1968 was one of the defining years in American history, the Oakland Museum, as they do, put on a great exhibit of that year with really cool artifacts. They looked at the social, political and economic events of that year. I was born in 1969 and missed all of the fun of that year.
1968 was a year of violence, from the assassinations of Dr.Martin Luther King and Sen. Robert Kennedy to the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfepfDKxu8zZoA8O02WjvtM7dTa2hLWU0xiMjR_hwGudeHpEwL71xIEe1G0b4_DW63UYknY2Lic4Q_4ButuWhGjvL1bZ65PZRVsweHFIibB7q8tN7ody6oHrczOtjAUS3FyxQ8P-zS0VU/s400/tn+(6).jpg) |
1968 Chicago Police Riot Gear
|
1968 was also a year of protest against unjust conditions both locally (the Black Panthers) and internationally (Tommie Smith/John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaMWf_-BWe0N7wUvEAe8350WCZ9BLO6BMOfBhiIZlzryrTuZD6RB9Q-e-K48wp_RqpdVzD0eCB7wjMmRxG9JNLuqOm6ZPC2R933EAKkMIytjgCy_Qas6eOzuXP8GAT3jRhC0NF59dLui5/s400/P6240085.JPG) |
1968 Black Panther Party Gear |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9QGl-qaVkaJLRywG64OScxOx86OBFGgGQ9sbwYjecdfMVRCFuyEgVDvawi1XPOr8HSlPRDOvlx5wk30KLKZh7bxrmCGFckviLKY9SalluFNIJVJ-H5-f7p3ZKnRtfDgx7kGQ25e84y9i/s400/P6240078.JPG) |
A 1968 Olympic Torch |
It was also a year that (sadly) The Vietnam War hit its peak. This exhibit does a great job exploring Vietnam without choosing a political side. The voices that lived through it and it lets you make your own choice about how you feel about the war.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKeCQwToHcSuhWC-O_UqRmEOgO_gsqAD-dT2agiLh_zjlZOadE206KQOUFJu49P3QgIBSkWblsGyp8sPlRrcXCYdEYAIZ659j8QYOpIneRAsLeKsw_q9zs6jFZ2d_lgrwSfF64sYCUdCw/s400/P6240084.JPG) |
A Huey from 1968 |
But even with all of the turmoil that went on that year it was a good year for Oakland's NFL team and it was a groovy year for style.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmML6LmAqrUuabJX3_NnnUL64wq3e7NGrzt7kLc4IHKFYCCgiyW_KoIXrDuYQM2Lcps9UqeFwSRydaOd_ZimBkV5-y7F0rYbZPEdIret8W6c5O54J_z7pMtLivUMPM_UM_XCAI4ZkmLXnn/s400/tn+(9).jpg) |
A Football used in Super Bowl II |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQj4ESOE4fM47Nq-dAx6_S7iS8yTkSNv1u6OTcj9YaH_U1uwzfHjpeHVvbl0xBIEQcxc2ZMU_IByM-jIcIJDzJqa4RR3m9mToeZU9oiBQMKjD-_hB5xy4vKC9sl7I71Sm9RgX-pnes2o_/s400/P6240070.JPG) |
A Hi-Fi with Turntable |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3UM3R0DOoJlsITG-tIMpVxtDiYsAZwS6dW6lxdiB6cFugeKEhg4IFDyufrvgp9k48HkpEeYL1gWTmr2a0_f3EnAl6_i0g0csuFL3ooz1f3zdZpldfNw-DV8TzwRxE9KgYl82fjrBToj3/s400/P6240072.JPG) |
Fashion of 1968 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZA-g_oTI2caZHADbSuATzM1Shly-5m0oSewSNhf4stz6MFCSuapVgLll7yBQsZyyTc5X5o_EjNI25XfDd9XhIdCXeW5kUBXio9Z9iGKgBLyrWgxBMifleykh_p3aHwra7LoKZi3e-YMb_/s400/P6240081.JPG) |
Got to Love the Beanbags |
Even with the chaos of the year, 1968 was a year that we went a step closer to going to the moon as Apollo 8 became the first manned space craft to leave Earth's orbit, orbit the Moon and return safely to Earth.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCxaARYVBexlBG9v0L6oq3jv1LRMgNUOfqTZnd75XzW6F_faSu0s1Kk11z8FoB1l7EleKkxCeD1aNnT8d350s0RDtZZxhIrqL5g1SYF3oL3uQLpVVDmX9yWGwjFYYA2nD2YOWxRPQEspM/s400/P6240063.JPG) |
Replica of the Apollo 8 Capsule |