1961

Events in 1961 74

• 1860 – 1961 Grandma Moses (1860-1961) Died 13 December 1961, aged 101 American folk artist Anna Mary Robertson Moses, who began painting in her seventies and became internationally celebrated for her nostalgic depictions of rural American life. Her work brought self-taught folk art into mainstream popularity.
• 1872 – 1961 Learned Hand (1872-1961) Died 18 August 1961, aged 89 American judge who served on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and is widely regarded as one of the most influential jurists never to sit on the Supreme Court. His opinions on free speech and statutory interpretation remain frequently cited.
• 1875 – 1961 Carl Jung Analytical Psychology Psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology; famous for the concepts of archetypes and the collective unconscious.
• 1875 – 1961 Robert Frost American poet Frost wrote poetry about rural life and human decision-making, becoming one of Americas most celebrated poets.
• 1877 – 1961 Charles Coburn (1877-1961) American stage actor who became one of Hollywood's favourite character actors in his sixties, winning an Oscar for The More the Merrier.
• 1886 – 1961 Ty Cobb (1886-1961) Died 17 July 1961, aged 74 American baseball player widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in the sport's history, spending most of his career with the Detroit Tigers. He held the career batting average record and was among the first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1887 – 1961 Chico Marx (1887-1961) Died 11 October 1961, aged 74 American comedian and actor, the eldest of the Marx Brothers, known for his piano playing and Italian-accented comic character in the group's films. He appeared in classics including Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera.
• 1888 – 1961 Barry Fitzgerald (1888-1961) Irish actor from Dublin's Abbey Theatre who won an Oscar for Going My Way.
• 1894 – 1961 Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) Died 10 January 1961, aged 66 American writer of hardboiled detective fiction, author of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. He was jailed in 1951 for refusing to testify before a grand jury about his political associations and died of lung cancer in New York.
• 1894 – 1961 James Thurber (1894-1961) Died 2 November 1961, aged 66 American writer and cartoonist best known for his work in The New Yorker, including the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." His humorous prose and drawings made him one of the leading American humorists of his era.
• 1895 – 1961 Zog I of Albania (1895-1961) Died 9 April 1961, aged 65 Self-proclaimed King of Albania from 1928 until Italy's invasion forced him into exile in 1939. He spent his remaining years in exile in England and France, never returning to Albania.
• 1897 – 1961 Marion Davies (1897-1961) American actress and comedian, a star of silent film and the companion of William Randolph Hearst.
• 1899 – 1961 Ernest Hemingway American novelist Hemingway developed a spare writing style focusing on courage, loss, and human endurance.
• 1901 – 1961 Gary Cooper (1901-1961) Died 13 May 1961, aged 60 American film actor known for roles in High Noon and Sergeant York, and a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actor. He died of cancer shortly after receiving an honorary Oscar for his career.
• 1904 – 1961 George Formby (1904-1961) Died 6 March 1961, aged 56 English singer, comedian, and ukulele player, one of the most popular entertainers in Britain during the 1930s and 1940s. He was known for songs such as "Leaning on a Lamp Post" and his cheerful working-class comic persona.
• 1904 – 1961 Moss Hart (1904-1961) Died 20 December 1961, aged 57 American playwright and director known for collaborations with George S. Kaufman, including You Can't Take It with You, and for directing the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1937.
• 1905 – 1961 Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) Died 18 September 1961, aged 56 Swedish diplomat and second Secretary-General of the United Nations, credited with expanding the organization's role in international crises. He died when his plane crashed in Northern Rhodesia while traveling to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo Crisis.
• 1905 – 1961 Anna May Wong (1905-1961) American actress, the first Chinese American film star, who fought against Hollywood's stereotypes of Asians.
• 1925 – 1961 Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) Died 6 December 1961, aged 36 Martinique-born psychiatrist and philosopher whose writings, including The Wretched of the Earth, became foundational texts of anti-colonial and postcolonial thought. He was an active supporter of the Algerian independence movement and died of leukemia shortly before his best-known book was published.
