1968 Baylor Bears football team
The 1968 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University (Waco, Texas) in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their tenth and final season under head coach John Bridgers, the Bears compiled a 3–7 record (3–4 against conference opponents), finished in fifth place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 322 to 206. They played their home games at Baylor Stadium in Waco, Texas.


1968 Baylor Bears football team
The team's statistical leaders included Steve Stuart with 1,320 passing yards, Pinkie Palmer with 818 rushing yards, Jerry Smith with 509 receiving yards, and Gene Rogers and Pinkie Palmer with 36 points scored each. Jackie Allen and Pinkie Palmer were the team captains.


1968 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1968 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on 9 June 1968. It was race 4 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 28-lap race was won by McLaren driver Bruce McLaren after he started from sixth position. Pedro Rodríguez finished second for the BRM team and Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx came in third.


1968 Belgian Grand Prix
On the seventh lap Brian Redman went off the circuit when his suspension failed and he crashed into and over a concrete barrier and into a parked car. His Cooper caught fire but Redman escaped with a severely broken right arm and a few minor burns.


1968 Belgian Grand Prix, Background
After the introduction of 'dive plane' wings on the nosecone on an F1 car by Lotus at the previous race, the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari added a strut mounted negative incidence wing - to their lead driver Chris Amon's car and he nabbed pole position, and was 4 seconds faster in qualifying than the next fastest car of Jackie Stewart, though Amon claimed to have performed similar lap times without the wings. Amon's teammate Jacky Ickx did not have wings on his car.


1968 Belgian Grand Prix, Background
The Brabham team also fitted a rear wing to Jack Brabham's car, paired with dive planes on the nose to counteract lift; he qualified 10th. Wings were added to Ickx's car (and many other teams copied the idea for their cars) for the next race, the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. As 1968 season progressed many F1 teams utilized strut mounted wings attached directly to suspension elements - copying Chaparral sports car practice - to increase cornering speeds, reducing lap times. Ferrari never utilized strut mounted wings attached to suspension, continuing with strut mounted wings mounted directly to the chassis.


1968 Belgian general election
General elections were held in Belgium on 31 March 1968. The Christian Social Party remained the largest party. Voter turnout was 90.0%. Elections for the nine provincial councils were also held.


1968 Belgian general election
The snap elections were called after the government, a coalition of the Christian Social Party and the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress led by Christian Democrat Paul Vanden Boeynants, fell due to the Leuven Crisis.


1968 Belgian general election
The linguistic crisis would trigger the split of the dominant Christian Social Party into a Flemish and French-speaking party. The two other main parties would follow suit. The crisis also caused the rise of small linguistic, federalist parties, such as the People's Union on the Flemish side and the Democratic Front of the Francophones and Walloon Rally on the French-speaking side.


1968 Belice earthquake
The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale, with five others  of magnitude 5+. The maximum perceived intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake sequence, centred between the towns of Gibellina, Salaparuta and Poggioreale, killed at least 231 people, possibly more than 400, with between 632 and about 1,000 injured and left 100,000 homeless. It is known in Italy as Terremoto del Belice.


1968 Belice earthquake, Tectonic setting
Sicily lies on the complex convergent plate boundary between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The geology of the western part of the island is dominated by the Gela Nappe, a thin-skinned fold and thrust belt. The Gela Nappe consists of Pliocene-Quaternary age sedimentary rocks deposited in the earlier foredeep, thrust up onto the thick carbonate sequence of the Pelagian-Hyblean Platform of the African Plate.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake
There was a sequence of six M 5+ earthquakes, making this western Sicily's largest historical seismic event, beginning with a M 5.2 shock at 12:28 on the 14 January, followed by a M 5.1 event at 13:15 on the same day and a M 5.2 event at 01:33 on 15 January, the mainshock at 02:01, and two M 5.2 events at 16:42 on 16 January and at 09:56 on 25 January.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake
The greatest perceived intensity on the Mercalli scale was X (Extreme) at Gibellina, Montevago and Salaparuta. Intensities at Poggioreale, Santa Margherita di Belice, Santa Ninfa, Partanna and Salemi reached IX (Violent) on the scale.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake
The focal mechanisms of the mainshock and the two magnitude 5+ aftershocks are consistent with thrusting on faults trending west-east, although an alternative solution has been proposed for the mainshock of right lateral transpression on a NNW-SSE trending fault.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Damage
The main area of damage was centred on the valley of the Belice, with worst affected towns being Santa Ninfa, Partanna, Montevago, Santa Margherita di Belice, Gibellina,  Salaparuta, Poggioreale. Vita, Salemi, and Camporeale also suffered significant damage.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Damage
The earthquakes on 14 January did little damage, but many of the inhabitants spent the following night sleeping outside, during which the most damaging of the shocks occurred, which probably greatly reduced the number of casualties. The official death toll was 231 with a further 623 injured. Other estimates give more than 400 dead with over 1,000 injured. An estimated 100,000 people were made homeless by the earthquakes.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Damage
The worst affected buildings were of unreinforced masonry construction that used irregular stones with weak mortar and had roofs consisting of heavy tiles resting on wooden beams. Such buildings collapsed completely in many cases. Houses with load-bearing walls made of regular stone or concrete blocks and better quality mortar performed better, although some were badly damaged. The most modern buildings that used reinforced concrete frames generally suffered little damage.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Aftermath
The immediate relief effort was hampered by a lack of disaster relief planning at both local and provincial levels, excessive bureaucracy, a lack of supplies close to the affected areas and a tendency of refugees to treat outsiders with suspicion.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Aftermath
One year after the earthquakes, many hundreds of people were still living in tents and many of the prefabricated housing units had yet to appear, despite having been paid for; no work had begun on providing permanent housing. Two-thirds of refugee families had still not received their government grant. Nine years after the earthquake, none of the refugees had been placed in new housing, leaving 60,000 still living in temporary accommodation.


1968 Belice earthquake, Earthquake, Aftermath
The towns of Poggioreale, Gibellina, Vita, Santa Margherita di Belice and Salaparuta were eventually rebuilt in new locations.


1968 Beltsville 300
The 1968 Beltsville 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 17, 1968, at Beltsville Speedway in Beltsville, Maryland.


1968 Beltsville 300
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.


1968 Beltsville 300, Background
Beltsville Speedway was specially designed with banked turns for stock car racing. Originally known as the "Baltimore-Washington Speedway", this track received its final name in its 19th month of operation. The track hosted modified stock car racing vehicles alongside the other NASCAR series. Wednesday nights were the original night for racing but the schedule eventually added Friday night racing. Ten Grand National races were raced there including the popular Beltsville 300 series of races.


1968 Beltsville 300, Race report
It took two hours for David Pearson (in his Holman-Moody owned '68 Ford Torino) to defeat Bobby Isaac (in his '67 Dodge Charger) by one lap and five seconds in front of 8,700 people. The majority of the starting grid would be driving Ford vehicles while Dodge, Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile and Plymouth made up the minority of the racing vehicles. Notable crew chiefs who participated in the event were Ray Hicks, Jake Elder, Frankie Scott, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde.


1968 Beltsville 300, Race report
Notable speeds were: 74.844 miles or 120.450 kilometres per hour as the average speed and 83.604 miles or 134.548 kilometres per hour as the pole position speed. The track was a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles or 0.805 kilometres. Three hundred laps were raced on this track for a grand total of 150.0 miles or 241.4 kilometres. There was one Canadian participant named Frog Fagan; he started in 20th place and finished the race in 22nd place.


1968 Beltsville 300, Race report
Total winnings for this race were $6,800 ($49,995 when considering inflation); David Pearson would receive $1,400 ($10,293 when considering inflation) while last-place finisher Wendell Scott would receive a meager $100 ($735 when considering inflation). Tom Pistone was the start and park car for this race; he quit the race for reasons unknown. Other notable racers who participated included Wendell Scott, Buck Baker, and J.D. McDuffie.


1968 Bermudian general election
General elections were held in Bermuda on 22 May 1968. The result was a victory for the United Bermuda Party, which won 30 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly. The Progressive Labour Party increased its representation by four to ten.


1968 Bermudian general election
On 10 June 1968, Henry Tucker became the territory's first Premier.


1968 Bermudian general election, Electoral system
Four additional constituencies were created since the 1963 election. The election was the first held under equal universal suffrage, as the additional vote for property owners used in the 1963 election was scrapped, and the voting age lowered from 25 to 21.


1968 Bexley London Borough Council election
The 1968 Bexley Council election took place on 9 May 1968 to elect members of Bexley London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council.


