Timeline Tuesday 17 January 1961

Events on Tuesday 17 January 1961 2

• 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.
• 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.