Observation — In The Heat Of 1967

In The Heat of the Night

Israelis and Arabs battled in the historic Six-Day war. It ended with Israelis occupying the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, The Gaza Strip and the West Bank. King Constantine II, of Greece, was deposed. General William  Westmoreland said U.S was winning in Vietnam. China tested the Hydrogen Bomb.  The U.S. and U.S.S.R. entered into nuclear nonproliferation treaty negotiations. Race riots exploded in Michigan, New York Alabama, Illinois and Wisconsin. Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. The high court ended laws against interracial marriage. Edward Brooke was the first popularly elected African American Senator. Lester Maddox became Governor of Georgia. PBS was born. Quarks were discovered.  The first human heart transplant was performed.  Albert De Salvio (“Boston Strangler”) was sentenced to life.  The Beatles went to India. Nearly all members of the Rolling Stones were arrested at various times for drugs. Mariner 5 flew by Venus.  Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run. Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft evasion. The “Milton Berle Show’” came to an end. “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” began. Edward Albee received the Pulitzer for his play, A Delicate Balance. Bernard Malamud’s The Fixer received the Pulitzer for literature. The Mystery Writers of America gave its top prize for best mystery to Nicolas Freeling’s The King of Rainy County. Other books of note for the year included another version of Snow White by David Barthelme, Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan, A Bad Man by Stanley Elkin, and The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron. The Academy Award for best picture went to A Man For All Seasons. We also went to see The Graduate, Bonnie & Clyde, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, In the Heat of The Night, and Cool Hand Luke. Though the news seemed to focus on the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the introduction of Pink Floyd to the U.S., none of the three made the year’s top ten, which were “To Sir With Love” by Lulu, “The Letter” by the Box Tops, “Ode to Billy Joe” by Bobbie Gentry, “Windy” by the Association, “I’m a Believer by the Monkees “Something Stupid” by Frank and Nancy Sinatra, “Happy Together” by the Turtles and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli. Notable births: Jamie Fox, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Stathan and Vin Diesel.  Deaths included Che Guevara, Woody Guthrie, Spencer Tracy, Langston Hughes, Alice B. Toklas and John Coltrane.  If you were around, what were you doing during the year of the fire sheep?