Title: 1961 Content: 1961 (MCMLXI) was . Its rendering using the Hindu-Arabic numeral system creates a numeral which looks the same when put upside down. The next such year will be 6009. == Events == * John F. Kennedy becomes President of the United States. * The Fantastic Four make their debut. * Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space. * Sierra Leone becomes independent. * The Berlin Wall is built. * The Vietnam War begins. * Bay of Pigs invasion * Rockband Golden Earring was founded == Births == *January 26 – Wayne Gretzky, Retired Canadian NHL player *January 28 – Arnaldur Indridason, Icelandic writer *February 13 - Henry Rollins, American musician and activist (Black Flag) *March 3 - John Matteson, Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer *April 1 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer *April 3 – Eddie Murphy, American actor and comedian *May 6 – George Clooney, American actor *June 4 – Ferenc Gyurcsany, former Prime Minister of Hungary *June 9 – Michael J. Fox, Canadian actor *June 14 – Boy George, British singer *June 18 – Alison Moyet, British singer *June 25 – Ricky Gervais, British comedian and actor *July 1 – Diana, Princess of Wales (d. 1997) *July 1 – Carl Lewis, American athlete *July 23 – Woody Harrelson, American actor *July 30 – Laurence Fishburne, American actor *July 31 - Peter O'Brien, American drummer (Orleans) *August 4 – Barack Obama, President of the United States of America *August 8 – The Edge, Irish musician (U2) *August 9 – John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand *September 28 - George Rossi, Scottish actor (d. 2022) *September 29 – Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia *October 11 – Amr Diab, Egyptian singer *October 25 - Chad Smith, American drummer (Red Hot Chili Peppers) *October 26 – Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya *November 12 – Nadia Comaneci, Romanian gymnast *November 19 – Meg Ryan, American actress *November 24 – Arundhati Roy, Indian activist and writer *December 24 – Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan *December 25 – Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator *December 27 – Guido Westerwelle, German politician *December 30 – Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete == Deaths == *January 4 – Erwin Schroedinger, Austrian physicist (b. 1887) *January 9 – Emily Greene Balch, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1867) *January 17 – Patrice Lumumba, Congolese politician (b. 1925) * February 3 - Viscount Dunrossil, Australian Governor-General (b. 1893) * February 9 - Carlos Luz, 19th President of Brazil (b. 1894) * March 3 - Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian-born pianist (b. 1887) * March 23 - Valentin Bondarenko, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1937) * April 9 - Ahmet Zog, King of Albania (b. 1895) * May 30 - Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1891) * June 6 - Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist (b. 1875) *July 2 – Ernest Hemingway, American writer (b. 1899) * August 20 - Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882) *September 10 – Wolfgang von Trips, German racing driver (b. 1928) *September 18 – Dag Hammarskioeld, UN Secretary-General (b. 1905) *October 30 – Luigi Einaudi, Italian politician (b. 1874) * November 9 - Ferdinand Bie, Norwegian athlete (b. 1888) * December 20 - Earle Page, 11th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880) ==Nobel Prizes== * Nobel Prize in Physics won by Robert Hofstadter, American physicist, and Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist * Nobel Prize in Chemistry won by Melvin Calvin, American biochemist * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine won by Georg von Békésy, Hungarian biophysicist * Nobel Prize in Literature won by Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer * Nobel Peace Prize won by Dag Hammarskjöld (posthumously), Swedish diplomat ==Movies released== * 101 Dalmatians, an animated movie * The Absent-Minded Professor by Walt Disney Productions * Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn * El Cid starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren * La Dolce Vita starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg * The Guns of Navarone with Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn * The Hustler starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason * Lover Come Back starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson * The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills * West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards ==Hit songs== *"I Fall to Pieces" – Patsy Cline *"Crazy" – Patsy Cline *"Where the Boys Are" – Connie Francis *"Running Scared" – Roy Orbison *"Crying" – Roy Orbison *"(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" – Gene Pitney *"Town Without Pity" – Gene Pitney *"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – The Tokens *"Calcutta" – Lawrence Welk *"Runaround Sue" – Dion *"Let's Go Trippin'" – Dick Dale's first local hit, regarded as first surf rock instrumental *"Tossin' & Turnin' " – Bobby Lewis *"Runaway" – Del Shannon *"Garde-Moi la Dernière Danse" – Dalida *"Nuits d'Espagne" – Dalida *"Blue Moon" – The Marcels *"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" – The Shirelles *"There's No Other Like My Baby" – The Crystals' first hit *"Please Mr. Postman" – The Marvelettes *"Quarter To Three" – Gary U.S. Bonds *"Shop Around" – The Miracles *"Travelin' Man" – Ricky Nelson *"Hello Mary Lou" – Ricky Nelson *"Stand By Me" – Ben E. King *"The Wanderer" – Dion *"The Mountain's High" – Dick and Deedee *"Big River, Big Man" – Claude King *"The Commancheros" – Claude King *"Moody River" – Pat Boone *"I Love How You Love Me" – The Paris Sisters ==New books== *Border Country – Raymond Williams *Casanova's Chinese Restaurant – Anthony Powell *The Chapman Report – Irving Wallace *Clea – Lawrence Durrell *Don't Tell Alfred – Nancy Mitford *For Your Eyes Only – Ian Fleming *Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss *Hunters in a Narrow Street – Jabra Ibrahim Jabra *The Insolences of Brother Anonymous – Jean-Paul Desbiens *The Many Colored Coat – Morley Callaghan *Take a Girl Like You – Kingsley Amis *To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee *The Torch – Wilder Penfield *The Violent Bear It Away – Flannery O'Connor *The White Stone – Carlo Coccioli *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? – Henry Farrell