April 1961
Encyclopedia
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The following events occurred in April
, 1961
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
March 1961
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November - DecemberThe following events occurred in March, 1961-March 1, 1961 :...
– April – 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 April
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
, 1961
April 1, 1961 (Saturday)
- With the approval of the Food and Drug DirectorateFood and Drugs ActFood and Drugs Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada regarding the production, import, export, transport across provinces and sale of food, drugs, contraceptive devices and cosmetics...
, the morning sickness suppressant thalidomideThalidomideThalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s that was typically used to cure morning sickness. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide, and it is introduced as an immunomodulatory agent used...
went on sale for the first time in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, marketed by Richardson-Merrill under the name Kevadon. The Horner Company would begin sales of its own version, Talimol, in October. Despite evidence later in the year that the drug caused birth defects, sales were not halted in Canada until March 21, 1962, after four million tablets had sold to expectant mothers. - In Australia, Roger NottRoger NottThe Hon. Roger Bede Nott was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 until 1961. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party and held numerous ministerial positions between 1954 and 1961...
replaced James Archer as Administrator of the Northern TerritoryAdministrator of the Northern TerritoryThe Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to exercise powers analogous to that of a state governor...
. - The US Air Materiel Command was re-named Air Force Logistics CommandAir Force Logistics CommandAir Force Logistics Command was a United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio...
. - The codename "Bumpy Road" was assigned to the US Navy operation in the Bay of Pigs InvasionBay 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...
plan. - Jim BakkerJim BakkerJames Orsen "Jim" Bakker is an American televangelist, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host of The PTL Club, a popular evangelical Christian television program.A sex scandal led to his resignation from the ministry...
, 21, and Tamara Faye LaValle, 19, who had met while students at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, were married. As Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, the two would become America's most famous televangelist couple, but would separate after scandal ended their PTL Club ministry. The couple divorced in 1992. - Born: Susan BoyleSusan BoyleSusan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
, Scottish singer, in Blackburn, West Lothian; Anders ForsbrandAnders ForsbrandAnders Forsbrand was one of the first Swedish professional golfers to make a major impact on the European Tour.Forsbrand was born in Filipstad, Sweden, and turned professional in 1981. He first played on the European Tour in 1982, and has been a member since...
, Swedish golfer, in Filipstad
April 2, 1961 (Sunday)
- In Tokyo, Australian swimmer Jan AndrewJan AndrewJanice Andrew , known after marriage as Janice Thornett, was an Australian butterfly swimmer of the 1950s, who won a bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly and a silver medal in the 4 &ntimes; m medley relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics...
broke the world record for the Women's 100 m butterflyWorld record progression 100 metres butterflyThe first world record in the 100 metres butterfly in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1957, for both men and women...
. - Born: Emmanuel Issoze-NgondetEmmanuel Issoze-NgondetFranck Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet is a Gabonese diplomat and political figure. He was Gabon's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2008 to January 2009...
, Gabonese politician and diplomat, in Makokou; Christopher MeloniChristopher MeloniChristopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
, American actor, in Washington, DC
April 3, 1961 (Monday)
- Believed to have become extinct in 1909, the Leadbeater's PossumLeadbeater's PossumLeadbeater's Possum is an endangered possum restricted to small pockets of remaining old growth mountain ash forests in the central highlands of Victoria north-east of Melbourne...
(Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) was rediscovered in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by naturalist Eric Wilkinson. Later in the month, the first specimen found in more than 50 years was captured. - The National Educational Radio NetworkNational Educational Radio NetworkThe National Educational Radio Network was a means of distributing radio programs in the United States between 1961 and 1970. With funding from the Ford Foundation, the network began broadcasting on six radio stations on April 3, 1961....
, funded with a grant from the Ford FoundationFord FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, began broadcasting on six radio stations. The network would give way to government funded National Public Radio on March 3, 1970. - Country music star Spade CooleySpade CooleyDonnell Clyde Cooley , better known as Spade Cooley, was an American Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality...
