Bomb Scare (Jan. 17): A U.S. B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 refueling plane over Almeria, Spain. Eight crew members die, and an H-bomb dislodges and falls into the Mediterranean Sea, panicking Spaniards who fear a radiation leak. Finally, on April 7, the Navy locates the H-bomb. Except for a few nicks, the 21-foot, 13-ton bomb is intact.

	Gandhi in 1969

Political Legacy (Jan. 19): Indira Gandhi, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, who was India's first prime minister after independence, is elected prime minister after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Moon Probe (Feb. 3): The Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft lands on the moon. The first soft landing -- as opposed to a crash landing -- paves the way for manned moon landings.

NATO Dissent (March): French President Charles de Gaulle announces that his nation plans to pull out of the NATO military command structure. French troops will no longer take orders from non-French commanders, and all foreign NATO forces stationed in France must leave. NATO headquarters is forced to move from Paris to Brussels.

Golf Master (April 11): Jack Nicklaus becomes the first golfer to win consecutive Masters tournaments.

From the Sidelines (April 18): Bill Russell becomes the first black coach in professional sports, taking charge of the Boston Celtics. He also will continue to play for the team.

Women's Rights (June 30): The National Organization for Women, which will become the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States, is formed by women attending the Third National Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women.

	Willie Mays

Amazing Mays (Aug. 17): Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants belts his 535th career home run, passing Jimmy Foxx for the most home runs by a right-handed hitter.

Final Frontier (Sept. 9): A new television program boldly goes where no TV show has ever gone before. "Star Trek" premieres on NBC. The hourlong sci-fi show follows the exploits of Capt. James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise on their five-year mission to seek out strange new worlds. The series will last only three years but creates legions of loyal followers and becomes a cult classic.