What happened in 1966
96 entries recorded for 1966, listed by date. That was 60 years ago.
1966 at a glance
- Years ago
- 60 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1960s
- Generation born
- Generation X
- Entries here
- 96
- Breakdown
- 95 historical events · 1 deaths
January
- January 10
Tashkent Declaration
Tashkent Declaration, a peace agreement between India and Pakistan signed that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- January 11
Tbilisi Metro
The Tbilisi Metro is opened.
- January 14
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: United States and Australian troops ended Operation Crimp; during the military operation, troops discovered an extensive tunnel network used by the Viet Cong.
- January 19
Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi becomes India's first female prime minister.
- January 24
Air India Flight 101
Air India Flight 101 crashes into Mont Blanc.
- January 26
Disappearance of the Beaumont children
The three Beaumont children disappeared from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations.
- January 31
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
February
- February 2
Kashmir
Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965.
- February 3
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union's Luna 9 becomes the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon, and the first spacecraft to take pictures from the surface of the Moon.
- February 4
All Nippon Airways Flight 60
All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay, killing 133.
- February 7
1966 Iloilo City fire
The Great Fire of Iloilo breaks out in a lumber yard in Iznart Street and burns for almost half a day destroying nearly three-quarters of the City Proper area and Php 50 million pesos in total properties' damage.
- February 12
Murder of Morris Adler
Rabbi Morris Adler is fatally shot by a disgruntled congregant at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, Michigan, United States.
- February 17
Aeroflot Flight 065
Aeroflot Flight 065 crashes during take-off from Sheremetyevo International Airport, killing 21.
- February 18
Grigory Nelyubov
Grigory Nelyubov, Soviet pilot and military officer (born 1934)
- February 26
Apollo program
Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket.
- February 28
Charles Bassett
American test pilots Charles Bassett and Elliot See die in a plane crash in St. Louis, Missouri.
- February 28
Northrop T-38 Talon
A NASA T-38 Talon crashes into the McDonnell Aircraft factory while attempting a poor-visibility landing at Lambert Field, St. Louis, killing astronauts Elliot See and Charles Bassett.
March
- March 1
Venera 3
Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface.
- March 1
Ba'ath Party
The Ba'ath Party takes power in Syria.
- March 4
Canadian Pacific Air Lines
A Canadian Pacific Air Lines DC-8-43 explodes on landing at Tokyo International Airport, killing 64 people.
- March 4
The Standard (London newspaper)
In an interview in the London Evening Standard, the Beatles' John Lennon declares that the band is "more popular than Jesus now".
- March 4
John Lennon
During an interview, John Lennon of the Beatles argued that the band had become "more popular than Jesus".
- March 5
BOAC Flight 911
BOAC Flight 911 disintegrated and crashed near Mount Fuji shortly after departure from Tokyo International Airport, killing all 113 passengers and 11 crew members on board.
- March 8
Nelson's Pillar
Nelson's Pillar, a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Lord Nelson in Dublin, Ireland, was severely damaged by a bomb.
- March 10
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Military prime minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
- March 10
South Vietnam
Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacks rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
- March 17
DSV Alvin
Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
- March 18
United Arab Airlines Flight 749
United Arab Airlines Flight 749 crashes on approach to Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, killing 30 people.
- March 31
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
- March 31
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election.
April
- April 3
Luna 10
Luna 10 (replica pictured) entered orbit around the Moon, becoming the first space probe to orbit an astronomical body other than Earth or the Sun.
- April 5
Buddhist Uprising
During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempted to lead the capture of the restive city of Đà Nẵng before backing down.
- April 21
Rastafari
Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
- April 22
American Flyers Airline Flight 280/D
American Flyers Airline Flight 280/D crashes on approach to Ardmore Municipal Airport in Ardmore, Oklahoma, killing 83.
- April 23
Aeroflot Flight 2723
Aeroflot Flight 2723 crashes into the Caspian Sea off the Absheron Peninsula, killing 33 people.
- April 26
1966 Tashkent earthquake
The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
- April 26
Republic of the Congo
A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.
May
- May 6
Moors murders
Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors murders in England.
- May 15
Tôn Thất Đính
Disapproving of General Tôn Thất Đính's handling of the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ ordered an attack on his forces and ousted Đính from his post.
- May 16
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
June
- June 2
Surveyor program
Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
- June 6
March Against Fear
March Against Fear: African-American civil rights activist James Meredith is wounded in an ambush by white sniper James Aubrey Norvell. Meredith and Norvell are photographed by Jack R. Thornell, whose photo will receive the 1967 Pulitzer Prize in Photography, the last one to be a
- June 8
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas, United States is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale, exceeding US$200 million in damages. Seventeen people are killed, over five hundred more injured, and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed.
- June 8
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
An F-104 Starfighter collides with XB-70 Valkyrie prototype no. 2, destroying both aircraft during a photo shoot near Edwards Air Force Base. Joseph A. Walker, a NASA test pilot, and Carl Cross, a United States Air Force test pilot, are both killed.
- June 14
Holy See
The Vatican formally abolished its 427-year-old list of prohibited books (title page pictured).
- June 14
Roman Curia
The Vatican announces the abolition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("index of prohibited books"), which was originally instituted in 1557.
- June 22
Buddhism in Vietnam
Vietnamese Buddhist activist leader Thích Trí Quang was arrested as the military junta of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ crushed the Buddhist Uprising.
- June 30
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women, a leading United States feminist organization, was founded in Washington, D.C.
