Australian silver medalist Peter Norman (left) stands on the podium as Americans Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos raise their gloved fists in a human rights protest at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. AP hide caption
1968: How We Got Here It was a remarkable year that brought upheaval and progress on civil rights, politics, and technology. And helps us explain how we got where we are today, 50 years later.
Special Series
1968: How We Got Here
The Jimi Hendrix Experience in the late 1960s. Left to right: Noel Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
In Head, the Monkees made a play for creative and cultural respect. Did it work? No. Was it a strangely great movie? Heck yeah. Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock hide caption
A line of undead 'zombies' walk through a field in the night in a still from the film, 'Night Of The Living Dead,' directed by George Romero, 1968. The film has been reissued for screenings on the 50th anniversary of its release. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images hide caption
When An Undead Apocalypse First Swept America In The 'Night Of The Living Dead'
The iconic "Earthrise" image taken by astronaut Bill Anders on Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 liftoff. William Anders/NASA via AP hide caption
People attend a party in Cherry Grove section of Fire Island in New York during the 1960s. Courtesy of Cherry Grove Archives Collection hide caption
1968: After Dozens Of Acquittals, Police Forced To End Raids On Gay Haven
It's been 50 years since Philadelphia Eagles fans pelted Santa with snow balls from the stands. Some people say they are ashamed of what happened that day, while others remain unapologetic. Alex Pantling/Getty Images hide caption
Philly Frustration, 1968: 'The Day That They Were All Against Everything'
Harvard University's Bruce Freeman tries to run around a teammate and a Yale player and into the end zone after catching a pass during the final 42 seconds of The Game against Yale University at Harvard Stadium in Boston on Nov. 23, 1968. Boston Globe via Getty Images hide caption
The Farmington Mine Disaster memorial in Mannington, W.Va., bears the names of the 78 men killed in the explosion on Nov. 20, 1968. Jesse Wright/West Virginia Public Broadcasting hide caption
How A 1968 Disaster In A Coal Mine Changed The Industry
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
African-American educator and newly elected U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm gives the victory sign on election night 1968. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images hide caption
Extending gloved hands skyward in racial protest, U.S. athletes Smith and Carlos stare downward during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City on Oct. 16, 1968. AP hide caption
Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, center, stands Tuesday with Ana Ignacia Rodríguez Marquez, a former leader of the student movement of 1968, at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, at the Tres Culturas square in Mexico City. Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
What's Changed Since Mexico's Bloody Crackdown On 1968 Student Protests?
"Harper Valley P.T.A." was a sassy, country-pop song that captured the anger many women felt about double standards they faced in 1968. William Lovelace/Getty Images hide caption
Joel Silver is far left in the black t-shirt and sunglasses. And Buzzy Hellring is in the middle (under the cup) also in the black t-shirt and sunglasses. Courtesy of Heidi Hellring hide caption
Pope Paul VI acknowledges cheers as standing on platform in Bogota, Colombia, on Aug. 22, 1968. AP hide caption
Joan Cashin volunteered to help organize and prepare the Mule Train. Courtesy of Roland Freeman hide caption
One of several murals of Robert Kennedy is displayed at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools in Los Angeles. Kyle Grillot for NPR hide caption
50 Years After His Death, Making RFK More Than A Ghost And A Mural
Robert F. Kennedy stands in an open-top convertible and shakes hands with members of a crowd as he campaigns for the democratic Presidential nomination in Detroit on May 15, 1968. Andrew Sacks/Getty Images hide caption
A man flies the French tricolor flag over crowds marching to the Arc de Triomphe during the Paris students' strike. Central Press/Getty Images hide caption
In France, The Protests Of May 1968 Reverberate Today — And Still Divide The French
David Kennerly says this 1968 photo of his, taken in Los Angeles at the beginning of Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, captures what it meant to cover the chaotic and carefree period as a photojournalist. "Everybody could get close, everybody wanted to," he says. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images hide caption
The mule train comes into the Washington area against a late afternoon sky in June of 1968. The caravan left Marks, Miss., for the nation's capital on May 13 to participate in the Poor People's Campaign. Bob Daugherty/AP hide caption
How A Mule Train From Marks, Miss., Kicked Off MLK's Poor People Campaign
Actors rehearse a dance scene for the 1968 London production of the musical Hair. Larry Ellis/Getty Images hide caption