuade. On Percy Street, a loyalist opened fire with a shotgun, and USC officers helped the loyalists to push back the nationalists. As they entered the nationalist ghetto, loyalists began burning Catholic homes and businesses on Percy Street, Beverly Street and Dover Street.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
At the intersection of Dover and Divis Street, an IRA unit opened fire on the crowd of RUC police officers and loyalists, who were trying to enter the Catholic area. Protestant Herbert Roy (26) was killed and three officers were wounded. At this point, the RUC, believing they were facing an organised IRA uprising, deployed Shorland armoured cars mounted with Browning machine guns, whose .30 calibre bullets "tore through walls as if they were cardboard".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
In response to the RUC coming under fire at Divis Street, three Shorland armoured cars were called to the scene. The Shorlands were immediately attacked with gunfire, an explosive device and petrol bombs. The RUC believed that the shots had come from nearby Divis Tower. Gunners inside the Shorlands returned fire with their heavy machine-guns. At least thirteen Divis Tower flats were hit by high-velocity gunfire. A nine-year-old boy, Patrick Rooney, was killed by machine-gun fire as he lay in bed in one of the flats. He was the first child to be killed in the violence.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
At about 01:00, not long after the shooting of Patrick Rooney, the RUC again opened fire on Divis Tower. The shots killed Hugh McCabe (20), a Catholic soldier who was 'on leave'. He and another had been on the roof of the Whitehall building (which was part of the Divis complex) and were pulling a wounded man to safety. The RUC claimed he was armed at the time and that gunfire was coming from the roof, but this was denied by many witnesses.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
The Republican Labour Party MP for Belfast Central, Paddy Kennedy, who was on the scene, phoned the RUC headquarters and appealed to Northern Ireland Minister for Home Affairs, Robert Porter, for the Shorlands to be withdrawn and the shooting to stop. Porter replied that this was impossible as, "the whole town is in rebellion". Porter told Kennedy that Donegall Street police station was under heavy machine-gun fire. In fact, it was undisturbed throughout the riots.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Divis Tower
Some time after the killing of Hugh McCabe, some 200 loyalists attacked Catholic Divis Street and began burning houses there. A unit of six IRA volunteers in St Comgall's School shot at them with a rifle, a Thompson submachine gun and some pistols; keeping the attackers back and wounding eight of them. An RUC Shorland then arrived and opened fire on the school. The IRA gunmen returned fire and managed to escape.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Clonard Monastery
West of St Comgall's, loyalists broke through the nationalist barricades on Conway Street and burned two-thirds of the houses. Catholics claimed that the RUC held them back so that the loyalists could burn their homes. The Scarman Report found that RUC officers were on Conway Street when its houses were set alight, but "failed to take effective action". Journalist Max Hastings wrote that loyalists on Conway Street had been begging the RUC to give them their guns.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Ardoyne
Rioting in Ardoyne, north of the city centre, began in the evening near Holy Cross Catholic church. Loyalists crossed over to the Catholic/nationalist side of Crumlin Road to attack Brookfield Street, Herbert Street, Butler Street and Hooker Street. These had been hastily blocked by nationalist barricades. Loyalists reportedly threw petrol bombs at Catholics "over the heads of RUC officers", as RUC armoured cars were used to smash through the barricades.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Thursday 14 August and early hours of Friday 15 August, Ardoyne
IRA gunmen fired the first shots at the RUC, who responded by firing machine-guns down the streets, killing two Catholic civilians (Samuel McLarnon, 27, and Michael Lynch, 28) and wounding ten more.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August
The morning of 15 August saw many Catholic families in central Belfast flee to Andersonstown on the western fringes of the city, to escape the rioting. According to Bishop and Mallie, "Each side's perceptions of the other's intentions had become so warped that the Protestants believed the Catholics were clearing the decks for a further attempt at insurrection in the evening".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August
At 04:30 on Friday 15 August, the police commissioner for Belfast asked for military aid. From the early hours of Friday, the RUC had withdrawn to its bases to defend them. The interface areas were thus left unpoliced for half a day until the British Army arrived. The Deputy Police Commissioner had assumed that the British Army would be deployed by 10:00 or 11:00. At 12:25 that afternoon, the Northern Ireland cabinet finally sent a request for military aid to the Home Office in London. However, it would be another nine hours until the British Army arrived at the Falls/Shankill interface where it was needed. Many Catholics and nationalists felt that they had been left at the mercy of the loyalists by the forces of the state who were meant to protect them.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August
The IRA, which had limited manpower and weaponry at the start of the riots, was also exhausted and low on ammunition. Its Belfast commander, Billy McMillen, and 19 other republicans were arrested by the RUC early on 15 August under the Special Powers Act.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Clonard Monastery
On 15 August, violence continued along the Falls/Shankill interface. Father PJ Egan of Clonard Monastery recalled that a large loyalist mob moved down Cupar Street at about 15:00 and was held back by nationalist youths. Shooting began at about 15:45. Egan claimed that himself and other priests at Clonard Monastery made at least four calls to the RUC for help, but none came.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Clonard Monastery
A small IRA party under Billy McKee was present and had two .22 rifles at their disposal. They exchanged shots with a loyalist sniper who was firing from a house on Cupar Street, but failed to dislodge him, or to halt the burning of Catholic houses in the area. Almost all of the houses on Bombay Street were burned by the loyalists, and many others were burned on Kashmir Road and Cupar Street – the most extensive destruction of property during the riots.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Clonard Monastery
A loyalist sniper shot dead Gerald McAuley (15), a member of the Fianna, as he helped people flee their homes on Bombay Street.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August, Falls–Shankill interface near Clonard Monastery
At about 18:30 the British Army's The Royal Regiment of Wales was deployed on the Falls Road, where they were greeted with subdued applause and cheering. However, despite pleas from locals, they did not move into the streets that were being attacked. At about 21:35 that night, the soldiers finally took up positions at the blazing interface and blocked the streets with barbed-wire barricades. Father PJ Egan recalled that the soldiers called on the loyalists to surrender but they instead began shooting and throwing petrol bombs at the soldiers. The soldiers could only fire back on the orders of an officer when life was directly threatened. The loyalists continued shooting and burned more Catholic-owned houses on Bombay Street, but were stopped by soldiers using tear gas.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Friday 15 August, Ardoyne
