Today in History for December 1961

Months in 1961: January February March April May June July August September October November

Historical Events

Events 1 - 68 of 68

1st - The independent Republic of West Papua is proclaimed in modern-day Western New Guinea.
2nd - Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist, & will lead Cuba to Communism
2nd - Wind Bell, journal of SF Zen Center, begins publishing
3rd - Anton Geesink becomes 1st not-Japanese judo world champion
3rd - Beatles meet future manager Brian Epstein
3rd - George Blanda of Houston Oilers kicks 55-yard field goal
3rd - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
4th - Floyd Patterson KOs Tom McNeeley in 4 for heavyweight boxing title
4th - Museum of Modern Art hangs Matisse's Le Bateau upside down for 47 days
4th - Smallest NY Knick, 49th St Madison Square Garden crowd-1,300 (snowstorm)
4th - Tanganyika becomes 104th member of UN
4th - WXGA TV channel 8 in Waycross, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting
6th - 27th Heisman Trophy Award: Ernie Davis, Syracuse (HB)
8th - Antwerp Belgium diocese forms
8th - Larry Costello scores 32 consecutive pts without a miss (NBA rec)
8th - South Africa v NZ, Durban debuts for Eddie Barlow & Peter Pollock
8th - Wilt Chamberlain scores the 2nd highest total in the NBA - 78
9th - "From the Second City" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 87 perfs
9th - "Let It Ride" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 68 perfs
Impressionist Painter Henri Matisse 9th - SS Col Adolf Eichmann found guilty of war crimes in Israel
9th - Tanganyika gains independence from Britain takes name Tanzania
9th - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Phila Warriors scores 67 points vs NY
10th - Houston Oiler Billy Cannon gains record 373 yards against Titans
10th - US performs nuclear test at Carlsbad New Mexico (underground)
10th - USSR & Albania break diplomatic relations
11th - "Please, Mr. Postman" by Marvelettes, released
11th - Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes, in Israel
11th - Elvis Presley's "Blue Hawaii," album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 20 wks
11th - JFK provides US miltary helicopters & crews to South Vietnam
12th - Ham radio satellite Oscar 1 launched with military Discoverer 36
12th - Martin Luther King Jr & 700 demonstraters arrested in Albany Ga
13th - Beatles sign a formal agreement to be managed by Brian Epstein
13th - Gideon Hausner in Jerusalem demands death penalty for Adolf Eichmann
13th - Jimmy Dean's Big Bad John album is country music 1st million $ seller
US President John F. Kennedy 14th - Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" is 1st country song to get a gold record
15th - Adolf Eichmann convicted of crimes against humanity in Israel
15th - Equal access rule, political parties get TV broadcasting time
15th - JFK visits Puerto Rico
15th - L J Suenens appointed archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels
16th - "Evening with Yves Montand" opens at John Golden NYC after 55 perfs
17th - Disgruntled employee set fire to a circus tent in Niteroi Brazil
17th - India seizes Goa & 2 other Portuguese colonies
17th - Niteroi Circus of Rio de Janeiro catches fire; 323 die
18th - Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
18th - For 2nd cons year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
18th - India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu
18th - KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
18th - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Phila Warriors scores 78 points vs LA
19th - British government begins decimal coin system
19th - Indonesian President Sukarno proclaims general mobilization
21st - Beatles record "Sweet Georgia Brown" & "Ready Teddy"
21st - JFK & British PM MacMillan meet in Bermuda
22nd - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
23rd - KICU TV channel 43 in Visalia-Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
23rd - Train accident in Italy, 70 die
23rd - Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62M worth of food & medical supplies
24th - Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3 in AFL championship game
27th - "Subways Are for Sleeping" opens at St James Theater NYC for 205 perfs
27th - Belgium & Congo resume diplomatic relations
27th - Styne/Comden/Green's musical "Subways are for Sleeping," premieres
Playwright Tennessee Williams 28th - Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana," premieres in NYC
30th - Moscow: premier of Dmitri Sjostakovitch' 4th Symphony (out 1936)
31st - "lrma La Douce" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 527 performances
31st - 1st performance of Beach Boys
31st - Beach Boys play their debut gig under that name
31st - Failed coup by Syrian group in Lebanon
31st - Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game
31st - Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion

Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 64 of 64

1st - Barb Mucha, Parma OH, LPGA golfer (1992 Oldsmobile Classic)
1st - Jeremy Northam, English actor
1st - Armin Meiwes, German cannibal
3rd - Adal Ramones, Mexican television host
4th - Frank Reich, NFL quarterback (Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers)
4th - Frank Reich, quarterback (Detroit Lions)
6th - David Lovering, American drummer (Pixies)
7th - Mary Beth Evans, Pasadena CA, actress (Katherine Ashton-Gen Hospital)
7th - Lisa Fischer, American R&B singer
8th - Ann Coulter, American author, political commentator, and attorney
8th - Mikey Robins, Australian comedian
9th - Christiane Jolissaint, Switzerland, tennis star
9th - Ian Andrew Wright, Hamilton NZ, rower (Olympics-96)
9th - Joe Lando, LA California, actor (Byron Sully-Dr Quinn)
9th - David Anthony Higgins, American actor
10th - Mark McKoy, Canadian track star (world record 50m indoor)
10th - Nia Peeples, [Vernia], Hollywood, dancer/host (Fame, Party Machine)
11th - Mike Henneman, St Charles MO, pitcher (Texas Rangers)
11th - Marco Pierre White, English chef and restaurateur
12th - Daniel O'Donnell, Donegal, Ireland, singer/Television presented
12th - Dale Sanderson, CFL guard (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
13th - Gary Zimmerman, NFL tackle (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)
13th - Harry Gregson-Williams, English composer
13th - Irene Saez, Miss Universe 1981 and Venezuelan politician
14th - Jeff Robinson, baseball player (Det, Balt)
15th - Annie Pujol, Perpignan, French TV hostess (Roue de la Fortune)
15th - Reginald Hudlin, director (House Party)
15th - Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist
16th - Kelly Tough, Vancouver BC, playmate (Oct, 1981)
17th - Sarah Dallin, rocker (Bananarama-Venus)
17th - Venice Kong, St Mary Jamaica, playmate (September, 1985)
18th - Brian Orser, Canada, figure skater (Olympics-Silver-88)
18th - Ken Foreman, rocker (Thrashing Doves-Reprobate's Hymm)
18th - Lalchand Rajput, cricketer (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86)
18th - Thomas Strittmatter, writer
19th - Reggie White, NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
20th - Bonnie Marino, Cleveland Oh, playmate (Jun, 1990)
20th - Gale Gilbert, NFL quarterback (San Diego Chargers)
20th - Nate Newton, NFL guard (Dallas Cowboys)
20th - Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor
21st - Trevor Bayliss, cricketer (NSW batsman)
21st - Francis Ng, Hong Kong actor
21st - Ryuji Sasai, Japanese composer
22nd - Yuri Ivanovich Malinchenko, Russian lt-col/cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-19)
22nd - Andrew Fastow, American businessman
23rd - Carol Smillie, British television personality
24th - Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan Republic
24th - Jay Wright, American basketball coach
25th - Storm Davis, baseball player
25th - Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator
26th - Storm Davis, Dallas Texas, pitcher (KC Royals)
26th - Tahnee Welch, [La Tahn Renee Welch], San Diego CA, actress (Cocoon)
26th - John Lynch, Irish actor
27th - Caroline Gowan, Greenville SC, LPGA golfer (SC Women's Amat-1981, 83)
28th - Heather Hafner, Santa Barbara Ca, WPVA volleyballer (National-7th-90)
28th - Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and football coach
29th - Robert Louis Tewdwr Moss, journalist/travel writer
29th - Jim Reid, Scottish singer (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Freeheat)
30th - Ben Johnson, 100m runner (Olympic-gold-1988-disqualified)
30th - Sue Malaxos, Australian marathoner (Olympics-96)
30th - Douglas Coupland, Canadian author
30th - Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete
31st - Joanna Johnson, actress (Caroline-Bold & Beautiful)
31st - Rick Aguilera, San Gabriel CA, pitcher (Minnesota Twins)

Famous Weddings

Weddings 1 - 1 of 1

10th - Dr Ruth marries Fred Westheimer

Famous Deaths

Deaths 1 - 20 of 20

3rd - Jekabs Graubins, composer, dies at 75
3rd - Mary Charleson, actress (Upstairs & Downstairs), dies at 76
6th - Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and writer (b. 1925)
8th - William Beatton Moonie, composer, dies at 78
12th - Daiun Sogaku Harada, Zen founder of Sanbo Kyodan lineage, dies at 91
13th - Grandma Moses [Anna M] , US painter, dies at 101
15th - William "Dummy" Hoy, professional baseball player, dies at 99
16th - Boris Semyonovich Shekhter, composer, dies at 61
16th - Cato Engelen-Sewing, Dutch soprano singer/primadonna, dies at 93
17th - Marion Perkins, sculptor (Man of Sorrow), dies at 53
20th - Moss Heart, US dramatist (You can't take it with you), dies at 57
20th - Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880)
23rd - Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
24th - Guy de Lioncourt, composer, dies at 76
25th - Rheinhold Rudenberg, inventor of electron microscope, dies
25th - Otto Loewi, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1873)
25th - Owen Brewster, U.S. Senator from Maine (b. 1888)
26th - Charlie Frank, cricketer (S Af Test centurion v Aust 1921-22), dies
28th - Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, 1st lady (1915-21), dies at 89
Primitive Painter Grandma Moses (13th) 30th - Jacobus "Ko" van den Bosch, Dutch actor (Amsterdamned)/dir, dies at 53