March 1961
Encyclopedia
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The following events occurred in March
, 1961
British Commonwealth
, Hendrik Verwoerd announced that South Africa
was withdrawing its membership, due to continued criticism of apartheid, "the racial policy of the Union Government".
January 1961
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in January 1961.-January 1, 1961 :...
– February
February 1961
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November-DecemberThe following events occurred in February, 1961-February 1, 1961 :...
– March – April
April 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in April, 1961-April 1, 1961 :...
– May
May 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in May 1961.-May 1, 1961 :...
– June
June 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in June 1961.-June 1, 1961 :...
– July
July 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in July 1961.-July 1, 1961 :...
– August
August 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in August 1961.-August 1, 1961 :...
– September
September 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in September 1961.-September 1, 1961 :...
– October
October 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in October 1961:-October 1, 1961 :...
– November
November 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November-DecemberThe following events occurred in November 1961.-November 1, 1961 :...
- December
December 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in December 1961:-December 1, 1961 :...
The following events occurred in March
March
March is in present time held to be the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of the seven months which are 31 days long....
, 1961
March 1, 1961 (Wednesday)
- President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
established the Peace CorpsPeace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
by Executive Order 10924.*UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
became self-governing by holding its first general elections a year in advance of full independence. With 90% of the 1.3 million eligible voters participating, the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (Uganda)The Democratic Party is a moderate conservative political party in Uganda currently led by Norbert Mao. DP was led by Paul Ssemogerere for 25 years until his retirement in November 2005...
, led by Benedicto KiwanukaBenedicto KiwanukaBenedicto Kabimu Mugumba Kiwanuka was the first Prime Minister of Uganda, leader of the Democratic Party and one of the early leaders that led the country in the transition between colonial British rule and independence...
, won 43 of the 81 seats in the National Assembly. The Uganda People's CongressUganda People's CongressThe Uganda People's Congress is a political party in Uganda.Uganda People's Congress was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to Independence and later served two presidential terms under the party's banner...
received more votes overall, but only 35 seats.
March 2, 1961 (Thursday)
- Algerian War: Algerian nationalist leader Ferhat AbbasFerhat AbbasFerhat Abbas Kabyle: Ferḥat Σabbas, was an Algerian political leader and briefly acted in a provisional capacity as the yet-to-become independent country's President from 1958 to 1961.- Background :...
announced in RabatRabatRabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, that the FLNNational Liberation Front (Algeria)The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
had agreed to French President Charles de GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's proposal to begin peace talks on Algerian independence. By then, the war was in its seventh year. - Congolese soldiers killed 44 civilians in the city of Luluabourg (now KanangaKanangaKananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital of Lulua District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has a population of 1,130,100 ....
), capital of the Kasai provinceKasai ProvinceKasai is one of 25 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo specified in the country's 2005 Constitution , under Article 2. It was to be created from country's the existing 10 provinces within 36 months , according to Article 226...
. - Twenty-two underground coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Viking Coal Company near Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. - At the age of 79, artist Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
married 35 year old Jacqueline RoqueJacqueline RoqueJacqueline Roque was the second wife of Pablo Picasso and his frequent model. Picasso spent the last 20 years of his life with Roque, during which time he created more than 400 portraits of her. They had no children....
. The two remained together until his death in 1973. - Died: Olaf HagerupOlaf HagerupOlaf Hagerup was a Danish botanist. He studied botany at the University of Copenhagen from 1911 under the professors Eugenius Warming, Christen C. Raunkiær, L. Kolderup Rosenvinge og W. Johannsen. He took his Ph.D. from the same university in 1930...
, 71, Danish botanist
March 3, 1961 (Friday)
- Hassan IIHassan II of MoroccoKing Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
was formally enthroned as King of MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, one week after his father's death. Thomas Kerlin Park and Aomar Boum, Historical Dictionary of Morocco (Scarecrow Press, 2006) p149 - The U.S. Air Force successfully launched the first of its "economy" rockets, the RM-90 Blue Scout II, designed to put payloads into space at a lower cost.
- Elsie May Batten, a 59-year-old shop assistant and wife of famed sculptor Mark Batten, was found stabbed to death with an antique dagger at the London curiosity shop where she worked. Her killer, Edwin BushEdwin BushEdwin Bush was 21 when he was executed at Pentonville Prison in London on July 6, 1961. He was the first British criminal to be caught through the use of a facial recognition system called the Identikit system....
