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Echoes of 1968 Americans mourned the deaths of the Rev. Martin Luther King and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, the Civil Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and people marched in protest of the Vietnam War. This occasional series looks at how these and other events of 1968 continue to reverberate 40 years later.
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Echoes of 1968

40 Years Later, Apollo 8 Moon Mission Still Awes

On Christmas Eve 1968, people around the globe watched a live broadcast from Apollo 8 of the first humans ever to orbit the moon. The mission altered the way earthlings saw themselves and their world.

40 Years Later, Apollo 8 Moon Mission Still Awes

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Chisholm's 1968 Win Opened Door For Others

While Rep. Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to win a seat in Congress, a long line of black women have followed in her footsteps. Here's a list of the black women who have served on Capitol Hill in the past 40 years.

Chisholm's 1968 Win Opened Door For Others

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'Clear And Hold' Showing Results 40 Years Later

On Oct. 31, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson ordered a halt in bombing missions over Vietnam, implementing Gen. Creighton Abrams' "clear and hold" strategy. Today that counterinsurgency strategy is showing some promise in Iraq.

'Clear And Hold' Showing Results 40 Years Later

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Pageant Protest Sparked Bra-Burning Myth

Think the feminists who protested the 1968 Miss America pageant in the name of women's liberation burned their bras? Think again. No bras were set aflame that September day. But the idea that they were helped launch the movement onto the national stage.

Pageant Protest Sparked Bra-Burning Myth

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An Oscar Crop With An Instinct For Change

Forty years ago, the best picture nominees signaled a stirring in Hollywood — an appetite for revolutionary realism, socially conscious stories and movies targeted at the long-ignored youth audience.

An Oscar Crop With An Instinct For Change

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1968 Convention Sparked Reforms For Democrats

Many Democrats saw the unruly 1968 convention in Chicago as one of the reasons they lost the presidential election to Richard Nixon that year. That defeat and a landslide loss four years later led the Democrats to change the way they approached conventions.

1968 Convention Sparked Reforms For Democrats

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1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests

Democrats are gathering for their national convention in Denver with the party divided and the country mired in an unpopular war. The situation was similar 40 years ago when Democrats convened in Chicago, amid battles between protesters and police. What happened then still influences political protests today.

1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests

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Daley May Outlast Father As Chicago Mayor

The lessons Richard M. Daley learned from his father's missteps during the chaos of the 1968 Democratic Convention helped him claim — and hold — the seat behind the Chicago mayor's desk where his father served for 21 years.

Daley May Outlast Father As Chicago Mayor

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Prague Spring Ignored In Post-Communist Society

Tourists in the Czech Republic are not likely to find a plaque commemorating the failed democratization process known as Prague Spring and the generation of 1968. Critics say people want to forget there was a period of communism in Prague.

Prague Spring Ignored In Post-Communist Society

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Soviets Attacked Czechs' 'Virus Of Freedom' In '68

An attempt to mesh democracy and communism in Czechoslovakia by introducing free speech and freedom of assembly was squashed when Soviet officials invaded the country on Aug. 21, 1968.

Soviets Attacked Czechs' 'Virus Of Freedom' In '68

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Janis Ian Recounts Her Renegade Teen Years

Janis Ian wrote "Society's Child," a song about an interracial couple in the 1960s, when she was 15 years old, a song that she says everyone hated her for. In a new memoir, Ian recounts her life as an activist and musician.

Janis Ian Recounts Her Renegade Teen Years

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Earl Warren's Legacy

Earl Warren served as U.S. chief justice through much of the 1950s and 1960s, a time when the court made landmark civil rights decisions and other rulings with wide-ranging social importance. Warren's retirement came 40 years ago this month.

Earl Warren's Legacy

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Valle Giulia Has Taken On Mythological Stature

Forty years ago, there were protests in many European countries. But perhaps the longest and most complex movement was in Italy. During the battle of Valle Giulia, the meadow in front of Rome University's school of architecture, some 4,000 students confronted police. By early 1968, most Italian universities were occupied.

Valle Giulia Has Taken On Mythological Stature

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Poor People's Campaign: A Dream Unfulfilled

When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called for a Poor People's Campaign in 1968, he and other religious leaders aimed to lift people out of poverty. Today, the role of ministers like King has changed, but not much has changed for many poor Americans.

Poor People's Campaign: A Dream Unfulfilled

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RFK's Political Legacy, 40 Years After Assassination

Robert F. Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery 40 years ago Sunday. Weekend Edition Sunday remembers Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign as part of the NPR series "Echoes of 1968." Guest Host Audie Cornish talks to John Seigenthaler, Kennedy's former colleague, about the effect of RFK's campaign on American politics and the role of race in the current presidential campaign.

RFK's Political Legacy, 40 Years After Assassination

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RFK's Shooting Turned Photographer into Historian

Photojournalist Bill Eppridge was following Sen. Robert Kennedy into the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel when shots rang out. Despite a request for photographers to leave, he remained in the room, sensing he should document the moment.

RFK's Shooting Turned Photographer into Historian

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RFK Assassination Sparked Secret Service Change

Before Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was killed, only incumbent presidential candidates were given Secret Service protection. Over the years the agency has developed criteria for which White House hopefuls receive security services.

RFK Assassination Sparked Secret Service Change

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Opinion

Isolated in France During '68 Student Protests

In May of 1968, leftist students in Paris began strikes that nearly led to another French Revolution — or so everyone thought at the time. Reporter Alice Furlaud was visiting France that month and had a different perspective on the scene.

Isolated in France During '68 Student Protests

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