What Happened in 1969 inc. Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions
How Much things cost in 1969
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.46 %
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.6%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 800
Average Cost of new house  $15,550.00
Average Income per year  $8,550.00
Average Monthly Rent $135.00
Average Cost New Car $3,270.00
Toyota Corona $1,950.00
Gas per Gallon 35 cents
Alarm Clock from Westclox $9.98
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price  4,640
Gallon of Petrol   6 shillings  2 pence or 31 new pence
 
 
1969
1969 On July 20th one of mans crowning achievements occurred when American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon and uttered the immortal words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." . The opposition to the war continued to increase with more and more attending anti war demonstrations and demanding that the US withdrew from Vietnam. The music came from groups including the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and the Beatles and the most famous music festival of modern times "WOODSTOCK" took place on a New York Farm on
August 17th
with more than 400,000 avid music fans attending to see the Who, Jimi Hendrix,  Crosby Stills Nash and Young and others perform live. fashions reflected the anti war sentiment with military jackets adorned with peace signs, and other trends including long unkempt wild hair and headbands showed the feelings of anti establishment felt by the youth.
 
 
Moon Landing
The first man is landed on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission by the United States and Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. and the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." will become part of our history
More Information and Timeline For The First Man On The Moon
1. 1961 May 25th  President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to  put a man on the moon before the end of the decade
2. 1963 June 16th Russians put the first woman in space on the Vostok 6
3. 1965 March 18th First space walk by the Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov from the Voskhod 2
4. 1966 March 16th first docking of two spacecraft Gemini 8 Commanded by  Neil Armstrong docks with unmanned Agena Target Vehicle
5. 1968 December 24th Apollo 8, was the first human space flight to leave Earth orbit and enter a different orbit around the moon.
6. 1969 July 16th Apollo 11 Launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Merritt Island, Florida carrying Neil A. Armstrong ( Commander ) Michael Collins ( Command Module Pilot ) and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ( Lunar Module Pilot )
7. July 19th Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit.
8. July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle ( Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ) separated from the command module Columbia ( Michael Collins ) .
9. July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle lands on the moons surface in the Sea of Tranquillity
10. july 21st Neil Armstrong stepped off Eagle's footpad and uttered his famous line "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin joined him, describing the view as "Magnificent desolation."
11. July 21st  Lunar module (LM) Eagle leaves the moons surface to rendezvous with Columbia
12. July 24th The command module Columbia carrying the 3 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean
Estimates put the number who watched or listened to the Moon landing between 1/2 and 1 billion people around the world  ( From Webmaster I consider myself privileged to have watched and listened to  Neil A. Armstrong's famous words  "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " ) . For Information for the Space Race 1961 ,
 
The second manned moon mission, Apollo 12, successfully launches and lands on the moon.
More Information and Timeline for Apollo 12
Apollo 12, the second manned moon mission, launched on November 14th of 1969 carrying astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard Gordon Jr. The mission successfully landed on the Moon on November 19th about 950 miles away from where the Apollo 11 mission had landed. The mission's objectives included seismic experiments, examining the Surveyor III spacecraft, studying possible future landing sites, and human ability to work on the moon, among many other things. The crew tried to broadcast parts the mission but the television camera was damaged by sun exposure soon after landing. The crew left on November 20th and got to Earth on November 24th, after having spent about 31 hours on the surface of the moon.
 
 
Significant Live Music Events in 1969
Woodstock attracts more than 350,000 rock-n-roll fans, Atlanta International Pop Festival  on 4th July attracts 100,000 fans, Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000
More Information and Timeline For Significant Music Events in 1969
1. January 30th The Beatles, with Billy Preston, gave their final live performance on the roof of the Apple building in London, England, the live performance was an impromptu event that ran for 42 minutes featuring Get Back,  I Want You (She's So Heavy), Don't Let Me Down,  I've Got A Feeling, One After 909, Danny Boy, Dig A Pony, God Save The Queen and A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody later featured as the climax of their Let It Be film
2. March 25th to March 31st Following The Marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on March 20th in Gibralta they hold a week-long Bed-In for Peace at the  Amsterdam Hilton Hotel inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m
3. July 4th Atlanta International Pop Festival attracted an audience of approximately 100,000 to watch 16 performers including Janis Joplin, Johnny Rivers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sweetwater  and Led Zeppelin
4. August 15th to 18th The Woodstock Festival attracted an audience of approximately 500,000 to watch 35 performers including Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix at White Lake, New York, U.S.A.
5. August 30th and 31st Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 to watch 26 performers including Bob Dylan, The Who, Blonde On Blonde, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and Free at Wootton, Isle Of Wight, England
6. September 13th Toronto Rock and Roll Revival  attracted an audience of approximately 20,000 to watch 20 performers including  Chicago, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Doug Kershaw and The Doors, Screaming Lord Sutch  and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band at  at Varsity Stadium, of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
7. December 6th Altamont Speedway Free Festival  attracted an audience of approximately 300,000 to watch 10 performers including  The Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at  Altamont Speedway, California, U.S.A. The concert is best known for having been marred by considerable violence caused by alcahol and drugs including by the  Hells Angels motorcycle club who were used for security round the stage.
1969 provided so many significant live music events that I thought they should be included in a Music Timeline for the year, I hope you enjoyed taking the trip in time and memories that the timeline provides
 
