LEFT: 1965: The unveiling of the statue of Paul Bogle, erected in front of the Morant Bay Courthouse. In this year, the 100th anniversary of the Morant Bay uprising was also celebrated.
RIGHT: England's Bill Adcocks, second-place winner in the Common-wealth Games marathon, (in foreground) completing his final run around the track at the National Stadium. The 26-mile, 385-yard race was won by Jim Alder of Scotland after a duel with Adcocks. Alder lost the lead temporarily on entering the stadium but recovered ground to win in 2 hours 22 mins. 7.6 secs.

Starting July 6 and every day until August 6, The Gleaner will look back at significant milestones that have helped to shape the nation. Don't miss this nostalgic journey.

1965-1966: Leaders of the world visited and they fell in love

Leaders of the world visited Jamaica during 1965 and 1966 and fell in love with the people and the country. Each left imprints and cast memorials in the collective memory of Jamaicans.

In 1965, was Martin Luther King, Jr. His visit on this occasion was to deliver the valedictory address for graduating students of the University of the West Indies. Here he said: "If it falls to our luck to be street sweepers, sweep the streets like Raphael painted pictures, like Michaelangelo carved marble, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, and like Beethoven composed music. Sweep the streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth would have to pause and say: 'Here lived a great street sweeper.'"

King's visit was followed by Canadian Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by her husband, HRH Prince Phillip, came for a four-day visit and officially opened the 1966/67 Session of the Jamaican Parliament.

Mother of all visits

The "mother of all visits", however, was that of Ethiopia's emperor, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie. Thousands of Rastafarians and members of Jamaican-African associations and organisations swarmed the tarmac of the Palisadoes International Airport, the National Stadium and the University of the West Indies to see him. The occasion evoked an unprecedented outpouring of love and devotion.

Finally, in 1967, there was the visit of Zambia's President, H.E. Kenneth Kaunda and Mrs. Kaunda.