OCTOBER 20, 1968

SUNDAY
1968 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1968
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $371,087 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$1.48
Median Home Price$21,260.00
Gas Price Avg$0.35
Bread Price Avg$0.24
Movie Ticket Avg$1.38
First Class Stamp$0.06
Milk Price Avg$1.21
Top Movies From 1968
Show screen release and event cards
1 Funny Girl
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Funny Girl
2 2001: A Space Odyssey
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2001: A Space Odyssey
3 The Odd Couple
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The Odd Couple
4 Bullitt
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Bullitt
5 Oliver!
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Oliver!
6 Planet of the Apes
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Planet of the Apes
7 Rosemary's Baby
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Rosemary's Baby
8 Romeo and Juliet
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Romeo and Juliet
9 Yours, Mine and Ours
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Yours, Mine and Ours
10 The Lion in Winter
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The Lion in Winter
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Graduate
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The Graduate
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Valley of the Dolls
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Valley of the Dolls
Doctor Dolittle
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Doctor Dolittle
Blackbeard's Ghost
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Blackbeard's Ghost
The Fox
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The Fox
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
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The Secret War of Harry Frigg
The Party
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The Party
The Producers
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The Producers
The Thomas Crown Affair
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The Thomas Crown Affair
The Scalphunters
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The Scalphunters
Guns for San Sebastian
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Guns for San Sebastian
Speedway
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Speedway
The Swimmer
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The Swimmer
Petulia
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Petulia
The Green Berets
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The Green Berets
Bandolero!
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Bandolero!
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
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The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Hang 'Em High
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Hang 'Em High
Finian's Rainbow
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Finian's Rainbow
Night of the Living Dead
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Night of the Living Dead
Targets
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Targets
Charly
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Charly
Coogan's Bluff
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Coogan's Bluff
The Devil's Brigade
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The Devil's Brigade
Rachel, Rachel
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Rachel, Rachel
Madigan
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Madigan
Yellow Submarine
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Yellow Submarine
The Killing of Sister George
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The Killing of Sister George
Ice Station Zebra
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Ice Station Zebra

October 20, 1968 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· October 20, 1968
Star Trek poster
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Star Trek
Bonanza poster
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Bonanza
Bewitched poster
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Bewitched
Batman poster
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Batman
Adam-12 poster
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Adam-12
Lassie poster
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Lassie
Mannix poster
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Mannix

Exact-date daily brief

October 20, 1968

On October 20, 1968, the Soviet Union began issuing travelers' checks for the first time, marking a significant shift in its economic policies aimed at promoting tourism and easing foreign currency exchanges. This development came...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of October 1968

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Computer Mouse Demonstration
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Computer Mouse Demonstration
2 Early Internet Node (ARPANET)
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Early Internet Node (ARPANET)
3 Integrated Circuit Calculator
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Integrated Circuit Calculator
4 First Video Game Console (Brown Box)
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First Video Game Console (Brown Box)
5 Flexible Printed Circuit
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Flexible Printed Circuit
6 Digital Wristwatch Concept
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Digital Wristwatch Concept
7 Space Suit Life Support Refinement
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Space Suit Life Support Refinement
8 Medical Endoscopy Camera
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Medical Endoscopy Camera
9 Computer-Aided Manufacturing
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Computer-Aided Manufacturing
10 Electronic Music Sequencer
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Electronic Music Sequencer

