1961 34659 225926425 2008-07-16T01:28:21Z Lisatwo 4460024 Disambiguate [[George Formby]] to [[George Formby, Jr.]] using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]] {{year nav|1961}} {{C20YearInTopicX}} Year '''1961''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MCMLXI]]''') was a [[common year starting on Sunday]] (link will display full calendar) of the [[Gregorian calendar]]. {{C20YearTOC|1961|||World population}} As ''[[MAD Magazine]]'' 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 [[1881]], and the last until 6009. == Events of 1961 == ===January=== <!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. --> * [[January 1]] - The [[British farthing coin|farthing]], used since the [[13th century]], ceases to be [[legal tender]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. * [[January 3]] **President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] announces that the [[United States]] has severed diplomatic and consular relations with [[Cuba]]. **At the National Reactor Testing Station near [[Idaho Falls, Idaho]], [[SL-1]], an [[atomic reactor]] explodes, killing 3 military technicians. {{Month3|1|6|0}} * [[January 5]] - Italian sculptor [[Alfredo Fioravanti]] marches into the U.S. Consulate in [[Rome]], and confesses that he was part of the team that forged the [[Etruscan terracotta warriors]] in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]. * [[January 7]] - Following a 4-day conference in [[Casablanca]], 5 African chiefs of state announce plans for a [[NATO]]-type African organization to ensure common defense. The Charter of Casablanca involves the [[Casablanca Group]] - [[Morocco]], the [[United Arab Republic]], [[Ghana]], [[Guinea]], and [[Mali]]. * [[January 8]] - In [[France]], a [[referendum]] supports [[Charles de Gaulle]]'s policies in [[Algeria]]. * [[January 9]] - [[United Kingdom|British]] authorities announce that they have discovered a large [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[spy]] ring in [[London]]. * [[January 17]] **President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] gives his final [[State of the Union Address]] to Congress. In a Farewell Address the same day, he warns of the increasing power of a "[[military-industrial complex]]". **[[Patrice Lumumba]] is assassinated. [[Image:Jfk inauguration.jpg|thumb|200px| [[January 20|Jan. 20]]: [[John F. Kennedy]] inaugurated as President of the [[U.S.]]]] * [[January 20]] - [[John F. Kennedy]] becomes the 35th [[President of the United States]]. * [[January 24]] **A U.S. [[B-52 Stratofortress]], with two roughly 2.4 [[megaton]] [[nuclear bomb]]s, crashes near [[Goldsboro, North Carolina]]. **Musician [[Bob Dylan]] reportedly makes his way to [[New York City]] after bumming a ride in [[Madison, Wisconsin]]. Dylan is likely on his way to visit his idol [[Woody Guthrie]]. He later finds fame in the [[Greenwich Village]] protest folk music scene. * [[January 25]] - In [[Washington, DC]] [[John F. Kennedy]] delivers the first live [[President of the United States|presidential]] [[news conference]]. In it, he announces that the [[Soviet Union]] has freed the 2 surviving crewmen of a [[USAF]] [[B-47|RB-47]] reconnaissance plane shot down by Soviet flyers over the [[Barents Sea]] [[July 1]], 1960. (see RB-47H shot down) * [[January 25]] - Acting to halt 'leftist excesses,' a [[Military dictatorship|junta]] composed of 2 army officers and 4 civilians takes over [[El Salvador]], ousting another junta that had ruled for 3 months. * [[January 26]] - [[John F. Kennedy]] appoints [[Janet G. Travell]] to be his physician, the first woman to hold this appointment. * [[January 30]] - President [[John F. Kennedy]] delivers his first [[State of the Union Address]]. * [[January 31]] - [[Ham the Chimp|Ham]], a 37 pound male [[chimpanzee]], is rocketed into space aboard [[Mercury-Redstone 2]], in a test of the [[Project Mercury]] capsule, designed to carry [[United States]] [[astronaut]]s into space. ===February=== {{Month3|2|2|0}} * [[February 3]] - [[China]] buys grain from [[Canada]] for $60 million. * [[February 4]] - The Portuguese Colonial War begins in [[Angola]]. * [[February 5]] - [[February 9]] - In [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], President [[Joseph Kasavubu]] names Joseph Ileo as the new Prime Minister. * [[February 9]] - The Beatles perform for their first time at the Cavern Club. * [[February 12]] - [[U.S.S.R|U.S.S.R.]] launches [[Venera 1]] towards [[Venus]]. * [[February 13]] - The [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] government announces that villagers have killed [[Patrice Lumumba]]. * [[February 14]] - [[Discovery of the chemical elements]]: Element 103, [[Lawrencium]], is first synthesized in [[Berkeley, California]]. * [[February 15]] - A [[Sabena]] [[Boeing 707]] crashes near [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]], killing 73, including the entire [[United States]] [[figure skating]] team and several coaches. * [[February 25]] - The last public [[Trams in Sydney|tram]] operates in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], bringing to an end the Southern Hemisphere's largest