40th Anniversary (1968)

40th Anniversary (1968)

Jan. 22: "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"

A fast-paced (for the time) laugh- a-minute hour that revolutionized the sketch/variety show (for the time). Some say presidential candidate Richard Nixon's September cameo ("Sock it to me?") helped give him the edge in his neck-and-neck race with Hubert Humphrey.

March 16: Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay"

This wistful posthumous hit, recorded three days before his death in a December 1967 plane crash, was the soul singer's legacy.

April 6: "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Stanley Kubrick's film would break sci-fi barriers. How sad is it that today when we hear its majestic theme song ("Thus Spake Zarathustra"), we first think of the 70s-era Elvis waddling on stage.

Sept. 24: "The Mod Squad"

TV goes "hip" with this trio of undercover cops, described by ABC, thusly: "one white ... one black ... one blonde."

Nov. 25: "The White Album"

The double LP, officially titled "The Beatles" -- packed with such great songs as "Back in the USSR," "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "Birthday" -- goes on to become the best-selling Fab Four album ever.

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