1961

Year 1961 () was a (link will display full calendar) of the.

As  pointed out on its cover for the March 1961 issue, this was the first "upside-up" year&mdash;i.e., one in which the numerals that form the year look the same as when the numerals are rotated upside down&mdash;since, and the last until 6009.

January

 * - The, used since the , ceases to be in the.
 * President announces that the  has severed diplomatic and consular relations with.
 * At the National Reactor Testing Station near, , an explodes, killing 3 military technicians.
 * At the National Reactor Testing Station near, , an explodes, killing 3 military technicians.


 * - Italian sculptor marches into the U.S. Consulate in, and confesses that he was part of the team that forged the  in the.
 * - Following a 4-day conference in, 5 African chiefs of state announce plans for a -type African organization to ensure common defense. The Charter of Casablanca involves , the , , , and.
 * - In, a supports 's policies in.
 * - authorities announce that they have discovered a large   ring in.
 * President gives his final  to Congress.  In a Farewell Address the same day, he warns of the increasing power of a "".
 * is assassinated.
 * is assassinated.
 * - becomes the 35th.
 * A U.S., with two roughly 2.4 s, crashes near.
 * Musician reportedly makes his way to  after bumming a ride in . Dylan is likely on his way to visit his idol . He later finds fame in the  protest folk music scene.
 * - In  delivers the first live  . In it, he announces that the  has freed the 2 surviving crewmen of a   reconnaissance plane shot down by Soviet flyers over the , 1960. (see RB-47H shot down)
 * - Acting to halt 'leftist excesses,' a composed of 2 army officers and 4 civilians takes over, ousting another junta that had ruled for 3 months.
 * - appoints  to be his physician, the first woman to hold this appointment.
 * - President delivers his first.
 * -, a 37 pound male , is rocketed into space aboard , in a test of the capsule, designed to carry  s into space.
 * -, a 37 pound male , is rocketed into space aboard , in a test of the capsule, designed to carry  s into space.

February

 * - buys grain from  for $60 million.
 * - The Portuguese Colonial War begins in.
 * - - In, President  names Joseph Ileo as the new Prime Minister.
 * - launches  towards.
 * - The government announces that villagers have killed.
 * - : Element 103,, is first synthesized in.
 * - A  crashes near, , killing 73, including the entire   team and several coaches.
 * - The last public operates in, , bringing to an end the Southern Hemisphere's largest tramway network.
 * - is pronounced King of.

March

 * establishes the.
 * becomes self-governing by holding its first general elections.
 * - is crowned King of.
 * Max Conrad circumnavigates the earth in 8 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new world record.
 * The first U.S. s arrive at.
 * Black and white 5 notes cease to be in the.
 * A dam bursts on the in the, killing 145.
 * delegate to the Adlai Stevenson votes against  policies in.
 * withdraws from the.
 * The Union of Peoples of Angola, leaded by Holden Roberto, attacks strategic locations in the north of . These events result in the beginning of the colonial war with.
 * - A takes effect in the.
 * - Nous les amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal (music by Jacques Datin, text by Maurice Vidalin) wins the for.
 * - The is ratified, allowing residents of  to vote in  elections.
 * - The is signed at.
 * - A takes effect in the.
 * - Nous les amoureux by Jean-Claude Pascal (music by Jacques Datin, text by Maurice Vidalin) wins the for.
 * - The is ratified, allowing residents of  to vote in  elections.
 * - The is signed at.

April

 * - The New Guinea Council of Western Papua is installed.
 * - The trial of begins in.
 * :, a Soviet , becomes the first human in space.
 * Albert Kalonji takes the title Emperor Albert I Kalonji of.
 * - : fail in a attempt against.
 * - The of  begins; it fails by.
 * - sends to  the first military reinforcement.
 * - announces that the  has been defeated.
 * - : Four French generals who oppose 's policies in fail in a  attempt.
 * - performs in a legendary comeback concert at  in.
 * - is removed from the water after being sunk 333 years earlier.
 * - is removed from the water after being sunk 333 years earlier.