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From October 20, 1968

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Soviet Travelers' Checks Introduced. Impact: The introduction of travelers' checks in the USSR created a sudden influx of Russians with foreign currency, leading to a two-decade-long obsession with acquiring Western goods. This inadvertently fueled the black market and a thriving underground economy, ultimately resulting in the invention of the phrase 'I swear I bought this from a legitimate source.'. Fact: Did you know that travelers' checks were initially designed to prevent theft? Because nothing screams safety like carrying a piece of paper that can only be spent at specific locations.
  • Headline: Silver Futures Plunge to Historic Lows. Impact: The decline of silver prices led to an existential crisis among aspiring alchemists who were convinced that turning lead into silver was just around the corner. This ultimately resulted in a spike in the purchase of 'How to Become an Alchemist' self-help books, which are still gathering dust on shelves today. Fact: Fun fact: Silver prices falling is basically the market's way of saying, 'Oops, I guess we're not living in a pirate movie anymore.'.
  • Headline: Pants Fashion Trends in NYC Restaurants. Impact: The sudden popularity of fashionable pants in NYC triggered a global pants revolution, bringing us to that fateful day when pants became the universal symbol of both comfort and questionable life choices. Fact: Did you know that the word 'pants' was once considered scandalous? So much for being a 'fashion' icon!.
  • Headline: Frenetico First in Toronto. Impact: Frenetico’s victory in Toronto sparked a newfound obsession with horse racing, which ultimately led to the establishment of hundreds of betting pools and an entire subculture of people who think they can predict the future by staring at horses. Fact: Fun fact: The phrase 'Win, Place, or Show' was actually coined when someone realized they could make money off watching horses run faster than they could.
  • Headline: AL FATAH WARNS ARABS ON A PACT; Palestine Guerrillas Reject Compromise to Halt Strife. Impact: Al Fatah's rejection of peace pacts set a precedent for future generations of politicians to dismiss compromise as a viable option, leading to the classic 'let's just keep arguing until we forget what we were fighting about' approach that defines many modern conflicts. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more complex than Middle Eastern politics is trying to find a parking spot in New York City.
  • Headline: In The Nation: Wallace's Choices. Impact: Wallace's political ambitions in 1972 led to a series of unfortunate events, including the emergence of the infamous 'Weird Political Deal' that people still reference at family gatherings to confuse their relatives. Fact: Did you know that political ambitions are like bad relationships? They often lead to complicated misunderstandings and a lot of regret.
  • Headline: Portuguese Africa. Impact: Portugal's efforts to defend its territories in Africa created a ripple effect that influenced colonial strategies worldwide, leading to the classic dilemma: 'How do we exploit resources without causing international drama?' Spoiler: Not very well. Fact: Fun fact: Colonialism was just a really long episode of 'Survivor,' minus the cameras and with a lot more consequences.
  • Headline: Yugoslavs Pressing Poet. Impact: Yugoslav pressures for freedom to criticize the USSR led to a wave of artistic expression that inspired a generation of poets and writers. Of course, this eventually led to a surge in coffee shop debates that nobody really wanted to be part of. Fact: Did you know that poetry can be a revolutionary act? Just ask any barista who has to listen to pretentious readings while making lattes.
  • Headline: Another Opinion; Wallace for President. Impact: The endorsements for Wallace revealed the deep-seated need for alternative candidates, leading to a cultural phenomenon where everyone suddenly became a political pundit, regardless of their actual knowledge on the subject. Fact: Fun fact: Endorsements in politics are basically the adult version of being picked for a team in gym classβ€”everyone wants to feel like they belong, even if it means supporting someone who still can’t do a push-up.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1968
$0.18
Stored value
$1,150,821

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1968, it would be worth $1,150,821 today (1150.8x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1968
$0.29
Stored value
$500,431

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1968, it would be worth $500,431 today (500.4x return)

Rank #3
MCD
McDonald's
Price in 1968
$0.29
Stored value
$1,093,100

McDonald's - If you invested $1,000 in 1968, it would be worth $1,093,100 today (1093.1x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Silver Surfer #1
The Silver Surfer #1
$33,000
Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1
Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1
$250
Avengers #57
Avengers #57
$3,000
Captain America #100
Captain America #100
$78,000
Green Lantern #59
Green Lantern #59
$600
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
$30.00
Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers
$300.00
Johnny Lightning
Johnny Lightning
$50.00
Sizzlers
Sizzlers
$75.00
Battling Tops
Battling Tops
$150.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Mickey Mantle Yankee Baseball Card
Mickey Mantle Yankee Baseball Card
$12,600,000
Willie Mays Topps Card
Willie Mays Topps Card
$2,726
Roberto Clemente Topps Card
Roberto Clemente Topps Card
$250,000
Nolan Ryan Rookie Card
Nolan Ryan Rookie Card
$600,000
Pete Rose Topps Card
Pete Rose Topps Card
$640.50