Soldiers were not deployed in Ardoyne, and violence continued there on Friday night. Nationalists hijacked 50 buses from the local bus depot, set them on fire and used them as makeshift barricades to block access to Ardoyne. A Protestant civilian, David Linton (48), was shot dead by IRA gunmen at the Palmer Street/Crumlin Road junction. Several Catholic-owned houses were set alight on Brookfield Street. The Scarman Report found that an RUC armoured vehicle was nearby when Brookfield Street was set alight, but made no move.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Violence in Belfast, Saturday 16 August
On the evening of 16 August the British Army was deployed on Crumlin Road. Thereafter, the violence died down into what the Scarman report called, "the quiet of exhaustion".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Disturbances elsewhere
In aid of the Bogsiders, the NICRA executive decided to launch protests in towns across Northern Ireland. The Scarman Report concluded that the spread of the disturbances "owed much to a deliberate decision by some minority groups to relieve police pressure on the rioters in Londonderry". It included the NICRA among these groups.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Disturbances elsewhere
On the evening of 11 August a riot erupted in Dungannon after a meeting of the NICRA. This was quelled after the RUC baton charged nationalist rioters down Irish Street. There were claims of police brutality.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Disturbances elsewhere
On 12 August, republicans attacked the RUC police stations in Coalisland, Strabane and Newry.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Disturbances elsewhere
On 13 August there were further riots in Dungannon, Coalisland, Dungiven, Armagh and Newry. In Coalisland, USC officers opened fire on rioters without orders but were immediately ordered to stop.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Disturbances elsewhere
On 14 August riots continued in Dungannon, Armagh and Newry. In Dungannon and Armagh, USC officers again opened fire on rioters. They fired 24 shots on Armagh's Cathedral Road, killing Catholic civilian John Gallagher and wounding two others. In Newry, nationalist rioters surrounded the RUC station and attacked it with petrol bombs. In Crossmaglen on 17 August, the IRA attacked the local RUC station and withdrew after an exchange of fire.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
On 13 August, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Jack Lynch made a television address in which he stated that the Irish Defence Forces was setting up field hospitals along the border and called for United Nations intervention. He said:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
It is evident that the Stormont Government is no longer in control of the situation. Indeed, the present situation is the inevitable outcome of the policies pursued for decades by successive Stormont Governments. It is clear, also, that the Irish Government can no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse. It is obvious that the R.U.C. is no longer accepted as an impartial police force.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
Neither would the employment of British troops be acceptable [...] The Irish Government have, therefore, requested the British Government to apply immediately to the United Nations for the urgent despatch of a Peace-keeping Force [...] We have also asked the British Government to see to it that police attacks on the people of Derry should cease immediately.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
When the Irish government met on 14 and 15 August, it decided to send troops to protect the field hospitals, and to call up the first line army reserves "in readiness for participation in peace-keeping operations". This, along with Lynch's statement, fuelled rumours that Irish troops were about to cross the border and intervene. On 16 August, three Irish nationalist members of the Northern Ireland Parliament—Paddy Devlin, Paddy O'Hanlon and Paddy Kennedy—went to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. They demanded the Irish government send guns to protect Catholics in Northern Ireland, but this was refused.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
The prime minister of Northern Ireland, James Chichester-Clark, responded: "In this grave situation, the behaviour of the Dublin Government has been deplorable, and tailor-made to inflame opinion on both sides". On 14 August he stated in the Northern Ireland Parliament:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
This is not the agitation of a minority seeking by lawful means the assertion of political rights. It is the conspiracy of forces seeking to overthrow a Government democratically elected by a large majority. What the teenage hooligans seek beyond cheap kicks I do not know. But of this I am quite certain – they are being manipulated and encouraged by those who seek to discredit and overthrow this Government".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
Chichester-Clark denied that his government was not doing enough to bring about the reforms sought by the civil rights movement, or that this was a cause of the violence. Instead, he said, "The real cause of the disorder is to be found in the activities of extreme Republican elements and others determined to overthrow our State".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
On 23 August, Catholic Cardinal William Conway, together with the Bishops of Derry, Clogher, Dromore, Kilmore, and Down & Connor, issued a statement which included the following:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
The fact is that on Thursday and Friday of last week the Catholic districts of Falls and Ardoyne were invaded by mobs equipped with machine-guns and other firearms. A community which was virtually defenceless was swept by gunfire and streets of Catholic homes were systematically set on fire. We entirely reject the hypothesis that the origin of last week's tragedy was an armed insurrection.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
The Irish republican party, Sinn Féin, issued a statement saying that "The present events in the Six Counties are the outcome of fifty years of British rule. The civil rights demands, moderate though they are, have shown us that Unionist rule is incompatible with democracy [… ] The question now is no longer civil rights, but the continuation of British rule in Ireland".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
Representatives of the British and Northern Ireland governments—including British prime minister Harold Wilson and Northern Irish prime minister Chichester-Clark—held a two-day meeting at 10 Downing Street, beginning on 19 August. A Communique and Declaration was issued at the end of the first day. It re-affirmed that Northern Ireland would remain part of the United Kingdom unless the people of Northern Ireland decided otherwise, and that the Northern Ireland and British governments are solely responsible for affairs in Northern Ireland. The Irish government failed to have a resolution on Northern Ireland put to a vote at the UN.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Reactions
In late August, the Northern Ireland government announced the establishment of an inquiry into the riots, to be chaired by Justice Scarman (and known as the "Scarman Inquiry"). A committee under Baron Hunt was also set up to consider reform of the Northern Ireland police, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and reserve Ulster Special Constabulary, which led to the latter being disbanded.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects
The rioting petered out by Sunday, 17 August. By the end of the riots:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects
During July, August and September 1969, 1,820+ families had been forced to flee their homes, including


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects
Catholics generally fled across the border into the Republic of Ireland, while Protestants generally fled to east Belfast. The Irish Defence Forces set up refugee camps in the Republic – at one point the Gormanston refugee camp held 6,000 refugees from Northern Ireland.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, Long-term effects
The August riots were the most sustained violence that Northern Ireland had seen since the early 1920s. Many Protestants, loyalists and unionists believed the violence showed the true face of the Northern Ireland Catholic civil rights movement – as a front for the IRA and armed insurrection. They had mixed feelings regarding the deployment of British Army troops into Northern Ireland. Eddie Kinner, a resident of Dover Street who would later join the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), vividly recalled the troops marching down his street with fixed bayonets and steel helmets.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, Long-term effects
He and his neighbours had felt at the time as if they were being invaded by their "own army". Catholics and nationalists, on the other hand, saw the riots (particularly in Belfast) as an assault on their community by loyalists and the forces of the state. The disturbances, taken together with the Battle of the Bogside, are often cited as the beginning of the Troubles. Violence escalated sharply in Northern Ireland after these events, with the formation of new paramilitary groups on both sides, most notably the Provisional Irish Republican Army in December of that year.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, Long-term effects
On the loyalist side, the UVF (formed in 1966) were galvanised by the August riots and in 1971, another paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association was founded out of a coalition of loyalist militants who had been active since August 1969. The largest of these were the Woodvale Defence Association, led by Charles Harding Smith, and the Shankill Defence Association, led by John McKeague, which had been responsible for what organisation there was of loyalist violence in the riots of August 1969. While the thousands of British Army troops sent to Northern Ireland were initially seen as a neutral force, they quickly got dragged into the street violence and by 1971 were devoting most of their attention to combating republican paramilitaries.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
The role of the IRA in the riots has long been disputed. At the time, the organisation was blamed by the Northern Ireland authorities for the violence. However, it was very badly prepared to defend nationalist areas of Belfast, having few weapons or fighters on the ground.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
The Scarman Inquiry, set up by the British government to investigate the causes of the riots, concluded:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
Undoubtedly there was an IRA influence at work in the DCDA (Derry Citizens' Defence Association) in Londonderry, in the Ardoyne and Falls Road areas of Belfast, and in Newry. But they did not start the riots, or plan them: indeed, the evidence is that the IRA was taken by surprise and did less than many of their supporters thought they should have done.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
In nationalist areas, the IRA was reportedly blamed for having failed to protect areas like Bombay Street and Ardoyne from being burned out. A Catholic priest, Fr Gillespie, reported that in Ardoyne the IRA was being derided in graffiti as "I Ran Away". However, IRA veterans of the time, who spoke to authors Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, disputed this interpretation. One, Sean O'Hare, said, "I never saw it written on a wall. That wasn't the attitude. People fell in behind the IRA, stood behind them 100%". Another, Sean Curry, recalled, "some people were a bit angry but most praised the people who did defend the area. They knew that if the men weren't there, the area wouldn't have been defended."


