Timeline December 1969

Events in December 1969 21

• 1965 – 1969 University of Tehran Studied sociology at the University of Tehran. Made her literary debut in 1969 with the children's book The Little Red Ball.
• 1966 – 1969 PhD at the University of Illinois Earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969. His thesis focused on the physical chemistry of DNA. During this period, he read the 1966 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium volume on The Genetic Code, which sparked his interest in molecular biology and genetics.
• 1967 – 1969 Happenings and Anti-War Protests Organised a series of provocative happenings in Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and at the MoMA Sculpture Garden, painting polka dots on naked participants to protest the Vietnam War. Wrote an open letter to President Nixon offering to have sex with him if he would stop the war. The nudity scandalised her family in Japan; her high school removed her name from its alumni list.
• 1968 – 1969 Prague Spring and Aftermath Supported the liberalising reforms of the Prague Spring. After the Soviet-led invasion of 1968, his books were banned and he was stripped of his teaching position.
• 1969 1969: Jackie Stewart Matra Scottish driver Stewart won the first of his three titles with the French Matra team, beginning his campaign for improved safety standards in the sport.
• 1969 Glyndebourne Debut Made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in England, beginning a long association with British opera audiences.
• 1969 Grand Ole Opry Member Inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, a decade after her debut there as a 13-year-old girl.
• 1969 ZZ Top Formed Joined guitarist Billy Gibbons in Houston to form ZZ Top in 1969, with Dusty Hill completing the trio. The first time he and Gibbons played together, Beard recalled: 'I was jacked up on speed, so I made him jam for about eight hours.' Gibbons said he knew within 30 seconds that Beard was the drummer he needed.
• 1969 Marguerite Duras is the first to be pied At Louvain, presenting her film Détruire, dit-elle The literary hoax became a real custard pie, and Godin had found what he would do for the next 57 years.
• 1969 My Way -- an anthem he came to hate Sinatra records 'My Way' in December 1968 -- Paul Anka's English adaptation of the French song 'Comme d'habitude,' written specifically for Sinatra. The song becomes his signature anthem: an assertion of self-determination and personal authenticity that resonates with audiences worldwide. Sinatra performs it at virtually every concert for the rest of his life while expressing increasing contempt for it in private. 'My Way' is the most played song at British funerals. It encapsulates both Sinatra's genuine personal philosophy and the gap between an artist's authentic intentions and his cultural legacy.
• 1969 First Vietnam draft lottery USA introduces conscription lottery The United States held its first draft lottery since World War II on December 1, 1969, randomly selecting birthdays to determine conscription order for Vietnam.
• 1969 Altamont concert tragedy Murder at free concert — December 6, 1969 At the free Altamont Speedway Concert on December 6, 1969, Hells Angels hired as security stabbed and killed Meredith Hunter in front of the stage during the Stones' set. The event was captured on film in Gimme Shelter and is seen as marking the end of the 1960s idealism.
• 1969 Altamont disaster Rolling Stones concert turns violent The Altamont Free Concert on December 6, 1969 ended in tragedy when Hell's Angels hired as security killed an audience member. It is often seen as the end of the 1960s idealism.
• 1969 – present Viswanathan Anand Indian World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand became India's first World Chess Champion and helped popularize chess throughout Asia.
• 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service — George Lazenby The only film in which George Lazenby plays Bond. 007 falls in love with and marries Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, only for her to be murdered by Blofeld at the film's end — the most emotionally devastating conclusion in the franchise. Lazenby, a model with no acting experience, is effective but declines to continue. Budget: $7 million. Box office: $82 million.
• 1969 Ekofisk -- Norway strikes oil The find that built the sovereign wealth fund The Ekofisk field in the Norwegian North Sea was confirmed in December 1969 after years of unsuccessful drilling, and proved to be one of the largest offshore oil discoveries ever made. It transformed Norway from a modest economy into one of the wealthiest states in the world and funded the Government Pension Fund Global. The find came the same year as the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
• 1969 McDonnell Douglas wins F-X The future F-15 McDonnell Douglas wins the US Air Force's F-X competition for a pure air superiority fighter.
• 1969 – present Linus Torvalds Creator of Linux Software engineer who created the Linux kernel, the foundation of modern computing.
• 1969 Provisional Irish Republican Army Founded A split in the IRA creates the Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army split in December 1969, with a more militant faction forming the Provisional IRA. The new organisation went on to become the principal armed republican group during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
• 1969 – 1970 Jimi Hendrix plays with Band of Gypsys Fillmore East New Year shows with Buddy Miles and Billy Cox, released as a live album.
• 1969 Reunite with Cliff Richard BBC "Pop Go the 60s", New Year's Eve Reunited with Cliff Richard for the BBC's end-of-decade special "Pop Go the 60s" on New Year's Eve 1969, signalling that the split was far from permanent.