News in Prague’s Press (Portal of Prague)

Starting this month, in our series dedicated to the year 1968 we will also bring a short selection of news published by the press of that time. This will illustrate that people at that time were not only immersed in politics. Their worries were similar to those that we have nowadays, even though they lived in different times and in a completely different context.

It might seem strange, but there is one simple fact which affects human actions every time and everywhere. It is the weather. What was the weather like forty years ago? The beginning of March was freezing again with some snow, however, around 19th March, temperatures climbed up to 20 degrees centigrade. Fieldwork begins announced the media of that time. What else did the media announce?

Interesting facts – March 1968

2nd March – The first Czechoslovakian transmitter for a coloured TV was finished in Tesla Hloubetin. Its installation on Petrin View Tower was, however, postponed due to the fact that the necessary extension had not been built yet.

11th March – An explosion and a fire occurred in the national enterprise Technoplyn in Prague 9 in the area of the storage station. Three employees were injured.

- Professional world champions in social dancing, husband and wife Bill and Bobbie Irvin from London showed their skills on the dance floor of Smetana’s Hall in Prague on the occasion of the Central European Cup in dancing.

- The motor show in the Spring Fair in Lipsko presented a turistic version of Wartburg, Motokov presented vehicles Skoda 1100 MB, Tatra 203 and new Jawa 90

12th March – writer Eduard Petiska gave autographs on his books Soudce Knorr and Ovidiova Rodina and together with illustrator Karel Teissig they signed a children’s book called Pribehy. This event took place in the Bookshop of Cs. Spisovatele (Czech Writer’s Bookshop) in Narodni Trida.

16th March – in the National Theatre in Brno, Libuse Geprtova shone in the play Carokrasna Pani Sevcova, which by the way became the most popular production of South Moravian Garrison.

- The World Teachers‘ Union dealt with the thought that textbooks on history and geography should be unified all over the world, so that distorted interpretation of different events did not happen

23rd March – president Antonin Novotny resigned

- A preparatory committee of Automotoklub CR was established

27th March – the world’s first cosmonaut Jurij Gagarin died during his training flight together with his instructor S.Seriogin.

30th. and 31st March – Prague’s Iron Saturday took place (disposal of scrap iron)

And what was the programme of the Czechoslovakian television at that time? We chose one typical Saturday TV programme, as Saturdays are meant to be the most relaxing days.

TV programme, Saturday 23rd March

8.55 Sondy

9.35 Pán z Černé věže

10.00 Pokoj ve tvaru L

14.55 Slovan Bratislava-Baník Ostrava (football)

17.00 Světozor

18.00 Vlaštovka

19.45 Volání divočiny

20.00 První album Chuchlaphonu (for lovers of horse-racing)

20.30 Prsten (German detective film)

21.30 Zabijačka (microcomedy)

22.10 Uvidíte na obrazovce

22. Jarní televizní pouť