tramway network. * [[February 26]] - [[Hassan II of Morocco|Hassan II]] is pronounced King of [[Morocco]]. ===March=== {{Month3|3|2|0}} <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Stamp-ctc-peace-corps.jpg|thumb|100px|right| '''[[March 1]]''': [[Peace Corps]].]] --> * [[March 1]] **[[President of the United States]] [[John F. Kennedy]] establishes the [[Peace Corps]]. **[[Uganda]] becomes self-governing by holding its first general elections. * [[March 3]] - [[Hassan II of Morocco|Hassan II]] is crowned King of [[Morocco]]. * [[March 8]] **Max Conrad circumnavigates the earth in 8 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new world record. **The first U.S. [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]] [[submarine]]s arrive at [[Holy Loch]]. * [[March 13]] **Black and white [[Pound sterling|£]]5 notes cease to be [[legal tender]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. **A dam bursts on the [[Dnieper River]] in the [[USSR]], killing 145. **[[USA]] delegate to the [[UNSC]] Adlai Stevenson votes against [[Portugal|Portuguese]] policies in [[Africa]]. * [[March 15]] **[[South Africa]] withdraws from the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. **The Union of Peoples of Angola, led by Holden Roberto, attacks strategic locations in the north of [[Angola]]. These events result in the beginning of the colonial war with [[Portugal]]. * [[March 18]] - A [[ceasefire]] takes effect in the [[Algerian War of Independence]]. * [[March 18]] - ''Nous les amoureux'' by Jean-Claude Pascal (music by Jacques Datin, text by Maurice Vidalin) wins the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1961]] for [[Luxembourg]]. * [[March 29]] - The [[Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution]] is ratified, allowing residents of [[Washington, DC]] to vote in [[President of the United States|presidential]] elections. * [[March 30]] - The [[Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs]] is signed at [[New York]]. ===April=== {{Month3|4|5|0}} * [[April 5]] - The New Guinea Council of Western Papua is installed. * [[April 11]] - The trial of [[Adolf Eichmann]] begins in [[Jerusalem]]. * [[April 12]] **''[[Vostok 1]]'': [[Yuri Gagarin]], a Soviet [[cosmonaut]], becomes the first human in space. **Albert Kalonji takes the title ''Emperor Albert I Kalonji'' of [[South Kasai]]. * [[April 13]] - [[Portugal]]: failed [[coup]] attempt against [[António de Oliveira Salazar|Salazar]]. * [[April 17]] **The [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] of [[Cuba]] begins; it fails by [[April 19]]. **[[33rd Academy Awards]] ceremony * [[April 18]] - [[Portugal]] sends to [[Angola]] the first military reinforcement. * [[April 20]] - [[Fidel Castro]] announces that the [[Bay of Pigs invasion]] has been defeated. * [[April 22]] - [[Algiers putsch]]: Four French generals who oppose [[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]]'s policies in [[Algeria]] fail in a [[coup]] attempt. * [[April 23]] - [[Judy Garland]] performs in a legendary comeback concert at [[Carnegie Hall]] in [[New York City]]. * [[April 24]] - ''[[Regalskeppet Vasa]]'' is removed from the water after being sunk 333 years earlier. ===May=== {{Month3|5|0|0}} * [[May 3]] - French phenomenological philosopher [[Maurice Merleau-Ponty]] dies, age 53, of a [[stroke]], apparently while preparing for a class on [[Descartes]]. * [[May 4]] - [[Freedom Riders]]: 13 black and white students with the [[Congress of Racial Equality]] (CORE) leave Washington DC on 2 buses, to test integration laws in bus stations throughout the deep South. * [[May 5]] - [[Mercury program]]: [[Alan Shepard]] becomes the first American in space aboard [[Mercury-Redstone 3]]. *[[May 6]] - [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.]] become the first team in the 20th century to win the league and cup double. * [[May 8]] - Briton [[George Blake]] is sentenced to 42 years imprisonment for spying. * [[May 14]] - [[American civil rights movement]]: A [[Freedom Riders]] bus is fire-bombed near [[Anniston, Alabama]] and the [[civil rights]] protestors are beaten by an [[angry mob]]. * [[May 16]] - A military coup in [[South Korea]] - [[Park Chung Hee]] takes over. * [[May 19]] - [[Venera program]]: [[Venera 1]] becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing [[Venus (planet)|Venus]] (however, the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data). * [[May 21]] - [[American civil rights movement]]: [[Alabama]] Governor [[John Malcom Patterson|John Patterson]] declares [[martial law]] in an attempt to restore order after [[race riot]]s break out. * [[May 24]] - [[American civil rights movement]]: [[Freedom Riders]] are arrested in [[Jackson, Mississippi]] for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus. * [[May 25]] - [[Apollo program]]: [[John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy]] announces before a special joint session of Congress his goal to put a man on the [[Moon]] before the end of the decade. * [[May 27]] - [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], Prime Minister of [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], holds