May


- become the first team in the 20th century to win the league and cup double.
 * - French phenomenological philosopher dies, age 53, of a, apparently while preparing for a class on.
 * - : 13 black and white students with the (CORE) leave Washington DC on 2 buses, to test integration laws in bus stations throughout the deep South.
 * - : becomes the first American in space aboard.
 * - Briton is sentenced to 42 years imprisonment for spying.
 * - : A bus is fire-bombed near  and the  protestors are beaten by an.
 * - A military coup in -  takes over.
 * - : becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing  (however, the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
 * - : Governor  declares  in an attempt to restore order after s break out.
 * - : are arrested in  for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
 * - : announces before a special joint session of Congress his goal to put a man on the  before the end of the decade.
 * -, Prime Minister of , holds a press conference in , announcing his idea to form the Federation of , comprising , , , and North Borneo.
 * - 's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" is published in several internationally read s. This will later be thought of as the founding of the organization.
 * -, totalitarian despot of the since 1930, is killed in an ambush, putting an end to the second longest-running dictatorship in n history.
 * In, rebel generals Maurice Challe and Andre Zelelr are sentenced to 15 years in prison.
 * officially leaves the.
 * President and  meet in.
 * President and  meet in.

June

 * - and  meet during 2 days in . They discuss nuclear tests,  and.
 * - Actor was born
 * - A -to- train derails near ; 24 are killed, 109 injured.
 * - The of Canada is founded with the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress.
 * - The British ends in  and it becames an.
 * - Russian ballet dancer requests asylum in  while in Paris with the.
 * - is released for lack of evidence of connection to the murder of.
 * U.S. philanthropist is found dead at the base of a San Francisco skyscraper.
 * i president announces he is going to annex.
 * - Kuwait requests British help; the sends in troops.
 * - Kuwait requests British help; the sends in troops.

July

 * - commits suicide by gunshot in.
 * - The submarine  reactor leak occurs in the North.
 * - The first Israeli rocket,, is launched.
 * - A mine explosion in leaves 108 dead.
 * - :, piloting the capsule , becomes the second  to go into space (sub-orbital).   Upon splashdown, the hatch prematurely opens, and the capsule sinks (it will be recovered in ).
 * At in, the first  tie in major league  history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning due to rain.  It will be the only tie (until ) in MLB All-Star Game history.
 * Ireland submits the first ever application to join the then.
 * Ireland submits the first ever application to join the then.

August

 * - The theme park officially opens to the public.
 * - Britain applies for membership in the.
 * - Construction of the begins. Movement between  and  remains restricted for the next 28 years, until,.
 * - is released from prison in.

September

 * - During the on the, the German driver  in a  crashes into a stand killing 14 spectators and himself.
 * - The new military government of sentences 15 members of the previous government to death.
 * - Military rulers in hang former president.
 * - -  dies in an air crash en route to,.
 * - The first is reported.
 * - In, slips an anti- message into TV programming.
 * - The old in the  neighborhood of  is returned to its newly rebuilt house as the.
 * - A in,  effectively ends the , the union between  and.

October

 * - Baseball player of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run in the last game of the season, against the Boston Red Sox, beating the 34-year-old record held by Babe Ruth.
 * - Digital photography invented by Eugene F. Lally presented in a technical paper at the American Rocket Society's Space Flight Report to the Nation in.
 * - A volcanic eruption on causes the whole population to be evacuated.
 * - The is abolished in.
 * - : French police attack in about 30,000 protesting a curfew applied solely to ns. The official death toll is 3, but human rights groups claim 240 dead.
 * - The takes over protecting ; the last British troops leave.
 * - The first edition of , the British satirical magazine, is published.
 * An begins in,.
 * and join the.
 * A standoff between and  tanks in,  heightens  tensions.
 * -, the Philippines' third TV station, is launched.
 * - : The detonates a 58 megaton yield  known as  over . It remains the largest ever (man-made) explosion.
 * devastates, killing over 270. After the , the capital moves to the inland city of.
 * 's body is removed from the Lenin Mausoleum.
 * devastates, killing over 270. After the , the capital moves to the inland city of.
 * 's body is removed from the Lenin Mausoleum.

November

 * November - The #1 debuts, launching the  and revolutionizing the  industry.
 * - The Interstate Commerce Commission's federal order banning segregation at all interstate public facilities officially comes into effect.
 * - Kean opens at Broadway Theater New York City for 92 performances.
 * - The unanimously elects  acting Secretary General.
 * - The U.S. government issues a stamp honoring the 100th birthday of.
 * - records a world record speed in a rocket plane of 6,587km/h flying a.
 * -  is first published by Joseph Heller.
 * Congolese soldiers murder 13 Italian pilots.
 * Stalingrad is renamed.
 * - U.S. President sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.
 * - The funeral of longtime House Speaker is held in . Two former Presidents  and one future one  join  in paying their respects.
 * - The vetoes 's application for  membership.
 * - The vetoes 's application for  membership.

