What's so great about 1968?

But, as so often, it seems that Auntie does know best.

What I hadn't taken on board was quite how much had happened in one momentous year. I guess that it was too modern a period of modern history to study at school, but I can't help thinking that it would have helped me to understand the 1970s and 80s which, at times, seemed the most bewildering times.

So, what made 1968 so extraordinary? Well, a year in which Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated; student protests around the world coincided with riots in Paris, the Prague Spring uprising and massive protests about the Vietnam war; the 'Rivers of Blood' speech from Enoch Powell came at the same time as a wave of Indian and Pakistani immigrants arrived here, having been forced out of Kenya; and, closer to home, the birth of civil rights movements in Northern Ireland and the Derry March.

And then there was the birth of Rolling Stone Magazine, The Beatle's White album, Johnny Cash's epic performance at Folsom prison. The top five selling singles of the year - Hey Jude, (What a) Wonderful World, Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay, Jumpin' Jack Flash, and Lady Madonna - still stand the test of time today.

1968 must have been an incredible year for those living through it. I didn't, so my interest can only be in terms of social history. But it did get me thinking: what would be my equivalent year?

Would it be 1997, with a change of UK Government, the appointment of the first female Secretary of State in US history, the UK winning Eurovision, the 'yes' vote for the Scottish Parliament, the adoption of the Kyoto protocol and the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, Mother Teresa and Sir Georg Solti within one week? Big things in my life but are they really on the same scale?

Or perhaps 2001, a year which was meant to be about space odysseys, but instead saw George W Bush being sworn in as US President, the foundation of Wikipedia, the Gujarat earthquake, foot-and-mouth, anti-globalisation protests in Genoa, and of course September 11th.

Monumental though both of those years were, I get the feeling that my 1968 is still to come. What about you?