a press conference in [[Singapore]], announcing his idea to form the Federation of [[Malaysia]], comprising Malaya, [[Singapore]], [[Sarawak]], [[Brunei]] and North Borneo ([[Sabah]]). * [[May 28]] - [[Peter Benenson]]'s article "The Forgotten Prisoners" is published in several internationally read [[newspaper]]s. This will later be thought of as the founding of the [[human rights]] organization [[Amnesty International]]. * [[May 30]] - [[Rafael Leónidas Trujillo]], totalitarian despot of the [[Dominican Republic]] since 1930, is killed in an ambush, putting an end to the second longest-running dictatorship in [[Latin America]]n history. * [[May 31]] **In [[France]], rebel generals Maurice Challe and Andre Zelelr are sentenced to 15 years in prison. **[[South Africa]] officially leaves the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. **President [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Charles De Gaulle]] meet in [[Paris]]. ===June=== {{Month3|6|3|0}} * [[1 June]] - [[Ethiopia]] experiences her most devastating earthquake of the 20th century, with a magnitude of 6.7. The town of [[Majete]] is destroyed, 45% of the houses in [[Karakore]] collapsed, 17 kilometers of the main road north of Karakore were damaged by landslides and fissures, and 5,000 inhabitants in the area are left homeless. * [[June 4]] - [[Vienna summit]]: [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Nikita Khrushchev]] meet during 2 days in [[Vienna]]. They discuss nuclear tests, [[disarmament]] and [[Germany]]. * [[June 17]] - A [[Paris]]-to-[[Strasbourg]] train derails near [[Vitry-le-François]]; 24 are killed, 109 injured. * [[June 17]] - The [[New Democratic Party]] of Canada is founded with the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress. * [[June 19]] - The British [[protectorate]] ends in [[Kuwait]] and it becomes an [[emirate]]. * [[June 21]] - Russian ballet dancer [[Rudolf Nureyev]] requests asylum in [[France]] while in Paris with the [[Kirov Ballet]]. * [[June 22]] - [[Moise Tshombe]] is released for lack of evidence of connection to the murder of [[Patrice Lumumba]]. * [[June 24]] - The [[Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry]], a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Yeomanry]] [[Cavalry]] [[Regiment]] is presented its first [[Guidon]] by General Sir Horatius Murray KBE CB DSO at [[Culzean Castle]], [[Ayrshire]]. * [[June 25]] **U.S. philanthropist [[George Washington Vanderbilt III]] is found dead at the base of a San Francisco skyscraper. **[[Iraq]]i president [[Abdul Karim Kassem]] announces he is going to annex [[Kuwait]]. * [[June 27]] - Kuwait requests British help; the [[United Kingdom]] sends in troops. ===July=== {{Month3|7|5|0}} * [[July 2]] - [[Ernest Hemingway]] commits suicide by gunshot in [[Ketchum, Idaho]]. * [[July 4]] - The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] submarine ''[[K-19]]'' reactor leak occurs in the North [[Atlantic]]. * [[July 5]] - The first Israeli rocket, [[Shavit 2]], is launched.<ref>{{cite web |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= html |url= http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Egypt/Missile/index.html |title=Missile Overview |publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format=html |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1961-3.html |title=July 1961 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> * [[July 8]] - A mine explosion in [[Czechoslovakia]] leaves 108 dead. * [[July 13]] - [[Charlie Brown]] successfully flies his kite * [[July 21]] - [[Mercury program]]: [[Gus Grissom]], piloting the [[Mercury-Redstone 4]] capsule ''[[Liberty Bell 7]]'', becomes the second [[United States|American]] to go into space (sub-orbital). Upon splashdown, the hatch prematurely opens, and the capsule sinks (it will be recovered in [[1999]]). * [[July 31]] **At [[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], the first [[All-Star Game]] tie in major league [[baseball]] history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning due to rain. It will be the only tie (until [[2002]]) in MLB All-Star Game history. **Ireland submits the first ever application to join the then [[European Economic Community]]. ===August=== {{Month3|8|1|0}} * [[August 5]] - The [[Six Flags over Texas]] theme park officially opens to the public. * [[August 10]] - Britain applies for membership in the [[European Economic Community]]. * [[August 13]] - Construction of the [[Berlin Wall]] begins, restricting movement between [[East Berlin]] and [[West Berlin]] and forming a clear boundary between [[West Germany]] and [[East Germany]], [[Western Europe]] and [[Eastern Europe]]. * [[August 21]] - [[Jomo Kenyatta]] is released from prison in [[Kenya]]. ===September=== {{Month3|9|4|0}} * [[September 10]] - During the [[1961 Italian Grand Prix|F1 Italian Grand Prix]] on the [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|circuit of Monza]], the German driver [[Wolfgang Von Trips]] in a [[Ferrari]] crashes into a stand killing 14 spectators and himself. * [[September 14]] - The new military government of [[Turkey]] sentences 15 members of the previous