December

 * - raises the new Morning Star flag and changes its name to.
 * - : In a nationally broadcast speech, n leader declares he is a -, and that Cuba will adopt.
 * - U.S. President gives support to the  project in.
 * gains independence and declares itself a republic, with as its first President.
 * The n government of is re-elected for a sixth term.
 * The severs  with.
 * Melvin Calvin is awarded the Nobel Prize for the process of photosynthesis.
 * The officially begins, as the first American helicopters arrive in Saigon along with 400 U.S. personnel.
 * is pronounced guilty of crimes against humanity by a panel of 3 i judges.
 * - An Israeli war crimes tribunal sentences to die for his part in the Jewish.
 * occupies.
 * tent fire in, kills 323.
 * - occupies  colonies of,  and
 * is officially ceded to after 400 years of Portuguese rule.
 * announces that he will take by force if necessary.
 * - In, Katangan prime minister recognizes the Congolese constitution.
 * - 's, the , is set on by Grand Ducal decree.
 * - Congolese troops capture Albert Kalonji of (who soon escapes).
 * The expires, after having distributed more than $12 billion in  to rebuild.
 * Ireland's first national television station, Telefís Éireann (later ), begins broadcasting.
 * - In, Katangan prime minister recognizes the Congolese constitution.
 * - 's, the , is set on by Grand Ducal decree.
 * - Congolese troops capture Albert Kalonji of (who soon escapes).
 * The expires, after having distributed more than $12 billion in  to rebuild.
 * Ireland's first national television station, Telefís Éireann (later ), begins broadcasting.
 * Ireland's first national television station, Telefís Éireann (later ), begins broadcasting.

Undated

 * "Barbie" gets a boyfriend when the "Ken" doll is introduced.

World population

 * 3,021,475,000 (at the end of 1961)
 * 277,398,000
 * 1,701,336,000
 * 604,401,000
 * 218,300,000
 * 204,152,000
 * 15,888,000

January-February

 * -, British actor
 * , American actress
 * , American film director
 * -, American singer-songwriter
 * -, American athlete
 * -, American actress
 * -, British singer
 * -, Georgian chess player
 * -, Canadian hockey player
 * -, German-born actress
 * -, Canadian hockey player ("The Great One")
 * -, son of
 * -, British singer and songwriter
 * -, German field hockey player
 * , Canadian CEO and
 * , Australian author and TV presenter
 * -, American singer
 * , baseball player and commentator
 * , Finnish musician and actor
 * -, American political consultant and commentator
 * , American speed skater
 * , American actress
 * , American musician
 * , American actor
 * -, British musician
 * -, Japanese guitarist
 * -, American race car driver (d. )
 * , American musician
 * , American actor
 * -, British musician
 * -, Japanese guitarist
 * -, American race car driver (d. )

March-April

 * March -, American businessperson
 * , American boxer
 * , American actor
 * , South African golfer
 * -, American actress
 * , American hockey player
 * , astronaut (d. )
 * , American gymnast
 * , American football coach
 * -, radio producer
 * -, Australian player
 * -, Palestine-born Finnish writer and politician
 * -, German footballer
 * -, Indonesian television newscaster
 * , English rugby league player and coach
 * , Japanese guitarist
 * , American actress, comedian and writer
 * , Puerto Rican pianist
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor and comedian
 * -, American actress
 * -, Canadian actor and singer
 * -, Australian musician
 * -, basketball coach
 * -, English actress
 * , American baseball player
 * , Russian actor
 * -, American actor and comedian
 * -, American radio personality (The Show)
 * -, Italian porn actress (d. )
 * -, Japanese seiyuu
 * -, American basketball player, coach, and team owner
 * -, American actor and comedian
 * -, American radio personality (The Show)
 * -, Italian porn actress (d. )
 * -, Japanese seiyuu
 * -, American basketball player, coach, and team owner

May-June

 * -, English player
 * -, American actor
 * -, American conductor and pianist
 * -, British actress
 * -, English guitarist
 * -, American basketball player and actor
 * -, English actor
 * - (Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin), Irish musician
 * -, American actress
 * -, American musician
 * , Canadian ice hockey player
 * , Australian footballer and politician
 * , American actress
 * -, Canadian hockey player
 * -, American musician
 * -, Professor and Free Culture activist
 * , American musician and singer (d. )
 * , member of Scottish Parliament
 * -, Chilean-born musician
 * -, Canadian actor
 * - and, American musicians
 * - "" O'Dowd, British musician and producer
 * , German bass guitarist
 * , Northern Irish boxer
 * -, Venezuelan player
 * -, British field hockey player
 * , Serbian comic artist
 * , American novelist
 * -, English comedian
 * -, American cyclist
 * -, British-Indian comedian and actress
 * - American guitarist for Bad Religion and Circle Jerks, among others.
 * -, English comedian
 * -, American cyclist
 * -, British-Indian comedian and actress
 * - American guitarist for Bad Religion and Circle Jerks, among others.

