For most people, the year 1969 will forever remain in the shadow of the previous one. But a hundred thousand of those for whom this year was absolutely essential live here with us. It was the year when they opened their eyes to this world for the first time.

It's a strange year. No one knows what to expect. People are shy and cautious. The burning of Jan Palach will wake the nation from its lethargy for a while, but really only for a while. In April, Gustáv Husák replaces Alexander Dubček as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Czech Republic, and the period of normalization begins.

Certain "normalization" also awaits the countries to the west of us - the festival in Woodstock is indeed spectacular, but the hippie movement is slowly leaving the stage of history and a generation of young pragmatic managers is taking over. However, people are still looking up at the stars - after all, 1969 is the year when a human foot stepped on the surface of the moon for the first time. This is the moment when the whole world shuts down for a short moment and realizes that humanity is one unit that has just achieved something incredible...

As always, however, beneath the surface of world and local history flows the stream of everyday life with its joys, worries and small curiosities.

In Prague, people are upset about falling ledges and price increases at the barber shop. Scientists are starting to implement a project of a regular winter census of bats, and the hop harvest is extraordinary.

Mladoboleslavská Škodovka begins production of the Škoda 100, the movie Světáci opens in cinemas and Czechoslovakia defeats the Soviet Union twice at the World Hockey Championship in Stockholm.

So let's dive into 1969 - the last wave of the sweet idealistic "sixties".