Astounding 1966 Fun Facts That Will Captivate Everyone

The year 1966 showcased some of the most noteworthy events.

The world experienced novelty in terms of fashion, music, and art. It was also a grieving year when thousands of lives were lost during the horrifying Vietnam war and in the Aberfan Disaster of South Wales.

Starting off on a bright Saturday, the world witnessed several incidents right from the beginning of the year 1966. Just like every year, it was full of ups and downs for millions of people residing all over the globe.

The daily mean temperature in Dallol was about 35°C (95°F) throughout the year. The cost of living during this time was much lesser, for example, the cost of a dozen eggs was about 60 cents and a liter of milk was about 19 cents in the year 1966.

One of the biggest news stories of 1966 was the Aberfan Disaster, which was the most harrowing coal mine disaster in South Wales, Britain. The collapse of the colliery spoil tip resulted in the destruction of countless houses in the village of Aberfan including the loss of hundreds of lives, of which 116 were children.

The terrifying Feyzin Disaster took place on January 4, 1966, in the town of Feyzin in France. A gas leak in the oil refinery of Feyzin started off an imperishable fire that took the lives of 18 people along with 82 injured.

African countries witnessed major political unrest during this year. A multitude of memorable events hit this continent that brought out significant changes and developments in the African continent.

The first day of this year was marked as the take over of the Central African Republic by the military forces of the African political leader, Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa. He overthrew President David Dacko, and thereafter, the political turmoils in Africa grew intense.

Similar events took place in the landlocked West African country of Burkina Faso on January 3.

The Republic of Upper Volta witnessed military intervention, thus removing President Maurice Yameogo from power. The Republic of Botswana and the Kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa gained their independence in the year 1966 after a long fight against British rule.

In terms of politics, the year 1966 pulled off new strings between India and Pakistan with the signing of the Tashkent Declaration that ended the 1965 war between them. India also lost Lal Bahadur Shastri, one of the most esteemed political figureheads in the country who became India's second Prime Minister.

The Civil Rights Movement leader of Hattiesburg in Mississippi, Vernon Dahmer, was killed in a house fire set up by the notorious US organization, White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

The French weekly magazine, L'Express came to the spotlight after publishing the statement of Georges-Auguste Figon in 1966. Apparently, he was involved in arranging the meeting with the Moroccan politician, Mehdi Ben Barka in Paris and also knew about his murder.

Barka was an opponent of French imperialism, whose sudden disappearance in 1965 shook the entire nation. Keep reading to know more astonishing facts about this year.

Are you enjoying the read? Then don't forget to check out 1962 facts and 1963 facts, here on Kidadl.

Number One Hits of 1966

The year 1966 gave numerous hits from the music and entertainment industry. The song, 'Sound of Silence', originally recorded in 1964, by Simon & Garfunkel, captured the hearts of millions.

In 1966, it hit the first position in the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The American singer and songwriter, Aretha Franklin, was signed by the Atlantic in 1966, after producing her first records for Columbia.

The famous English rock band that was formed in Liverpool, The Beatles, took the world on a musical spree. Two of their all-time favorite songs were released in the year 1966.

These two songs were the 'Day Tripper' and 'We can work it out'. This was the year when the Beatles performed their last song on August 29th in San Francisco.

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) aired Batman for the first time.

The last broadcast of Shindig, which was an American musical variety series, by ABC was with the famous English rock bands, the Kinks, and The Who.

Some of the major hits that made their way to the 1966 Billboard were 'Paint It, Black' by the Rolling Stones, 'Hanky Panky' by Tommy James, 'Good Vibrations' by the Beach Boys, 'Good Lovin' by the Young Rascals, 'Winchester Cathedral' by the New Vaudeville band, and several other such debuts.

The trending TV shows of the year were 'Bewitched', which was broadcasted by ABC, and 'Bonanza' broadcasted by NBC. Apart from these, the American television and radio network CBS aired multiple shows that engaged thousands of Americans at that time.