1968 Big League World Series
The 1968 Big League World Series took place from August 7–10 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Charleston, West Virginia defeated New Hyde Park, New York in the championship game.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1968 Big Ten Conference football season was the 73rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1968 NCAA University Division football season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the Big Ten championship, defeated USC in the 1969 Rose Bowl, and was recognized as the consensus national champion. Offensive end Dave Foley was a consensus first-team All-American, and offensive tackle Rufus Mayes was also recognized as a first-team All-American by two selectors. Running back Jim Otis led the team with 985 rushing yards and 102 points scored, and Rex Kern led the team with 1,506 yards of total offense. Linebacker Jack Tatum was a first-team All-Big Ten player.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bump Elliott, finished in second place with an 8–2 record and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. Michigan was ranked No. 4 before losing to Ohio State, 50–14, in the final game of the season. In a victory over Wisconsin, Ron Johnson set an NCAA record with 347 rushing yards. Johnson led the Big Ten with 1,391 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player. Quarterback Dennis Brown led the conference with 1,562 passing yards and 1,777 yards of total offense. Defensive back Tom Curtis set a new Big Ten single season record with 10 interceptions.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1968 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll before losing to Ohio State in week four. The Boilermakers finished in third place and were ranked No. 10 in the final AP poll. Leroy Keyes rushed for 1,003 yards (second to Ron Johnson) and finished second in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting (behind O. J. Simpson). Keyes was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft with the third overall pick. Keyes and middle guard Chuck Kyle were both selected as first-team consensus All-Americans. Quarterback Mike Phipps totaled 1,096 passing yards.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Results and team statistics
KeyAP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1968 seasonAP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1968 seasonPPG = Average of points scored per gamePAG = Average of points allowed per gameMVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 20–21
The Big Ten Conference football teams opened their seasons with nine non-conference games resulting in five wins and five losses. Northwestern's game was played on Friday, September 20, 1968, and the other eight games were played on Saturday, September 21, 1968. Ohio State had a bye week.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 28
On September 28, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played 10 non-conference games resulting in four wins and six losses, bringing the conference's record against non-conference opponents to 9–11 on the season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 5
On October 5, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played three conference games and four non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and one loss, bringing the conference's record against non-conference opponents to 12–12 on the season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 12
On October 12, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two losses, bringing the conference's record against non-conference opponents to 12–14 on the season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 19
On October 19, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in one win and one loss, bringing the conference's record against non-conference opponents to 13–15 on the season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 26
On October 26, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games both resulted in victories, bringing the conference's record against non-conference opponents to 15–15 on the season.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 2
On November 2, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played five conference games.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 9
On November 9, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played five conference games.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 16
On November 16, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams played five conference games.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 23
On November 23, 1968, the Big Ten Conference football teams concluded their regular seasons with five conference games.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl game
The 1969 Rose Bowl matched No. 1 Ohio State against No. 2 USC led by Heisman Trophy winner O. J. Simpson. The Buckeyes defeated the Trojans, 27–16, before a crowd of 102,063 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Simpson rushed for 171 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. USC had five turnovers, including two by O. J. Simpson.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Post-season developments
On December 24, 1968, the University of Michigan announced that head football coach Bump Elliott would assume a new job as associate athletic director and that a new football coach was being sought. Two days later, the university announced that Bo Schembechler had been hired as Elliott's replacement.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders for the 1968 season include the following:


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-Big Ten honors
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1968 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
At the end of the 1968 season, three Big Ten players secured consensus first-team honors on the 1968 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, Other awards
In December 1968, the Heisman Trophy was awarded to O. J. Simpson of USC. Two Big Ten players finished among the top six in the voting for the trophy. They were: Purdue running back Leroy Keyes (second) and Michigan running back Ron Johnson (sixth).


1968 Big Ten Conference football season, 1969 NFL/AFL Draft
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft:


1968 Birthday Honours
The 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in supplements to the London Gazette of 31 May 1968.


1968 Birthday Honours
At this time honours for Australians were awarded both in the United Kingdom honours, on the advice of the premiers of Australian states, and also in a separate Australia honours list.


1968 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1968 Birthday Honours, United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Royal Victorian Order, Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
At this time the two lowest classes of the Royal Victorian Order were "Member (fourth class)" and "Member (fifth class)", both with post-nominal letters MVO. "Member (fourth class)" was renamed "Lieutenant" (LVO) from the 1985 New Year Honours onwards.


1968 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 8 June 1968.


1968 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1968 Blue Swords
The 1968 Blue Swords (German: Pokal der Blauen Schwerter) was an international senior-level figure skating competition organized in Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating and ice dancing. East Germany's Günter Zöller won his third consecutive title by defeating the Soviet Union's Valeri Meshkov and Vladimir Kurenbin. His teammate, Sonja Morgenstern, won her first Blue Swords title, outscoring Austria's Eva Kriegelstein. The Soviet Union's Lyudmila Pakhomova / Aleksandr Gorshkov won the ice dancing title for the second year in a row.


1968 Blue Swords
1968 was the first year that the competition was officially named Pokal der blauen Schwerter / Blue Swords.


1968 Boise State Broncos football team
The 1968 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State College during the 1968 NAIA football season, the first season of Bronco football at the four-year level. It was the first of two seasons Boise played as an NAIA independent after departing the NJCAA and the Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference. It was also the first season under the school's new name, after being known as Boise College since 1965.


1968 Boise State Broncos football team
The Broncos played their home games on campus at the original Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by first-year head coach Tony Knap, who succeeded legendary Bronco head coach Lyle Smith, the Broncos finished with an 8–2 record. After starting the season 1–2, the Broncos finished strong with seven straight victories, including wins over Evergreen Conference champions Central Washington and in-state rivals Idaho State and the College of Idaho. BSC was listed among the top thirty small college teams at the end of the season.