, nicknamed "The King of Western Swing", murdered his wife Ella Mae after she admitted to having an affair. Cooley remained in prison until 1969, and died on November 23 of that year after performing a concert while on furlough. - 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...
, granting citizens in the District of Columbia the right to vote in national elections, officially took effect upon certification by John L. Moore, U.S. Administrator of General Services. The amendment had been ratified by 38 states as of March 29March 1961January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November - DecemberThe following events occurred in March, 1961-March 1, 1961 :...
. - The Soviet government approved sending a man into space on the April 12 launch of a rocket, and made a choice between the two remaining candidates for first 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....
and Gherman TitovGherman TitovGherman Stepanovich Titov was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on August 6, 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1...
. - John SurteesJohn SurteesJohn Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels...
won the 9th Glover Trophy1961 Glover TrophyThe 9th Glover Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 3 April 1961 at Goodwood Circuit, England. The race was run over 42 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver John Surtees in a Cooper T53...
at Goodwood in a Cooper T53. - Born: Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
, American comedian and actor, in BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York; Angelo d'ArrigoAngelo d'ArrigoAngelo d'Arrigo was an Italian aviator, of French origin, who held a number of world records in the field of flight, principally with microlights and hang gliders, with or without motors. He has been referred to as the "Human Condor".D'Arrigo was born in Catania, Sicily...
, Italian aviator, in CataniaCataniaCatania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
(died 2006); Michalis RakintzisMichalis RakintzisMichalis Rakintzis is a male Greek singer. He was born in Athens and studied Mechanical Engineering in Great Britain. From 1982 to 1985, he participated at a rock group called Scraptown...
, Greek singer, in AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
; Elizabeth GracenElizabeth GracenElizabeth Ward Gracen is an American actress who won the title of Miss America in 1982. She was born Elizabeth Grace Ward but should not be confused with another Elizabeth Ward who worked as a television actress during the first half of the 1980s....
, American actress who won the title of Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
in 1982 - Died: Florence Cole TalbertFlorence Cole TalbertFlorence Cole Talbert-McCleave was a Detroit, Michigan, born African American soprano. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1910, where Talbert was the first African American to attend Los Angeles High School...
, 70, African-American operatic soprano
April 4, 1961 (Tuesday)
- Carlos MarcelloCarlos MarcelloCarlos "The Little Man" Marcello was a Sicilian-American mafioso who became the boss of the New Orleans crime family during the 1940s and held this position for the next 30 years.-Early life:...
, boss of the MafiaMafiaThe Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in New Orleans, was arrested after making a required check-in with the local office of the Immigration and Naturalization ServiceImmigration and Naturalization ServiceThe United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
, driven to the airport and placed as the only passenger on an airplane bound for Guatemala CityGuatemala CityGuatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
. Marcello's deportation, ordered by U.S. Attorney General Robert F. KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, was done immediately, without affording him the benefit of a phone call, money or even a change of clothes. Marcello, outraged by the surprise move, would sneak back into the United States two months later. Some conspiracy theorists suggest that Marcello conspired in the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy in revenge for the act. - At 6:00 pm in a conference room at the office of U.S. 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...
, President Kennedy convened a meeting to discuss final plans for the invasion of CubaBay 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...
. U.S. Senator William Fulbright of 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...
, who argued against the operation, was invited to participate at the meeting, which also included Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, CIA Director Allen Dulles, and three members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The meeting ended at 8:18 pm with Kennedy approving the mission. - Edric BastyanEdric BastyanLieutenant-General Sir Edric Montague Bastyan, KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was Governor of South Australia from 4 April 1961 until 1 June 1968 then Governor of Tasmania from 2 December 1968 until 30 November 1973...
becomes Governor of South Australia. - Born: Tom ByronTom ByronTom Byron is an American pornographic actor and director. He is of Italian descent and is an alumnus of the University of Houston. He has also been credited as Tom Byrom, Tim Byron, Tom Bryon, Tom Bryan, and Tommy Byron...
, American actor, in Houston, Texas - Died: Simion StoilowSimion StoilowSimion Stoilow or Stoilov was a Romanian mathematician, creator of the Romanian school of complex analysis, and author of over 100 publications.-Biography:...
