Timeline October 1968

Events in October 1968 11

• 1887 – 1968 Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) Died 2 October 1968, aged 81 The French-American artist, whose readymade works such as "Fountain" challenged conventional definitions of art, died at his home near Paris. He was a central figure in the Dada and conceptual art movements. His influence on later twentieth-century art is difficult to overstate.
• 1899 – 1968 Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) Mexican-born actor, the silent-era Ben-Hur and one of Hollywood's great Latin lovers.
• 1968 – 1980 Led Zeppelin English rock band Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham — the heaviest and biggest-selling rock band of the 1970s.
• 1968 The New Yardbirds become Led Zeppelin New name A name taken from Keith Moon's joke that they would go down like a lead balloon.
• 1968 The Temptations release Cloud Nine Psychedelic soul Motown's first Grammy winner.
• 1968 Tlatelolco massacre Mexican security forces kill student protesters days before the Olympics Government troops and police opened fire on a student demonstration in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City, killing an unknown number of protesters, estimated from dozens to hundreds. The massacre came ten days before the opening of the Mexico City Olympics and was suppressed in official accounts for years. It remains a defining trauma in modern Mexican history.
• 1968 1968 Summer Olympics XIX Olympiad - Mexico City Held at high altitude (2240m). Winner: USA.
• 1968 Black Power salute at the Mexico City Olympics Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise fists on the medal podium After finishing first and third in the 200 meters, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist during the US national anthem to protest racial injustice. Both were expelled from the Olympic Village and suspended from the US team. The image became one of the most enduring symbols of 1960s political protest.
• 1968 Jimi Hendrix releases Electric Ladyland All Along the Watchtower A double album with his definitive take on Bob Dylan's song.
• 1968 Marvin Gaye releases I Heard It Through the Grapevine Motown's biggest hit Number one for seven weeks — the label's best-selling single to date.
• 1968 Ramon Novarro dies in Los Angeles Ramon Novarro dies aged 69.