government to death. * [[September 17]] - Military rulers in [[Turkey]] hang former president [[Adnan Menderes]]. *[[September 17]] - [[September 18]] - [[UN Secretary-General]] [[Dag Hammarskjöld]] dies in an air crash en route to [[Katanga]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]]. * [[September 19]] - The first [[Grey alien]] is reported. * [[September 21]] - In [[France]], [[Organisation armée secrète|OAS]] slips an anti-[[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]] message into TV programming. * [[September 24]] - The old [[Deutsche Opernhaus]] in the [[Berlin]] neighborhood of [[Charlottenburg]] is returned to its newly rebuilt house as the [[Deutsche Oper Berlin]]. * [[September 28]] - A [[military coup]] in [[Damascus]], [[Syria]] effectively ends the [[United Arab Republic]], the union between [[Egypt]] and [[Syria]]. ===October=== {{Month3|10|6|0}} * [[October 1]] - Baseball player [[Roger Maris]] 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. * [[October 9]] - 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 [[New York]]. * [[October 10]] - A volcanic eruption on [[Tristan da Cunha]] causes the whole population to be evacuated. * [[October 12]] - The [[death penalty]] is abolished in [[New Zealand]]. * [[October 17]] - [[Paris massacre of 1961]]: French police attack in [[Paris]] about 30,000 protesting a curfew applied solely to [[Algeria]]ns. The official death toll is 3, but human rights groups claim 240 dead. * [[October 19]] - The [[Arab League]] takes over protecting [[Kuwait]]; the last British troops leave. * [[October 25]] - The first edition of ''[[Private Eye]]'', the British satirical magazine, is published. * [[October 27]] **An [[armistice]] begins in [[Katanga]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]]. **[[Mongolia]] and [[Mauritania]] join the [[United Nations]]. **A standoff between [[Soviet]] and [[United States|American]] tanks in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] heightens [[Cold War]] tensions. * [[October 29]] - [[RBS Channel 7]], the Philippines' third TV station, is launched. * [[October 30]] - [[Nuclear testing]]: The [[Soviet Union]] detonates a 58 megaton yield [[hydrogen bomb]] known as [[Tsar Bomba]] over [[Novaya Zemlya]]. It remains the largest ever (man-made) explosion. * [[October 31]] **[[Hurricane Hattie]] devastates [[Belize City]], [[Belize]] killing over 270. After the [[hurricane]], the capital moves to the inland city of [[Belmopan]]. **[[Joseph Stalin]]'s body is removed from the Lenin Mausoleum. ===November=== {{Month3|11|2|0}} <!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. --> *November - The [[Fantastic Four]] #1 debuts, launching the [[Marvel Universe]] and revolutionizing the [[American comic book]] industry. * [[November 1]] - The Interstate Commerce Commission's federal order banning segregation at all interstate public facilities officially comes into effect. * [[November 2]] - ''Kean'' opens at Broadway Theater New York City for 92 performances. * [[November 3]] - The [[UN General Assembly]] unanimously elects [[U Thant]] acting Secretary General. * [[November 6]] - The U.S. government issues a stamp honoring the 100th birthday of [[James Naismith]]. * [[November 9]] - [[Neil Armstrong]] records a world record speed in a rocket plane of 6,587km/h flying a [[X-15]]. * [[November 10]] - ''[[Catch-22]]'' is first published by Joseph Heller. * [[November 11]] **Congolese soldiers murder 13 Italian [[United Nations]] pilots. **Stalingrad is renamed [[Volgograd]]. * [[November 17]] - [[Michael Rockefeller]], son of [[Govenor of New York|New York Governor]], and later [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Nelson Rockefeller]], disappears in the jungles of [[New Guinea]]. * [[November 18]] - U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam. * [[November 20]] - The funeral of longtime House Speaker [[Sam Rayburn]] is held in [[Washington, DC]]. Two former Presidents ([[Harry S. Truman|Truman]], [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]) and one future one ([[Lyndon B. Johnson]]) join [[John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy]] in paying their respects. * [[November 30]] - The [[Soviet Union]] vetoes [[Kuwait]]'s application for [[United Nations]] membership. ===December=== {{Month3|12|4|0}} * [[December 1]] - [[Netherlands New Guinea]] raises the new Morning Star flag and changes its name to [[West Papua]]. * [[December 2]] - [[Cold War]]: In a nationally broadcast speech, [[Cuba]]n leader [[Fidel Castro]] declares he is a [[Marxist]]-[[Leninist]], and that Cuba will adopt [[Communism]]. * [[December 5]] - U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] gives support to the [[Akosombo Dam|Volta Dam]] project in [[Ghana]]. * [[December 9]] **[[Tanganyika]] gains independence and declares itself a republic, with [[Julius Nyerere]] as its first President. **The [[Australia]]n government of [[Robert Menzies]] is re-elected for a sixth term. * [[December 10]] **The [[Soviet Union]] severs [[diplomatic relations]] with [[Albania]]. **[[Nobel Prize]]: Melvin Calvin is awarded the Nobel Prize for the