1968: The achievements and horrors that transformed a nation

All year NPR is taking a look back at one of the most pivotal years in U.S. history -- a year of political upheaval, civil rights progress and shocking bloodshed.

NPR takes a look back at an extraordinary and tumultuous year that saw upheaval and progress on civil rights, politics, and technology, and examines how the events of 50 years ago explain the America of today. The Road To King’s ‘Promised Land,’ 50 Years Later Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tenn. NPR’s Code Switch podcast remembers King's final days in the city, where he was assisting with a strike by sanitation workers. Then the team looks at Oakland, Calif., where King's assassination "transformed the position of the Black Panther Party overnight." Listen Now On the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, the Code Switch podcast looked at some of the ways that residential segregation is still shaping how we live. The team heads to Martin Luther King Boulevard in Baltimore, to see how the streets that bear his name across the country fail his legacy, forming borders around communities. Listen Now Want more Code Switch? Join us as we sort through news, politics and culture from around the country — and try to figure out what that all says about race and identity when you subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to Code Switch Follow Along In 1968, As It Happened Want to go back in time? NPR's Twitter project, @todayin1968, tweets news and cultural milestones as they were experienced throughout the year, from the grinding toll of the Vietnam War to the groundbreaking interracial kiss on Star Trek. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive An Election Unlike Any Other Lyndon Baines Johnson rode into the Oval Office in a landslide in 1964, but remained oddly ambivalent about launching his reelection campaign. The unpopularity of the war in Vietnam likely didn’t help. But that left an opening for little-known Sen. Eugene McCarthy to show just how much opposition Johnson had generated, and he came within a few points of beating the incumbent in the New Hampshire primary. Weeks later, an even bigger shock: The president finally reached a decision, announcing without warning on live TV that he would neither seek nor accept a nomination to a second term. The speech left even news anchors flabbergasted. While the move threw the Democratic primaries into disarray, it did renew Johnson’s popularity - and give him fresh leverage for pushing his agenda through Congress.   Gene J. Puskar/AP The Year In Culture The recording was left incomplete, a record label exec had no faith in it, it didn’t even fit neatly into a genre. Then tragedy struck, and “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” became the late Otis Redding’s biggest hit. Johnny Cash hadn’t had a hit in years, and was developing a reputation as an unreliable performer with a pill problem. “Live At Folsom Prison” was a hail mary - and it worked. The album soared up the charts. Fifty years ago, we all got another neighborhood to call home. Fred Rogers’ calm, gentle manner and comfy clothes put kids at ease from the start, even when the rest of the world seemed to break. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002