UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
18 August 1968 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 18 August 1968 was a Sunday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Mony Mony” by Tommy James and the Shondells.
- Top Film of 1968
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1968 was 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1968 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 18 August 1968 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 18 August
- 1963 Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
- 1965 Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.
- 1966 Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
- 1971 Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1976 The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.
Famous people born on 18 August
- Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
- Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
- Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
- Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1968 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1968 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 5 January – Gardeners' World debuts on BBC1 television, featuring Percy Thrower.
- 1 March – First performance of an Andrew Lloyd Webber–Tim Rice musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in its original form as a "pop cantata", by pupils of Colet Court preparatory school in Hammersmith.
- 12 March – The island of Mauritius achieves independence from the UK.
Life in 1968
Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
15p
Loaf of Bread
9p
Average House
£4,640
Weekly Wage
£23.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1960s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Guy Ritchie10 September 1968FilmmakerView their day →Diana, Princess of Wales1 July 1961Member of the British royal familyView their day →Nigella Lawson6 January 1960Food writer & television cookView their day →Jason Statham26 July 1967ActorView their day →Catherine Zeta-Jones25 September 1969ActressView their day →Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer20 May 1964Peer & authorView their day →Kenneth Branagh10 December 1960Actor & filmmakerView their day →George Michael25 June 1963SingerView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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