Harding High School
Class of 1966

News in 1966

Cost of Living 1966

How Much things cost in 1966
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 3.01%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 3.8%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 785 Average Cost of new house $14,200.00 Average Income per year $6,900.00 Gas per Gallon 32 cents Average Cost of a new car $2,650.00 Dishwasher$119.95 Parker Pen Set $11.95    

What Events Happened in 1966 

On January 1st the Subway Strike in New York brings the City to a stop, within a few days the unions demands are met with a 15% Pay Rise.

Vietnam Protests

• March 26th Vietnam War international days of protest, up to 200,000 protestors attend anti Vietnam war protests around the world  
• Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali– formerly known as Cassius Clay– declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to go to war
• 1966 Gallup Polls show the American Public Support Changes from over 52% support for war to 37%
  The Anti-Vietnam War Protests continue until for 5 more years and American Support continues to erode, America Formally ends the war on January 23rd 1973 following the signing of the Paris agreement, I will cover the period from 1966 to the end of the war in a later year.    

Race Riots in Atlanta and Black Power becomes a significant factor in American Politics

Miranda Rights / Miranda warning

• Miranda Rights come into being after the Supreme Court overturns the conviction on June 13th of a confessed rapist ruling he had not been properly informed of his right to council and to not testify against himself
• 1966 February 28 through March 2 Miranda v. Arizona case is heard in the Supreme Court of the United States which disputed the verdict based on the issue on the Sixth Amendment issue of the right to counsel before interrogation.
•  1966 June 13th Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion in Miranda v. Arizona The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him.

The Draft Deferment Test is started in the US as a way for students to convince the Draft Board that they would serve the nation better in the quiet of the Classrooms than in the Jungles of Vietnam

The U.S. Department of Transportation is created

• The United States Department of Transportation is created in October of 1966 by an act of Congress.
•  President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law on October 15, 1966.
•  The purpose of the department was to create a level of Federal oversight in the development of transportation policy and the creation of public transportation infrastructure.

US has nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam

The Mini Skirt

• 1966 As popularity grew amongst the younger generation hemlines gradually climbed upward and by 1966 some designs had the hem at the upper thigh
• 10. 1966 Popularity and the growth of outlets including major department stores both in the UK and around the world, plus the prevailing youth culture at the time and fashion-minded young women meant the Mini Skirt was the fashion of choice.
• The name Mini-Skirt is attributed to Mary Quant who also went on to popularize hot pants in the later years

The "Batman" television series starring Adam West debuts on ABC.

The Green Bay Packers edge out the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL chanpionship.

Bill Russell leads the Celtics to its eighth consecutive NBA championship.

Jack Nicklaus establishes himself as the world's greatest golfer by winning the Master and the British Open.

The Baltimore Orioles win the World Series and after his greatest season Los Angeles Dodger's ace Sandy Koufax retires.

April 13 – United States president Lyndon Johnson signs the 1966 Uniform Time Act, dealing with daylight saving time.

April 19 – Bobbi Gibb becomes the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.

The Houston Astrodome is built with the dome measuring 710 ft diameter

May 25 – In St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Vice-President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicate the Gateway Arch, as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

June 8,  Topeka, Kansas is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale, the first to exceed US $100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured, and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and the campus of Washburn University suffers catastrophic damage

The Black Panthers are formed in US

Richard Speck Murders 8 Nurses in Chicago Illinois

Ex Marine Charles Whitman kills 14 and injures 31 on a killing spree at the University Of Texas 

Ronald Reagan enters politics on June 7th becoming governor of California

June 30 – The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded in Washington, DC.

Medicare begins (July 1 1966). In the United States, Medicare is a national social insurance program, administered by the U.S. federal governement since 1966, currently using about 30 private insurance companies  across the United States.

July 4 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act, which goes into effect the following year.