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
At the time, the IRA released a statement on 18 August, saying, it had been, "in action in Belfast and Derry" and "fully equipped units had been sent to the border". It had been, "reluctantly compelled into action by Orange murder gangs" and warned the British Army that if it, "was used to supress [sic] the legitimate demands of the people they will have to take the consequences" and urged the Irish government to send the Irish Army over the border.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
Cathal Goulding, the IRA Chief of Staff, sent small units from Dublin, Cork and Kerry to border counties of Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan, with orders to attack RUC posts in Northern Ireland and draw off pressure from Belfast and Derry. A total of 96 weapons and 12,000 rounds of ammunition were also sent to the North.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
Nevertheless, the poor state of IRA arms and military capability in August 1969 led to a bitter split in the IRA in Belfast. According to Hanley and Millar, "dissensions that pre-dated August [1969] had been given a powerful emotional focus". In September 1969, a group of IRA men led by Billy McKee and Joe Cahill stated that they would no longer be taking orders from the Dublin leadership of the IRA, or from Billy McMillen (their commander in Belfast) because they had not provided enough weapons or planning to defend nationalist areas.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The Irish Republican Army
In December 1969, they broke away to form the Provisional IRA and vowed to defend areas from attack by loyalists and the RUC. The other wing of the IRA became known as the Official IRA. Shortly after its formation, the Provisional IRA launched an offensive campaign against the state of Northern Ireland.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
The actions of the RUC in the August 1969 riots are perhaps the most contentious issue arising out of the disturbances. Nationalists argue that the RUC acted in a blatantly biased manner, helping loyalists who were assaulting Catholic neighbourhoods. There were also strong suggestions that police knew when loyalist attacks were to happen and seemed to disappear from some Catholic areas shortly before loyalist mobs attacked. This perception discredited the police in the eyes of many nationalists and later allowed the IRA to effectively take over policing in nationalist areas. In his study, From Civil Rights to Armalites, nationalist author Niall Ó Dochartaigh argues that the actions of the RUC and USC were the key factor in the worsening of the conflict. He wrote:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
From the outset, the response of the state and its forces of law and order to Catholic mobilisation was an issue capable of arousing far more anger and activism than the issues around which mobilisation had begun. Police behaviour and their interaction with loyalist protesters probably did more to politically mobilise large sections of the Catholic community than did any of the other grievances.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
The Scarman Inquiry found that the RUC were "seriously at fault" on at least six occasions during the rioting. Specifically, they criticised the RUC's use of Browning heavy machine-guns in built-up areas, their failure to stop Protestants from burning down Catholic homes, and their withdrawal from the streets long before the Army arrived. However, the Scarman Report concluded that, "Undoubtedly mistakes were made and certain individual officers acted wrongly on occasions. But the general case of a partisan force co-operating with Protestant crowds to attack Catholic people is devoid of substance, and we reject it utterly".