process of photosynthesis. * [[December 11]] **The [[Vietnam War]] officially begins, as the first American helicopters arrive in Saigon along with 400 U.S. personnel. **[[Adolf Eichmann]] is pronounced guilty of crimes against humanity by a panel of 3 [[Israel]]i judges. * [[December 15]] - An Israeli war crimes tribunal sentences [[Adolf Eichmann]] to die for his part in the Jewish [[Holocaust]]. * [[December 17]] **[[India]] occupies [[Goa]]. **[[Circus]] tent fire in [[Niteroi]], [[Brazil]] kills 323. * [[December 18]] - [[India]] occupies [[Portugal|Portuguese]] colonies of [[Goa]], [[Damao]] and [[Diu]] * [[December 19]] **[[Goa]] is officially ceded to [[India]] after 400 years of Portuguese rule. **[[Sukarno]] announces that he will take [[West Irian]] by force if necessary. * [[December 21]] - In [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], Katangan prime minister [[Moise Tshombe]] recognizes the Congolese constitution. * [[December 23]] - [[Luxembourg]]'s [[National Day|national holiday]], the [[Grand Duke's Official Birthday]], is set on [[June 23]] by Grand Ducal decree. * [[December 30]] - Congolese troops capture Albert Kalonji of [[South Kasai]] (who soon escapes). * [[December 31]] **The [[Marshall Plan]] expires, after having distributed more than $12 billion in [[foreign aid]] to rebuild [[Europe]]. **Ireland's first national television station, ''Telefís Éireann'' (later [[RTÉ]]), begins broadcasting. ===Undated=== *"[[Barbie]]" gets a boyfriend when the "[[Ken (Barbie)|Ken]]" doll is introduced. ===Ongoing=== * [[Marshall Plan]] ==Births== {{Year in other calendars|japanese=[[Shōwa]] 36}} ===January-February=== <!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. --> * [[January 1]] - [[Mark Wingett]], British actor * [[January 2]] **[[Gabrielle Carteris]], American actress **[[Todd Haynes]], American film director * [[January 5]] - [[Iris DeMent]], American singer-songwriter * [[January 8]] - [[Calvin Smith]], American athlete * [[January 11]] - [[Karl Habsburg-Lothringen| Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen (Károly)]], Archduke, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary * [[January 13]] - [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]], American actress * [[January 13]] - [[Suggs (singer)|Suggs]], British singer ([[Madness (band)|Madness]]) * [[January 17]] - [[Maia Chiburdanidze]], Georgian chess player * [[January 18]] - [[Mark Messier]], Canadian hockey player * [[January 24]] - [[Nastassja Kinski]], German-born actress * [[January 26]] - [[Wayne Gretzky]], Canadian hockey player ("The Great One") * [[January 30]] - [[Dexter Scott King]], son of [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] * [[January 31]] - [[Lloyd Cole]], British singer and songwriter * [[February 1]] - [[Volker Fried]], German field hockey player * [[February 3]] **[[Jim Balsillie]], Canadian CEO and [[philanthropist]] **[[Gretel Killeen]], Australian author and TV presenter ([[Big Brother Australia|Big Brother]]) * [[February 8]] - [[Vince Neil]], American singer * [[February 9]] **[[John Kruk]], baseball player and commentator **[[Jussi Lampi]], Finnish musician and actor * [[February 10]] - [[George Stephanopoulos]], American political consultant and commentator * [[February 11]] **[[Mary Docter]], American speed skater **[[Carey Lowell]], American actress * [[February 13]] **[[Henry Rollins]], American musician **[[Richard Tyson]], American actor * [[February 14]] - [[Latifa]], Tunisian singer * [[February 16]] - [[Andy Taylor (guitarist)|Andy Taylor]], British musician ([[Duran Duran]]) * [[February 22]] - [[Akira Takasaki]], Japanese guitarist * [[February 25]] - [[Davey Allison]], American race car driver (d. [[1993]]) * [[February 27]] - [[James Worthy]], American basketball player and analyst ===March-April=== * March - [[Reggie Fils-Aime]], American businessperson ([[Nintendo]]) * [[March 4]] **[[Ray Mancini]], American boxer **[[Steven Weber (actor)|Steven Weber]], American actor **[[Roger Wessels]], South African golfer * [[March 8]] - [[Camryn Manheim]], American actress * [[March 10]] **[[Mike Bullard (ice hockey)]], American hockey player **[[Laurel Clark]], astronaut (d. [[2003]]) **[[Mitch Gaylord]], American gymnast **[[Bobby Petrino]], American football coach * [[March 14]] - [[Gary Dell'Abate]], radio producer ([[The Howard Stern Show]]) * [[March 16]] - [[Brett Kenny]], Australian [[rugby league]] player * [[March 17]] - [[Umayya Abu-Hanna]], Palestine-born Finnish writer and politician * [[March 21]] - [[Lothar Matthäus]], German footballer * [[March 23]] - [[Helmi Johannes]], Indonesian television newscaster * [[March 27]] **[[Ellery Hanley]], English rugby league player and coach **[[Tak Matsumoto]], Japanese guitarist ([[B'z]]) * [[March 28]] - [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]], American basketball player and coach * [[March 29]] **[[Amy Sedaris]], American actress, comedian and writer **[[Gerardo Teissonniere]], Puerto Rican pianist * [[April 2]] - [[Christopher Meloni]], American actor * [[April 3]] - [[Eddie Murphy]], American actor and comedian * [[April 5]] - [[Lisa Zane]], American