What Day of the Week

1961 Calendar

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•  January 3, 1961 – The SL-1, a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls, Idaho, underwent a core explosion and meltdown, killing three workers.
•  January 8, 1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle’s policies in Algeria.
•  January 25, 1961 – In Washington, D.C. John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.
•  February 15, 1961 – New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Ox in Chinese astrology.
•  May 5, 1961 – The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, making a sub-orbital flight of 15 minutes.
•  May 14, 1961 – American civil rights movement: The Freedom Riders bus is fire-bombed near Anniston, Alabama, and the civil rights protesters are beaten by an angry mob.
•  September 16, 1961 – The United States National Hurricane Research Project drops eight cylinders of silver iodide into the eyewall of Hurricane Esther. Wind speed reduces by 10%, giving rise to Project Stormfury.
•  October 27, 1961 – NASA launches the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.
•  December 31, 1961 – RTÉ Ireland’s state broadcaster launches its first national television service.

•  January 2, 1961 – Todd Haynes, American film director
•  January 23, 1961 – Mas Selamat bin Kastari, Singapore’s most-wanted terror fugitive
•  February 8, 1961 – Bruce Timm, TV Producer (DC Animated Universe)
•  May 20, 1961 – Clive Allen, English footballer
•  July 19, 1961 – Benoît Mariage, Belgian film director
•  October 8, 1961 – Ted Kooshian, American jazz pianist
•  October 16, 1961 – Marc Levy, French novelist
•  November 22, 1961 – Stephen Hough, British concert pianist
•  December 22, 1961 – Andrew Fastow, American businessman
•  December 30, 1961 – Douglas Coupland, Canadian author