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
The report argued that the RUC were under-strength, poorly led and that their conduct in the riots was explained by their perception that they were dealing with a co-ordinated IRA uprising. They pointed to the RUC's dispersal of loyalist rioters in Belfast on 2–4 August in support of the force's impartiality.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
Of the B-Specials (Ulster Special Constabulary or USC), the Scarman Report said:


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
There were grave objections, well understood by those in authority, to the use of the USC in communal disturbances. In 1969 the USC contained no Catholics but was a force drawn from the Protestant section of the community. Totally distrusted by the Catholics, who saw them as the strong arm of the Protestant ascendancy, they could not show themselves in a Catholic area without heightening tension. Moreover, they were neither trained nor equipped for riot control duty.


1969 Northern Ireland riots, Effects, The RUC and USC
The report found that the Specials had fired on Catholic demonstrators in Dungiven, Coalisland, Dungannon and Armagh, causing casualties, which, "was a reckless and irresponsible thing to do". It found that USC officers had, on occasion, sided with loyalist mobs. There were reports that USC officers were spotted hiding among loyalist mobs, using coats to hide their uniforms. Nevertheless, the Scarman Report concluded, "there are no grounds for singling out mobilised USC as being guilty of misconduct".


1969 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum
A referendum on the islands' status was held in the Northern Mariana Islands  on 9 November 1969. For the fourth time since 1958 a majority of voters supported integration with Guam. However, a referendum held in Guam on 4 November on integration with the Northern Mariana Islands had been rejected by 58% of Guamanian voters.


1969 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum, Background
Previous referendums on either integration with Guam or the islands' status had been held in 1958, 1961 and 1963. On each occasion a majority had been in favor of integration. However, the proposal remained unfulfilled.


1969 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum, Background
The 1969 referendum was organized by the local Parliament, and was held prior to a visit by a United Nations commission in early 1970.


1969 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 1969 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season.


1969 Northwestern Wildcats football team
Junior running back Mike Adamle rushed for 316 yards against Wisconsin on October 18, breaking the previous school record by 98 yards (Charlie Hren vs. Navy in 1951).


1969 Norwegian Football Cup
The 1969 Norwegian Football Cup was won by Strømsgodset after they beat Fredrikstad in the cup final. It took a replay to decide the winner.


1969 Norwegian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 7 and 8 September 1969. Although the Labour Party remained the largest party, winning 74 of the 150 seats, the coalition of right-of-centre parties won 76 seats and retained power. The closeness of the result and fears of the two blocs winning an equal number of seats led to the number of seats being increased to an odd number for the next elections.


