1966 Key Events

Blackbird

Jan 11, 1966

Launch of SR-71 Blackbird spy plane

8000 U.S. soldiers land in South Vietnam

Jan 19, 1966

Approximately 8000 U.S. soldiers land in South Vietnam. U.S. troops now total 190,000.

Sir Robert Menzies resigns

Jan 20, 1966

Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies resigns after 16 straight years in position.

The Beaumont children dissappear

Jan 28, 1966

The Beaumont children, Jane, Arnna and Grant disappear from the suburb of Glenelg, in Adelaide.

'anti-Soviet' writings

Feb 10, 1966

Soviet writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to around 5 and 7 years, for 'anti-Soviet' writings.

Decimal currency

Feb 14, 1966

Australia changes to decimal currency. The Australian dollar is introduced at a rate of 2 dollars per pound, or 10 shillings per dollar.

Sydney Opera House construction

Feb 28, 1966

Joern Utzon quits the construction of the Sydney Opera House.

We [Beatles] are more popular than Jesus."

Mar 4, 1966

John Lennon is annoyed and says, "We [Beatles] are more popular than Jesus."

Massive theft in Brazil

Mar 5, 1966

A massive theft of nuclear materials is revealed in Brazil.

Increase troops in Vietnam

Mar 8, 1966

U.S announces it will considerably increase its number of troops in Vietnam.

Luna 10 enters lunar object

Apr 3, 1966

The first manmade object Luna 10 enters lunar orbit.

Artificial heart is installed

Apr 21, 1966

An artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a Houston, Texas hospital.

U.S. troops 250,000

Apr 29, 1966

U.S. troops in Vietnam total 250,000.

Hovercraft service

Apr 30, 1966

Regular hovercraft service begins over the English Channel (discontinued in 2000 due to the Channel Tunnel).

Church of Satan is formed

Apr 30, 1966

The Church of Satan is formed by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco

Fiat car factory Soviet Union

May 4, 1966

Fiat signs a contract to build a car factory Soviet Union

Pet Sounds

May 16, 1966

The legendary album Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is released.

An XB-70 Valkyrie prototype

Jun 8, 1966

An XB-70 Valkyrie prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with a F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot. NASA pilot Joseph A. Walker and USAF test pilot Carl Cross are both killed.

Air France strike begins

Jun 17, 1966

An Air France personnel strike begins.

Hanoi and Haipong bombing

Jun 29, 1966

Vietnam War: U.S. planes begin bombing Hanoi and Haiphong.

FIFA 1966 World Cup

Jul 11, 1966

The 1966 FIFA World Cup begins in England.

Clash over Jordan River

Jul 14, 1966

Israeli and Syrian jet fighters clash over the Jordan River.

Plane disappeared over Cuba

Jul 28, 1966

The U.S. announces that a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane has disappeared over Cuba.

England beats West Gremany- 1966 FIFA World Cup

Jul 30, 1966

England beats West Germany 4–2 to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley after extra time.

13 people killed and the University of Texas

Aug 1, 1966

Sniper Charles Whitman kills 13 people and wounds 31 from atop the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower, after earlier killing his wife and mother.

Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Chicago

Aug 5, 1966

Martin Luther King Jr. leads a civil rights march in Chicago, during which he is struck by a rock thrown from an angry white mob.

Lunar Orbiter 1

Aug 10, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit another world, is launched.

Attempt to end the war in Yemen

Aug 17, 1966

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic begin negotiations in Kuwait to end the war in Yemen.

Beatles last concert in Candlestick Park

Aug 29, 1966

The Beatles play their very last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.

Star Trek- first episode

Sep 8, 1966

Star Trek, the classic science fiction television series, debuts with its first episode, titled "The Man Trap."

SHAPE headquaters to belgium

Sep 9, 1966

NATO decides to move SHAPE headquarters to Belgium.

Ronald Edwards arrested

Sep 19, 1966

Scotland Yard arrests Ronald Edwards, suspected of involvement in the Great Train Robbery.

Chinese students must leave the country

Oct 7, 1966

The Soviet Union declares that all Chinese students must leave the country before the end of October.

Ex-foreign minister Subandrio sentenced to death

Oct 25, 1966

A military court in Jakarta sentences ex-foreign minister Subandrio to death.

NATO HQ is Brussels

Oct 26, 1966

NATO moves its HQ from Paris to Brussels.

Arno river floods Florence

Nov 4, 1966

The Arno river floods Florence, damaging many art treasures.

Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched

Nov 6, 1966

Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched.

Boeing 727 crashes near Berlin

Nov 15, 1966

A Boeing 727 carrying Pan Am Flight 708 crashes near Berlin, Germany, killing all three people on board.

The Beatles begin recording sessions for their landmark Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album

Nov 24, 1966

The Beatles begin recording sessions for their landmark Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Death of Walt Disney

Dec 15, 1966

Walt Disney dies while producing The Jungle Book, the last animated feature under his personal supervision.