1968 Bolivian Primera División
The 1968 Bolivian Primera División, the first division of Bolivian football (soccer), was played by 6 teams. The champion was Bolívar.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake
The 1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake occurred on the evening of April 8, near the unincorporated community of Ocotillo Wells in San Diego County. The moment magnitude 6.6 (7.0 on the surface wave magnitude scale) earthquake was assigned a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong) or IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale, causing some damage in the Imperial Valley, but no injuries or deaths. Shaking from this earthquake was widely felt, even in Nevada, and Arizona. It was the largest earthquake in Southern California since the 1952 Kern County earthquake 16 years prior.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake
Although the earthquake did not have any implications for Southern California, it was significant to the scientific community when displaying classic afterslip characteristics. It is the first documented earthquake where faults at considerable distances from the event source showed movements. A similar instance occurred along the seismically quiet Garlock Fault after the Kern County earthquake and again after the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Tectonic setting
The Salton Trough is a pull-apart basin forming due to offsets between the numerous strike-slip faults along its edges. It is a component of the much bigger San Andreas Fault System, joining the San Andreas Fault with the Imperial Fault via the Brawley Seismic Zone. The San Andreas Fault is the main plate boundary that defines the margin between the Pacific and North American Plates in California.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Tectonic setting
However, the plate boundary is slightly more complex; rather than a single fault structure that makes up the boundary, the region is straddled and crisscrossed with numerous shorter faults to accommodate the movement of these two plates. One of these faults is the San Jacinto Fault Zone; a complex, highly segmented, and overlapped 210 km-long fault zone that runs east of the Salton Sea. Parallel to that is the San Andreas Fault. It is separated from the San Andreas Fault by the San Jacinto Mountains to its east.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Tectonic setting
It cuts under cities including Hemet, Colton, and San Bernardino along the way, before joining the San Andreas Fault at Devore. Because the fault is so segmented, some branches have their names, although they are considered part of the system of faults. Considered the most active fault in all of Southern California, it has produced at least eleven earthquakes of Mw  6.0 or greater since the late 19th century. Possibly its most destructive and largest earthquake took place in 1812, when 40 people were killed at Mission San Juan Capistrano when the fault produced an Mw  7.0-7.5. The most recent earthquake was the doublet earthquake of 1987, nearly a month after the Whittier Narrows earthquake. The 1987 pair of temblors inflicted heavy damages to Westmorland, and indirectly killed two people outside Mexicali.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake
The Mw  6.6 or Ms  7.0 earthquake ruptured a section of the 80 km long Coyote Creek Fault with an almost pure right-lateral (dextral) strike-slip mechanism and is confined to within California, not crossing into Baja California. The 33-km-long surface rupture was preserved well due to the sparse vegetation, low rainfall, and flat topography. Two sharp discontinuities in the rupture divide the breakage into three sections (north, central, and south), and smaller, isolated ruptures were found 3 km away from the main trace. The surface ruptures consist of en echelon and parallel breaks rather than one consistent trace.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake
The rupture width ranged from 1 meter to as much as 100 meters across throughout its length. Since the entire rupture did not cross any built structures, determining the displacements made by the earthquake was quite difficult. Geologists used channels and tire tracks crossing the fault before the earthquake to measure the horizontal shifts instead. However, strong winds blew sand which buried many parts of the rupture and filled in cracks. Additionally, many vehicles visiting the area crossed and destroyed important evidence to map and determine the lateral movement. A maximum offset of 38 cm was measured at the foothills of Borrego Mountain.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake
Unusually, there were left-lateral displacements 1 to 2 km from Ocotillo Badlands north of California 78 and at the northern base of Borrego Mountain. The fractures at the base of Borrego Mountain had larger vertical components in then left-lateral. Whether the left-lateral offsets were part of the rupture mechanism or environmental changes unrelated to tectonic processes could not be confirmed as these features faded.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake, Intensity and damage
The maximum intensity VII was assigned in the Borrego Mountain and Ocotillo Wells area in San Diego County, although it is thought to be as high as IX, based solely on the ground effects of the earthquake. Within this seismic intensity zone, a small sinistral offset was reported along the  Coyote Creek Fault. California State Route 78 which lay alongside Ocotillo Wells suffered some cracks as a result. Rockfalls were triggered at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, as reported by park rangers. Falling boulders damaged many vehicles belonging to campers at the state park.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake, Intensity and damage
Strong shaking (VI) was felt in Anza, Riverside County where it cracked concrete floorings and knocked off plasters from buildings. Many trees, vehicles, and bushes rocked notably during the quake. The same intensity was felt by everyone in locations including Arcadia, Calexico and Brawley. At Borrego Springs, some minor cracks appeared on the facade of a church. Cracks also appeared in the ground and windows. Furniture moved several inches while swimming pools sloshed. Many stores reported goods and items falling off their shelves, forcing some to shut down.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake, Intensity and damage
Damage was generally minimal due to the sparse population density when the quake struck. Several concrete pipelines ruptured and a truck nearly overturned in Mecca. The maximum intensity recorded across the international border was in Mexicali, Baja California where it was assigned VI. In Arizona, the communities of Yuma and Horn were assigned level VI shaking, cracking concrete pavements and driveways.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Earthquake, Intensity and damage
Moderate to weak shaking (V or lower) was felt in the Los Angeles area. Two structures built before earthquake building codes were required sustained minor damage such as widening or reopening of plaster cracks formed by the 1933 and 1952 earthquakes. Intensity V was felt in Ehrenberg, Quartzsite and Topock in the state of Arizona. In Las Vegas, the quake resulted in light (IV) shaking.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Impact
At the earthquake's epicenter area, the shaking intensity reached VII to IX on the Mercalli intensity scale, but with minimal damage to the region despite the high intensity. Rockfalls, slumps and liquefaction took place as a result of the violent ground motion. Damage was surprisingly light and confined to the Imperial Valley for an earthquake of this size. Cracked and fragmented concrete bridge piers were some of the more serious damage associated with the earthquake. Ocotillo Wells, the closest community to the epicenter, sustained minimal damage.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Impact
One house, however, had its walls split apart and had the bedroom detached from the remaining structure. California 78 near the community suffered cracks, and rockslides blocked off the Montezuma-Borrego Highway. Power lines in San Diego County were severed because of the earthquake while plasters fell off buildings in Los Angeles. The shaking also caused the RMS Queen Mary, which was dry docked at Long Beach to rock for five minutes.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Post-earthquake slips
Even after the earthquake, the fault displayed a phenomenon known as aseismic creeping, observed only along the central and southernmost section of the rupture. The central section was found creeping several weeks after the earthquake in June of 1968. The creep increased the total horizontal displacement along with the central breakage from 18 cm to 25-30 cm, while vertical displacement increased from 10 cm to 15-23 cm two months after the shock. These were possible documentation of new fractures forming. The new ruptures were discovered on 9 June 1968 by the manager of a motel at Ocotillo Wells who spotted them on a hill, convinced that they weren't present at the time of the earthquake.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Post-earthquake slips
While the central rupture was creeping, there were no signs of movement along the southernmost rupture until January 1969, continuing through into December 1970. There was no feasible way of measuring the offsets made by the creep as tracks; the only evidence for measuring the April 1968 displacements had disappeared. It is estimated that the post-quake movements have offset the ground by a further 3-6 cm from the 8 cm during the earthquake.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Post-earthquake slips
A pair of earthquakes on the Superstition Hills Fault in 1987 would cause the 1968 rupture to creep again for 1.5 cm along a 3 km section.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Triggered slips
The Borrego Mountain earthquake resulted in slippage along nearby faults, including the San Andreas, Imperial Valley, and Superstition Hills Faults. Movements were first discovered on the Imperial Fault, which prompted checks on other nearby faults. Triggered slips were not observed on other prominent faults such as the San Jacinto Faults north of the Coyote Creek Fault, Superstition Mountains Fault that lies parallel to the Superstition Hills Fault, and the Elsinore Fault Zone.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Triggered slips, Imperial Fault
Evidence of movement along the Imperial Fault was discovered four days after the earthquake on Interstate 8 (I-8) when cracks appeared. The estimated length of creep along this fault is between 22 and 30 km although the actual length was never determined as dunes and developments obstructed any possible rupture trace. The Imperial Fault is estimated to have slipped by 0.8 cm during the earthquake. However, the cracks were not well determined as there were already cracks to the road from an earthquake in March of 1966 (the magnitude 3.6 earthquake is the smallest earthquake associated with a surface rupture).


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Triggered slips, Imperial Fault
The Imperial Fault would slip again in 1971, six days after a magnitude 5.0 earthquake on the Superstition Hills Fault. About 1.4 cm of prominent horizontal offset was seen on I-8.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Triggered slips, Superstition Hills Fault
Two and a half centimeters of displacement were measured at Imler Road, crossing the Superstition Hills Fault, which had moved for 23 km. This fault is part of the San Jacinto Fault Zone, together with the Coyote Creek Fault.


1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, Post-earthquake effects, Triggered slips, San Andreas Fault
Movement along the Mojave segment of the San Andreas was noted on April 24. This section has not seen any major earthquake since an ~Mw 7.7-7.8 in 1680 and possibly the 1812 earthquakes which happened on December 8 and December 21, respectively. Right-lateral displacement of 1.3 cm was measured, together with many scarps as high as 50 cm. Slippage traced for about 30 km.


1968 Boston College Eagles football team
The 1968 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Joe Yukica and played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College finished with a record of 6–3 and were not invited to a bowl game.


1968 Boston Patriots season
The 1968 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's 9th season in the American Football League. The Patriots ended the season with a record of four wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFL's Eastern Division. The Patriots played their final season of home games at Fenway Park before moving to Alumni Stadium on the campus of Boston College for the following season.


1968 Boston Patriots season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1968 Boston Red Sox season
The 1968 Boston Red Sox season was the 68th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fourth in the American League (AL) with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses, 17 games behind the AL and World Series champion Detroit Tigers.


1968 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
Carl Yastrzemski set an American League record by having the lowest batting average to win a batting title. Yaz hit .301 to claim the batting title.


1968 Boston Red Sox 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


1968 Boston Red Sox 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


1968 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 Boston University Terriers football team
The 1968 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as an independent during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. In its fifth and final season under head coach Warren Schmakel, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record and was outscored by a total of 125 to 117.


1968 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 1968 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach Don Nehlen, the Falcons compiled a 6–3–1 record (3–2–1 against MAC opponents), finished in third place in the MAC, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 267 to 147.


1968 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The team's statistical leaders included P.J. Nyitray with 898 passing yards, Fred Mathews with 733 rushing yards, and Eddie Jones with 716 receiving yards.


1968 Brabantse Pijl
The 1968 Brabantse Pijl was the eighth edition of the Brabantse Pijl cycle race and was held on 14 April 1968. The race started and finished in  Sint-Genesius-Rode. The race was won by Victor Van Schil.


1968 Brent London Borough Council election
The 1968 Brent Council election took place on 9 May 1968 to elect members of Brent London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council.


1968 Brent London Borough Council election, Background
Since the last election in 1964 the boundaries and number of wards were adjusted, increasing the total number of wards from 26 to 31.


1968 Brent London Borough Council election, Background
Six new wards were created - Fryent, Roe Green, Sudbury Court, Town Hall, Wembley Central and Wembley Park; six (Alperton, Barham, Kenton, Kingsbury, Sudbury & Tokyngton) saw their representation reduced from 3 to 2 councillors and one ward (Preston) had its representation reduced from 3 to 1 councillors. Eight other wards had minor boundary changes - Gladstone, Harlesden, Kensal Rise, Kilburn, Manor, Mapesbury, Queensbury & Queens Park.


1968 British Grand Prix
The 1968 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Brands Hatch Circuit on 20 July 1968. It was race 7 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 80-lap race was won by Jo Siffert, his first Formula One victory, and the first victory by a Swiss driver. Siffert's win also marked the 9th and final win for the privateer Rob Walker Racing Team.


1968 British Hard Court Championships
The 1968 British Hard Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth in England. It was the first tournament in the Open Era of tennis. The tournament was held from 22 April to 27 April 1968. Ken Rosewall and Virginia Wade won the first open singles titles while the men's team of Roy Emerson and Rod Laver and the women's team of Christine Truman Janes and Nell Truman won the first open doubles titles.