July-August

 * , astronaut (d. )
 * (d. )
 * , American athlete
 * -, Hong Kong singer and actor
 * -, American singer (d. )
 * -, American actor
 * -, Soviet gymnast
 * -, Belgian film director
 * -, English musician and songwriter
 * -, Japanese pianist and composer
 * -, American actor
 * -, English politician
 * , US Senator, author
 * , American actress
 * -, American actor
 * , English TV presenter, comedian, singer & actor
 * , Soviet gymnast
 * , American football player
 * (David Howell Evans), Irish guitarist
 * -, American actress
 * -, American television journalist
 * -, animation writer and artist
 * -, Drummer for The Bangles
 * -, American singer and actor
 * -, German field hockey player
 * -, animation writer and artist
 * -, Drummer for The Bangles
 * -, American singer and actor
 * -, German field hockey player

September-October

 * , American football player
 * , Colombian footballer
 * , Norwegian guitarist
 * , American drummer
 * , American actress
 * , American actress
 * -, Canadian singer and songwriter
 * -, former guitarist, frontman of
 * , American football player
 * , Chechen human-rights lawyer
 * -, American actor
 * , American actor
 * , American actress, comedian, writer, director and television producer.
 * , British actress
 * -, US Army Commander and astronaut (d. )
 * -, American actress
 * -, son of
 * -, Hong Kong actor and singer
 * -, Hong Kong singer and actress
 * -, Chinese student (d. )
 * -, American journalist and winner
 * , American football player
 * , Egyptian singer
 * -, American actor
 * , American trumpeter and composer
 * , American writer
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, American musician
 * , American runner
 * , New Zealand film director
 * , Irish drummer
 * , American writer
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, American musician
 * , American runner
 * , New Zealand film director
 * , Irish drummer
 * , Irish drummer

November-December

 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Canadian singer and songwriter
 * , American composer
 * , American composer
 * , American actor
 * , Northern Irish footballer and football manager
 * -, American actress (d. )
 * -, American guitarist,
 * -, Lithuanian writer (d. )
 * -, Australian educator
 * -, Australian stage performer
 * -, American actress
 * -, English footballer
 * , American actress
 * , American computer programmer
 * -, Brazilian guitarist
 * -, American football player
 * -, American author, political commentator and attorney
 * , British actress
 * , Irish singer
 * -, Austrian journalist and politician
 * -, American comedian (d. )
 * , British actor
 * , American physicist, laureate
 * , American football player (d. )
 * -, Hong Kong actor
 * -, Colombian senator
 * -, Northern Irish actor
 * -, Scottish musician
 * , Canadian author
 * , American talk radio host and conservative commentator
 * , Canadian athlete
 * -, Scottish musician
 * , Canadian author
 * , American talk radio host and conservative commentator
 * , Canadian athlete
 * , Canadian athlete

January - June

 * -, Austrian physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American writer and pacifist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, Swiss writer (b. )
 * -, American swimmer and inventor (b. )
 * -, English cricketer (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, Australian composer (b. )
 * -, American jazz musician (b. )
 * - King (b. )
 * -, Austrian-born pianist (b. )
 * -, British singer, comedian & actor (b. )
 * Sir, English conductor (b. )
 * , Romanian writer (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (b. )
 * -, Belgian immunologist and microbiologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, English artist and interior designer (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, Romanian poet and philosopher (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Canadian politician (b. )
 * -, dictator of the Dominican Republic (b. )
 * -, Canadian politician (b. )
 * -, American playwright (b. )
 * -, Swiss psychiatrist (b. )
 * -, Swiss physician (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American inventor (b. )
 * -, American inventor (b. )

July - December

 * -, French writer (b. )
 * -, American writer, laureate (b. )
 * -, Mayor of Dallas, Texas (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, Beijing opera star (b. )
 * -, American physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Turkish prime minister (executed) (b. )
 * -, Swedish , recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -,  and writer,  of   in North America (b. )
 * -, American comedian (b. )
 * -, Maltese writer (b. )
 * -, English political activist (b. )
 * -, Russian-born filmmaker (b. )
 * -, American evangelist (b. )
 * -, American humorist (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * , American dramatist (b. )
 * , eleventh (b. )
 * -, German-born pharmacologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, German-born pharmacologist, recipient of the (b. )

Nobel prizes

 * - - awarded posthumously
 * - - awarded posthumously
 * - - awarded posthumously
 * - - awarded posthumously
 * - - awarded posthumously