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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for January 30, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
January 30, 2018: On January 30, 1968, North Vietnamese troops launched attacks on 13 cities in central South Vietnam. A day later, they expanded the assault and even attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon.[1]
The political impact was so staggering that just two months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not run for re-election. These events were just the beginning of a tumultuous year that saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, battles between protesters and police at the Democratic National Convention, and a race-driven third party presidential campaign by Alabama Governor George Wallace that won 46 Electoral College votes in five Southern states.
At the other extreme, 1968 was to produce an amazing milestone for the human race. For the first time ever, men orbited the moon.
Ironically, the Tet Offensive failed in its primary purpose. The North Vietnamese forces hoped to create a rebellion in South Vietnam. While that objective was not achieved, the Tet Offensive had a major impact on U.S. perceptions of the war.
Prior to these unexpected attacks, military leaders had been predicting that victory was close. After the offensive, President Johnson announced he would halt bombing in most of North Vietnam and called for peace talks. From that moment on, the U.S. focused on how to get out of the war rather than on how to win it.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- January 29, 2018 – 39 percent of Americans have strong religious affiliation, little changed since 1980s
- January 26, 2018 – 22,169 dollars: average state and local taxes paid by New Yorkers who itemize their deductions
- January 25, 2018 – 6.5 percent of private sector workers belong to a labor union
- January 24, 2018 – 780 Americans attending Davos World Economic Forum
- January 23, 2018 – 57 percent of Americans follow national news very closely
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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