, 87, Romanian mathematician
April 5, 1961 (Wednesday)
- Singer Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
made her national television debut, as a guest on Tonight Starring Jack Paar. In TV listings, both of her names were misspelled, as "Barbara Strysand". - The New Guinea CouncilNew Guinea CouncilThe New Guinea Council was a unicameral representative body formed in the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. The council was inaugurated on 5 April 1961 with 28 council members, 16 of whom had been elected in elections held during January 1961....
of Western Papua took office with 28 members, 23 of whom were indigenous residents. - Born: Lisa ZaneLisa ZaneElizabeth Frances "Lisa" Zane is an American actress and singer who has starred on stage, in film and television.-Personal life:...
, American actress, in Chicago, Illinois
April 6, 1961 (Thursday)
- American author Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
suggested the term "sword and sorcerySword and sorcerySword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
" as "a good popular catchphrase for the field". - New York Governor Nelson RockefellerNelson RockefellerNelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
signed the bill authorizing the construction of 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...
and a rehabilitation of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H & M RR). The original plan for the WTC called for construction of several buildings in the east side of ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, near the Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn BridgeThe Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, the two tallest being 72 stories and 30 stories. New Jersey, which shared the Port Authority with New York, protested the location and the site was relocated to Manhattan's west side, where the H & M's office buildings stood. - New York Times reporter Tad SzulcTad SzulcTadeusz Witold Szulc was a reporter and writer of non-fiction books.-Life:Szulc was born in Warsaw, the son of Seweryn and Janina Baruch Szulc. He attended school in Switzerland. In 1940 he emigrated from Poland to join his family in Brazil...
filed a two column story reporting that 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...
was "imminent". Times publisher Orvil DryfoosOrvil DryfoosOrvil Eugene Dryfoos was the publisher of The New York Times from 1961 to his death in 1963. Dryfoos entered The Times family via his marriage to Marian Sulzberger, daughter of then-publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger....
chose not to run the news after consulting with the paper's Washington bureau. Dryfoos's decision was revealed five years later by editor Clifton DanielClifton DanielElbert Clifton Daniel Jr. was managing editor of the New York Times from 1964 to 1969. Before assuming the top editorial job at the paper, he served as the paper's London and Moscow bureau chief....
in a speech at Macalester CollegeMacalester CollegeMacalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
. - Graduated pensions were introduced in the UK.
- Joseph C. SatterthwaiteJoseph C. SatterthwaiteJoseph Charles Satterthwaite of Michigan was a career diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Head of the U.S. Legation at Tangier from 1953 to 1955, and as United States Ambassador to Burma from April 1955 to April 1957. He then served as the first Assistant Secretary of...
became the U.S. ambassador to South Africa. - Died: Jules BordetJules BordetJules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet was a Belgian immunologist and microbiologist. The bacterial genus Bordetella is named after him.-Biography:Bordet was born at Soignies, Belgium...
, 90, Belgian microbiologist
April 7, 1961 (Friday)
- Vladimir IlyushinVladimir IlyushinMajor General Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin was a Soviet general and noted test pilot, and the son of aerospace engineer Sergei Ilyushin. He spent most of his career as a test pilot for the Sukhoi OKB...
, according to contemporary rumours, became the first man in space. The Daily WorkerDaily WorkerThe Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
claims that reports of a car crash involving Ilyushin are a cover story for a mission that went wrong. - Born: Luigi De AgostiniLuigi De AgostiniLuigi de Agostini is an Italian former football defender, who represented the Italian national football team at Euro 1988 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup....
, Italian footballer, in UdineUdineUdine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
; and DONDIDondiDondi was a daily comic strip about a large-eyed war orphan of the same name. Created by Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen, it ran in more than 100 newspapers for three decades .-Interview:...
, (Donald Joseph White) American graffiti artist (d.1998) - Died: Vanessa BellVanessa BellVanessa Bell was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury group, and the sister of Virginia Woolf.- Biography and art :...
