The 60s Official Site

Time Capsule High School Class of 1969

Key Facts of 1969:

• President: Richard M. Nixon
• Vice President:  Spiro T. Agnew
• Cost of a gallon of gas:  35 cents
• Cost of a gallon of milk: $1.10
• Cost of a dozen of eggs: 62 cents
• Cost of a new home:  $27,900
• Cost of a first class postage stamp:  6 cents
• Unemployment: 3.6%
• Median household income:  $8,389
  

Notable Inventions of 1969:

• The arpanet (first internet)
• The artificial heart
• The bar-code scanner
• The Smoke Detector
  

Time Capsule of 1969:

• The Mylai massacre by U.S. soldiers of over 100 Vietnamese civilians is made public.
• Charles DeGaulle is voted out of office in France.
• Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong is the first human to set foot on the moon.
• The Catskill village of Woodstock becomes the third largest city in New York for three days as 400,000 participants help make that rock festival a landmark event in U.S. pop culture history.
• Senator Edward Kennedy's car accident at Chappaquidick results in the death of his passenger.
• Members of the Charles Manson cult murder Sharon Tate and six others.
• The trial of the Chicago Seven for the protests at the Democratic convention becomes a symbol of the radical movement.
• Women's equality becomes a major political issue.
• The revolution of sexual attitudes is reflected by the sale of 1.5 billion birth control pills in 1969.
• Quarterback Joe Namath leads his New York Jest to a shocking Super Bowl vicotry over the Baltimore Colts.
• The New York Mets, led by pitcher Tom Seaver, win the World Series by defeating the Baltimore Orioles.
• Pete Maravich of LSU is college basketball profilic scorer ever.
• Movies:  Easy Rider (starring Peter Fonda) is the forerunner of a new wave of youth-oriented movies. The year's top hits are Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (with Paul Newman and Robert Redford) and The Love Bug.  John Wayne earns his first Oscar for True Grit.  The year's most honored film is Midnight Cowboy (starring Jon Voigt and Dustin Hoffman).
• Television:  Most popular shows of the season include Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza.  The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour is cancelled due to political controversy.  Dick Cavett begins his latenight ABC talk show to compete with Johnny Carson.  Room 222 is the season's most honored series.  Sesame Street sets a new standard for children's programming.

Top Musical Artists of 1969:

Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Beatles, The 5th Dimension, Glen Campbell, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, Tommy James & The Shondells, Elvis Presley, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Aretha Franklin, Three Dog Night, Jerry Butler, The Grass Roots, Johnny Cash, Brooklyn Bridge, Oliver, Marvin Gaye, The Dells

Top Artist Debuts of 1969:

Three Dog Night, The Chi-Lites, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Led Zeppelin, Rita Coolidge, Crosby, Stills & Nash, John Lennon (Plastic Ono Band), Billy Preston, Chicago, Nilsson, Isaac Hayes, Bobby Sherman, Kool & The Gang, Grand Funk Railroad, Santana, Jackson 5

Other Musical Tidbits:

• The Top Song of 1969 was Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) by the 5th Dimension and number 1 for 6 weeks.
• The Top Recording Artist of 1969 was Creedence Clearwater Revival.