1968 British Hard Court Championships, First tournament of the Open Era
The 1968 British Hard Court Championships (BHCC)  hold the distinction of being the first open era tennis tournament. Prior to this tournament professional players were banned by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) from competing in tournaments, including the Grand Slams, which were organized by the ILTF and its national organizations. Although all players, amateurs and professionals, were allowed to compete at the 1968 BHCC the players who were part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit did not participate.


1968 British Hard Court Championships, First tournament of the Open Era
Players from the rival National Tennis League (NTL) did enter and in the men's singles event made up the first six seeds. The tournament started on 22 April at 1:43 p.m. when John Clifton served and won the first point of the open era. Clifton lost his first-round match to Owen Davidson who thus became the first winner of an open era tennis match. Ken Rosewall won the men's singles title, taking home $2,400, while runner-up Rod Laver received $1,200. Their final was suspended in the second set due to rain and was finished the following day.


1968 British Hard Court Championships, First tournament of the Open Era
Virginia Wade won the women's singles title, defeating Winnie Shaw in the final, but did not take home the winner's prize of $720 as she was still an amateur at the time of the tournament. She subsequently became the first amateur to win a title in the Open Era. Christine Janes and her sister Nell Truman became the first winners of an open tennis event by winning the women's doubles title. The tournament was considered a success and attracted almost 30,000 visitors. The young British player Mark Cox went down in tennis history by becoming the first amateur player to beat a professional, when he defeated 39-year-old American Pancho Gonzales in five sets in a second-round match that lasted two and a quarter hours.


1968 British Hard Court Championships, Finals, Men's doubles
Roy Emerson /  Rod Laver defeated  Andrés Gimeno /  Pancho Gonzales 8–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2


1968 British Hard Court Championships, Finals, Women's doubles
Christine Truman Janes /  Nell Truman defeated  Fay Toyne-Moore /  Anette du Plooy 6–4, 6–3


1968 British Hard Court Championships, Finals, Mixed doubles
Virginia Wade /  Bob Howe defeated  Fay Toyne-Moore /  Jimmy Moore 6–4, 6–3


1968 British Hard Court Championships – Men's Singles
Jan-Erik Lundqvist was the defending champion, but did not compete in the 1968 edition of the tournament. Ken Rosewall became the first men's singles winner of an open era tennis tournament after defeating Rod Laver in the final.


1968 British League Division Two season
The 1968 British League Division Two season was the inaugural season of a second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.


1968 British League Division Two season, Summary
The formation of a new division 2 was a success and attracted five new clubs to league speedway, the Nelson Admirals from Nelson in Lancashire, the Crayford Highwaymen from east London, the Canterbury Crusaders from Kent, the Berwick Bandits from Scotland and the Reading Racers. Additionally three other clubs, Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Rayleigh returned to league action having prevously competed in the old defunct Provincial League and Weymouth returned after a 13 year absence.


1968 British League Division Two season, Summary
Belle Vue Aces, members of the first division, fielded a reserve side known as Belle Vue Colts and won the first league title. Colt's riders Taffy Owen, Ken Eyre, Eric Broadbelt and John Woodcock all scored heavily and ended with impressive averages. Canterbury in their first season of existence won the division 2 Knockout Cup beating another new team Reading in the final.


1968 British League Division Two season, British League Division Two Knockout Cup
The 1968 British League Division Two Knockout Cup was the first edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and coincided with the newly formed league.


1968 British League Division Two season, British League Division Two Knockout Cup
Previously the tier two and tier three teams had competed in the National Trophy until 1964, and although they held their own finals during some years it only served as qualification for the main competition. Canterbury Crusaders were the winners of the competition.


1968 British League Division Two season, British League Division Two Knockout Cup, Final, Second leg
Canterbury were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 112–80.


1968 British League season
The 1968 British League season was the 34th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fourth season known as the British League.


1968 British League season, Summary
Edinburgh relocated to become the Coatbridge Monarchs. The Long Eaton team closed its doors, but a new team in Leicester returned to Speedway to join the League.


1968 British League season, Summary
Coventry Bees secured their first title on points difference and after they scored points in the last heat of their last match away at King's Lynn. The title win came after two consecutive years as being runner-up. Coventry's Nigel Boocock was again one of the league's leading riders with his average going well above ten for the fifth consecutive year. He was well supported by Ron Mountford and Czechoslovakian star Antonín Kasper Sr.. Wimnledon Dons who could only manage a mid table finish went on to win the British League Knockout Cup.


1968 British League season, Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points


1968 British League season, British League Knockout Cup
The 1968 British League Knockout Cup was the 30th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Wimbledon were the winners.


1968 British League season, British League Knockout Cup, Final, Second leg
Wimbledon Dons were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 118-98.


1968 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1968 the British Lions toured South Africa. The tour was not successful in terms of international results, the Lions losing the Test series against South Africa by three matches to nil, with the other match drawn. The Lions won 15 of their 16 non-international matches, losing only to Transvaal. The touring party was captained by Tom Kiernan, coached by Ronnie Dawson and managed by David Brooks. Star back Barry John broke his collar bone in a dangerous tackle in the first Test.


1968 British Lions tour to South Africa
As well as South Africa, games were played against South West Africa (the future Namibia, then part of South Africa) and Rhodesia (the future Zimbabwe).


1968 British Lions tour to South Africa
Unlike the previous two tours to South Africa (1955 and 1962), this British Lions team did not stop off in Nairobi, Kenya, to play East Africa on the way home. However, one member of this tour party was later to play against that team; in 1975 Peter Stagg was living in Zambia and playing rugby for the Ndola Wanderers RFC when the Tuskers visited and he played for Zambia in their first international on 31 August 1975 at Kitwe. Six of the squad would ultimately change codes and play professional rugby league, they are; Mike Coulman, Ken Goodall, Keith Jarrett, Keri Jones, Maurice Richards, and Bryan West.


1968 British Saloon Car Championship
The 1968 British Saloon Car Championship, was the eleventh season of the series. The Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association (RACMSA) took control of the championship this year from the BRSCC. Australian driver Frank Gardner successfully defended his 1967 title, changing from a Ford Falcon to contest Class C, initially with a Ford Cortina Lotus until the new Ford Escort was introduced.


1968 British Saloon Car Championship, Calendar & Winners
All races were held in the United Kingdom. Overall winners in bold.


1968 British Sports Car Championship
The 1968 RAC British Sports Car Championship was the fifth season of the British Sports Car Championship.


1968 British Sports Car Championship
The championship was won by Bill Bradley driving a Porsche Carrera 6.


1968 British Sports Car Championship, Results
Races shown in bold were also rounds of the 1968 International Championship for Makes.


1968 Bromley London Borough Council election
The 1968 Bromley Council election took place on 9 May 1968 to elect members of Bromley London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


1968 Brown Bears football team
The 1968 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Brown finished last in the Ivy League.


1968 Brown Bears football team
In their second season under head coach Len Jardine, the Bears compiled a 2–7 record and were outscored 286 to 97. J. Rallis was the team captain.


1968 Brown Bears football team
The Bears' winless (0–7) conference record placed last in the Ivy League standings. They were outscored by Ivy opponents 258 to 60.


1968 Brown Bears football team
Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.


1968 Brownlow Medal
The 1968 Brownlow Medal was the 41st year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season. Bob Skilton of the South Melbourne Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-four votes during the 1968 VFL season.


1968 Bucknell Bison football team
The 1968 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. Bucknell placed second in the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division.


1968 Bucknell Bison football team
In their fourth and final year under head coach Carroll Huntress, the Bison compiled a 5–5 record. Sam Havrilak was the team captain.


1968 Bucknell Bison football team
The Bisons' 3–2 record against MAC University Division opponents was the second-best in the eight-team division. Bucknell was one of only two teams, along with Delaware (5–0) to post a winning record in divisional games.


1968 Bucknell Bison football team
Bucknell played its home games at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


1968 Buenos Aires Grand Prix
Results from the 1968 Buenos Aires Grand Prix held at Buenos Aires on December 1, 1968, in the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez. The race was the first race for the XVII Temporada Argentina.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
The 1968 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s ninth season.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
The Bills' 1–12–1 record in 1968 (a 0.107 winning percentage) is the second-worst in team history: the 1971 Bills went 1–13. They were one of only two teams in AFL history (the other being the 1962 Oakland Raiders) to finish the season with only one victory.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
The Bills, coming off a 4–10 season in 1967, fired coach Joe Collier after an 0–2 start in 1968. Defensive backfield coach Harvey Johnson was promoted to interim head coach, where he went 1–10–1 to finish the year.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
With the release of running back Wray Carlton, wide receiver Elbert Dubenion was the last player from the Bills' original roster in 1960 to still be with the team.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
The majority of Buffalo's games were started by backup quarterback Dan Darragh, after injuries claimed the seasons of long-time starter Jack Kemp and new addition Tom Flores. Even Darragh and new addition Kay Stephenson were injured. Ultimately, running back Ed Rutkowski, who hadn't played the quarterback position since college six years prior, ended up starting at quarterback for the Bills.