, 81, English artist; H. Rowan Gaither, 59, American businessman who authored the controversial Gaither ReportGaither ReportDeterrence & Survival in the Nuclear Age was the report of the Security Resources Panel of the President's Science Advisory Committee, presented to President Eisenhower on November 7, 1957. It is known as the Gaither Report after the panel's chairman Horace Rowan Gaither. The report recommended a...
in 1957; and Marian Jordan, 62, radio comedienne who, with her husband, starred in the title roles of Fibber McGee and MollyFibber McGee and MollyFibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
April 8, 1961 (Saturday)
- Shortly after 4:00 am, the British passenger ship MV DaraMV DaraThe MV Dara was a Dubai based passenger liner, built at a shipbuilding yard in Scotland during 1948. The vessel travelled mostly between the Persian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent, carrying expatriate passengers who were employed in the Gulf States....
exploded off DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. In the fire and in panic during the rescue, 238 passengers and crew died, while another 565 were rescued. The ship sank two days later while being towed. A British Admiralty courtAdmiralty courtAdmiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
concluded a year later that an anti-tank mine, "deliberately placed by a person or persons unknown", had "almost certainly" caused the explosion. - The leadership of the Malta Labour PartyMalta Labour PartyThe Labour Party is, along with the Nationalist Party, one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. It is the party of opposition in the Maltese House of Representatives where it has thirty-four of the sixty-nine seats.- Party Structure :...
, readers, advertisers and distributors of Party papers as well as its voters were placed under an interdictInterdictThe term Interdict may refer to:* Court order enforcing or prohibiting a certain action* Injunction, such as a restraining order...
, which lasted until 1969. - Born: Richard Hatch, American reality show contestant who, in 2000, won the first competition in the TV series SurvivorSurvivor: BorneoSurvivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
; in Middletown, Rhode IslandMiddletown, Rhode IslandMiddletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,150 at the 2010 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown."-Geography:... - Died: Princess Abigail Kapiolani KawānanakoaAbigail Kapiolani KawananakoaPrincess Abigail Helen Kapiolani Kawānanakoa , was the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa....
, 58, pretender to the throne of Hawaii
April 9, 1961 (Sunday)
- Eight days before the scheduled invasion of Cuba, the CIA learned that the Soviet Union was aware that the attack would take place on the 17th, but didn't call it off. The information was not made public until 39 years later, when the Taylor Commission report was declassified.
- The last of the streetcars of Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
was retired, after 136 passengers boarded the last scheduled Pacific Electric RailwayPacific Electric RailwayThe Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
red car to ride the 18 mile rail line to Long Beach. A charter car departed 10 minutes later. The network had been formed in 1902, but the interurban tracks were gradually removed after World War II. - Albert KalonjiAlbert KalonjiAlbert Kalonji is a Congolese politician best known for leading the short-lived secessionist state of South Kasai during the Congo Crisis...
, President of the South KasaiSouth KasaiSouth Kasai was a secessionist region in the area of south central Republic of the Congo during the early 1960s. The region sought independence in similar circumstances to neighboring State of Katanga during the political turmoil arising from the decolonization of Belgian Congo...
breakaway republic, was crowned the "Mulopwe", a Baluba word that translates as King or Emperor, of his people. - Joseph GandaJoseph GandaJoseph Henry Ganda was the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Freetown and Bo in Sierra Leone.Born in the village Serabu in the Bo district, he was the first in the area to study for the priesthood....
was ordained the first priest of Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. - Died: Zog IZog of AlbaniaZog I, Skanderbeg III of the Albanians , born Ahmet Muhtar Bey Zogolli, was King of the Albanians from 1928 to 1939. He was previously Prime Minister of Albania and President of Albania .-Background and early political career:...
, 65, former King of AlbaniaKing of AlbaniaWhile the medieval Angevin Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, it did not encompass the entirety of the modern state of Albania. The latter has been a kingdom on two occasions. The first time was after it was declared independent in 1912...
from 1928 to 1939, died in Paris. As Ahmet Zogu, he had been Prime Minister and then President of Albania before proclaiming a monarchy. Other exiles proclaimed his 22-year-old son, the former crown prince, as King Leka I.
