1961 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s – 1960s – 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years:	1958 1959 1960 – 1961 – 1962 1963 1964

1961 was a special year! It was a common year that started on a Sunday. The number 1961 looks the same even if you turn it upside down. The next year that will do this is 6009.

Big Events of 1961
Famous People Born in 1961
Notable People Who Passed Away in 1961
Nobel Prizes in 1961
Movies Released in 1961
Hit Songs of 1961
New Books in 1961
Images for kids
See also

Big Events of 1961

The Berlin Wall being built in 1961.

John F. Kennedy became the new President of the United States.
The first The Fantastic Four comic book came out.
Yuri Gagarin from Russia became the very first person to travel into outer space.
Sierra Leone, a country in Africa, became independent from British rule.
The Berlin Wall was built in Germany. It divided the city of Berlin.
The Vietnam War started. This was a long and difficult conflict.
There was an event called the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba.
The famous rock band Golden Earring was formed.

Famous People Born in 1961

Henry Rollins in 2003.

January 26 – Wayne Gretzky, a legendary Canadian ice hockey player.
February 13 – Henry Rollins, an American musician and activist.
April 1 – Susan Boyle, a Scottish singer who became famous later in life.
April 3 – Eddie Murphy, a popular American actor and comedian.
May 6 – George Clooney, a well-known American actor.
June 9 – Michael J. Fox, a Canadian actor famous for Back to the Future.
June 14 – Boy George, a British singer from the band Culture Club.
June 25 – Ricky Gervais, a British comedian and actor.
July 1 – Diana, Princess of Wales, a beloved British princess (died in 1997).
July 1 – Carl Lewis, an American athlete who won many Olympic medals.
July 23 – Woody Harrelson, an American actor.
August 4 – Barack Obama, who later became the President of the United States.
August 8 – The Edge, the guitarist for the famous Irish band U2.
November 12 – Nadia Comăneci, a Romanian gymnast who was the first to score a perfect 10.
November 19 – Meg Ryan, an American actress.

Notable People Who Passed Away in 1961

January 4 – Erwin Schrödinger, an Austrian physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
January 17 – Patrice Lumumba, a leader from Congo.
March 23 – Valentin Bondarenko, a Russian cosmonaut.
May 30 – Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, a former President of the Dominican Republic.
June 6 – Carl Jung, a famous Swiss psychiatrist.
July 2 – Ernest Hemingway, a well-known American writer.
September 18 – Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary-General of the UN.