1968 Buffalo Bills season
Buffalo's only win of the season was a home victory over the New York Jets, in which the Bills held a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter before giving up two late touchdowns to the Jets. Ultimately, the Bills were able to hold on to the two-point win.


1968 Buffalo Bills season, Regular season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1968 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 1968 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. The Bulls offense scored 195 points while the defense allowed 183 points.


1968 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 1968 Bulgarian Cup Final was the 28th final of the Bulgarian Cup (in this period the tournament was named Cup of the Soviet Army), and was contested between Spartak Sofia and Beroe Stara Zagora on 6 June 1968 at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. Spartak won the final 3–2 after extra time, claiming their first ever Bulgarian Cup title.


1968 Burma cyclone
The 1968 Burma cyclone was regarded as the worst to strike the country during the 20th century before it was surpassed by another unnamed cyclone in 2004 and further, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, respectively. The first tropical cyclone of the 1968 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it started as a depression on May 7 on the northern Andaman Sea. With low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, the storm intensified in the waters near Burma before heading northwestwards. It then started to rapidly intensify, with an eye becoming apparent on satellite imagery on May 9.


1968 Burma cyclone
Also that day, it reached its peak intensity, with 3-minute maximum sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph) by the Indian Meteorological Department, which is equivalent to a super cyclonic storm; however, the agency treated the system as a severe cyclonic storm. Little to no changes happened on the cyclone as it turned northeastwards, making landfall near Akyab (now Sittwe) between 18:00 and 21:00 UTC on that day. Land interaction rapidly weakened the storm, dissipating on May 10 as an area of low-pressure in south Chin State.


1968 Burma cyclone
The predecessor to the cyclone caused light to moderate downpour to the Andaman Islands; however, no deaths were reported. Winds reported from the cyclone inland Burma reached an estimate of 60–100 mph, altogether with heavy rainfall and large storm surges. The former flooded the crops, submerging them in floodwaters in the process while the latter washed out villages near the path of the storm. Schools and hospitals throughout Akyab were destroyed by high winds and large waves, while the port suffered major damages. The town was almost destroyed due to the storm.


1968 Burma cyclone
In addition, some ships in the said harbor, including the Greek freighter Geros Michalos were reportedly sunk in the Bay of Bengal. Houses were destroyed during the storm and many livestock died, mainly due to drowning. The death toll from the cyclone was finalized on May 1968 at 1,307 individuals, while 2,000 more were reportedly missing. The property damages were estimated at K15 million kyat ($3.248 million USD).


1968 Burma cyclone
After the cyclone, the Government of Burma started to release aid to the victims, altogether with food supplies and cotton blankets. The Red Cross Society of the country donated cases of medicines to the country, while the United States Government released over 25,000 blankets to be transferred to the area. In addition, many countries and organizations including the UNICEF contributed over $121,291 (1968 USD) to Myanmar, following the disaster.


1968 Burma cyclone, Meteorological history
On May 5, a weak cyclonic circulation, which likely emerged from the Andaman Sea started to move westwards across the southern portion of Burma. The convection of thunderstorms started to consolidate at that time, as pressure countings along the southern coasts of Arakan and Tenasserim regions started to fall, all in the country. In addition, on that day, a trough of low pressure formed along the circulation in the northern Andaman Sea, which would later spawn a well-marked disturbance, early the next day.


1968 Burma cyclone, Meteorological history
At 18:00 UTC that day, the disturbance intensified to a depression and further to a deep depression on the next day as it located in a favorable environment for intensification, as evidenced by the rapid strengthening state of the system. The IMD upgraded the system to a cyclonic storm at 18:00 UTC that day before further intensifying to a severe cyclonic storm on the next day as it moved northwestwards. The storm had an eye feature and a well-defined central dense overcast as being evidenced by satellite imagery.


1968 Burma cyclone, Meteorological history
The cyclone then started to move west-northwestwards before turning north as the motion of the system slowed down. On May 9, a ESSA-6 satellite image of the cyclone showed that the system became more compact in size, and its eye became more apparent. Shortly after, the IMD assessed the system to be at a peak intensity of 220 km/h (140 mph) in 3-minute means, well equivalent to a super cyclonic storm on the intensity scale by the agency; however, it was treated as a severe cyclonic storm in the department's record and report on the storm.


1968 Burma cyclone, Meteorological history
Using the Davidon–Fletcher–Powell formula on the minimum barometric pressure on the system, it was analyzed to be at 953 mbar (28.1 inHg), the lowest recorded in association with the system. Little no no changes happened in the intensity of the system as it started to recurve northeastwards, approaching western Burma. Between 21:00 and 00:00 UTC on that day and the following, the cyclone crossed the northern coast of Arakan near Akyab, with the latter suffering a direct hit from the storm. Interaction with the landmass of the country rapidly weakened the storm, becoming a well-marked area of low pressure on May 10 on southern Chin State.


1968 Burma cyclone, Impact
The predecessor of the system influenced the monsoonal winds over the Andaman Sea and southern portions of the Bay of Bengal, causing heavy rainfall to the Andaman Islands, particularly the Napier Bay Islands, starting on May 5 until May 8. A rainfall amount of 7 cm and 6 cm was recorded in Long Island on May 5 and 7, while Port Blair on May 5, 6 and 7 reported a rain accumulation of 4, 8, and 7 cm, respectively. In the Middle Andaman Island of Maya Bandar, a rain amount of 7 cm was also recorded, while Hut Bay reported the same on May 7. No damages and deaths were reported.


1968 Burma cyclone, Impact, Burma
The damage from the cyclone was heaviest in Burma, where the storm caused winds over 100–150 mph (160–240 km/h) in Akyab. Though no rain accumulation reports were received from the country, massive storm surges buffeted houses and ships near the coast and on the path of the cyclone, submerging them. Nine townships in the country reported significant damages while the death toll from the cyclone mainly came from Akyab and Kyaukphyu because of the proximity to the cyclone's track. The former was 90% damaged due to the storm, with an estimated 50,000 individuals being rendered homeless out of the population of over 75,000.


1968 Burma cyclone, Impact, Burma
The storm destroyed over 57,660 houses in the country alone, rendering 297,768 individuals homeless. Government buildings throughout Arakan suffered damages, and hospitals were left completely wrecked due to the strong winds. The port was also devastated by numerous storm surges, causing many ships to sink. The Greek freighter SS Gero Michalos sank altogether with three Burmese passenger ships on May 10 due to the gusty wind sand rough seas, with the former causing $2 million in losses. Rice mills and miscellaneous factories in Akyab were reported to be damaged, while schools were either wrecked by storm surge or devastated.


1968 Burma cyclone, Impact, Burma
Coconut trees were also downed due to strong winds. Over 17,527 livestock were killed, while 145,144 acres of paddy fields were submerged in floodwaters, all due to the storm. The large death toll from the storm is possibly due to the little information of the people inland from the cyclone. Despite this, over 12,409 people were evacuated to twelve camps that were donated by the United States of America after a cyclone that also devastated the area, nearly a year later.


1968 Burma cyclone, Impact, Burma
Some newspapers described the wide swath of the cyclone as the worst to affect Burma until it was surpassed by another unnamed cyclone in 2004 and further, Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Damages totaled K15 million kyat ($3.169 million USD). The official death tally from the storm was at 1,037 with an estimated 2,000 more missing. The majority of fatalities were from Pauktaw and Myebon Townships with 553 and 415 deaths, respectively.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Within Burma
After the cyclone's havoc on the country, immediate relief operations were started for the evacuees in different shelters across Burma. A high-level relief committee was built by Tin U as commander, the main leader, and secretary, which includes Lwin Maung as the relief minister and one of the secretaries and Nyunt Swe as joint-secretary to discuss the aftermath of the cyclone and preparations of relief aid to the country's victims. In Rangoon, another relief council was formed by U to assess the damages on the area, while a coordinating body was developed by Kyaw Soe on an unknown date for the same reasons.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Within Burma
The Burmese Red Cross made an appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross for aid due to the storm's wide swath of damages on the country. The latter requested the help of other societies in different countries to help the country.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Within Burma
The government of the country immediately released K2.250 million for disaster response. On May 14, the relief committee including the President and Secretary of the country's Red Cross flew from then-country's capital to Akyab, doing an on-the-spot assessment of the damages caused by the cyclone. Together on the flight was a thousand pieces of cotton blankets, 2,500 yards of longcloth, 100 cases of condensed milk, 200 dozens of baby food, and five cases of different medicines from the Burmese Red Cross and many tents from the relief committee for the evacuees.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Within Burma
The Blind Monk of a blind school in Burma donated K500 ($105.65) from his own money, while the students of the said school contributed K100 ($21.13) to the Red Cross. In addition, many employees in factories and offices including railway stations and other places also pledged money for the victims of the storm by doing overtime in their jobs.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Within Burma
Three months after the cyclone, a continued flow of relief aid was sent by air and sea transportations to different shelters through the affected areas by the storm for distribution. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reacted to the country's reaction from the aftermath of the storm as "swift and effective".