April 10, 1961 (Monday)
- A radar signal, transmitted from 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...
to VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, gave the first definite measurement of its distance from Earth (26,372,600 miles). "This single determination," it has been written, "was sufficient to fix the scale of the solar system with an unprecedented accuracy." - 1961 Masters Tournament1961 Masters TournamentThe 1961 Masters Tournament was contested from April 6 to April 10 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the 25th Masters Tournament. 88 players entered the tournament and 41 of them made the cut at five-over-par...
: Gary PlayerGary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
of South Africa became the first foreign-born winner of the Masters, winning by one stroke after Arnold PalmerArnold PalmerArnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
shot a 6 on the very last hole. - President Kennedy "threw what was regarded as the longest and hardest first ball ever tossed by a President" to open the 1961 Major League Baseball season. The new Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
became the first expansion team to play in the majors, and lost to the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, 4-3. The next day, the Los Angeles Angels became the second team, beating the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
7-2, while the old Senators, playing as the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, beat the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
6-0.
April 11, 1961 (Tuesday)
- The trial of Nazi Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
began in Jerusalem. Eichmann, accused of more than six million murders, was found guilty on August 14, and hanged on May 31, 1962.
April 12, 1961 (Wednesday)
- At 2:07 p.m. local time (9:07 a.m. Moscow, 0607 UTC and 1:07 a.m. in New York), 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....
was launched from BaikonurBaikonurBaikonur , formerly known as Leninsk, is a city in Kyzylorda Province of Kazakhstan, rented and administered by the Russian Federation. It was constructed to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian president Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995.The shape of the...
, in 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...
on the Vostok 1Vostok 1Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
rocket, and became the first human being to go into outer space. Gagarin made one orbit of the Earth before re-entering, and landed at 10:55 a.m., 15 miles southwest of the city of EngelsEngels (city)Engels is a city in Saratov Oblast, Russia. It is a port on the Volga River, located across from Saratov and connected to it with a bridge . Population: 163,000 ; 130,000 ; 91,000 ; 22,000 ....
in Russia's Saratov OblastSaratov OblastSaratov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Saratov. Population: -Demographics:Population:...
.
April 13, 1961 (Thursday)
- In PortugalPortugalPortugal , 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...
, an attempted coup against António de Oliveira SalazarAntónio de Oliveira SalazarAntónio de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
fails. - Died: Former Private First Class John A. BennettJohn A. BennettJohn Arthur Bennett was a Private First Class in the United States Army who was convicted and executed for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl. He is the last person to have been executed by the United States military.Bennett was born in Virginia to a family of African...
, 26, became the last American serviceman to receive the death penalty following a court-martial. Bennett had been convicted of the 1954 rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl while in Austria and was hanged at the prison at Fort LeavenworthFort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
.
April 14, 1961 (Friday)
- "MH-5", the Materials Handling Committee #5 of the American Standards Association, approved the standard size for shipping containers now used worldwide, with dimensions of 8 feet high, 8 feet wide, and in units of 10, 20, 30 and 40 feet long.
- In an event televised live throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Yuri Gagarin received a hero's welcome at the Vnukovo airport, where he was greeted by Soviet dignitaries, and along the ten mile route from the airport to Moscow's Red Square.
- Brigade 2506, the group of 1,400 Cuban exiles, boarded ships and departed from Puerto CabezasPuerto CabezasPuerto Cabezas is a municipality in, and capital of, the North Atlantic Coast department of Nicaragua....
, NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
for a three day voyage to Cuba. - HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
abolished its "People's Courts", which had pronounced sentences on 22,000 people, including 280 death sentences, for their role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. - Born: Robert CarlyleRobert CarlyleRobert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
, Scottish actor, in Maryhill, Glasgow
April 15, 1961 (Saturday)
- Eight Douglas B-26B InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
bombers attacked Cuban airfields at San Antonio de Los BañosSan Antonio de los BañosSan Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba.It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. The city was founded in 1802....
