1969: The Year Everything Changed
Encyclopedia
1969: The Year Everything Changed is a narrative history book written by American author and editor Rob Kirkpatrick
, published in 2009 by Skyhorse Publishing
.
' historic Super Bowl victory
, Richard Nixon
's inauguration, the birth of punk music and the first Led Zeppelin
tour, the publication of The Godfather
and release of Easy Rider
, the Santa Barbara oil spill
and the Cuyahoga River
fire, the Battle of Hamburger Hill
, the People's Park and Stonewall riots
, the Apollo 11
moon landing, the Chappaquiddick incident, the Woodstock Festival
, the Manson Family and Zodiac Killer
murders, the Miracle Mets' championship season
, the peace movement and the birth of the Weathermen
, the Days of Rage
, the Occupation of Alcatraz
, the murder of Fred Hampton
, and the Altamont Free Concert.
on January 26, Craig Wilson
commented, "The subtitle of his new book, 1969: The Year Everything Changed, may sound hyperbolic, but Kirkpatrick makes a good case that it was a year of 'landmark achievements, cataclysmic episodes and generation-defining events.'" Booklist
called it "A riveting look at a pivotal year," and in an e-newsletter to subscribers, The History Channel Magazine described it as "a compelling account of the historic year." Library Journal
praised the writing, saying, "Kirkpatrick treats the tumultuous events of 1969 with the skills of a journalist, a historian, a sociologist, and a sportswriter and manages to insert moments of lightness and triviality into his grand tour. He writes as easily about jazz-pop as about the rise of the American Indian Movement," and added, "Nostalgic for some, revelatory for others, this is a worthy addition to the literature of the 1960s."
Rob Kirkpatrick
-Biography:Rob Kirkpatrick was born and raised in upstate New York. He received his Bachelor’s from Rutgers University, his Master’s degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz, and his Doctorate from Binghamton University. After graduate school, he began a career as an acquisitions...
, published in 2009 by Skyhorse Publishing
Skyhorse Publishing
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., known as Skyhorse Publishing, was founded in 2006 and is located in New York, NY. It is an American independent book publishing company, and is distributed by W. W. Norton & Company. The current president and publisher is founder Tony Lyons, who named it after Brando...
.
Synopsis
Divided into four parts that correspond with the four seasons of the year, the book chronicles the history of 1969 in American society and culture. The author delves into such events as the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' historic Super Bowl victory
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's inauguration, the birth of punk music and the first Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
tour, the publication of The Godfather
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
and release of Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
, the Santa Barbara oil spill
1969 Santa Barbara oil spill
The Santa Barbara oil spill occurred in January and February 1969 in the Santa Barbara Channel, near the city of Santa Barbara in Southern California. It was the largest oil spill in United States waters at the time, and now ranks third after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 1989 Exxon Valdez spills...
and the Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
fire, the Battle of Hamburger Hill
Battle of Hamburger Hill
The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle of the Vietnam War which was fought by the United States and South Vietnam against North Vietnamese forces from May 10–20, 1969. Although the heavily fortified Hill 937 was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture by a frontal assault,...
, the People's Park and Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
, the Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
moon landing, the Chappaquiddick incident, the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, the Manson Family and Zodiac Killer
Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Zodiac murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women...
murders, the Miracle Mets' championship season
1969 New York Mets season
The New York Mets season was the eighth season for the Mets franchise, which played its home games at Shea Stadium. Managed by Gil Hodges, the team went 100-62, finishing first in the newly-established National League East by eight games over the Chicago Cubs...
, the peace movement and the birth of the Weathermen
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
, the Days of Rage
Days of Rage
The Days of Rage demonstrations were a series of direct actions taken over a course of three days in October 1969 in Chicago organized by the Weatherman faction of the Students for a Democratic Society...
, the Occupation of Alcatraz
Occupation of Alcatraz
The Occupation of Alcatraz was an occupation of Alcatraz Island by the group Indians of All Tribes . The Alcatraz Occupation lasted for nineteen months, from November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971, and was forcibly ended by the U.S. government.-Background:...
, the murder of Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was an African-American activist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party...
, and the Altamont Free Concert.
Book table of contents
- Selected Timeline
- Preface: Revolution, Apocalypse, and the Birth of Modern America
- Part I: Winter’s Children
- 1 Nixon’s Coming
- 2 Something in the Air
- 3 The New Sounds
- 4 Super Jets
- 5 The American Family
- Part II: Revolution in Springtime
- 6 America Undressed
- 7 A Whole New Ball Game
- 8 Poison Ivy
- 9 1, 2, 3, What Are We Fighting For?
- 10 The Green Mind
- 11 Stand!
- Part III: The Summer of Impossible Dreams
- 12 Walking in Space
- 13 The Mists of Camelot
- 14 Shaking the Cage
- 15 West Coast Killers
- 16 An Amazin’ Summer
- 17 Heaven in a Disaster Area
- Part IV: Autumn Apocalypse
- 18 “There Are No Words”
- 19 Nixon’s War
- 20 Days of Rage
- 21 Cowboys and Indians
- 22 The Hippie Apocalypse
- Afterword: Future Shock - The Seventies and Beyond
- Bibliography
Reviews
1969 received positive reviews upon its publication. In a two-page article in USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
on January 26, Craig Wilson
Craig Wilson (columnist)
Craig Wilson is a columnist for USA Today. He has been a feature writer at the newspaper for over two decades. He has written his The Final Word column each Wednesday since 2000...
commented, "The subtitle of his new book, 1969: The Year Everything Changed, may sound hyperbolic, but Kirkpatrick makes a good case that it was a year of 'landmark achievements, cataclysmic episodes and generation-defining events.'" Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
called it "A riveting look at a pivotal year," and in an e-newsletter to subscribers, The History Channel Magazine described it as "a compelling account of the historic year." Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
praised the writing, saying, "Kirkpatrick treats the tumultuous events of 1969 with the skills of a journalist, a historian, a sociologist, and a sportswriter and manages to insert moments of lightness and triviality into his grand tour. He writes as easily about jazz-pop as about the rise of the American Indian Movement," and added, "Nostalgic for some, revelatory for others, this is a worthy addition to the literature of the 1960s."