actress * [[April 6]] - [[Gene Eugene]], Canadian actor and singer ([[Adam Again]]) * [[April 12]] - [[Lisa Gerrard]], Australian musician * [[April 14]] - [[Neil Dougherty]], basketball coach * [[April 17]] - [[Frank J. Christensen]], American labor leader * [[April 18]] - [[Jane Leeves]], English actress * [[April 20]] **[[Don Mattingly]], American baseball player **[[Konstantin Lavronenko]], Russian actor * [[April 23]] - [[George Lopez]], American actor and comedian * [[April 26]] - [[Anthony Cumia]], American radio personality (The [[Opie and Anthony]] Show) * [[April 27]] - [[Moana Pozzi]], Italian porn actress (d. [[1994]]) * [[April 28]] - [[Futoshi Matsunaga]], Japanese serial killer * [[April 29]] - [[Fumihiko Tachiki]], Japanese seiyuu * [[April 30]] - [[Isiah Thomas]], American basketball player, coach, and team owner ===May-June=== * [[May 2]] - [[Steve James]], English [[snooker]] player * [[May 6]] - [[George Clooney]], American actor * [[May 7]] - [[Robert Spano]], American conductor and pianist * [[May 8]] - [[Janet McTeer]], British actress * [[May 12]] - [[Billy Duffy|Billy (William H) Duffy]], English guitarist ([[The Cult]]) * [[May 13]] - [[Dennis Rodman]], American basketball player and actor * [[May 14]] - [[Tim Roth]], English actor * [[May 17]] - [[Enya]] (Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin), Irish musician * [[May 27]] - [[Peri Gilpin]], American actress * [[May 29]] - [[Melissa Etheridge]], American musician * [[May 31]] **[[Ray Cote]], Canadian ice hockey player **[[Justin Madden]], Australian footballer and politician **[[Lea Thompson]], American actress * [[June 1]] - [[Paul Coffey]], Canadian hockey player * [[June 2]] - [[Dez Cadena]], American musician * [[June 3]] - [[Lawrence Lessig]], Professor and Free Culture activist * [[June 5]] **[[Anthony Burger]], American musician and singer (d. [[2006]]) **[[Rosie Kane]], member of Scottish Parliament * [[June 6]] - [[Tom Araya]], Chilean-born musician ([[Slayer]]) * [[June 9]] - [[Michael J. Fox]], Canadian actor * [[June 10]] - [[Kim Deal|Kim]] and [[Kelley Deal]], American musicians * [[June 14]] - "[[Boy George]]" O'Dowd, British musician and producer * [[June 15]] **[[Kai Eckhardt]], German bass guitarist **[[Dave McAuley]], Northern Irish boxer * [[June 18]] - [[Andrés Galarraga]], Venezuelan [[Major League Baseball]] player * [[June 23]] **[[Zoran Janjetov]], Serbian comic artist **[[David Leavitt]], American novelist * [[June 25]] **[[Ricky Gervais]], English comedian **[[Mike Breen]], American broadcaster * [[June 26]] - [[Greg LeMond]], American cyclist * [[June 27]] - [[Meera Syal]], British-Indian comedian and actress * [[June 28]] - [[Jeff Malone]], American basketball player *[[June 29]] - [[Greg Hetson]] American guitarist for Bad Religion and Circle Jerks, among others. ===July-August=== * [[July 1]] **[[Kalpana Chawla]], astronaut (d. [[2003]]) **[[Diana, Princess of Wales]] (d. [[1997]]) **[[Carl Lewis]], American athlete * [[July 2]] - [[Michael Lindsay]], Voice actor * [[July 6]] - [[Rick Price]], singer/songwriter * [[July 7]] - [[Eric Jerome Dickey]], American writer * [[July 10]] - [[Jacky Cheung]], Hong Kong singer and actor * [[July 12]] - [[Ray Gillen]], American singer (d. [[1993]]) * [[July 14]] - [[Jackie Earle Haley]], American actor * [[July 17]] - [[Jonathan Potts]], Canadian actor * [[July 19]] - [[Maria Filatova]], Soviet gymnast * [[July 19]] - [[Benoît Mariage]], Belgian film director * [[July 23]] - [[Martin Gore]], English musician and songwriter ([[Depeche Mode]]) * [[July 26]] - [[Keiko Matsui]], Japanese pianist and composer * [[July 30]] - [[Laurence Fishburne]], American actor * [[August 3]] - [[Nick Harvey]], English politician * [[August 4]] **[[Barack Obama]], US Senator, author **[[Lauren Tom]], American actress * [[August 5]] - [[Clayton Rohner]], American actor * [[August 7]] **[[Brian Conley]], English TV presenter, comedian, singer & actor **[[Yelena Davydova]], Soviet gymnast * [[August 8]] **[[Bruce Matthews]], American football player **[[The Edge]] (David Howell Evans), Irish guitarist ([[U2]]) * [[August 14]] - [[Susan Olsen]], American actress * [[August 18]] - [[Bob Woodruff]], American television journalist * [[August 21]] - [[Stephen Hillenburg]], animation writer and artist * [[August 25]] - [[Billy Ray Cyrus]], American singer and actor * [[August 29]] - [[Carsten Fischer]], German field hockey player ===September-October=== * [[September 1]] - [[Cécilia Rhode]], Miss Sweden * [[September 2]] **[[Eric Dickerson]], American football player **[[Carlos Valderrama (soccer player)|Carlos Valderrama]], Colombian footballer * [[September 5]] - [[Karim Abdul Razak]], Ghanaian footballer * [[September 6]] **[[Paul Waaktaar-Savoy]], Norwegian guitarist ([[a-ha]]) **[[Scott Travis]], American drummer ([[Judas Priest]]) * [[September 11]] **[[Elizabeth Daily]], American actress **[[Virginia Madsen]], American actress * [[September 12]] - [[Mylene Farmer]], Canadian singer and songwriter * [[September 13]] - [[Dave Mustaine]], former [[Metallica]] guitarist, frontman of [[Megadeth]] * [[September 15]] **[[Dan Marino]], American football player **[[Lidia Yusupova]], Chechen human-rights lawyer * [[September 18]] - [[James Gandolfini]], American actor * [[September 22]] **[[Scott Baio]], American actor **[[Bonnie Hunt]], American actress, comedian, writer, director and television producer. **[[Catherine Oxenberg]], British actress * [[September 23]] - [[William C. McCool]], US Army Commander and astronaut (d. [[2003]]) * [[September 25]] - [[Heather Locklear]], American actress * [[September 26]] - [[Edward Kennedy Jr]], son of [[U.S. Senator]] [[Ted Kennedy]] * [[September 27]] - [[Andy Lau]], Hong Kong actor and singer * [[September 30]] - [[Sally Yeh]], Hong Kong singer and actress * [[October 2]] - [[Edmond Yu]], Chinese student (d. [[1997]]) * [[October 5]] - [[Matthew Kauffman]], American journalist and [[George Polk Award]] winner * [[October 11]] **[[Steve Young (athlete)|Steve Young]], American football player **[[Amr Diab]], Egyptian singer **[[Neil Buchanan]], English television presenter * [[October 13]] - [[Doc Rivers]], American basketball player and coach * [[October 16]] - [[Randy Vasquez]], American actor * [[October 18]] **[[Wynton Marsalis]], American trumpeter and composer **[[Rick Moody]], American writer * [[October 25]] - [[Pat Sharp]], host of the British version of [[Fun House]], radio DJ * [[October 26]] - [[Dylan McDermott]], American actor * [[October 29]] - [[Randy Jackson (musician)|Randy Jackson]], American musician * [[October 31]] **[[Alonzo Babers]], American runner **[[Peter Jackson]], New Zealand film director **[[Larry Mullen, Jr.]], Irish drummer ([[U2]]) ===November-December=== <!-- Link dates even if repeated, for date-format preferences. --> * [[November 1]] - [[Anne Donovan]], American basketball player * [[November 2]] - [[k.d. lang]], Canadian singer and songwriter * [[November 4]] **[[Daron Hagen]], American composer **[[Edward Knight (composer)|Edward Knight]], American composer **[[Ralph Macchio]], American actor **[[Nigel Worthington]], Northern Irish footballer and football manager * [[November 5]] - [[Gina Mastrogiacomo]], American actress (d. [[2001]]) * [[November 11]] - [[Jan Kuehnemund]], American guitarist, [[Vixen (band)|Vixen]] * [[November 13]] - [[Klayton]], musician * [[November 14]] - [[Jurga Ivanauskaitė]], Lithuanian writer (d. [[2007]]) * [[November 15]] - [[Ian Reid (educator)|Ian Reid]], Australian educator * [[November 18]] - [[Anthony Warlow]], Australian singer * [[November 19]] - [[Meg Ryan]], American actress * [[November 20]] - [[Dave Watson]], English footballer * [[November 22]] **[[Mariel Hemingway]], American actress **[[Randal L. Schwartz]], American computer programmer * [[December 3]] - [[Marcelo Fromer]], Brazilian guitarist * [[December 4]] - [[Frank Reich]], American football player * [[December 8]] - [[Ann Coulter]], American author, political commentator and attorney * [[December 11]] - [[Dave King (musician)|Dave King]], Irish-American singer * [[December 12]] **[[Sarah Sutton]], British actress **[[Daniel O'Donnell (Irish singer)|Daniel O'Donnell]], Irish singer * [[December 15]] - [[Karin Resetarits]], Austrian journalist and politician * [[December 16]] - [[Bill Hicks]], American comedian (d. [[1994]]) * [[December 19]] **[[Matthew Waterhouse]], British actor **[[Eric Allin Cornell]], American physicist, [[Nobel Prize]] laureate **[[Reggie White]], American football player (d. [[2004]]) * [[December 20]] - [[Mohammad Fouad]], Arab singer and actor * [[December 21]] - [[Francis Ng]], Hong Kong actor * [[December 25]] - [[Ingrid Betancourt]], Colombian senator * [[December 26]] - [[John Lynch (actor)|John Lynch]], Northern Irish actor * [[December 29]] - [[Jim Reid]], Scottish musician * [[December 30]] **[[Douglas Coupland]], Canadian author **[[Sean Hannity]], American talk radio host and conservative commentator **[[Ben Johnson (athlete)|Ben Johnson]], Canadian athlete ==Deaths== ===January - June=== <!-- Link all dates, even if repeated, for date-format preferences. --> * [[January 4]] - [[Erwin Schrödinger]], Austrian physicist, [[Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1887]]) * [[January 9]] - [[Emily Greene Balch]], American writer and pacifist, recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (b. [[1867]]) * [[January 10]] - [[Dashiell Hammett]], American writer (b. [[1894]]) * [[January 21]] - [[Blaise Cendrars]], Swiss writer (b. [[1887]]) * [[January 24]] - [[Alfred Carlton Gilbert]], American swimmer and inventor (b. [[1884]]) * [[January 26]] - [[Stan Nichols]], English cricketer (b. [[1900]]) * [[February 17]] - [[Nita Naldi]], American actress (b. [[1897]]) * [[February 20]] - [[Percy Grainger]], Australian composer (b. [[1882]]) * [[February 22]] - [[Nick LaRocca]], American jazz musician (b. [[1889]]) * [[February 26]] - King [[Mohammed V of Morocco]] (b. [[1909]]) * [[March 3]] - [[Paul Wittgenstein]], Austrian-born pianist (b. [[1887]]) * [[March 6]] - [[George Formby, Jr.