, became the first criminal to be caught by use of is later executed for her murder, the first British murderer to be caught by use of the IdentikitIdentikitIdentikit is a 1974 film directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi.Based on the novella The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark, it is a psychological drama starring Elizabeth Taylor, Ian Bannen and featuring Andy Warhol.-Cast:* Elizabeth Taylor as Lise* Ian Bannen as Bill* Guido Mannari as Carlo* Mona...
system. - Died: Paul WittgensteinPaul WittgensteinPaul Wittgenstein was an Austrian-born concert pianist, who became known for his ability to play with just his left hand, after he lost his right arm during the First World War. He devised novel techniques, including pedal and hand-movement combinations, that allowed him to play chords previously...
, 73, Austrian-born pianist
March 4, 1961 (Saturday)
- The Soviet Union made its first successful test of its V-1000 anti-ballistic missileAnti-ballistic missileAn anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
system, proving that it could intercept an intercontinental ballistic missileIntercontinental ballistic missileAn intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
. The ICBM, an R-12 Dvina (referred to by NATO as the SS-4), was fired from the Kapustin YarKapustin YarKapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
in southwest Russia. The V-1000 was launched from the Sary ShaganSary ShaganSary Shagan is an anti-ballistic missile testing range located in Kazakhstan at coordinates .On 17 August 1956 the Soviet Council of Ministers authorized plans for an experimental facility for missile defense located at Sary Shagan, on the west bank of Lake Balkhash...
range in thousands of miles to the east, and the intercept took place at an altitude of 80,00 feet over the Kazakh SSRKazakh SSRThe Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
. - Former U.S. President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
became, once again, a five-star general, as an act of Congress restored him to his former rank of General of the ArmyGeneral of the ArmyGeneral of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
. - The centennial of the presidential inauguration of Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was observed with a re-enactment at the east front of the U.S. Capitol. A crowd of 20,000 people watched, twice as many as had witnessed the actual event in 1861. - Born: Ray 'Boom-Boom' Mancini, American boxer best remembered for the tragic 1982 bout with Duk Koo KimDuk Koo KimKim Duk-Koo was a South Korean boxer who died following a boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked a number of reforms in the sport aimed to better protect the health of fighters.-Life and boxing career:...
; WBA lightweight champion, 1982–84; in Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, OhioYoungstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania... - Died: Pudge WymanPudge WymanArnold Douglas "Pudge" Wyman was an American football player. He was an All-American fullback for the University of Minnesota from 1915-1916 and halfback for the Rock Island Independents in the first season of the National Football League in 1920...
, 65, American pro football player credited with the first NFL touchdown (1920)
March 5, 1961 (Sunday)
- At a press conference at Andrews Air Force BaseAndrews Air Force BaseJoint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, spokesmen for the U.S. Air Force Research and Development command announced that they had developed an atomic clockAtomic clockAn atomic clock is a clock that uses an electronic transition frequency in the microwave, optical, or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms as a frequency standard for its timekeeping element...
"so accurate that its biggest error would not exceed one second in 1271 years", and, at 62 pounds, light enough that it could be used on aircraft in place of the existing system of crystal oscillators. Conventional atomic clock units, though more accurate, weighed over 600 pounds and were impractical for flight. - The crash of a U.S. Air Force Boeing KB-50 refueling plane killed all ten men on board.
- Born: Marcelo PeraltaMarcelo PeraltaMarcelo Peralta is an Argentine performer, teacher, composer and arranger that plays all the saxophones, piano, accordion, and the Latin American aerophones.-Education:...
, Argentinian musician, in Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... - Died: Kjeld AbellKjeld AbellKjeld Abell was a Danish playwright and theatrical designer. Born in Ribe, Denmark, Abell's first designs were seen in ballets directed by George Balanchine at Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre and London's Alhambra Theatre....
, 59, Danish playwright, shortly after finishing his last work, Skriget (The Scream)
March 6, 1961 (Monday)
- The phrase "affirmative actionAffirmative actionAffirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
" was first used to refer to a governmental requirement to promote equal opportunity by giving preferences in order to remedy prior discrimination. President Kennedy used the term with the issuance of Executive Order 10925Executive Order 10925Executive Order 10925 was signed by President John F. Kennedy on March 6, 1961, requiring government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." It...
. The original context was in Section 301 of the order, providing that federal government contracts include a provision that "The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." - The British soap opera Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
was fully networked by ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, with a new schedule of Monday and Wednesday evenings at 19:30. - Died: George Formby, 56, British singer, comedian and actor
March 7, 1961 (Tuesday)
- The successful test firing of the engines of a Titan I missile, as it stood inside the underground SLTF (Silo Test Launch Facility) at California's Vandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, demonstrated that a missile could be successfully fired from within a missile silo. An actual launch from the silo would not take place until May 3. - Born: Martina SchettinaMartina SchettinaMartina Schettina is an Austrian artist.- Life :Martina Schettina was born in 1961 in the district Währing in Vienna. Her father was a Mathematician...
