Jamaica 1966

Arielle Brown

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

1. In 1966, Jamaica’s first National Health Service was launched. Jamaica became one of the first countries in the world to have a national health system.

2. Rock Steady is invented; it follows Ska, and came two years before the introduction of Reggae.

3. The eighth British Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica. The programme was comprised of nine sports: badminton, athletics, shooting, fencing, swimming and diving, cycling, boxing, wrestling and weightlifting.

4. Emperor Haile Selassie visited Jamaica on Thursday, April 21, 1966. Thousands of Rastafarians made their way to the Norman Manley International Airport. This day is called Grounation Day.

5. On May 1, Air Jamaica took the first flight from Jamaica to Miami.

6. In March, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamaica. She was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the four-day trip.

7. The National Stadium was opened by acting Prime Minister Donald Sangster on July 30.

8. On Sunday, October 2, a State of Emergency for Western Kingston was declared at midnight. The State of Emergency was called by Roy McNeill, the then Minister of Home Affairs.

9. The President of Zambia arrived in Jamaica for a three-day visit on November 20. Upon arrival, he was given the keys to the city of Kingston.

10. An £8 million development programme, announced on the December 13 by the Jamaican Government, was to aid the nation’s education by funding junior secondary schools, facilities for teacher-training, the Jamaica School of Agriculture, and the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST), now the University of Technology.