1969 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results
The joint list of the Conservative Party and the Christian People's Party won two seats, with the parties taking one each.


1969 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results
The joint list of the Centre Party and the Christian People's Party won four seats, three taken by the Centre Party and one by the Christian People's Party.


1969 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1969 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The Fighting Irish were led by sixth-year head coach Ara Parseghian and played their home games on campus at Notre Dame Stadium.


1969 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
After 44 seasons without postseason play (1925–1968), the school ended its self-imposed bowl hiatus. With an 8–1–1 regular season record, the Irish were led on the field by junior quarterback Joe Theismann. They met top-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Day, but lost 21–17 when the Longhorns scored a late touchdown.


1969 Oakland Athletics season
The 1969 Oakland Athletics season involved the A's compiling a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. With its expansion to 12 teams in 1969, the American League had been divided into two 6-team divisions. In their first year in the newly established American League West, the Athletics finished second, nine games behind the Minnesota Twins. It was the first time they had finished in the first division since 1952. Paid attendance for the season was 778,232.


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Reggie Jackson
In the offseason, Jackson demanded a salary increase from $10,000 to $25,000. Jackson would settle at $20,000. Reggie Jackson hit two home runs versus the Washington Senators, with President Richard Nixon in the crowd. By July 1, the A's had played in 71 games and Jackson had hit 30 home runs, 62 RBI, .287 batting average and a 1.145 OPS. On July 2, Reggie Jackson would hit three home runs versus the Seattle Pilots to raise his season total to 34 home runs. He was on pace to break the home run record set by Roger Maris eight years earlier. By the end of July, Jackson had 40 home runs but he only hit 5 home runs in August. In September, Jackson was hospitalized with a skin rash and was only able to hit 2 home runs. Jackson still managed to lead the American League with 123 runs scored.


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 Oakland Athletics season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1969 Oakland Raiders season
The 1969 Oakland Raiders season was the team's tenth as a franchise, and tenth in both Oakland and the American Football League. The campaign saw the team attempt to improve upon its 12–2 record from 1968. The season is notable for being the last for the AFL, which merged into the NFL in 1970.


1969 Oakland Raiders season
The Raiders stormed to a 12–1–1 record in 1969. They led the league in wins for a third consecutive season; in doing so, they posted a staggering 37–4–1 record over their final three years of AFL play. The season would end with an upset loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game.


1969 Oakland Raiders season
Additionally, the season marked the debut of Hall-of-Fame head coach John Madden, previously the linebacker coach,  promoted after the January departure of John Rauch for Buffalo. Madden led the Raiders to seven division titles, seven AFL/AFC Championship Games, and a Super Bowl championship before leaving after 1978, his tenth as head coach, with a 112–39–7 (.731) regular season record.


1969 Oakland Raiders season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1969 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 1969 Ohio Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Ohio University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. In their twelfth season under head coach Bill Hess, the Bobcats compiled a 5–4–1 record (3–3 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for third place, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 256 to 222.


1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. The defending national champion Buckeyes compiled an 8–1 record.


1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Top-ranked all season, the Buckeyes lost the rivalry game at Michigan on November 22 and dropped to fourth in the final AP Poll. There was no bowl game for Ohio State, because prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and Pac-8 conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl, and prior to 1972, a team could not represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl in consecutive seasons.


1969 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game
The 1969 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game is considered to be one of the best-known games of the series, as well as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The Buckeyes went into the game as the top-ranked team in the country, with a 22-game winning streak under the direction of legendary head coach Woody Hayes. They were also defending national champions. The Wolverines went into the game under a new head coach, Bo Schembechler, who was trying to redefine a college football power that had fallen on hard times.


1969 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game
Ohio State was playing for its second straight national title, while Michigan was playing for the Rose Bowl, and the championship of the Big Ten Conference was on the line. The game was witnessed by a (then) stadium-record crowd of 103,588 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and began the highly combative stretch of the rivalry informally known as The Ten Year War.