, Austrian painter, in Vienna - Died: Govind Ballabh PantGovind Ballabh PantBharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
, 73, Indian statesman
March 8, 1961 (Wednesday)
- Max ConradMax ConradMaximilien "Max" Conrad, known as the "Flying Grandfather", was a record-setting aviator. In the 1950s and 1960s, he set nine official light plane world records, three of which still stand at the end of 2008. For his efforts, he was awarded the Louis Blériot medal in 1952 and the prestigious...
, "the Flying Grandfather", circumnavigated the Earth in 8 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new world record for a light airplane, breaking the previous mark, set in 1959, of 25 days. - The first U.S. Polaris submarinesUGM-27 PolarisThe Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
arrived at the new submarine base at ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's Holy LochHoly LochThe Holy Loch is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Robertson's Yard at Sandbank, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
, as the nuclear missile bearing USS Patrick HenryUSS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599)USS Patrick Henry , named for the American Revolutionary War figure Patrick Henry , was a nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine of the United States Navy...
sailed past protesters and in alongside its tending ship, USS ProteusUSS Proteus (AS-19)The third USS Proteus was a in the United States Navy.Proteus was laid down by the Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Oakland, California, 15 September 1941; launched 12 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Charles M. Cooke, Jr.; and commissioned 31 January 1944, Capt. Robert W...
, to begin a two year mission. - Died: Sir Thomas BeechamThomas BeechamSir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
, 81, English conductor who founded the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras; and Gala GalactionGala GalactionGala Galaction was a Romanian Orthodox clergyman and theologian, writer, journalist, left-wing activist, as well as a political figure of the People's Republic of Romania...
, 81, Romanian author
March 9, 1961 (Thursday)
- Sputnik 9Sputnik 9Korabl-Sputnik 4 or Vostok-3KA No.1, also known as Sputnik 9 in the West, was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1961. It was a test flight of the Vostok spacecraft, carrying the mannequin Ivan Ivanovich, a dog named Chernushka, some mice and a guinea pig.Korabl-Sputnik 4 was launched at...
was launched by the USSR from Baikonur LC1, carrying "Ivan IvanovichIvan IvanovichIvan Ivanovich, the Russian equivalent for 'John Doe' was the name given to a mannequin used in testing the Russian Vostok spacecraft in preparation for its manned missions....
" (a dummy cosmonaut), the dog ChernushkaChernushkaChernushka is a town and the administrative center of Chernushinsky District, Perm Krai, Russia, located in the southern part of the krai on the Bystry Tanyp River, which is south of Perm. Population:...
, mice, and a guinea pig. The spaceship made several orbits of the Earth at an average altitude of 135 miles, and then was recovered. NASA spokesman George M. Law said that the test showed that the Russians were "about ready to put a man up". - An underground fire at the Ueda Mine Company in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's worst coal mineMining in JapanMining in Japan is minimal because Japan possesses very few mining resources. Japanese mining was a rapidly declining industry in the 1980s. Domestic coal production shrank from a peak of 55 million tons in 1960 to slightly more than 16 million tons in 1985, while coal imports grew to nearly 91...
disaster since World War II killed 71 miners at the Ueda Mine Company at KawaraKawara, Fukuokais a town located in Tagawa District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 12,714 and a density of 285.32 persons per km². The total area is 44.56 km².-External links:*...
. - Born: Andrei IvanţocAndrei IvantocAndrei Ivanţoc is a republic of Moldovan politician. He was among the four leaders of the Tiraspol branch of the pro-Romanian Christian-Democratic People's Party of Moldova who were accused of terrorism by the authorities of the breakaway Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic .- Biography...
, Moldovan politician, in Opaci; and Rick SteinerRick SteinerRobert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
, American pro wrestler, as Robert Rechsteiner in Bay City, MichiganBay City, MichiganBay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
March 10, 1961 (Friday)
- The first unambiguous detection of the planet Venus, using radar astronomyRadar astronomyRadar astronomy is a technique of observing nearby astronomical objects by reflecting microwaves off target objects and analyzing the echoes. This research has been conducted for six decades. Radar astronomy differs from radio astronomy in that the latter is a passive observation and the former an...
