Timeline July 1969

Events in July 1969 25

• 1883 – 1969 Walter Gropius (1883-1969) Died 5 July 1969, aged 86 Walter Gropius was a German architect who founded the Bauhaus school of design, profoundly shaping modern architecture. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 July 1969.
• 1942 – 1969 Brian Jones (1942-1969) Founder of the Rolling Stones English multi-instrumentalist who founded the Rolling Stones. Pushed out of the band in June 1969, he drowned in his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm weeks later, aged 27.
• 1969 Wimbledon 1969 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Ann Jones Rod Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam — the only man to do so twice.
• 1969 Brian Jones dies Found dead in swimming pool — July 3, 1969 Brian Jones, founding member of the Rolling Stones, was found dead in his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm on July 3, 1969, aged 27. He had already been dismissed from the band. His death remains controversial. Jones was replaced by Mick Taylor.
• 1969 John Lennon releases Give Peace a Chance Plastic Ono Band Recorded during the Montreal Bed-In.
• 1969 Hyde Park free concert Tribute to Brian Jones — July 5, 1969 Two days after Brian Jones' death, the Rolling Stones played a free concert at Hyde Park on July 5, 1969, before an estimated 250,000–500,000 people — the largest crowd in the park's history. Jagger read from Shelley's Adonais as a tribute to Jones. It was the live debut of new guitarist Mick Taylor.
• 1969 David Bowie releases Space Oddity Moon landing Released days before Apollo 11 — his first hit.
• 1969 Football War Between El Salvador and Honduras A brief war erupts amid migration tensions and a World Cup qualifier El Salvador and Honduras fought a four-day war beginning 14 July 1969, triggered by tensions over Salvadoran migrants in Honduras and inflamed by rioting around a World Cup qualifying match. The Organization of American States brokered a ceasefire after several thousand deaths.
• 1969 Apollo 11 mission Full duration of Moon mission Apollo 11 launched on July 16 and splashed down on July 24, 1969, completing the first crewed lunar landing mission.
• 1969 Chappaquiddick incident Ted Kennedy accident Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, killing passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. The incident derailed his presidential ambitions.
• 1969 Armstrong & Aldrin prepare for EVA Astronauts suit up for moonwalk After landing, Armstrong and Aldrin spent several hours eating, resting and preparing their equipment before Armstrong depressurised the cabin and opened the hatch.
• 1969 Armstrong steps onto the Moon "One small step for man..." At 02:56 UTC on July 21 (evening of July 20 in USA), Neil Armstrong descended the ladder and became the first human to set foot on the Moon. His words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin followed 20 minutes later.
• 1969 Cathy Wayne killed in Vietnam Australian singer shot on stage, aged 19 Australian pop singer Cathy Wayne (Catherine Warnes) was shot dead on stage at a US Marine base near Da Nang, Vietnam on July 20, 1969 — just hours before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. She was 19 years old and became the first Australian woman killed in the Vietnam War. A US Marine sergeant was convicted of her unpremeditated murder.
• 1969 Eagle lands on the Moon "The Eagle has landed" — Sea of Tranquility At 20:17 UTC on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11's Lunar Module Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility. Neil Armstrong reported: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 600 million people watched worldwide.
• 1969 Eagle undocks from Columbia Lunar Module separates from Command Module At 17:44 UTC, the Eagle lunar module undocked from Columbia and began its descent toward the lunar surface.
• 1969 Football War ceasefire Honduras and El Salvador end conflict A ceasefire was declared on July 20, 1969, ending the brief but bloody Football War between Honduras and El Salvador, which had started on July 14 following tensions sparked by World Cup qualifying matches.
• 1969 IBM and the moon landing IBM computers are central to NASA's Apollo programme. IBM's System/360 computers process the telemetry data from Apollo missions; IBM engineers at the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston monitor every aspect of the lunar flights. The Saturn V rocket's guidance computer is partly designed with IBM expertise. When Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon on 20 July 1969, IBM computers are running the mission. The Apollo programme is IBM's most visible public achievement.
• 1969 Josh Holloway born Actor — Sawyer in Lost, born July 20, 1969 Josh Holloway was born on July 20, 1969 in San Jose, California. He is best known as James "Sawyer" Ford in the hit TV series Lost (2004-2010), and also starred in Colony and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
• 1969 Moon landing Apollo 11 On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, fulfilling Kennedy's decade-long challenge.
• 1969 Nixon calls the Moon President makes historic telephone call President Nixon placed a telephone call to the Moon from the Oval Office, telling Armstrong and Aldrin: "This certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made."
• 1969 Powered descent begins Eagle starts 12-minute descent engine burn At 20:08 UTC the Descent Propulsion System engine ignited for the final 12-minute powered descent to the lunar surface.
• 1969 Roy Hamilton dies R&B singer — died July 20, 1969, age 40 Roy Hamilton, the powerful American R&B singer best known for his 1954 hit "Unchained Melody", died of a stroke on July 20, 1969 aged 40. His gospel-influenced voice was a major influence on Elvis Presley.
• 1969 Juan Carlos Named Heir to Franco Spain's dictator designates a future king General Francisco Franco named Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon as his official successor and future King of Spain on 22 July 1969. The designation set the stage for Spain's transition to a constitutional monarchy after Franco's death.
• 1969 Nixon Doctrine Announced Nixon outlines reduced US ground involvement in Asian wars President Richard Nixon announced what became known as the Nixon Doctrine on 25 July 1969, stating that the United States would help allies defend themselves but would no longer commit large numbers of American ground troops to wars in Asia. The policy underpinned the Vietnamization of the Vietnam War.
• 1969 Elvis Presley opens in Las Vegas Elvis starts a run of shows at the International Hotel, the beginning of years of sold-out Las Vegas engagements.