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Other countries' reaction to the disaster
On May 13, the Disaster Relief Officer of the United States received a request for more supply of blankets from Burma about the cyclone's large destruction on the area, with the committee passing the plea to the main headquarters at Washington D.C., which was further approved. As the Burmese Red Cross made an appeal for aid following the cyclone, the American Red Cross quickly acknowledged this by donating Sulfa drugs, worth $2 million. The blankets, on the other hand, were transferred to Burma from the U.S by a chartered cargo ship including $137,488 worth of disaster relief. Out of the aid, $9,000 was used for purchasing Indian cotton materials for more blankets. 25,000 more bedclothes were donated by the country's government from Boston, Massachusetts to the affected country on May 18, being given full coverage worldwide.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Other countries' reaction to the disaster
The Government of India donated over 6,400 longyis and 18,000 metres of long cloth from Calcutta which was received by Burma on June 1 and 3. The government also permitted the United States administration to purchase the latter donation from American-owned rupees.


1968 Burma cyclone, Aftermath, Other countries' reaction to the disaster
Days and months after the cyclone's havoc, many agencies and humanitarian organizations, including the UNICEF donated supplies and food to Burma. The contributions totaled $121,291, which are used for the victims of the storm.


1968 CFL season
The 1968 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 15th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 11th Canadian Football League season.


1968 CFL season, CFL News in 1968
J.G. (Jake) Gaudaur was appointed CFL Commissioner and the league adopted a new constitution. Gaudaur would serve in that position until 1984; he is the league's longest-tenured commissioner.


1968 CFL season, CFL News in 1968
Hamilton Tiger-Cats wide receiver Ted Watkins was shot and killed while allegedly robbing a liquor store in California, shortly before the start of the CFL season.


1968 CFL season, Regular season standings, Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


1968 CFL season, Grey Cup Championship
56th Annual Grey Cup Game: CNE Stadium – Toronto, Ontario


1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The 1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 4th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It determined that year's football club champion in the CONCACAF region.


1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
The tournament was played by 10 teams of 10 nations: Netherlands Antilles, Bermuda, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Suriname, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.


1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
It was played from 26 May till 1 December 1968 under the home/away match system. The tournament was split in 3 zones (North American, Central American and Caribbean), each one qualifying the winner to the final tournament, where the winners of the Central and Caribbean zones played a semi-final to decide who was going to play against the Northern champion in the final. The final was scratched and Toluca were declared champions after both semi-finalists, Aurora and Transvaal, were ejected from the competition due to crowd violence.


1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Club Deportivo Toluca (actually known as Deportivo Toluca FC) from Mexico won the final, and became for the first time in its history CONCACAF champion.


1968 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Final
As no final was held after Aurora and Transvaal were disqualified from the competition, Mexican side Toluca were declared champions.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament
The 1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament was the second edition of the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, the quadrennial, international football tournament organised by the CONCACAF to determine which national teams from the North, Central America and Caribbean region qualify for the Olympic football tournament.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament
Mexico, as host nation, qualified directly for the 1968 Summer Olympics together with final round winners, El Salvador and Guatemala as CONCACAF representatives.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, Final round
El Salvador won 4–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 1968 Summer Olympics.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, Final round
Guatemala advance via a drawing of lots after a 3–3 aggregate and qualified for the 1968 Summer Olympics.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, Qualified teams for Summer Olympics
The following three teams from CONCACAF qualified for the 1968 Summer Olympics, including Mexico which qualified as hosts.


1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament qualification
The qualifying competition for the 1968 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament determined the four teams of the final tournament.


1968 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
The 1968 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament took place during March and April 1968. It was the 3rd CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.


1968 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
Argentina and Bolivia did not participate. Brazil and Colombia qualified for the 1968 Summer Olympics.


1968 Caerphilly by-election
The Caerphilly by-election of 15 July 1968 was held after the death of Labour MP Ness Edwards.


1968 Caerphilly by-election
The seat was very safe, having been won by Labour at the 1966 United Kingdom general election by over 21,000 votes but Plaid Cymru gave Labour a serious fright in this by-election and came close to winning the seat on a huge swing.


1968 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The 1968 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. Cal Poly competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).


1968 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The team was led by first-year head coach Joe Harper and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and three losses (7–3, 2–2 CCAA).


1968 Cal Poly Mustangs football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Mustangs were selected in the 1969 NFL Draft.


1968 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
The 1968 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team represented California State Polytechnic College, Kellogg-Voorhis during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. Cal Poly Pomona was a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in 1967 & 1968, but the football team's games did not count as conference play since they did not play a full conference schedule.


1968 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
Cal Poly Pomona was led by second-year head coach Ray Daugherty. They played home games at Kellogg Field in Pomona, California. The Broncos finished the season winless, with a record of zero wins and ten losses (0–10). Overall, the team was outscored by its opponents 152–363 for the season.


1968 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Pomona players were selected in the 1969 NFL Draft.


1968 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team
The 1968 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team represented California State College at Hayward in the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. Cal State Hayward competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC).


1968 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team
The Pioneers were led by third-year head coach Les Davis. They played home games at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, California. The Pioneers finished the season with a record of five wins, four losses and one tie (5–4–1, 1–4–1 FWC). They outscored their opponents 262–165 for the 1968 season.


1968 Cal State Hayward Pioneers football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal State Hayward Pioneers players were selected in the 1969 NFL Draft.


1968 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team
The 1968 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team represented California State University, Los Angeles during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season.


1968 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team
Cal State Los Angeles competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by third-year coach Jim Williams and played home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. They finished the season with a record of six wins and three losses (6–3, 2–2 CCAA).


1968 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal State Los Angeles players were selected in the 1969 NFL Draft.


1968 Calgary Stampeders season
The 1968 Calgary Stampeders finished in 2nd place in the Western Conference with a 10–6 record. They appeared in the Grey Cup where they lost to the Ottawa Rough Riders.


1968 Calgary Stampeders season, Playoffs, Grey Cup
56th Annual Grey Cup Game: CNE Stadium – Toronto, Ontario


1968 California Angels season
The 1968 California Angels season involved the Angels finishing 8th in the American League with a record of 67 wins and 95 losses.


1968 California Angels 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


1968 California Angels 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


1968 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 California Angels season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1968 California Golden Bears football team
The 1968 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Ray Willsey, the Golden Bears compiled a 7–3–1 record (2–2–1 against Pac-8 opponents), finished in fourth place in the Pac-8, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 243 to 114.


1968 California Golden Bears football team
This year's team came to be known as "The Bear Minimum". It was let by Ed White, an All-American and future member of College Hall of Fame. Relying on its defense, Cal went 7-3-1 and ranking as high as eighth in the AP poll. It won 21–7 at Michigan and beat No. 10 Syracuse 43–0. Earning three shutouts it held its opponents to 10.4 points a game.


1968 California Golden Bears football team
As of 2011, The Bear Minimum still held Cal's records for opponents' average gains per play – 3.60, as well as the fewest rushing touchdowns per season – five (same as the 1937 "Thunder Team"). Its average yards per rush was 2.51 which is still second only to the "Thunder Team" with 2.50 yards per rush.


1968 California Golden Bears football team
The team's statistical leaders included Randy Humphries with 1,247 passing yards, Gary Fowler with 665 rushing yards, and Wayne Stewart with 679 receiving yards.


1968 Camden London Borough Council election
The 1968 Camden Council election took place on 9 May 1968 to elect members of Camden London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council.


1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby
The 1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby   was won by the selection of Buenos Aires that beat in the final the selection of  Rosario


1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby, Semifinals
Buenos Aires: A. Pagano, M. Walther, M. Pascual, C. Martínez, M. Lalanne, J. Dartilongue, A. Etchegaray, J. O'Reilly, E. Elowson, L. Loyola, R. Sellarés, A. Anthony, L. García Yáñez, C. Massabó, R. Casabal. Valle de Lerma: = J. García Bes, R. Raccioppi, S. Pintos, E. Escribano, O. Dell'Acqua, H. Cornejo, A. Alderete, H. Flores, G. Smtih, M. Clement, F. Dacal, E. Clement, P. Ivona, E. Tangona, O. Giménez.