, was made by the Jet Propulsion LaboratoryJet Propulsion LaboratoryJet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
. Transmission was sent from the Goldstone Tracking Station in California at a 2,388 megacycle frequency, traveling 35 million miles to Venus and then back to Earth, in a little more than six minutes. Signals had been bounced off of Venus before, but never received back clearly enough to be "immediately detectable". - Richard Sullivan, a staffer at the Port Authority of New York and New JerseyPort Authority of New York and New JerseyThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
, delivered a feasibility study to the Authority, entitled "A World Trade Center in the Port of New York", outlining the justification for building what would become the Twin Towers and five other buildings in the World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
complex. - Born: Mitch GaylordMitch GaylordMitchell Jay Gaylord , is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.Gaylord was born in Van Nuys, California, son of Fred and Linda Gaylord. While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 and 1984 U.S...
, first American gymnast to score a 10.00 in Olympic competition (1984); in Van Nuys, California; Greg KolodziejzykGreg KolodziejzykGreg Kolodziejzyk is a Canadian cyclist who has held several world records on recumbent bicycles and pedal-powered boats., he holds the following records under the sanction of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association:...
, Canadian cyclist, in Fort St. John, British ColumbiaFort St. John, British ColumbiaThe City of Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 22,000 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway. Originally...
March 11, 1961 (Saturday)
- Plans for an invasion of CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
were presented by CIA official Richard M. Bissell, Jr.Richard M. Bissell, Jr.Richard Mervin Bissell, Jr. was an American Central Intelligence Agency officer responsible for major projects such as the U-2 spy plane and the Bay of Pigs Invasion.-Early years:...
for the approval of President Kennedy. In a meeting attended by the President, Secretary of State Dean RuskDean RuskDavid Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
, Defense Secretary Robert McNamaraRobert McNamaraRobert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, CIA Director Allen Dulles, and General Lyman LemnitzerLyman LemnitzerLyman Louis Lemnitzer was a United States Army General, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962. He then served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 1963 to 1969.-Biography:...
, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs, Bissell outlined the proposed "Operation Trinidad", with an invasion force storming the beaches of Trinidad, CubaTrinidad, Cuba-External links:* , Online travel guide to Trinidad* , Selected photos of Trinidad* , Photos of Trinidad...
by sea and by air. Kennedy rejected the plan as "too spectacular", and directed Bissell to come up with a less obvious placement of troops. Only four days later, Bissell had drawn up a new plan, with the force to strike at the Bay of PigsBay of Pigs InvasionThe Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
within a month. "The Kennedy team was impressed," one historian would say later, "when they should have been incredulous." - Died: William A. MorganWilliam Alexander MorganWilliam Alexander Morgan was a United States citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution. He was one of only two foreign nationals to hold the rank of Comandante in the revolutionary forces....
, 33, former American soldier who later became an advisor to Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, was executed by a firing squad in HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
after being found guilty of conspiring against the government.
March 12, 1961 (Sunday)
- Miami mobster John RoselliJohn RoselliJohn "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
, who was assisting the CIA in its plans to assassinate Fidel Castro, met with a Cuban contact at the Fontainebleau HotelFontainebleau HotelThe Fontainebleau Miami Beach or the Fontainebleau Hotel is one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels on Miami Beach. Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, it was considered the most luxurious hotel on Miami Beach, and is thought to be the most significant...
in Miami Beach. Roselli would testify before the U.S. Senate, 14 years later, about the delivery of money and poisoned pills for the contact to place in Castro's food. Columnist Jack Anderson broke the story in his column of January 18, 1971. The CIA would acknowledge its involvement 46 years after the fact, with the declassification of documents in 2007. - The long-running BBC radio music show Your Hundred Best TunesYour Hundred Best TunesYour Hundred Best Tunes was a long-running BBC radio music programme, always broadcast on Sunday evenings, which presented popular works which were mostly classical excerpts, choral works, opera and ballads. The hundred tunes which made up the playlist were initially selected by the creator and...
moved to the timeslot with which it would be associated for the next 45 years.
March 13, 1961 (Monday)
- A dam burst on the Dnieper RiverDnieper RiverThe Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
in the Ukrainian SSR, killing 145. The disaster was not reported in the Soviet press until March 31, when it was referred to in Pravda. - The 22,349 foot high Himalayan mountain Ama DablamAma DablamAma Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional...
was climbed for the first time, by the team of Barry Bishop, Mike Ward, Mike Gill, and Wally Romanes. - United States delegate to the UNSC Adlai Stevenson voted against PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
policies in Africa. - President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
proposed a long-term "Alliance for Progress" between the United States and Latin America.http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Selected+Milestones+in+the+Presidency+of+John+F.+Kennedy.htm - CyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
joined the Commonwealth of NationsCommonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, becoming the first small country in the Commonwealth.
