Back to the Sixties

This month, we’re going back to the 60s- 1968 and 1969. This was a time of both great turmoil and unity for social causes in the United States. It was a time of turbulence, Rock and Roll, Vietnam, bell bottoms, and equal rights. With all of the changes in the country and the world since then, Mah Jongg has endured.

Let’s examine the 1968-1969 NMJL card below, which cost $.50 then
Let’s first  take a look at the sections of the 1968-1969 National Mah Jongg League card. There have been several changes to the card since this card was used.  A quick glance revealed a few differences.
-Dragons are not DDDD in red, green, or blue, but are noted as R, G, or Wh.
-There are separate point/money values for a player who gets Mah Jongg and is East or not East.
-The number of Flowers needed to complete the hand is clearly marked
-The Jokers are called Big Jokers
Some major events from 1968

January 22-23, 1968: Apollo 5 Mission, the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface.

January 30- March 7, 1968: First Battle of Saigon

April 4, 1968: Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee

June 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy assassinated following a short victory speech in the Embassy Room ballroom of The Ambassador Hotel

July 13 1968: Hong Kong Flu Pandemic (H3N2) which resulted in nearly 34,000 deaths in the United States

October 11-22, 1968: Apollo 7 Mission was the first manned (earth-orbital) mission in the Apollo program to be launched
             1968 Trivia

President: Lyndon B. Johnson
Vice President: Hubert H. Humphrey
US Population: 200,706,052
Life expectancy: 70.2 years
Dow Jones: High 985, Low 825
Federal spending: $178.13 billion
Federal debt: $368.7 billion
Inflation: 4.2%
Unemployment: 3.8%
Cost of a new home: $26,600
Median Household Income: $7,743
Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $0.34
Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.53
Cost of a gallon of milk: $1.07
Cost of a first-class postage stamp: $0.06 (effective 1/7/68)
Some major events from 1969

January 20, 1969: Richard M. Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States

July 21, 1969: The Chappaquiddick Bridge Incident- Senator Ted Kennedy drives his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island off Martha’s Vineyard, killing his young passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne.

August 15, 1969: Man Walks on Moon- Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins fly onboard Apollo 11.

September 23, 1969: Woodstock Music and Art Fair began in Bethel, NY, which attracted more than 400,000 people

November 15, 1969: Moratorium Day- the Vietnam Moratorium Committee staged a protest against the Vietnam War that approximately 500,000 people attended in Washington, DC, along with some politicians and musicians
              1969 Trivia

President: Richard M. Nixon
Vice President: Spiro T. Agnew
US Population: 202,676,946
Life expectancy: 70.5 years
Dow Jones: High 952, Low 769
Federal spending: $183.64 billion
Federal debt: $365.8 billion
Inflation: 5.7%
Unemployment: 3.6%
Cost of a new home: $27,900
Median Household Income: $8,389
Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $0.35
Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.62
Cost of a gallon of milk: $1.10
Cost of a first-class postage stamp: $0.06