1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby, Semifinals
Rosario: J. Seaton, A. Quetglas, J. Benzi, N. Ferrazza, R. Villavicencio, J. Scilabra, O. Aletta, J. L. Imhoff, M. Chesta, J. Imhoff, M. Senatore, H. Suárez, F. Landó, R. Seaton, F. Tricerri. Cordoba : |Formazione 2= L. Capell, H. Espinoza, M. Capell, E. Meta, R. Mulle, J. Vera, J. Del Valle, J. Baldaserre, R. Campra, P. Demo, J. Saine, M. Enríquez, C. Abud, J. Paz, G. Ribeca.


1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby, Final
Buenos Aires: A. Pagano, M. Walther, A. Rodríguez Jurado, M. Pascual, M. Queirolo, J. Dartilongue, A. Etchegaray, L. Loyola, H. Silva (cap. ), J. O'Reilly, A. Anthony, R. Sellarés, R. Casabal, C. Massabó, L. García Yañéz. Rosario: J. Seaton, A. Quetglas, J. Benzi, C. Blanco, R. Villavicencio, J. Scilabra, O. Aletta, J. Imhoff, M. Chesta (cap. ), J. L. Imhoff, M. Senatore, H. Suárez,  F. Tricerri, R. Seaton, F. Landó.


1968 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Taça Brasil)
The 1968 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the 1968 Taça Brasil) was the 12th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.


1968 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa)
The 1968 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the 1968 Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa) was the 11th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. It began on August 24 and ended on December 10. Santos won the championship, the 6th national title of the club at 9 years of tournament contention. Pelé won the title with Santos, which was the 6th and last Brazilian title he conquered.


1968 Campeonato Carioca
The 1968 edition of the Campeonato Carioca kicked off on March 9, 1968 and ended on June 9, 1968. It was organized by FCF (Federação Carioca de Futebol, or Carioca Football Federation). Twelve teams participated. Botafogo won the title for the 14th time. no teams were relegated.


1968 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A
The 1968 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, the first division of Ecuadorian football (soccer), was played by 12 teams. The champion was Deportivo Quito.


1968 Campeonato Paulista
The 1968 Campeonato Paulista da Divisão Especial de Futebol Profissional, organized by the Federação Paulista de Futebol, was the 67th season of São Paulo's top professional football league. Santos won the title for the 11th time. Comercial was relegated and the top scorer was Ferroviária's Téia with 20 goals.


1968 Campeonato Paulista, Championship
The championship was disputed in a double-round robin system, with the team with the most points winning the title and the team with the fewest points being relegated.


1968 Campeonato Profesional
The 1968 Campeonato Profesional was the 20th season of Colombia's top-flight football league. 14 teams competed against one another. Unión Magdalena won their first league title.


1968 Can-Am season
The 1968 Canadian-American Challenge Cup was the third season of the Can-Am auto racing series. It consisted of FIA Group 7 racing cars running two-hour sprint events. It began September 1, 1968, and ended November 10, 1968, after six rounds.


1968 Can-Am season, Drivers Championship
Points are awarded to the top six finishers in the order of 9-6-4-3-2-1.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1968 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada on September 22, 1968. It was race 10 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 90-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after starting from sixth position. Hulme's teammate Bruce McLaren finished second and BRM driver Pedro Rodríguez came in third.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix
After the success of the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix, the event was given a place on the 1968 calendar, but was moved from Mosport Park to the Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Attention centred on the battle for the Drivers' Championship, with Graham Hill leading on 30 points, closely followed by Jacky Ickx on 27, Jackie Stewart on 26 and defending champion Denny Hulme on 24.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Entry
A total of 22 cars were entered for this event, the first of three races in the Americas.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Entry
Dan Gurney was present in a third Bruce McLaren Motor Racing prepared McLaren M7A, although entered by his Anglo American Racers team, having given up on his Eagle-Weslake project. Despite this, there was an Eagle T1F in Quebec, in the hands of local Formula A/5000 driver, Al Pease. Another local driver from this series, Bill Brack, appeared in Team Lotus's third car. Meanwhile, BRM ran only one car for Pedro Rodríguez. Matra Sports expanded their operation to two cars, with Henri Pescarolo joining Jean-Pierre Beltoise, while Johnny Servoz-Gavin drove a second car prepared by Matra International, following his second place at the previous race in Italy. Alongside Jackie Stewart, this made four Matras in the field.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
With his Repco engine finally beginning to work, Jochen Rindt secured pole position for the Brabham Racing Organisation in their Brabham-Repco BT26, with an average speed of 101.711 mph. He was joined on the front row by Chris Amon's Ferrari 312 and Jo Siffert in Rob Walker's Lotus 49B. The fastest McLaren was that of Dan Gurney, qualifying on the second row, alongside the works Lotus of Graham Hill, while the third row featured both of the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing entered McLaren M7As of Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren, sandwiching the sole Honda RA301 of John Surtees.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
During qualifying, Jacky Ickx's hopes of winning the World title ended when he crashed his Ferrari 312, after the throttle stuck open. As a result, Ickx suffered a broken leg.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race was held over 90 laps of the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, taking place in sunny conditions, with the Ferrari of Chris Amon leading straight from the off, with Jo Siffert chasing him. Then followed Jochen Rindt, Dan Gurney and Graham Hill. The positions at the front remained stable, with John Surtees retiring from eighth place with gearbox troubles. On lap 14, Hill managed pass Gurney, and 12 laps later, the American dropped away with a broken radiator.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Race
An oil leak accounted for Siffert, on lap 29, and so Rindt was second, although he too retired shortly afterwards with an engine failure. This promoted Hill to second. That too was short-lived, as he soon dropped behind the McLarens of Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren because of a serious vibration issues. As Hill's Lotus 49B gradually fell back, he was overtaken by Pedro Rodríguez and Johnny Servoz-Gavin. A few laps later (lap 71), the Matra of Servoz-Gavin had spun out and Hill was back up to fifth.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Race
While all this was going on, Amon seemed to have everything under control for the first 72 laps of the race, however, on the 73rd lap, his legendary bad luck struck when his Ferrari's transmission failed. This gave McLaren a 1-2 victory with Rodríguez grabbing third for BRM. Hulme won in a time of 2hr 27.11.2mins., averaging a speed of 97.799 mph, and was a full lap ahead of his team-mate.


1968 Canadian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The result put reigning World Champion Hulme level on points with Hill, with two races remaining.


1968 Canadian federal budget
The Canadian federal budget for fiscal year 1968-1969 was presented by Minister of Finance Edgar Benson in the House of Commons of Canada on October 22, 1968. It was the first federal budget under the premiership of Pierre Trudeau.


1968 Canadian federal election
The 1968 Canadian federal election (formally the 28th Canadian general election) was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 28th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party won a majority government under its new leader, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.


1968 Canadian federal election
This was the last federal election in which some provinces (specifically Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan) had fewer seats than they had been allocated in the previous election due to a redistribution. The 1966 census, for example, revealed that Alberta had a population about 50% greater than Saskatchewan's even though both provinces had the same number of seats at the time (17). Saskatchewan was the only province to lose multiple seats in the redistribution (4). It was also the only election in Canadian history where fewer total seats were contested compared to the previous vote (264 instead of 265). Changes to the Constitution enacted since that time have rendered the prospect of similar reductions far less likely.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson had announced in December 1967 that he would retire early in the following year, calling a new leadership election for the following April to decide on a successor. In February 1968, however, Pearson's government nearly fell before the leadership election could even take place, when it was unexpectedly defeated on a tax bill.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
Convention dictated that Pearson would have been forced to resign and call an election had the government been defeated on a full budget bill, but after taking legal advice, Governor General Roland Michener decreed that he would only ask for Pearson's resignation if an explicit motion of no confidence were called in his government.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
Ultimately, the New Democratic Party and Ralliement créditiste were not willing to topple the government over the issue, and even had they done so, Pearson would have been entitled to advise Michener not to hold an election until after the new Liberal leader had been chosen, but the incident made it clear that Pearson's successor could not feasibly hope to hold out until the next statutory general election date of November 1970, and would in all likelihood be forced to call an election much sooner.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
Pierre Trudeau, who was a relative unknown until he was appointed to the cabinet by Pearson, won a surprise victory over Paul Martin Sr., Paul Hellyer and Robert Winters in the party's leadership election in April, and as had been widely expected, called an immediate election. The charismatic, intellectual, handsome, single, and fully bilingual Trudeau soon captured the hearts and minds of the nation, and the period leading up to the election saw such intense feelings for him that it was dubbed "Trudeaumania." At public appearances, he was confronted by screaming girls, something never before seen in Canadian politics.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
The Liberal campaign was dominated by Trudeau's personality. Liberal campaign ads featured pictures of Trudeau inviting Canadians to "Come work with me", and encouraged them to "Vote for New Leadership for All of Canada". The substance of the campaign was based upon the creation of a "just society", with a proposed expansion of social programs.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
The principal opposition to the Liberals was the Progressive Conservative Party led by Robert Stanfield. The party was still smarting from the nasty infighting that had led to the ousting of leader John Diefenbaker. The PCs also had problems with their policy on Quebec: the Tories, hoping to contrast with the rigidly federalist Trudeau, and embraced the idea of deux nations, meaning that their policies would be based on the idea that Canada was one country housing two nations - French-Canadians and English-speaking Canadians.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
As Conservative candidates began to renounce this policy, the party was forced to backtrack, and late in the campaign, ran ads signed by Stanfield that stated that the PC Party stood for "One country, one Canada". Trudeau had more success on this point, promoting his vision of a Canada whole and indivisible. The Tories were also hurt by the aforementioned redistribution of seats, which disproportionately reduced representation in their traditional strongholds.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
On the left, former long-time Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas led the New Democratic Party, but once again failed to make the electoral break-through that was hoped for when the party was founded in 1960. Douglas gained a measure of personal satisfaction - the ouster of Diefenbaker had badly damaged the PC brand in Saskatchewan, and played a major role in allowing the NDP to overcome a decade of futility at the federal level in Saskatchewan to win a plurality of seats there. Nevertheless, these gains were balanced out by losses elsewhere in the country.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
Under the slogan, "You win with the NDP", Douglas campaigned for affordable housing, higher old age pensions, lower prescription drug prices, and a reduced cost of living. However, the NDP had difficulty running against the left-leaning Trudeau, who was himself a former supporter of the NDP. Douglas would step down as leader in 1971, but remains a powerful icon for New Democrats.