Some of these were the Red Skeleton Show, the Lucy Show, Andy Griffith Show, Jackie Gleason Show, Daktari, Green Acres, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C, and the Beverly Hillbilies.

The hit movies were 'The Sand Pebbles', 'Alfie', and 'The Professionals and Fantastic Voyage'. The first debut of 'The Money Programme' was broadcast by BBC 2 this year.

On July 1, 1966, the first broadcast of the Canadian color television was by the CBC. Following this, in September, ABC started airing color shows on its channel.

This year also came with the final episode of many popular television shows, including 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet', and ' The Dick Van Dyke Show' on September 3, and September 7, respectively. On the other hand, the world premiere of the hilarious American show, 'The Monkees' took place on September 12, 1966.

A well-known British television drama, 'Talking to a Stranger', by John Hopkins, was telecasted on BBC this year. Another best-known British television play aired on BBC at that time was 'Cathy Come Home'.

The year 1966 was the birth year of some of the most renowned personalities. The American comedian and actor, Adam Sandler, was born on September 9.

The American actor, Luke Perry, who passed away in 2019, also shared this birth year. The Canadian actor and comedian, Brent Butt, is born on August 3, 1966, who won four Canadian comedy awards.

The famous American actress, Robin Wright, known for her outstanding performance in the movie, 'Forest Gump' celebrates her birthday on April 8. Tracy Richard Irving Ulrich, one of the founding members of the band, Guns 'N Roses, was also born in 1966.

Many popular books were launched this year, including Kingsley Amis's 'The Anti-Death League', Bernard Malamud's 'The Fixer', 'The Adventurers' by Harold Robbins, and many more. Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Nelly Sachs won the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Robert S. Mulliken won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Alfred Kastler in Physics. However, this year's Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded to anyone. 'The Sound of Music' was presented as the best film Oscar this year.

The world also lost some of the eminent personalities this year. The innovator of modern stand-up comedy, Lenny Bruce, passed away on August 3, 1966, due to a drug overdose. The first American airforce pilotwho shot down quite a number of airplanes in Korea, James 'Jabby' Jabara, lost his life on November 17 of this year.

1966 Pop Culture History

The pop-culture history of 1966 flourished to a great extent with the blockbuster albums and debuts of many prominent personalities.

The Tex-Mex rock n roll band, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs of Texas launched the song 'Lil red riding hood' that touched the hearts of millions and is still listened to globally.

The pop-culture history of America also included the 1966 Grammy winner, Frank Sinatra, whose songs, 'Theme from New York City' and 'Wild Thing' are an all-time favorite. His elder daughter, Nancy Sinatra, launched her signature hit song, 'These Boots Are Made for walking' this year, which was at the topmost position in America's Billboard Hot 100.

Her other songs were also popular, including the 1966 'Sugar Town'.

A hit song of the New Vaudeville Band released in 1966 was 'Winchester Cathedral'. Bob Dylan's famous 'Rainy day woman' also premiered this year.

The Beatles were the most popular around this time, whose songs were played globally. Their songs 'Paperback Writer' and 'Yellow Submarine' launched that year. The Rolling Stones also launched their sensational song 'Paint It, Black'.

Other massive hits of this year were the 'Last Train to Clarksville' by The Monkees and Lightnin’ Strikes by Lou Christie. The 'Last Train to Clarksville' hit the Billboard Top 100 on November 5, 1966.

The first episode of the Broadway show 'Mame' was launched at the Winter Garden Theatre on May 24, 1966. Angela Lansbury, who was the Tony Award winner, starred in this show. The first episode of Batman, Hi Diddle Riddle, was aired on January 12 of this year.

In terms of sports and entertainment, the year 1966 put forth several new inventions that have resulted in immense progress in the daily lives of the youth. The first AstroTurf was invented this year by Monsanto Industries, whose directors were James Faria and Robert Wright.