• 1925 – 1961 Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961) Died 17 January 1961, aged 35 First democratically elected Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ousted in a coup months after independence. He was captured, tortured, and executed by firing squad in Katanga with the involvement of Belgian and Congolese rival factions.
• 1953 – 1961 Richard Nixon becomes vice president Under Eisenhower, 1953-1961 He stood in three times while Eisenhower was ill, and turned a ceremonial job into a platform.
• 1956 – 1961 The Treason Trial begins 156 arrested, Mandela among them It ran for four and a half years and ended in acquittal for every defendant.
• 1960 – 1961 Botvinnik loses and regains title vs Tal Defeats the Magician from Riga Mikhail Tal defeated Botvinnik in 1960, but Botvinnik reclaimed the title in the 1961 rematch with a dominant performance, exploiting Tal's health problems.
• 1961 "Kon-Tiki" reaches #1 "Kon-Tiki" became their second UK number one — named after Thor Heyerdahl's famous Pacific raft voyage.
• 1961 "Man of Mystery" / "F.B.I." Released the double-sided hit "Man of Mystery" / "F.B.I.", continuing their run of distinctive instrumental hits featuring Marvin's twangy Stratocaster tone.
• 1961 "The Pepsi Generation" campaign Targets the Baby Boom generation — 1961 In 1961 Pepsi launched its "Pepsi Generation" advertising campaign, the first major soft drink campaign to explicitly target a generation of young consumers. The campaign defined Pepsi as the drink of youth and modernity — a positioning that would define the brand for decades and fuel the Cola Wars with Coca-Cola.
• 1961 "The Young Ones" film With Cliff Richard Appeared in the 1961 musical film "The Young Ones" alongside Cliff Richard, contributing a handful of songs to the soundtrack — their first major film role.
• 1961 Eon Productions acquires Bond film rights Producers Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman form Eon Productions and acquire the rights to the Bond novels from Ian Fleming for approximately $50,000. The partnership launches the most financially successful film franchise in cinema history.
• 1961 Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers released Columbia LP An LP that inspires Clapton, Keith Richards and Dylan.
• 1961 – 1966 Songwriting development through film soundtracks Their film work with Cliff Richard — "The Young Ones" (1961), "Summer Holiday" (1963), "Finders Keepers" (1966) — progressively developed the band's songwriting credentials, moving from a handful of contributed songs to writing entire soundtracks.
• 1961 – 2024 Toby Keith (1961-2024) Died 5 February 2024, aged 62 American country singer whose hits included Should've Been a Cowboy and Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.
• 1961 Willie Nelson writes Crazy for Patsy Cline Most played jukebox song Becomes the most played jukebox song of all time.
• 1961 Carole King's Will You Love Me Tomorrow tops the charts The Shirelles The first number one by a Black girl group.
• 1961 Eisenhower's farewell address Warns of the "military-industrial complex" In his final address as president, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the growing political influence of the arms industry and permanent military establishment. The speech is remembered as a prescient statement on the risks of unchecked defense spending.
• 1961 – 1963 Kennedy presidency 35th President — assassinated 1963 John F. Kennedy served as the 35th President from January 20, 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. He managed the Cuban Missile Crisis, established the Peace Corps and committed the US to landing on the Moon.
• 1961 Ham the chimpanzee spaceflight First hominid launched into space NASA launched the chimpanzee Ham aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket on a suborbital flight to test the capsule and life-support systems before human missions. Ham operated levers during flight and survived splashdown, paving the way for Alan Shepard's flight months later.
• 1961 Angolan War of Independence begins Uprising against Portuguese colonial rule Nationalist militants attacked prisons and plantations in Luanda, opening a thirteen-year armed struggle against Portuguese rule in Angola. The conflict became one of the longest wars of decolonization in Africa, ending only in 1974.
• 1961 John Coltrane releases My Favorite Things Soprano saxophone A Sound of Music song turned into a modal jazz hit.