1968 Canadian federal election, Parties and campaigns
This was the first Canadian federal election to hold a leaders debate, on June 9, 1968. The debate included Trudeau, Stanfield, Douglas, and in the latter part Réal Caouette, with Caouette speaking French and Trudeau alternating between the languages. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy three days before cast a pall over the proceedings, and the stilted format was generally seen as boring and inconclusive.


1968 Canadian federal election, National results
The results of the election were sealed when on the night before the election a riot broke out at the St. Jean Baptiste Day parade in Montreal. Protesting the prime minister's attendance at the parade, supporters of Quebec independence yelled Trudeau au poteau [Trudeau to the gallows], and threw bottles and rocks. Trudeau, whose lack of military service during World War II had led some to question his courage, firmly stood his ground, and did not flee from the violence despite the wishes of his security escort. Images of Trudeau standing fast to the thrown bottles of the rioters were broadcast across the country, and swung the election even further in the Liberals' favour as many English-speaking Canadians believed that he would be the right leader to fight the threat of Quebec separatism.


1968 Canadian federal election, National results
The Social Credit Party, having lost two of the five seats it picked up at the previous election via defections (including former leader Robert N. Thompson, who defected to the Tories in March 1967), lost its three remaining seats. On the other hand, the Ralliement des créditistes (Social Credit Rally), the Québec wing of the party that had split from the English Canadian party, met with great success. The créditistes were a populist option appealing to social conservatives and Québec nationalists. They were especially strong in rural ridings and amongst poor voters. Party leader Réal Caouette campaigned against poverty, government indifference, and "la grosse finance" (big finance). The Canadian social credit movement would never win seats in English Canada again.


1968 Canadian federal election, National results
Atlantic Canada bucked the national trend, with the Tories making large gains in that region and winning pluralities in all four Atlantic provinces. In that region, the Tory brand was strengthened by the leadership of former Nova Scotian premier Stanfield. Voters in Newfoundland, who were growing increasingly weary of their Liberal administration under founding Premier Joey Smallwood, voted PC for the first time since entering Confederation.


1968 Canadian federal election, National results
"Dissolution" refers to party standings in the House of Commons immediately prior to the election call, not the results of the previous election.


1968 Cannes Film Festival
The 21st Cannes Film Festival was to have been held from 10 to 24 May 1968, before being curtailled due to the turmoil of May 1968 in France.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Background
This edition was marked by the previous controversy around the Langlois affair. On February 9, 1968 a meeting of the board of directors of the Cinémathèque Française (a non-profit organization), in which the representatives of the Ministry of Culture and of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (which depended on the latter) decided to remove Henri Langlois, director and co-founder of the Cinémathèque, from his position. Even though they were not a majority, Langlois supporters such as François Truffaut refused to cast their vote. André Malraux, the French Minister of Culture, had prompted this decision because he wanted to implement managerial changes to gain more influence in the institution. After another vote Pierre Barbin, director of the Tours and Annecy film festivals, became the new director.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Background
Langlois was a very popular and beloved figure and this decision sparked a number of protests and demonstrations by filmmakers of the French New Wave, as well as actors, critics and fans who demonstrated in front of the Cinémathèque at the Palais de Chaillot on February 12. Many internationally acclaimed film directors like Charles Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick, Roberto Rossellini, Orson Welles and Luis Buñuel also sent letters in support of Langlois and even threatened to retrieve the copies of their films previously given to the Cinemathéque.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Background
On February 14, another demonstration took place but this time artists were joined by Sorbonne University students in what was a prelude of what was going to happen in the following months. French filmmakers decided to form the Committee for the Defense of the Cinémathèque. At this point, the issue was no longer cultural and had become political.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Background
After long negotiations, on April 22, a special meeting of the general assembly of the Cinémathèque was called and voted to reinstate Langlois, with the approval of Malraux who also pulled the government's representatives from the assembly but in exchange cut public funding to a minimum.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
The festival opened on May 10 with the 70 mm restored version of Gone with the Wind, directed by Victor Fleming. American film actress and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly served as the host of the opening and closing ceremonies.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
Personalities of French cinema were sensitive to the demonstrations which were taking place in Paris. On the night of May 10 to May 11,  violent clashes between students and the police took place in the Latin Quarter in what became the first night of the barricades.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
Following these incidents, the French Critics Association issued a statement asking the participants of the festival to join the demonstration of support for striking students scheduled on May 13 and called for the suspension of the festival and for those in Cannes to support the students in their "protest against the violent police repression which is an assault on the nation's cultural liberty, the secular traditions of its universities and its democratic principles". However, the organization refused.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
On May 17, in Paris the États généraux du cinéma, a general assembly of cinema professionals, called for the Cannes Festival to be stopped. Peter Lennon's documentary Rocky Road to Dublin was screened at the festival. It was the last film to be shown.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
The next day on May 18, a panel discussion of the members of the Committee for the Defense of the Cinémathèque was organized to discuss the Langlois affair, with the presence of directors Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, Claude Berri and actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. The discussions were lively and François Truffaut, who had arrived from Paris the day before, explained that while the trains are blocked and the factories on strike, it would be ridiculous to continue the festival. Jean-Luc Godard believed that with this interruption, the cinema will show its solidarity with the student movements.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
Claude Lelouch, Jean-Claude Carrière, actress Macha Méril as well as jury members Louis Malle and Roman Polanski, joined them to announce in a press conference in the salle Jean Cocteau at the old Palais Croisette that, in solidarity with the workers and the students who were protesting across France, the festival had to be put to an end. Subsequently, Louis Malle, Monica Vitti, Roman Polanski, and Terence Young resigned from the international jury while Alain Resnais, Claude Lelouch, Carlos Saura, and Miloš Forman asked for the withdrawal of their films of the competition. Louis Malle announced that "the jury is out of state to work".


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
Polanski was skeptical of these measures because those methods reminded him of what Communists did in his native Poland but ended up supporting the annulment of that year's festival. Also, jury member Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky, a poet from the Soviet Union, considered the idea of cancelling the festival so heinous that he even refused to attend the emergency jury meeting. Director Robert Favre Le Bret claimed: "We will close the festival tomorrow at midday".


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
That same evening, Peppermint Frappé by Carlos Saura, was the only film pending to be screened. Saura, accompanied by his then girlfriend and protagonist of the film, Geraldine Chaplin, did not want his own film to be watched. However, despite his total opposition the projection began. Saura and Chaplin jumped onstage and yelled asking not to start the projector to the audience's shock. As Favre Le Bret gave the order to open the big curtain that covered the screen, Saura and Chaplin decided to hung on from the curtains to prevent them from pulling back. At this point, they were joined by Truffaut and Godard. The film was not shown and this started a heated discussion and then a physical altercation with the audience who wanted to watch the film.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, The Festival
As a punishment for all his actions, Truffaut was later declared persona non grata by the organization. Finally on May 19 at 12 p.m. and five days before the established end of the festival, the board of directors leaded by Robert Favre Le Bret voted unanimously to cancel this edition, not awarding any prize. From the 28 films that were selected to compete for the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, only 11 were screened.


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Jury
The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1968 feature film competition:


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, In competition - Feature film
The following films were due to compete for the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film:


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Official selection, Films out of competition
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:


1968 Cannes Film Festival, Parallel sections, International Critics' Week
The following feature films were selected to be screened for the 7th International Critics' Week (7e Semaine de la Critique):