Its first installation took place in Houston Astrodome indoor stadium. The strong synthetic fiber, kevlar, which is used to make bullet-proof vests globally and is considered to be five times stronger than steel, was first introduced in 1966 by Stephanie Kwolek.

Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry Lucas, Rick Barry, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson were the best NBA players of the year. Pelé, Eusébio, Bobby Moore, Lev Yashin, Bobby Charlton were some of the most well-known soccer players of 1966.

The popular Batman TV series engaged the youth and contributed majorly to the growth of the 1966 pop culture. Adam West portrayed the role of Batman, which earned a huge fan following. The first compilation of the Beach Boys was released in 1966 through Capitol Records.

The push-button telephone also came into style, replacing the rotary-style telephones that were previously used. Christmas celebrations were also influenced by the new culture, and the most popular Christmas gifts among the children were a crazy maze, twister, the barrel of monkeys, spirograph, and view master. An extremely well-liked toy was the miniature oven, Suzy Homemaker.

Star Trek Debut

People also got to see the first episode of Star Trek, which was released on September 8, 1966. Its story on the five-year mission of the USS Enterprise Starship to the uninhabited places fascinated the entire world.

This highly inspiring series won the Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation twice. It aired for the first time on NBC on September 8, 1966, and continued till June 3, 1969. Canadian broadcasting network CTV also aired this show on September 6, 1966.

Fashion From 1966 Onwards

Fashion took a great shape in the western world that influenced thousands of people all over the world. The bold fashion statement plucked up by the contemporary actresses challenged the traditional mindset of the people. The fashion icons of this year introduced mini skirts, which brought out a significant change in the conservative dressing of the early '50s.

The beauty pageant from Overland park, Deborah Bryant became Miss America in 1966. The titleholder of Miss USA of 1966 was Maria Remenyi.

The clothes at that time reflected ongoing pop culture. Bright blouses, shapeless shift dresses, and chunky knit sweaters were extremely popular among the girls.

They also preferred turtle necks and button-down shirts in pastel colorations. The men of 1966 used to wear bellbottoms, and stirrup pants. Miniskirts and hot pants came to light after they were introduced by the renowned British fashion designer, Mary Quant.

The small hexagonal or cylindrical pillbox hats were popularized by the American writer and socialite, Jackie Kennedy. Dresses of neon colors, psychedelic prints, and mismatched patterns were worn by women throughout the '60s.

High fashion, introduced by the US First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, included tailored skirts, stiletto heels, short-boxy jackets with large buttons. Capri-trousers were common in the 1966 fashion, which is still worn by many women.

Political History In 1966

The famous battle of Vietnam intensified during the year 1966, which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. North Vietnam was attacked by the US Airforce army, which dropped bombs on February 8, 1966.

Smoke grenades were set off in South Vietnam by the soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. News stories about the Vietnam war spread throughout the world. Wounded soldiers were airlifted by helicopters in the midst of Operation Silver city in Vietnam.

More than 35000 marchers protested in New York against the American involvement in Vietnam on March 26, 1966. Vietnam Congress terrorists attacked America with grenades, machine guns, and other explosives.

Three American officers died due to this attack. Buddhists in South Vietnam launched a protest on April 8, in favor of initiating a date for free elections. In Miranda vs Arizona case (1966), the Supreme Court was concerned about the constitutional rights of the detained criminal suspects.

George Lincoln Rockwell, the American Nazi party leader tried to test a city law by carrying anti-Jewish placards on January 29, 1966. However, he wasn't arrested.

California Gubernatorial elections took place on November 8, 1966. The election was between the Republican candidate, Ronald Reagan, and the democratic candidate, Pat Brown. Only three countries, including San Francisco, Alameda, and Pulmus, were won by Pat Brown.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1966 factsthen why not take a look at1978 facts, or 1967 facts.