1966 News and Interesting Tidbits From History

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The popular Dr. Seuss' book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is made into an animated television special and shown for first time on CBS. The narator is the well known Horror movie star Boris Karloff. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of those programs that when you see it on Television you just know Christmas is not far away.

Early Adopter Of Warnings On Cigarette Packets
The United States becomes one of the earliest countries in the world to place warning notices on cigarette packets.


By law all US cigarette packs began carrying the warning:

"Caution! Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Begins In China
China has announced It's Cultural Revolution and that by reorganizing the current small farming collectives into great communes workers would be released to work in industry.


With the Cultural Revolution came persecution of radical students and teachers and colleges were effectively closed down, and Chairman Mao also used the time to purge his rivals. A bi-product of the Cultural Revolution was that grain output declined leading to the country's largest famine in history.

The Little Red Book Goes On Sale
One of the best selling books of all time "The Little Red Book" a collection of quotations by the Chinese leader Mao Zedong go on sale in 1966 .

Every Chinese adult is forced to own a copy and 900 million are printed between 1966 and 1971

The Aberfan Disaster
The Aberfan Disaster buried a junior school in Aberfan, Wales killing 148 people, mostly children . The school was buried by a landslide of mud and waste sludge created from the local Merthyr Vale Colliery which was 700ft high and towered over the local school before it collapsed .

H Bomb Lost and found
An H-Bomb was lost in the Mediterranean after a B-52 bomber had made impact with a KC-135 jet. Two other bombs were dropped near Palomores, a small town in Spain. The hydrogen bomb that had fallen from a B-52 bomber when it collided with a KC-135 refueling jet over the Mediterranean Sea was located by a U.S. midget submarine off the coast of Spain, it is recovered from the sea floor in April of the same year from a depth of 2,500 feet .

Plane Crash Mount Fuji
A BOAC British Boeing 707 crashed on Mount Fuji, Japan killing all 124 on board.

Canada Introduces the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
Canada Introduces it's earnings-related social insurance program the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) . At age 65 The CPP provides regular pension payments calculated as 25% of the average contributory maximum over the last 5 years.

Richard Speck Murders 8 Nurses Chicago
In one of the worst murder cases to date 8 student nurses are brutally murdered by Richard Speck at their group residence in Chicago, Illinois.

University Of Texas Shootings
Ex Marine Charles Whitman with a stockpile of guns and ammunition on the observatory platform at a 300 foot tower at the University of Texas proceeds to shoot 46 people, killing 14 people and wounding 31. He had killed both his wife and mother the night before.

Ronald Reagan enters politics
The former actor Ronald Reagan enters politics when he is elected governor of California

Soviet Union and US land unmanned probes on the moon
First US space probe to land on the moon, "Surveyor 1" has a soft landing on Moon. The Soviet Union was the first when the Russian probe Luna 9 had a successful soft landing on the moon on 3rd February earlier in the year.

Watts Los Angeles Riots
Racial rioting broke out again in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

Viking Princess Cruise Ship Fire
A raging fire on the cruise ship the Viking Princess caused passengers and crew to abandon ship with 3 reported deaths and many injuries, 3 merchant vessels went to their aid midway between Cuba and Haiti.

Barbados Gains Independence
Barbados an Island in the Caribbean Gains Independence From Great Britain in 1966

Nationwide Seamen's Strike
The British government declares a state of emergency following the start of the nationwide seamen's strike one week ago. The state of emergency will allow the Royal Navy to take control and clear the ports and lift restrictions on driving vehicles to allow for the free movement of goods.

Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) Beats Henry Cooper
Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) ends the hopes of British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper winning the world heavyweight titles when the bout is stopped in Round 6 because of a severe cut above Henry Cooper's Left eye.

UK New Drink Driving Laws
The British government following increasing numbers of accidents caused through drink driving introduces a blood alcohol limit for drivers in January with 80mg of alcohol in 100cc of blood ( 0.08% ) becoming an offence to drive when over this limit.

Jodrell Bank Sets Record
The British radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire sets a new record when it makes contact with the American Pioneer V satellite at a distance of 407,000 miles.

Moors Murderers Convicted
The Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are jailed for life.
They were tried and found guilty for the murder of three children ( Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, aged 10, and 12-year-old John Kilbride ).
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley preyed on children by luring the children into their home in Manchester then torturing and killing them, they performed terrible acts on them prior to murdering them and dumped them on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines.

World Cup Stolen While On Display
The World Cup, was stolen while on display at Westminster Hall in London, the World Cup was on show prior to the start of the World Cup tournament in Britain later in the year. It was found 1 week later in a in South London garden wrapped in a newspapers. England did go on to win the World Cup later in the year beating West Germany in the final.

England Wins 1966 World Cup
England Wins the 1966 World Cup defeating West Germany 4-2 in England

Miranda Rights
The Miranda rights came about because of a case involving Ernesto Arturo Miranda in 1963. He was arrested for rape. He later confessed to robbery and attempted rape under interrogation by police. He was later sentenced to 20 to 30 years imprisonment on each charge.

The case then went to the Arizona Supreme Court which agreed with the trial court's decision and emphasized the fact that Miranda did not specifically request counsel.

The case then went to the Unites States Supreme Court where Chief Justice Earl Warren, a former prosecutor, delivered the opinion of the Court, ruling that due to the coercive nature of custodial interrogation by police, no confession could be admissible under the Fifth Amendment self-incrimination clause and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney unless a suspect had been made aware of his rights and the suspect had then waived them. Miranda's conviction was overturned. (Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S. 436 )

Basic Miranda Rights / Warning

“ The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him. ”

“ If the individual indicates in any manner, at any time prior to or during questioning, that he wishes to remain silent, the interrogation must cease ... If the individual states that he wants an attorney, the interrogation must cease until an attorney is present. At that time, the individual must have an opportunity to confer with the attorney and to have him present during any subsequent questioning."

The most common typical Miranda warning is below but can be slightly different in different states

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.

Houston Astrodome
The Houston Astrodome Completed measuring 710 ft diameter

Botswana Gains Independence
Botswana ( formerly called The British Protectorate of Bechuanaland ) in Africa gains it's independence from Britain in 1966

Lesotho Gains Independence
Lesotho in Africa ( was called Basutoland ) Gains Independence from the UK in 1966

BBC Announces Colour TV For 1967
The BBC has announced it is to begin broadcasting television programmes in colour from next year.

Haiti Saturday Evening
In Haiti Saturday evening is an important time for the poor. “At dusk drumbeats from the hills call them to ‘bamcouches’ or poor man’s parties, where voodoo dances and ceremonies can occasionally be viewed by tourists.”

Draft Deferment Test Vietnam War
Hundreds of thousands of College and University Students are preparing to sit the Draft Deferment Test, The test is a way for them to convince the Draft Board that they would serve the nation better in the quiet of the Classrooms than in the Jungles of Vietnam. May 12th 1966

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