July
- July 2
1966–70 French nuclear tests
France conducts its first nuclear weapon test in the Pacific, on Moruroa Atoll.
- July 6
Republic
Malawi becomes a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President.
- July 8
Mwambutsa IV of Burundi
King Mwambutsa IV of Burundi was deposed in a coup d'état by his son, Prince Charles Ndizi.
- July 8
List of kings of Burundi
King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Prince Charles Ndizi.
- July 10
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured) led a rally in support of the Chicago Freedom Movement, one of the most ambitious civil-rights campaigns in the northern United States.
- July 15
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam begin Operation Hastings to push the North Vietnamese out of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
- July 18
Hough riots
A racially charged incident in a bar sparks the six-day Hough riots in Cleveland, Ohio; 1,700 Ohio National Guard troops intervene to restore order.
- July 18
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
- July 18
Racism in the United States
Angered by racism and poverty, African American residents of the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland began to riot for six days.
- July 30
England national football team
In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning the final against West Germany 4–2 after extra time.
- July 31
Loss of MV Darlwyne
The pleasure cruiser MV Darlwyne disappeared off the coast of Cornwall with the loss of all 31 people aboard.
August
- August 1
Charles Whitman
Charles Whitman kills 15 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police.
- August 5
Red Guards
A group of red guards at Experimental High in Beijing, including Deng Rong and Liu Pingping, daughters of Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi respectively, beat the deputy vice principal, Bian Zhongyun, to death with sticks after accusing her of counter-revolutionary revisionism, produc
- August 10
Heron Road Workers Memorial Bridge
The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Canada, collapsed during its construction, killing nine workers.
- August 16
House Un-American Activities Committee
Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
- August 18
Battle of Long Tan
Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
- August 18
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan (helicopter pictured), but held them off for several hours until reinforcements arrived.
- August 22
United Farm Workers
Labor movements NFWA and AWOC merge to become the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), the predecessor of the United Farm Workers.
- August 24
Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang (depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet.
- August 29
Sayyid Qutb
Leading Egyptian thinker Sayyid Qutb is executed for plotting the assassination of President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- August 29
The Beatles
The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
September
- September 1
1966 Dayton race riot
Rioting erupted in Dayton, Ohio, resulting in one death and the mobilization of the Ohio National Guard.
- September 8
Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, suggesting that it marked the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales.
- September 8
Star Trek: The Original Series
The science fiction show Star Trek made its American premiere with "The Man Trap", launching a media franchise that has since created a cult phenomenon and has influenced the design of many current technologies.
- September 15
Lyndon B. Johnson
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, writes a letter to Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.
- September 22
Ansett-ANA Flight 149
Twenty-four people are killed when Ansett-ANA Flight 149 crashes in Winton, Queensland, Australia.
- September 30
Botswana
Bechuanaland declares its independence, and becomes the Republic of Botswana.
October
- October 4
Basutoland
Basutoland becomes independent from the United Kingdom and is renamed Lesotho.
- October 5
Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station
A reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station near Detroit suffers a partial meltdown.
- October 9
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: the Republic of Korea Army commits the Binh Tai Massacre.
- October 15
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
- October 21
Spoil tip
A coal tip fell on the village of Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, mostly schoolchildren.
- October 22
The Supremes A' Go-Go
With their album The Supremes A' Go-Go, the Supremes became the first all-female group to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
- October 29
Chia Thye Poh
Singaporean leftist opposition leader Chia Thye Poh was detained under the Internal Security Act, which allows for preventive detention, and held for 32 years.
November
- November 2
Cuban Adjustment Act
The Cuban Adjustment Act comes into force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the United States.
- November 4
Arno
The Arno River floods Florence, Italy, to a maximum depth of 6.7 m (22 ft), leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. Venice is also submerged on the same day at its record all-time acqua alta of 194 cm (76 in).
- November 8
Massachusetts
Former Massachusetts attorney general Edward Brooke became the first African American elected to the United States Senate since Reconstruction.
- November 13
Arab–Israeli conflict
Arab–Israeli conflict: In response to a Fatah landmine incident, the Israeli military conducted a large cross-border assault on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu.
- November 16
The Temptations
The Temptations release their Greatest Hits album, which goes on to be the Billboard Year-End R&B album of 1967.
- November 24
TABSO Flight 101
Bulgarian TABSO Flight 101 crashes near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, killing all 82 people on board.
- November 28
Michel Micombero
In a military coup, Michel Micombero abolished the Burundian monarchy and declared the country a republic with himself as president.
- November 30
Decolonization
Decolonization: Barbados becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
December
- December 1
Gävle goat
The first Gävle goat, a Swedish Yule goat tradition, was constructed in Gävle and then burned to the ground on New Year's Eve.
- December 1
The Pit (arena)
The Pit, one of U.S. college basketball's premier arenas, opened on the campus of the University of New Mexico.
- December 18
Epimetheus (moon)
Epimetheus, one of the moons of Saturn, was discovered, but was mistaken for Janus; it took twelve years to determine that they are two distinct objects sharing the same orbit.
- December 18
Saturn
Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.
- December 24
Canadair CL-44
A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 111.
- December 27
Cave of Swallows
The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Questions about 1966
What happened in 1966?
This site records 96 entries for 1966, including Tashkent Declaration on January 10. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1966?
60 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1966 turns 60 this year.
Which century is 1966 in?
1966 falls in the 20th century, in the 1960s.
Which generation was born in 1966?
Generation X (1965–1980). The latch-key generation; first to grow up with personal computers.
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