• 1961 Peace Corps established Kennedy creates volunteer service program President Kennedy signed an executive order creating the Peace Corps to send American volunteers abroad for humanitarian and development work. It became a lasting symbol of Cold War-era soft power and youth engagement in foreign aid.
• 1961 Gagarin in space First human orbit Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes aboard Vostok 1.
• 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion Failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba A brigade of Cuban exiles trained and financed by the CIA landed at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. Cuban forces defeated the invasion within three days, embarrassing the Kennedy administration and pushing Cuba closer to the Soviet Union.
• 1961 Algiers putsch French generals attempt coup over Algerian independence talks Four retired French generals led a failed military coup in Algiers to prevent President de Gaulle from negotiating Algerian independence. The putsch collapsed within days after conscript soldiers refused to back it, weakening the pro-French Algeria movement.
• 1961 Sierra Leone independence Ends British colonial rule Sierra Leone gained independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a self-governing dominion within the Commonwealth. Milton Margai became the country's first Prime Minister.
• 1961 – present Isiah Thomas Zeke Leader of the Detroit "Bad Boys" Pistons; 2-time NBA champion.
• 1961 – present Luis Herrera Lucho The first great Colombian climber to win a Grand Tour (1987 Vuelta).
• 1961 Freedom Rides begin Civil rights activists test desegregation of interstate buses Groups of Black and white activists rode interstate buses into the segregated American South to challenge non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings banning segregated bus terminals. Riders faced mob violence, including a firebombed bus near Anniston, Alabama, drawing national attention to the civil rights movement.
• 1961 Alan Shepard becomes first American in space Freedom 7 suborbital flight Alan Shepard piloted the Mercury capsule Freedom 7 on a fifteen-minute suborbital flight, becoming the first American to travel into space. The flight came weeks after Yuri Gagarin's orbital mission and intensified the space race.
• 1961 Amnesty International founded Launched to campaign for prisoners of conscience British lawyer Peter Benenson founded Amnesty International after publishing an appeal, "The Forgotten Prisoners," calling for the release of people imprisoned for their beliefs. The organization grew into one of the world's leading human rights campaign groups.
• 1961 South Africa becomes a republic Leaves the Commonwealth South Africa left the British Commonwealth and became a republic following a whites-only referendum held under Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd. The move deepened the country's international isolation over apartheid policy.
• 1961 – 2023 Yevgeny Prigozhin (1961-2023) Died 23 August 2023, aged 62 Russian businessman who founded the Wagner Group and led an armed mutiny against the Russian military. He died in a plane crash two months later.
• 1961 Vienna Summit Kennedy and Khrushchev meet over Berlin and Cold War tensions President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev held a tense two-day summit in Vienna focused on Berlin, nuclear arms, and Cold War rivalry. Kennedy later described the meeting as one of his toughest encounters, and it preceded the building of the Berlin Wall weeks later.
• 1961 Kuwait independence Ends British protectorate status Kuwait gained full independence from the United Kingdom, ending decades as a British protectorate. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the country's ruler, and Kuwait soon joined the Arab League and United Nations.
• 1961 – present Manu Chao Franco-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao (born 1961, Paris) — full name José Manuel Arturo Tomás Chao Ortega — is a Franco-Spanish singer-songwriter who blends punk, reggae, ska, salsa, flamenco and Arab music with fiercely political lyrics in up to seven languages. He rose to fame with Mano Negra (1987-1994) before a hugely successful solo career with albums including Clandestino (1998) and Próxima Estación: Esperanza (2001).
• 1961 – present Greg LeMond The American Pioneer First non-European to win the Tour; famously won the 1989 edition by 8 seconds. Winner: 3x Tour de France.
• 1961 – 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales The People’s Princess Global icon known for her humanitarian work and royal fame.
• 1961 Patsy Cline tops the country charts with I Fall to Pieces Owen Bradley Her first country number one.