|George Formby]], British singer, comedian & actor (b. [[1904]]) * [[March 8]] **Sir [[Thomas Beecham]], English conductor (b. [[1879]]) **[[Gala Galaction]], Romanian writer (b. [[1879]]) * [[March 17]] - [[Susanna M. Salter]], first woman mayor in the United States (b. [[1860]]) * [[March 23]] - [[Valentin Bondarenko]], [[cosmonaut]] (b. [[1937]]) *[[March 26]] - [[Carlos Duarte Costa]], founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (b. [[1888]]) * [[April 6]] - [[Jules Bordet]], Belgian immunologist and microbiologist, recipient of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] (b. [[1870]]) * [[April 7]] - [[Vanessa Bell]], English artist and interior designer (b. [[1879]]) * [[April 9]] - [[Zog of Albania|Ahmet Zog]], [[King of Albania]] (b. [[1895]]) * [[May 6]] - [[Lucian Blaga]], Romanian poet and philosopher (b. [[1895]]) * [[May 13]] - [[Gary Cooper]], American actor (b. [[1901]]) * [[May 14]] - [[Albert Sévigny]], Canadian politician (b. [[1881]]) * [[May 16]] - [[George A. Malcolm]], American jurist & educator (b. [[1881]]) * [[May 30]] - [[Rafael Leónidas Trujillo]], dictator of the Dominican Republic (b. [[1891]]) * [[May 31]] - [[Walter Little]], Canadian politician (b. [[1877]]) * [[June 2]] - [[George S. Kaufman]], American playwright (b. [[1889]]) * [[June 6]] - [[Carl Jung]], Swiss psychiatrist (b. [[1875]]) * [[June 16]] - [[Marcel Junod]], Swiss physician (b. [[1904]]) * [[June 17]] - [[Jeff Chandler (actor)|Jeff Chandler]], American actor (b. [[1918]]) * [[June 30]] - [[Lee DeForest]], American inventor (b. [[1873]]) ===July - December=== * [[July 1]] - [[Louis-Ferdinand Céline]], French writer (b. [[1894]]) * [[July 2]] - [[Ernest Hemingway]], American writer, [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1899]]) * [[July 6]] - [[Woodall Rodgers]], Mayor of Dallas, Texas (b. [[1890]]) * [[July 17]] - [[Ty Cobb]], baseball player (b. [[1886]]) *[[August 8]] - [[Méi Lánfāng]], Beijing opera star (b. [[1894]]) * [[August 20]] - [[Percy Williams Bridgman]], American physicist, [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1882]]) * [[September 17]] - [[Adnan Menderes]], Turkish prime minister (executed) (b. [[1899]]) * [[September 18]] - [[Dag Hammarskjöld]], Swedish [[Secretary General of the United Nations]], recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (b. [[1905]]) * [[September 25]] - [[Frank Fay(U.S.-born)|Frank Fay]], American actor (b. [[1897]]) * [[October 4]] - [[Benjamin (Fedchenkov)|Metropolitan Benjamin (Fedchenkov)]], [[Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox]] [[missionary]] and writer, [[Exarch]] of [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Church]] in North America (b. [[1880]]) * [[October 11]] - [[Chico Marx]], American comedian (b. [[1887]]) *[[October 13]] - [[Dun Karm Psaila]], Maltese writer (b. [[1871]]) * [[October 14]] - [[Harriet Shaw Weaver]], English political activist (b. [[1876]]) * [[October 13]] - [[Maya Deren]], Russian-born filmmaker (b. [[1917]]) * [[November 1]] - [[Mordecai Ham]], American evangelist (b. [[1877]]) * [[November 2]] - [[James Thurber]], American humorist (b. [[1894]]) * [[November 16]] - [[Sam Rayburn]], [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] (b. [[1882]]) * [[December 20]] **[[Moss Hart]], American dramatist (b. [[1904]]) **[[Earle Page]], eleventh [[Prime Minister of Australia]] (b. [[1880]]) * [[December 25]] - [[Otto Loewi]], German-born pharmacologist, recipient of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] (b. [[1873]]) * [[December 29]] - [[Sibyl Morrison]], first female barrister in New South Wales, Australia (b. [[1895]]) ==Notes== {{reflist|1}} {{commonscat}} ==External links== [[Category:1961| ]] [[af:1961]] [[am:1961 እ.ኤ.አ.]] [[ar:1961]] [[an:1961]] [[frp:1961]] [[ast:1961]] [[gn:1961]] [[av:1961]] [[az:1961]] [[bn:১৯৬১]] [[zh-min-nan:1961 nî]] [[map-bms:1961]] [[be:1961]] [[be-x-old:1961]] [[bh:१९६१]] [[bs:1961]] [[br:1961]] [[bg:1961]] [[ca:1961]] [[cv:1961]] [[cs:1961]] [[co:1961]] [[cy:1961]] [[da:1961]] [[pdc:1961]] [[de:1961]] [[et:1961]] [[el:1961]] [[es:1961]] [[eo:1961]] [[eu:1961]] [[fa:۱۹۶۱ (میلادی)]] [[fo:1961]] [[hif:1961]] [[fr:1961]] [[fy:1961]] [[ga:1961]] [[gan:1961年]] [[gv:1961]] [[gd:1961]] [[gl:1961]] [[ko:1961년]] [[hy:1961]] [[hi:1961]] [[hr:1961.]] [[io:1961]] [[ilo:1961]] [[bpy:মারি ১৯৬১]] [[id:1961]] [[ia:1961]] [[ie:1961]] [[os:1961]] [[is:1961]] [[it:1961]] [[he:1961]] [[jv:1961]] [[pam:1961]] [[kn:೧೯೬೧]] [[ka:1961]] [[csb:1961]] [[kk:1961]] [[kw:1961]] [[sw:1961]] [[ht:1961 (almanak gregoryen)]] [[ku:1961]] [[la:1961]] [[lb:1961]] [[lt:1961 m.]] [[lij:1961]] [[li:1961]] [[ln:1961]] [[jbo:1961moi nanca]] [[lmo:1961]] [[hu:1961]] [[mk:1961]] [[mi:1961]] [[mr:इ.स. १९६१]] [[ms:1961]] [[nah:1961]] [[nl:1961]] [[new:ई सं १९६१]] [[ja:1961年]] [[nap:1961]] [[no:1961]] [[nn:1961]] [[nrm:1961]] [[nov:1961]] [[oc:1961]] [[uz:1961]] [[pi:१९६१]] [[nds:1961]] [[pl:1961]] [[pt:1961]] [[ty:1961]] [[ksh:Joohr 1961]] [[ro:1961]] [[qu:1961]] [[ru:1961 год]] [[se:1961]] [[sq:1961]] [[scn:1961]] [[simple:1961]] [[sk:1961]] [[sl:1961]] [[sr:1961]] [[sh:1961]] [[su:1961]] [[fi:1961]] [[sv:1961]] [[tl:1961]] [[ta:1961]] [[tt:1961]] [[te:1961]] [[th:พ.ศ. 2504]] [[vi:1961]] [[tg:1961]] [[tr:1961]] [[tk:1961]] [[uk:1961]] [[vec:1961]] [[wa:1961]] [[vls:1961]] [[wuu:公元1961年]] [[yo:1961]] [[zh-yue:1961年]] [[cbk-zam:1961]] [[bat-smg:1961]] [[zh:1961年]]