1961 Calendar
What Happened In Year 1961?
- January 23, 1961 – The Portuguese luxury cruise ship Santa Maria is hijacked by foes of the Estado Novo regime with the intention of waging war until dictator António de Oliveira Salazar was overthrown.
- February 3, 1961 – The United States Air Forces begins Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a “Doomsday Plane” is always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States’ bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC’s command post.
- February 14, 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
- February 15, 1961 – New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Ox in Chinese astrology.
- April 8, 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.
- April 25, 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
- May 1, 1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
- June 23, 1961 – Cold War: the Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, comes into force after the opening date for signature set for the December 1, 1959.
- July 9, 1961 – Turkish voters approve the Turkish Constitution of 1961 in a referendum.
- July 19, 1961 – Tunisia imposes a blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte; the French would capture the entire town four days later.
- July 21, 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission – Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
- August 25, 1961 – President Jânio Quadros of Brazil resigns after just seven months in power.
- September 17, 1961 – The world’s first retractable-dome stadium, the Civic Arena, opens in Pittsburgh.
- October 1, 1961 – East and West Cameroon merge to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
- October 3, 1961 – The Dick Van Dyke Show premieres on CBS-TV in the United States.
- October 27, 1961 – Mauritania and Mongolia join the United Nations.
- December 14, 1961 – The United Republic of Tanzania joins the United Nations.
- December 15, 1961 – In Jerusalem, Adolph Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
- December 17, 1961 – Fire in the Gran Circus American in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the biggest tragedy in circus history.
Are you looking for a day of the week calculator? Try it on any date like anniversaries, birthday of someone you know, or any other date that is special to you. You can even try it on historical dates. For example: January 7, 1961
(Sponsored by DayOfTheWeek.org)
Share or Link to This Page: