1968 was a momentous year for the United States, marked by both a presidential election and the Summer Olympics, each bringing its own historic consequences. Tornadoes of unprecedented strength tore through the nation’s interior, while multiple airplane crashes claimed hundreds of lives. The Vietnam War was at its peak, with 16,890 American soldiers lost and more than half a million deployed overseas. Across the country, protests and rallies demanded such a response that not only police but also the National Guard were frequently called upon to restore order. And, tragically, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy reverberated through a deeply divided nation. It was, indeed, a year like no other