March 14, 1961 (Tuesday)
- The first phase of the creation of the New English BibleNew English BibleThe New English Bible is a translation of the Bible into modern English directly from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts . The New Testament was published in 1961...
, begun in 1946 by the Joint Committee on the New Translation of the Bible", was completed with the publication of the revised New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. Relying on a re-examination of the oldest texts and conveyance of original meanings into modern English, the "new New Testament" was released to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the March 1611 publication of the King James Version of the Bible. - Born: Kirby PuckettKirby PuckettKirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
, American baseball player (Minnesota Twins) and Hall of Famer, in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(d. 2006); and Mike LazaridisMike LazaridisMihalis "Mike" Lazaridis , OC, O.Ont is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is the founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion , which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada...
, founder of Research In MotionResearch In MotionResearch In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
March 15, 1961 (Wednesday)
- At a meeting in London of the prime ministers of the
British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, Hendrik Verwoerd announced that South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
was withdrawing its membership, due to continued criticism of apartheid, "the racial policy of the Union Government".
- The Union of Peoples of Angola, led by Holden RobertoHolden RobertoHolden Álvaro Roberto founded and led the National Liberation Front of Angola from 1962 to 1999. His memoirs are unfinished.-Early life:...
, crossed over from the Congo into AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, and murdered European and African residents living near the northern border of the Portuguese colony. Portuguese forces killed tens of thousands of African residents in retaliation and the warAngolan War of IndependenceThe Angolan War of Independence began as an uprising against forced cotton cultivation, and became a multi-faction struggle for control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola with three nationalist movements and a separatist movement...
continued for 14 years. - The World Chess Championship 1961World Chess Championship 1961The 1961 World Chess Championship was played between former champion Mikhail Botvinnik and champion Mikhail Tal in Moscow from March 15 to May 13, 1961. Tal had unseated Botvinnik in the 1960 match, thus Botvinnik was entitled to this rematch the next year. Botvinnik, a Russian, defeated Latvian...
between former world champion Mikhail BotvinnikMikhail BotvinnikMikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
and titleholder Mikhail TalMikhail TalMikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
, began in Moscow. - Died: Sir Walter Womersley, 1st Baronet, 83, British politician
March 16, 1961 (Thursday)
- 1961 Yuba City B-52 crash1961 Yuba City B-52 crashThe 1961 Yuba City B-52 crash refers to an accident on March 14, 1961, at Yuba City, California. A B-52F-70-BW Stratofortress bomber, AF Serial No. 57-0166, c/n 464155, carrying two nuclear weapons, that had departed from Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, experienced an uncontrolled...
: A B-52F-70-BW Stratofortress bomber, 57-0166, c/n 464155, carrying two nuclear weapons, was abandoned by crew and crashed 15 miles west of Yuba City, California,. The nuclear weapons were torn from the aircraft on impact, but did not detonate. - The 18th Golden Globe Awards18th Golden Globe AwardsThe 18th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film for 1960 films, were held on March 16, 1961.-Best Actor - Drama: Burt Lancaster - Elmer Gantry*Trevor Howard - Sons and Lovers*Laurence Olivier - Spartacus...
were held; winners include Burt LancasterBurt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
(Best Actor – Drama), Greer GarsonGreer GarsonGreer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
(Best Actress – Drama) and Spartacus (Best Film – Drama). - The MV Lizzonia (ex CHANT 35 / Empire Farouche) collided with MV Arctic Ocean 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) north west of the Varne LightshipVarne BankThe Varne Bank is a five and three quarter mile long sand bank in the Dover Straits, lying nine miles southwest of Dover in Kent, England.Lying almost in the middle of the south/west international traffic English-side channel of the English Channel, the Varne Bank is a constant concern for both Her...
, in the English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The ship was abandoned and later sank. - The NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Goddard Space Flight CenterGoddard Space Flight CenterThe Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
is officially dedicated in Greenbelt, MarylandGreenbelt, MarylandGreenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today's City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as "Old Greenbelt" and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
March 17, 1961 (Friday)
- Albert DeSalvoAlbert DeSalvoAlbert Henry DeSalvo was a criminal in Boston, Massachusetts who confessed to being the "Boston Strangler", the murderer of 13 women in the Boston area. DeSalvo was not imprisoned for these murders, however, but for a series of rapes...
was arrested in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, while trying to break into a house. Confessing to be a sexual predator who had been nicknamed "the Measuring Man", DeSalvo spent a year in jail. For 18 months following his release, thirteen local women were sexually assaulted and murdered. DeSalvo, arrested later in 1964, confessed to being the "Boston StranglerBoston StranglerThe Boston Strangler is a name attributed to the murderer of several women in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in the early 1960s. Though the crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo, investigators of the case have since suggested the murders were not committed by one person.-First Stage...
". - IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
staged a dress rehearsal for a military parade in the Israeli-occupied part of Jerusalem, in which heavy military armament took part. - Born: Mauricio PimientoMauricio PimientoMauricio Pimiento Barrera is a Colombian politician, former Senator of Colombia. Pimiento was arrested on February 16, 2007 after being involved in the Para-political scandal...
, Colombian politician involved in the Colombian parapolitics scandalColombian parapolitics scandalThe Colombian parapolitics scandal or "parapolítica" in Spanish refers to the 2006–present Colombian congressional scandal in which several congressmen and other politicians have been indicted for suspicions of colluding with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia , a paramilitary group which...
, in Bucaramanga - Died: Susanna M. SalterSusanna M. SalterSusanna Madora "Dora" Salter was a U.S. politician and activist. She served as mayor of Argonia, Kansas, becoming the first woman elected as mayor and the first woman elected to any political office in the United States....
, 101, first woman mayor in the United States
March 18, 1961 (Saturday)
- Nous les amoureux sung by Jean-Claude PascalJean-Claude PascalJean-Claude Pascal was a French comedian and singer.After surviving the Second World War in Straßburg, Pascal first studied at the Sorbonne-university and then turned to fashion-designing for Christian Dior...
(music by Jacques Datin, lyrics by Maurice Vidalin) won the Eurovision Song Contest 1961Eurovision Song Contest 1961The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the sixth Eurovision Song Contest. A total of sixteen countries took part in the Contest, including the three debuting countries: Finland, Spain, and Yugoslavia. It was held on 18 March 1961 and was the first to take place on a Saturday night, a tradition that...
for LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
March 19, 1961 (Sunday)
- Tornadoes swept through four districts of East PakistanEast PakistanEast Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
(now BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, killing more than 250 people. The dead included 32 people who had taken refuge in a Catholic church in Dacca after attending Sunday mass. - Portugal defeated Luxembourg 6–0 in a 1962 FIFA World Cup1962 FIFA World CupThe 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
qualifying match. - Died: Ada CornaroAda CornaroAda Cornaro was a prominent Argentine film and theatre actress, tango dancer and singer of the 1930s and 1940s.Although she entered film in 1924 her claim to fame was in the 1930 tango film hit Adiós Argentina in which she starred alongside icon Libertad Lamarque.She appeared in tango films such...
, 79, Argentinian tango dancer and actress
March 20, 1961 (Monday)
- Following a complaint by JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
about the events of March 17, the Mixed Armistice Commission decided that "this act by Israel is a breach of the General Armistice Agreement". - Born: John Clark Gable, American actor, four months after the death of his father, film star Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
March 21, 1961 (Tuesday)
- The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
— JohnJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, PaulPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, GeorgeGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Stu (Stuart SutcliffeStuart SutcliffeStuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was a Scottish artist and musician, best known as the original bass player of The Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue a career as an artist, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art...
)— began the first of nearly 300 regular performances at The Cavern ClubThe Cavern ClubThe Cavern Club is a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England. Opened on Wednesday 16 January 1957, the club had their first performance by The Beatles on 9 February 1961, and where Brian Epstein first saw The Beatles performing on 9 November 1961....
in LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Sutcliffe left the band three months later. Continuing with Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, the group's final appearance at the Cavern Club was on August 3, 1963. - The press agency United News of IndiaUnited News of IndiaUnited News of India is one of the two primary Indian news agencies. It works in collaboration with several foreign news agencies and partners, including Reuters and DPA....
dispatched its first reports to subscribers. - Ion Gheorghe MaurerIon Gheorghe MaurerIon Gheorghe Iosif Maurer was a Romanian communist politician and lawyer.-Biography:Born in Bucharest to a Saxon father and a Romanian mother of French origin, he completed studies in Law and became an attorney, defending in court members of the illegal leftist and Anti-fascist movements...
became Prime Minister of Romania.
