On This Day

XIX Summer Olympic Games close at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City

The 1968 Summer Olympics (Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad (Spanish: Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and officially branded as Mexico 1968...

The 1968 Summer Olympics (Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad (Spanish: Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (Spanish: México 1968), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America, the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country, and the first to be staged in the Global South. Consequently, these games also marked the first time that there would be a gap of two Olympic Games not to be held in Europe.

Events Before

  1. François Pienaar is born

    François Pienaar is born

  2. AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills, 31-7; QB Len Dawson passes for 2

    AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills, 31-7; QB Len Dawson passes for 2 TDs, RB Mike Garrett runs for 2 TDs

  3. Actor Lee Marvin (42) divorces Elizabeth Ebeling after 14 years of marriage

    Actor Lee Marvin (42) divorces Elizabeth Ebeling after 14 years of marriage

  4. Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts takes his seat as the first African American popularly elected to the US Se

    Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts takes his seat as the first African American popularly elected to the US Senate

  5. Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (37) divorces second wife, British columnist Patricia Lewis after nearly 5 years of m

    Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (37) divorces second wife, British columnist Patricia Lewis after nearly 5 years of marriage

Events After

  1. Apollo 11 Moon Landing

    NASA's Apollo 11 mission successfully lands the first humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first people to walk on the lunar surface.

  2. Tommy Morrison is born

    Tommy Morrison, American professional boxer, known for american boxer, was born on 1969-01-02.

  3. Christy Turlington is born

    Christy Turlington is born

  4. Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for not arguing with the referees

    Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for not arguing with the referees

  5. Atlantic Records releases Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album in the United States

    Atlantic Records releases Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album in the United States

More from the 1960s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 27, 1968?
The 1968 Summer Olympics (Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad (Spanish: Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (Spanish: México 1968), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America, the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country, and the first to be staged in the Global South. Consequently, these games also marked the first time that there would be a gap of two Olympic Games not to be held in Europe.
Why is XIX Summer Olympic Games close at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexic... historically important?
These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America, the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country, and the first to be staged in the Global South. Consequently, these games also marked the first time that there would be a gap of two Olympic Games not to be held in Europe.

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