At A Glance

24 July 1968 at a glance

Day of the week
24 July 1968 was a Wednesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “I Pretend” by Des O'Connor.
Top Film of 1968
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1968 was 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Star sign
The star sign for 24 July is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 24 July 1968 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for July is Ruby.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 24 July 1968 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 24 July

  • 1963 The ship Bluenose II is launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The schooner is a major Canadian symbol.
  • 1966 Michael Pelkey makes the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping has now been banned from El Cap.
  • 1967 During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! ("Long live free Quebec!"); the statement angered the Canadian government and many Anglophone Canadians.
  • 1969 Apollo program: Apollo 11 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1974 Watergate scandal: The United States Supreme Court unanimously rules that President Richard Nixon does not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they order him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Famous people born on 24 July

  • Jennifer Lopez, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1969)
  • Rose Byrne, Australian actress (born 1979)
  • Anna Paquin, Canadian-New Zealand actress (born 1982)
  • Jorge Jesus, Portuguese footballer and manager (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

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.
More events of 1968 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →