Can you believe that 1968 turns 50 next year? It was a major year in pop culture and news. Here are some events that turn 50 going into 2018.

February 11th 1968

Madison Square Garden in New York City opens at its current location. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above the platforms of an active railroad station.

 

April 23rd–April 30th 1968

During the Vietnam War, Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City took over administration buildings and shut down the university. Eventually, a violent removal of protesters was done by the New York City Police Department.

 

May 14th 1968

The Beatles announce the creation of Apple Records in a New York press conference. In some sense, it's still around today. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, and eventually grew for the group to use as solo artists.

 

November 24th 1968

4 men hijack Pan Am Flight 281 from JFK International Airport, New York to Havana, Cuba. U.S. jet fighter aircraft followed the plane until it reached Cuban airspace. Jose Rafael Rios Cruz was arrested in 1975; Miguel Castro was captured in 1976. Both pleaded guilty. A third hijacker, Luis Armando Peña Soltren, lived as a fugitive in Cuba. In October 2009, he returned to the United States and surrendered to federal authorities. He pleaded guilty to the hijacking and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.

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