March 23, 1961 (Thursday)
- The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
lifted censorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
restrictions, for foreign news correspondents, that had been in place since 1917. Except for two occasions in 1939 and 1946, non-Soviet reporters had been required to have their dispatches reviewed before transmission. Foreign office press director Mikhail Kharlamov cautioned that, although pre-approval of reports would no longer be required, foreigners were still required to keep copies of all dispatches for future review, and that persons who "circulated unfounded rumors about the Soviet Union" were still subject to expulsion. - An American C-47 transport plane with eight men aboard disappeared over the war-torn nation of LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
after taking off from VientianeVientiane-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
toward Saigon. The U.S. Air Force did not announce the incident until two days later. - Born: George Weber, American radio personality, in Philadelphia (murdered 2009)
- Died: Valentin BondarenkoValentin BondarenkoValentin Vasiliyevich Bondarenko was a Soviet fighter pilot and cosmonaut. He died during a training accident in Moscow, USSR, in 1961. A crater on the Moon's far side is named for him.-Education and military training:...
, 24, Russian cosmonaut, in a training accident; and Heinrich RauHeinrich RauHeinrich Gottlob "Heiner" Rau was a German communist politician during the time of the Weimar Republic; subsequently, during the Spanish Civil War, a leading member of the International Brigades and after World War II an East German statesman.Rau grew up in a suburb of Stuttgart, where he early...
, 61, East German politician
March 24, 1961 (Friday)
- A Mercury-Redstone BDMercury-Redstone BDMercury-Redstone BD was an unmanned booster development flight in the U.S. Mercury program. It was launched on March 24, 1961 from Launch Complex 5 at Cape Canaveral, Florida...
rocket was launched from Cape CanaveralCape CanaveralCape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
, Florida, on one final test flight to certify its safety for human transport. As with earlier Soviet tests, the American space capsule carried a test dummy. The spacecraft reached an altitude of 115 miles and was recovered in the Atlantic 8 minutes after launch. Stopped by Wernher von BraunWernher von BraunWernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
from going, Alan ShepardAlan ShepardAlan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
had volunteered to take the flight, and would have become the first man to travel into outer space. Less than three weeks later, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
would, on April 12, would reach the milestone. Shepard would reach space, though not orbit, on May 5.
March 25, 1961 (Saturday)
- In Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, the University of Cincinnati BearcatsCincinnati Bearcats men's basketballThe Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. They currently compete in the Big East Conference and are coached by Mick Cronin. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in...
upset the #1 ranked Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State Buckeyes men's basketballThe Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
, 70-65, to win the NCAA basketball championship1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 14, 1961, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in Kansas...
. Going into the title match, OSU had won 32 consecutive games with a team that included John HavlicekJohn HavlicekJohn J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
and Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
. Future Indiana University coach Bobby KnightBobby Knight-Indiana:When Indiana University was seeking a new coach in 1971, they turned to Knight. Knight was given the nickname "The General" by former University of Detroit and Detroit Pistons coach-turned-broadcaster Dick Vitale....
had kept OSU from losing in regulation by scoring the basket that tied the game 61-61. - The day after the U.S. launch of a test dummy into space, the Soviets made one final launch of their own Ivan Ivanovich dummy into space, along with the last dog in space, Zvezdochka. Both went up on Sputnik 10, which made one orbit and safely returned to Earth.
March 26, 1961 (Sunday)
- In rugby union, FranceFrance national rugby union teamThe France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
defeated Wales 8–6 at the Stade Colombes to assure themselves of overall victory in the 1961 Five Nations Championship1961 Five Nations ChampionshipThe 1961 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-second series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-seventh series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
. - The Lombank Trophy1961 Lombank TrophyThe 2nd Lombank Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 26 March 1961 at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit, England. The race was run over 37 laps of the circuit, and was won by Australian driver Jack Brabham in a Cooper T53....
was held at Snetterton Motor Racing CircuitSnetterton Motor Racing CircuitSnetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...
, England, and was won by Jack BrabhamJack BrabhamSir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
in a Cooper T53. - Born: Billy WarlockBilly WarlockBilly Warlock is an American actor best known for playing Eddie Kramer, a lifeguard on the original three seasons of Baywatch and in the reunion movie in 2003, as well as for numerous daytime roles, most notably Frankie Brady on Days of our Lives and A.J...
