1969: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Richard Nixon Inauguration

Richard Nixon succeeded Lyndon Johnson as the 37th president of the United States.

Man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong

Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that would bring humans to the moon. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on July 20, 1969. They stayed a total of about 21½ hours on the lunar surface. After lifting off in the upper part of the Lunar Module and rejoining Collins in the Command Module, they returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
Broadcast on live TV to a world-wide audience, Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Woodstock, rock festival

Woodstock was a music festival attracting an audience of over 400,000 people, scheduled over three days on a dairy farm in New York from August 15 to 17, 1969, but which ran over four days to August 18, 1969. It was billed as “3 Days of Peace & Music” and was held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills in the town of Bethel. 32 acts would perform outdoors. Woodstock is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in rock n’ roll history. This event was a nexus for the larger counterculture generation.

Joe Namath, Super bowl

Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football and the first to officially bear the name “Super Bowl”. The game, played on January 12, 1969, was at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. The Colts were expected to defeat the Jets by a wide margin but the Jets ended up winning.

Mets won the Word Series

Mets won the Word Series

Bed-In, John Lennon and Yoko

As the Vietnam War continue, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace, one at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam and one at Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, each of which were intended to be non-violent protests against wars, and experimental tests of new ways to promote peace.

Beatles Rooftop concert

This would be the final public performance of the English rock group the Beatles. On January 30, 1969, the group surprised a central London office and fashion district with an impromptu concert from the roof of Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row. They played for 42 minutes.

Paul McCartney married Linda in London

Abbey Road

This would be the 11th studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released September 26, 1969 by Apple Records. This album was rock but incorporated genres such as blues, pop and progressive rock. This album was produced among conflict between McCartney and Lennon, particularly over McCartney’s song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. Lennon would not play on that track or three others for this album. John Lennon had already privately left the group by the time this album was released and McCartney would leave a year later. Though it would be considered a commercial success, the album received mixed reviews. It is now viewed as one of the Beatle’s best albums with songs like “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun” written by George Harrison.

The Who Tommy

Tommy would be the fourth studio album released by The Who. It was first released in May of 1969. It was composed mainly by Pete Townshend as a rock opera that tells the story of a deaf, dumb, blind boy. Townshend was inspired to create this album after being introduced to the work on Meher Baba. Tommy was acclaimed upon its release by critics, who hailed it as the Who’s breakthrough. Its critical standing diminished slightly in later years; nonetheless, several writers view it as an important and influential album in the history of rock music. The Who promoted the album’s release with an extensive tour, including a live version of Tommy, which lasted throughout 1969 and 1970. This album undoubtedly rejuvenated the career of The Who.

Sly and The Family Stone

This American band from San Francisco had two top 10 billboard Hot 100 hits in 1969. Thank You and Stand!.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley would return to Las Vegas to perform live on July 31, 1969 through August 28.

Altamont Free Concert

This counterculture rock concert was held December 6, 1969 at the Altamont Speedway in northern California. The concert unfortunately became known for the extreme violence, including four deaths. Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and the Rolling Stones all played. The Grateful Dead were scheduled to perform but pulled out shortly before their scheduled time due to the extreme violence at the venue.

Rolling Stones Let It Bleed

This was the eighth British and tenth American album by the Rolling Stones. It was released in December of 1969. This would be the last album to feature Brian Jones and the first to feature Mick Taylor

Midnight Cowboy

This drama film was based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt and directed by John Schlesinger. It stared John Voight and Dustin Hoffman. The film won three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the only X-Rated film to ever win an Academy Award. The rating was later changed to R.

Easy Rider

This 1969 American road movie was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers (played by Fonda and Hopper) who travel through the American Southwest and South after selling a large amount of cocaine. This was a landmark counterculture film as it explored the social landscape, issues and tensions of the United States during the 1960’s such as the rise and fall of the Hippie movement, drug use and communal lifestyles.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

This 1969 American Western film was directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. It was based loosely on the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance kid. The film starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The two main characters are on the run after a series of train robberies.

True Grit

The film starred John Wayne as a U.S. Marshal. Wayne won his only Academy Award for this film. Many historians believe Wayne’s character was based on the real life Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas. The cast also featured Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Strother Martin.

Hello Dolly

This romantic comedy music film was based on the Broadway production of the same name. It follows the story of Dolly Levi (a strong-willed matchmaker), as she travels to Yonkers, New York to find a match for Horace Vandergelder. The filmed starred Barbara Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, and Louis Armstrong. Hello, Dolly! is considered one of the greatest musical films ever.

The Brady Bunch

This American sitcom was created Sherwood Schwartz and began airing on September 26, 1969 on ABC. The sitcom revolved around a large blended family with six children.