1969 Calendar

January 16, 1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk.

January 19, 1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire 3 days earlier in Prague’s Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turned into another major protest.

February 17, 1969 – New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Earth Rooster in Chinese astrology.

May 10, 1969 – Vietnam War: The Battle of Dong Ap Bia begins with an assault on Hill 937. It will ultimately become known as Hamburger Hill.

May 16, 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.

June 22, 1969 – The Cuyahoga River catches fire, triggering a crack-down on pollution in the river.

October 5, 1969 – The first episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus airs on BBC.

October 21, 1969 – A coup d'état in Somalia brings Siad Barre to power.

November 10, 1969 – National Educational Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States debuts the children’s television program Sesame Street.

December 1, 1969 – Vietnam War: The first draft lottery in the United States is held since World War II.

January 10, 1969 – Andreas Reinke, German footballer

January 23, 1969 – Andrei Kanchelskis, Ukrainian-Russian footballer

January 25, 1969 – Kina, American singer

April 23, 1969 – Martin López-Zubero, Spanish swimmer

June 12, 1969 – Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (Omen, Bikini) (d. 2007)

July 5, 1969 – Jeremy Spake, English television personality

August 1, 1969 – Graham Thorpe, Former England cricketer

August 15, 1969 – Kevin Cheng, Hong Kong actor and singer

October 10, 1969 – Dilsa Demirbag Sten, Swedish author and journalist

October 12, 1969 – Martie Maguire, American musician (Dixie Chicks)