On This Day

<<

What Happened in 1966

>>

Major Events

  • Mar 26 Large-scale anti-Vietnam War protests take place in the United States, including in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago
  • Jun 29 Vietnam War: US planes bomb the North Vietnamese capital Hanoi and the port city of Haiphong for the first time
  • Jul 13 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founds the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) in New York City
  • The rooftops of Pantglas Junior school poke out of the sludge and debris that engulfed it as rescuers continue to hunt for survivors
    The Tragedy of Aberfan
    Oct 21 116 children and 28 adults die as a coal waste heap slides and engulfs a school in Aberfan, South Wales
  • Nov 2 The Cuban Adjustment Act comes into force, allowing 123,000 Cubans opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the US
  • Dec 8 US and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space
  • More 1966 Events

1966 in Film & TV

  • Jan 12 "Batman", starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC
  • Apr 11 Frank Sinatra records "Strangers in the Night" single for his album of the same name. Later reaches #1 Billboard charts
  • Jun 21 "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", film directorial debut of Mike Nichols, based on Edward Albee's 1962 play of the same name, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, is released (Academy Awards Best Actress, 1967)
  • Jul 23 Frank Sinatra's album "Strangers In The Night" hits #1 on the US charts, (Grammy for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance)
  • Nov 8 Movie actor Ronald Reagan elected Governor of California
  • Dec 12 "A Man for All Seasons" based on the play by Robert Bolt, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Paul Scofield premieres in New York (Best Picture 1967)

1966 in Music

  • May 6 The Rolling Stones release the single "Paint It Black", featuring prominent sitar played by Brian Jones, in the US
  • Aug 5 The Beatles release single "Yellow Submarine" with "Eleanor Rigby" in the UK
  • Sep 16 Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center, New York with Leontyne Price as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" by Samuel Barber
  • Oct 13 Jimi Hendrix Experience rock trio debuts with American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, British bassist Noel Redding and British drummer Mitch Mitchell in Évreux, Normandy, France
  • Dec 26 Jimi Hendrix writes the song "Purple Haze" backstage at the Upper Cut Club, London

1966 in Sport

  • Jun 14 Miami beats St Petersburg (Florida State League) 4-3 in 29 innings longest uninterrupted game in organized baseball
  • Oct 23 Australian Jack Brabham is first to win F1 World Drivers Championship and International Cup for Constructors Championship in the same year; 2nd in season ending Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Did You Know?

"Star Trek" premieres on NBC-TV starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy

September 8, 1966

Born in 1966

Actors Born in 1966

Musicians Born in 1966

Athletes Born in 1966


More People Born in 1966

Fun Fact About 1966

400 die of respiratory failure & heart attacks in New York City smog, smoggiest day in city's history

November 24, 1966

Who Died in 1966

Actors Who Died in 1966

Athletes Who Died in 1966


More 1966 Deaths

Articles About 1966

Famous Weddings in 1966

  • Jan 21 Quiet Beatle George Harrison (22) weds British model Pattie Boyd (21) at the registry office in Epsom, Surrey, England, Paul serves as best man; divorce in 1977
  • Feb 10 Reggae Musician Bob Marley (21) marries fellow musician Rita Anderson (19)
  • Feb 14 American pin-up model Bettie Page (43) weds lineman Harry Lear; divorce in 1972

Famous Divorces in 1966

  • Jul 20 American actress Jayne Mansfield and American film producer and director Matt Cimber file for divorce, after less than 2 years of marriage

More 1966 Weddings


Famous People in 1966

World Leaders in 1966

Search the largest and most accurate independent site for today in history.