Baby Boomers - What Happened in 1961?
If you are a baby boomer born in 1961, you will find this information extremely interesting. Hope you enjoy learning more about the year you were born! If you have a friend or a family member born in 1961, send them a link to this page. They will appreciate it!
Major Events
- John F. Kennedy is president and Lyndon Johnson is vice president of the United States
- Outgoing President Eisenhower issues warning of a "military industrial complex" developing in America
- Race riots in cities throughout the United States
- President John F. Kennedy advises American families to build bomb shelters
- President Kennedy creates the Peace Corps to improve education, agriculture, and living standards in Latin America, Asia, and Africa
- President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon
- President Kennedy challenges the U.S. to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade
- "Freedom Riders" travel throughout the South to test and promote integration measures - many are assaulted and beaten
- The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution is ratified - permits electors in the District of Columbia to choose electors for President and Vice President
- U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
- Fidel Castro declares Cuba is to adopt Communism and bans free elections
- U.S. Cuban Exiles and CIA mount unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro (Bay of Pigs)
- East Germany erects the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin to halt flood of refugees
- USSR detonates 50-megaton hydrogen bomb in the largest man-made explosion in history
- There are 2,000 US military advisers in South Vietnam
- Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann tried in Israe is found guilty
Business and Economy
- U.S. GDP (1998 dollars): $544.8 billion
- Federal spending: $97.72 billion
- Federal debt: $292.6 billion
- Consumer Price Index: 29.9
- Unemployment: 5.5%
Science and Technology
- Jack Lippes develops the contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD)
- The First in-flight movie is shown on TWA
- The First electric toothbrush is produced Squibb Co.
- Niagara Falls starts producing hydroelectric power
- The first quasar is discovered by Allan Sandage at Mt. Palomar, California
- IBM introduces the IBM Selectric typewriter
- Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin makes the first manned space flight
- Navy Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard, Jr. becomes the first United States man in space
- Soviet space probe Venera 1 becomes the first man-made vehicle to reach another planet when it arrives at Venus
Sports
- New York Yankees defeats Cincinnati to win the World series (4-1)
- Boston defeats St. Louis Haws to win the NBA Championship (4-1)
- Green Bay Packers win the NFL championship
- Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle compete to beat Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs. Maris hits number 61 on October 1
Famous Baby Boomers Born in 1961
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Dennis Rodman
- Diana, Princess of Wales
- Eddie Murphy
- Fabio
- George Clooney
- George Stephanopoulos
- Heather Locklear
- Mariel Hemingway
- Meg Ryan
- Melissa Etheridge
- Michael J. Fox
- Princess Diana Spencer
- Scott Baio
- Sean Hannity
- Ted Kennedy Jr.
- Wayne Gretzky
- Woody Harrelson
Arts and Entertainment
- Books: The Agony and the Ecstasy, Franny and Zooey, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mila 18, The Carpetbaggers, Tropic of Cancer, Winnie Ille Pu, Daughter of Silence, The Edge of Sadness, The Winter of Our Discontent
- Movies: One Hundred and One Dalmatians, West Side Story, The Hustler, Judgment at Nuremberg, La Dolce Vita, The Parent Trap, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Splendor in the Grass, Master of the World
- Songs: Stand By Me, Crazy, The Wanderer, Runaround Sue, Crying, Hit The Road Jack, Runaway, Quarter To Three, It Will Stand, Running Scared
- Popular Musicians: Ben E. King, Patsy Cline, Dion, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, Del Shannon, Gary U.S. Bonds, Showmen
- TV Shows: Mr. Ed, The Avengers, Wagon Train, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Hazel, Perry Mason, The Red Skelton Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Danny Thomas Show, Dr. Kildare, Candid Camera, The Bullwinkle Show
- Patsy Cline crosses over from Country to Pop
- West Side Story is adapted for the big screen
- Ernest Hemmingway dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Everyday Life
- U.S. Population: 183,691,481
- Life expectancy: 70.2 years
- Average yearly income: $5,735
- Cost of a new home: $12,500
- Cost of a new car: $2,850
- Federal hourly minimum wage: $1.15
- Cost of a first-class stamp: $.04
Popular Culture
- The first Six Flags theme parks opens Six Flags Over Texas at Arlington, Texas
- Pampers, the first disposable diaper, are introduced
- Frito corn chips appear
- Barbie gets a boyfriend when the Ken doll is introduced
- The Jerk, the Frug , the Pony are popular dances
- The last episode of I Love Lucy is aired
- The music group, The Pendletones, is formed - it later is called The Beach Boys
- FCC Chairman Newton Minow claims that television is a "vast wasteland"
- Coca Cola introduces Sprite to compete against 7-Up
- Ray Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers and takes control over the hamburger chain
- Johnson & Johnson introduces Tylenol
- The Twist and the Bristol Stomp are popular
- FM stereo is introduced
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