The Salvation Army Celebrates 100 years

The Gemini 10 space mission launches in July of 1966. The spacecraft carried astronauts John Young and Michael Collins aboard the eighth manned Gemini flight. The astronauts performed two important space walks and several other experiments. The Gemini 10 mission became the first to execute a double rendezvous and it had also reached the highest point in space that a human had ever been at the time. The mission was successful and they returned to Earth after nearly 3 days.

NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 1 was launched during August of 1966 and became the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon, the Soviet Union had accomplished the same feat during April of that year with their Luna 10 mission. The Lunar Orbiter 1 mission’s main purpose was to photograph the Moon while also conducting experiments. The orbiter made it into the Moon’s orbit successfully and took over 200 high resolution and medium resolution images, including the first two photos of Earth taken from the distance of the Moon. The spacecraft continued to orbit the Moon until the end of October of 1966 when it was purposefully crashed into the surface of the Moon.

All cigarette packets in the United States must carry the health warning "Caution! Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."

The first artificial heart transplant in a human is a success.

Indira Gandhi is elected Prime Minister of India

England defeats Germany to win the 1966 World Cup Final.

China under Chairman Mao launches China's Cultural Revolution and begins purging intellectuals August 13.

Star Trek first episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek.  The first Star Trek episode, "The Man Trap," is broadcast on September 8. The plot concerns a creature that sucks salt from human bodies.

CBS backs out of plans to broadcast Psycho, deeming the movie too violent for at-home viewing.

February 6 – The TV series Mister Ed airs its final episode (ran 1961–66).

June 1, The final new episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show airs (the first episode aired on October 3, 1961).

October 15, ABC-TV telecasts a highly acclaimed 90-minute television adaptation of the musical Brigadoon, starring Robert Goulet.

November 15 – Two young couples in Point Pleasant, West Virginia reportedly see a moth like creature known as the Mothman.

Author Jacqueline Susann has her first novel, Valley of the Dolls published.

Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" the animated television special adapted from the book is shown for first time on CBS.

Simon and Garfunkel release Sounds of Silence.

March 4, In an interview with London Evening Standard reporter Maureen Cleave, John Lennon of The Beatles states that they are "more popular than Jesus now".

August 11 – The Beatles hold a press conference in Chicago, during which John Lennon apologizes for his "more popular than Jesus" remark, saying, "I didn't mean it as a lousy anti-religious thing."

The Beatles perform their lasti live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, on August 29th.

Popular Musicians

• The Mamas and the Papas
• The Beatles
• The Monkees
• The Beach Boys
• The Rolling Stones
• Simon and Garfunkel

Popular Songs

• I'm a Believer The Monkees
• Good Vibrations The beach Boys
• Monday Monday The Mamas and the Papas
• Wild Thing The Troggs

Technology 1966

• Worlds first vertical Jump Jet the Harrier is introduced in UK
• Hovercraft service begins over the English Channel
• Pampers create the first disposable Diaper
• Color Television Sets become popular
• There are 78 million cars registered in the US.
• MIT biochemist Har Khoranafinishes deciphering the DNA code. Background: genetic engineering.
• The Food and Drug Administration declares "the Pill" safe for human use.

Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )
Kevlar USA by Stephanie Kwolek
Fibre Optics England by Charles Keo and George Hockham
Moon Landing Russia Luna 9 lands softly on the Moon
Space Docking USA Gemini VIII docks with an orbiting satellite  

CARS
Here’s a long list of just some of the new standards for automobiles that were required in 1966 (in no particular order):

1. Auto manufacturers had to notify car buyers of any safety defects or recalls
2. Anchorages for shoulder belts and seats
3. Recessed control knobs
4. Collapsible steering column
5. Safety door latches and hinges
6. Four-way flashers
7. Dual brakes
8. Standard bumper heights
9. Uniform gearshift pattern
10. Safety standards for tires and rims
11. Turn signals visible from the side
12. Rear window defoggers
13. Non-rupturing fuel tanks and pipes

1966 models brought the first front-wheel drive car since 1937. People were shocked that someone would make a car that would pull by its front wheels!
For the first time, all four major auto manufacturers guaranteed the power train for 5 years/50,000 miles.