• 1961 – present Barack Obama 44th President — first African American president Barack Obama (born Aug 4, 1961) was the 44th President 2009-2017, the first African American president. He passed the Affordable Care Act, oversaw the killing of Osama bin Laden, and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1961 Construction of the Berlin Wall begins East Germany seals the border between East and West Berlin East German authorities began erecting a barbed-wire and concrete barrier dividing East and West Berlin to halt the mass exodus of citizens to the West. The wall became the defining physical symbol of the Cold War division of Europe for the next twenty-eight years.
• 1961 Alliance for Progress launched US economic aid initiative for Latin America Representatives of the United States and Latin American nations signed the Charter of Punta del Este, establishing the Alliance for Progress. The program aimed to counter the appeal of Cuban-style revolution by funding economic development across the region.
• 1961 Patsy Cline records Crazy Written by Willie Nelson Her signature song.
• 1961 Tony Meehan leaves, Brian Bennett joins September 1961 Tony Meehan left the band in September 1961 to focus on production and arranging — he and Jet Harris later formed a duo, scoring a UK #1 with "Diamonds" (1963), which featured a young Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar. Drummer Brian Bennett joined The Shadows and would become a core member for the next three decades.
• 1961 Non-Aligned Movement founded Belgrade Conference brings together neutral states Leaders including Tito, Nehru, Nasser, and Sukarno convened in Belgrade to found the Non-Aligned Movement, a coalition of states declining to formally align with either the United States or the Soviet Union. It grew into a major bloc within Cold War-era international diplomacy.
• 1961 – 2013 James Gandolfini (1961-2013) Died 19 June 2013, aged 51 James Gandolfini was an American actor best known for playing mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, a role that earned him three Emmy Awards. He died of a heart attack while on vacation in Rome.
• 1961 – present The Beach Boys American rock band Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine — from surf hits to Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations.
• 1961 Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth's home run record Hits 61st home run of the season New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season on the final day, surpassing Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season record. The achievement was controversial at the time because Maris played a longer schedule than Ruth had.
• 1961 – present David Mitchell British novelist Mitchell writes interconnected novels blending genres, time periods, and narrative structures.
• 1961 West Side Story premieres Film adaptation of the Broadway musical opens The film adaptation of West Side Story, transposing Romeo and Juliet to rival street gangs in New York City, opened in theaters to widespread acclaim. It went on to win ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
• 1961 Tsar Bomba detonated Largest nuclear weapon ever tested The Soviet Union detonated Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya, a roughly 50-megaton hydrogen bomb that remains the most powerful nuclear device ever exploded. The test dramatically escalated Cold War fears about the scale of the nuclear arms race.
• 1961 – present k.d. lang Singer-songwriter Canadian singer known for her extraordinary voice — from country with Owen Bradley to Constant Craving and Hallelujah.
• 1961 Tanganyika independence Ends British trusteeship Tanganyika became independent from British trusteeship administration, with Julius Nyerere as its first Prime Minister. It later merged with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania.
• 1961 United States expands military advisers in Vietnam First US helicopter units arrive in Saigon President Kennedy authorized a significant increase in American military advisers and support units to South Vietnam, including the arrival of the first US Army helicopter companies. The escalation marked a deepening of direct American involvement ahead of full-scale war later in the decade.
• 1961 Adolf Eichmann sentenced to death Jerusalem trial concludes for Holocaust organizer An Israeli court sentenced former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann to death after a trial that presented extensive testimony about the organization of the Holocaust. The trial, broadcast internationally, brought unprecedented public attention to the mechanics of the Nazi genocide.
• 1961 Umkhonto we Sizwe founded ANC launches armed wing against apartheid The African National Congress, with Nelson Mandela among its founders, established Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation") as an armed wing after concluding that peaceful protest could not end apartheid. The group began a sabotage campaign against government infrastructure.
• 1961 India annexes Goa Operation Vijay ends Portuguese colonial rule Indian military forces invaded and seized the Portuguese enclaves of Goa, Daman, and Diu after negotiations for a peaceful transfer failed. The brief operation ended over four centuries of Portuguese colonial presence on the Indian subcontinent.