United Kingdom -- Beatles "Abbey Road"
The Beatles record Abbey Road, their final album together.
More Information and Timeline for The Beatles Abbey Road
The Beatles release Abbey Road on September 26th. Abbey Road was not the group's final album to be released to the public but it was their final album to be recorded together.
The classic album's cover art featured the iconic photograph of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison walking across a zebra crossing near the entrance to the famous Abbey Road recording studio.
This rock album featured such popular songs as "Here Comes the Sun," "Come Together," "Something," and "Oh! Darling."
The full track listing includes:
Come Together, Something, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, Octopus's Garden, I Want You, Here Comes the Sun, Because, You Never Give Me Your Money, Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Her Majesty
It also topped the charts around the world once released, staying in the UK and US charts for over 80 weeks. While there were initially mixed reviews about the album, many fans believe it to be the best the band had ever produced and it remains one of the top selling Beatles albums of all time.
 
The first communications are sent through the ARPANET on October 29th, 1969.
More Information and Timeline for the ARPANET
1. ARPA (Advance Research Projects Agency) was created in 1958
2. In 1966 the creation of the ARPA computer network, or ARPANET, began.
3. The first point of the ARPANET was installed at a computer in UCLA in September of 1969
4. In October, the second point was installed at a computer in the Stanford Research Institute.
5. The first communication between the two is sent and received across the new network on October 29th, 1969.
6. After that, it is installed at several other universities across the United States.
7.  ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet, was not demonstrated to the public until 1972
8. By 1989 the ARPANET had become somewhat obsolete and was shut down.
 
 
Project ( Blue Book )
The U.S. Air Force closed its Project ( Blue Book ) concluding there was no evidence of UFO's.
More Information and Timeline for Project Blue Book.
Project Blue Book, the United States Air Force's investigation into unidentified flying objects (UFOs), officially comes to an end on December 17, 1969. The investigations began in 1952 when government officials started to collect information related to UFO sightings. Between 1952 and 1969, there were over 12,000 reports compiled by officials and of those reports all but 701 cases were identified as either an atmospheric, astronomical, or man-made event. The project concluded that UFOs did not threaten national security and did not present evidence of extraterrestrial life or technology and the US government decided that it would be far to costly to continue to investigate UFO sightings.
 
Police forces in the United States crack down on student protests
 
 
Popular Culture 1969
A free concert organized by the Rolling Stones is held at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif with problems caused by the use of Hells Angels as Bouncers resulting in a number of deaths
The Groundbreaking TV programme Monty Python's Flying Circus is shown for the first time and the catch phrase "And now for something completely different," becomes their trade mark
Sesame Street known for its Muppet characters, makes it's debut on PBS
Bell Bottom Jeans and  tie-dye shirts become part of the teenage fashion scene.
The John Lennon Album "Two Virgins" featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude are confiscated at Newark Airport
The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records.
The Beatles release their album Abbey Road. bringing the 1960's to an end
Sesame Street debuts on Public Television
Brian Jones Former Rolling Stones Guitarist drowns after drinking and drugs binge.
Popular Films
First Concorde test flight is conducted In France
First transplant of human eye
Seiko sells the first Quartz Watch
The Harrier Jump Jet enters service with the RAF
The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) is founded
The first automatic teller machine ATM or Cash Machine is installed in the United States
Creation of ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut. It carried 191 people, most of them reporters and photographers, from Seattle to New York City.
UNIX is developed by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs
The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the  American muscle car is introduced.
The Microprocessor ( a miniature set of integrated circuits ) is invented opening the way for the computer revolution that followed
Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )
Internet USA   US military
Manned Moon Landing USA   Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walk on Moon
CCDs USA   Charge Coupled Device - to capture image
Cash Dispenser Turkey   by Luther Simjian
Battery Powered Smoke Detector USA
 
Australia  --  Prime Minister  --   John Gorton   --
Brazil  --  President   -- Costa e Silva  --  Till 31 August
Brazil  --  President    -- Military Joint Tri  --  From 31 August
Brazil  --  President    -- Military Joint Tri  --  Till 30 October
Brazil  --  President    -- Emilio Medici  --  From 30 October
Canada  --  Prime Minister  --  Pierre Trudeau    --
China  --  Chairman of the People's Republic of China  --   Song Qingling  --
France  --  President   -- Charles de Gaulle  --  Till 28 April
France  --  President   -- Georges Pompidou  --  From 20 June
Germany  --  Chancellor   -- Kurt Georg Kiesinger  --  Till 21 October
Germany  --  Chancellor   -- Willy Brandt  --  From 21 October
India  --  Prime Minister   --  Indira Gandhi   --
Italy  --  Prime Minister   --   Mariano Rumor  --
Japan  --  Prime Minister  --  Eisaku Sato    --  Mexico  --  President  --  Gustavo Diaz Ordaz   --
Russia / Soviet Union  --   First Secretary of the CPSU   --  Leonid Brezhnev     --
South Africa  --  Prime Minister  --  Balthazar Johannes Vorster   --
United States  --  President   -- Lyndon B. Johnson  --  Till January 20,
United States  --  President  -- Richard Nixon  --  From January 20,
United Kingdom  --  Prime Minister  --  Harold Wilson    --