, American TV soap opera actor, in Gardena, CaliforniaGardena, CaliforniaGardena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gardena is located at .... - Died: Carlos Duarte Costa, 72, founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
March 27, 1961 (Monday)
- Nine African-American students from Mississippi's Tougaloo CollegeTougaloo CollegeTougaloo College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts institution of higher education founded in 1869, in Madison County, north of Jackson, Mississippi, USA.Academically, Tougaloo College has received high ranks in recent years...
made the first effort of passive resistance to end segregation in the state capital, JacksonJackson, MississippiJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, by walking into the whites-only main branch of the municipal public library. After beginning the "read-in", the students declined to leave and were arrested by police. The next day, black students at Jackson State College marched to the city jail to protest the arrest of the "Tougaloo Nine", and more demonstrations followed. - Thunderball, the ninth James Bond novel by Ian FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, was first published, in a hardback British edition by Glidrose Productions. - Born: Leigh BoweryLeigh BoweryLeigh Bowery was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, actor, pop star, model and fashion designer, based in London. Bowery is considered one of the more influential figures in the 1980s and 1990s London and New York art and fashion circles influencing a generation of artists and...
, Australian performance artist, in Melbourne (died 1994) - Died: Paul LandowskiPaul LandowskiPaul Maximilien Landowski , a French monument sculptor of Polish ancestry. He was born in Paris to Polish refugees of the January Uprising, and died in Boulogne-Billancourt....
, 85, French monumental sculptor
March 28, 1961 (Tuesday)
- U.S. President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
informed Congress that, as part of the proposed $43.8 billion defense budget, he was cancelling the Pye WacketPye WacketPye Wacket was the codename for an experimental lenticular-form air-to-air missile developed by the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation in 1957...
project, an experimental lenticular-form air-to-air missile, and the B-70 nuclear-powered airplane. Kennedy declared that "As a power which will never strike first, our hopes for anything close to an absolute deterrent must rest on weapons which come from hidden, moving, or invulnerable bases which will not be wiped out by a surprise attack," and lobbied instead for ten additional Polaris nuclear submarines and an increased Minuteman nuclear arsenal. - Air AfriqueAir AfriqueAir Afrique was a Pan-African airline, that was mainly owned by many West African countries for most of its history. It was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone West and Central Africa, because many of these countries did not have the capability to create and maintain a...
was founded by agreement of ten West African nations that had gained independence from France. The airline operated until 2001, when its fleet and routes were acquired by Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
. - The Factories Act 1961Factories Act 1961The Factories Act 1961 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At the time of its passage, the Act consolidated much legislation on workplace health, safety and welfare in Great Britain. Though some of it remains in force, it has largely been superseded by the Health and Safety at Work...
was introduced into the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. - Died: Powell Crosley, American inventor and owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team; and Chatta SinghChatta SinghChatta Singh VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:He was approx...
, 74, Indian VC recipient
March 29, 1961 (Wednesday)
- The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States ConstitutionTwenty-third Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution permits citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors for President and Vice President. The amendment was proposed by Congress on June 17, 1960, and ratified by the states on March 29, 1961...
was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to vote in presidentialPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
elections. With at least 3/4ths of the 50 states needed to ratify the amendment New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
became the 37th state to approve the measure at 1:01 pm. Thirteen minutes later in Topeka, the Kansas House of RepresentativesKansas House of RepresentativesThe Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
, in a hastily-called session, made that state the 38th. ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
was the only state to reject the proposal, which gave the District 3 electoral votes starting with the 1964 election.
March 30, 1961 (Thursday)
- The Single Convention on Narcotic DrugsSingle Convention on Narcotic DrugsThe Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 is an international treaty to prohibit production and supply of specific drugs and of drugs with similar effects except under licence for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research...
was signed at New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The pact entered into force on December 13, 1964, and now applies to 149 nations. - Died: Armand RobinArmand RobinArmand Robin was a French poet, translator, and journalist.- Life :Robin was born in Plouguernével by Rostrenen and came to Paris. He was unable to settle down for all his life. He traveled to USSR in 1934, and returned shocked by the reality of communism...
, 49, French poet and journalist, three days after his arrest following an altercation in a bar.; and former Brigadier General Mengistu NewayMengistu NewayBrigadier-General Mengistu Neway was the commander of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie...
, 41, hanged after the unsuccessful coup attempt against the Ethiopian government in December 1960December 1960January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in December 1960:-December 1, 1960 :...
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March 31, 1961 (Friday)
- The last train ran on Ireland's Cork, Bandon and South Coast RailwayCork, Bandon and South Coast RailwayCork, Bandon and South Coast Railway , was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland. It opened in 1851 as the Cork and Bandon Railway, changed its name to Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway in 1888 and became part of the Great Southern Railway in 1924....
. - Died: The Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi, 86, leader of Iran's Shiite Muslims. His death led the way to the ascension of the 58 year old AyatollahAyatollahAyatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ruhollah KhomeiniRuhollah KhomeiniGrand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran...
, who in 1979 would become the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.