, Ciudad Libertad, and Santiago de Cuba airportAntonio Maceo AirportAntonio Maceo Airport is an international airport located in Santiago, CubaThe airport has a drawing of Che Guevara on one of its outside walls. Pope John Paul II flew to this airport during his last visit to Cuba, flying round-trip between here and José Martí International Airport in Havana.The...
. The B-26s had been prepared by the CIA on behalf of Brigade 2506Brigade 2506Brigade 2506 was the name given to a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro...
, and painted in false flag markings of the Cuban air force. They had flown from Nicaragua with crews of Cuban exiles, and the purpose of Operation Puma was to destroy armed aircraft of the Cuban air force in advance of the main invasionBay 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...
. Shortly after the attacks, another B-26 flew to Miami with false battle damage, and the pilot falsely claimed to be one of several Cuban defectors. At the United Nations, the Cuban Foreign Minister accused the US of aggressive air attacks against Cuba. The US ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson stated that US armed forces would not "under any conditions" intervene in Cuba. He was later embarrassed to realize that the CIA had lied to him and to 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...
. - Born: Tiina LillakTiina LillakTiina Lillak is a former Finnish javelin thrower, who was among the best female javelin throwers in the world in the early and mid 1980s. While she has been credited for starting a string of successes for Finnish female Javelin thrower, her more notable accomplishments include winning a world...
, Finnish javelin thrower, in Helsinki
April 16, 1961 (Sunday)
- In a funeral oration in VedadoVedadoVedado is the downtown and a vibrant neighboorhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Central Havana, and on the west by the Miramar/Playa district. The main street running east to west is Calle 23, also known as 'La Rampa'...
for victims of the air raids the day before, Fidel Castro described the January 1959 Cuban RevolutionCuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
as follows: "...esta es la Revolución socialista y democrática de los humildes, con los humildes y para los humildes..." (...this is the socialist and democratic revolution of the working people, with the working people, and for the working people...) - The Vienna Grand Prix1961 Vienna Grand PrixThe 2nd Vienna Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 16 April 1961 at Aspern Circuit. The race was run over 55 laps of the circuit, and was won comfortably by British driver Stirling Moss in a Lotus 18.-Results:-References:...
was won by Stirling MossStirling MossSir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
in a Lotus 18.
April 17, 1961 (Monday)
- Bay of Pigs InvasionBay 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...
: At about 01:00, in Operation Zapata, the first group of a force of about 1,300 Cuban exiles of Brigade 2506 made an amphibious landing at Playa Girón, a beach at the Bahia de Cochinos ("Bay of Pigs" in modern Spanish) on the southern coast of Cuba. They had been trained by the CIA in Guatemala, then embarked in Nicaragua on four freighter ships chartered by the CIA, and escorted to Cuban waters by a large US Navy task force. A second group of attackers landed 35 km further northwest in the bay at Playa Larga. By about 06:30, the freighter ships and landing craft still unloading troops, vehicles and equipment were attacked by Sea Fury fighter-bombers and T-33 jets of the Cuban air force. At about 07:30, 177 invading paratroops were dropped at four locations north of the landing areas. By about 09:00, one of the freighters had been damaged and beached, and another was then sunk in the bay by air-to-ground rockets. The surviving vessels withdrew south to international waters. By the end of the day, four attacking B-26 bombers had been shot down by T-33s and ground fire, and invading troops had come under fire from Cuban militia and regular troops. - At the 33rd Academy Awards33rd Academy AwardsThe 33rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1960, were held on April 17, 1961 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California...
ceremony, hosted by Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, the award for Best Picture went to The ApartmentThe ApartmentThe Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. It was Wilder's follow-up to the enormously popular Some Like It Hot and, like its predecessor, was a commercial and critical hit, grossing $25...
, for which Billy WilderBilly WilderBilly Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
won Best Director. Burt LancasterBurt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
won Best Actor (for Elmer Gantry), Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
Best Actress for Butterfield 8.
April 18, 1961 (Tuesday)
- Cuban ground forces continued their advances against invading troops, retaking Playa Larga, and advancing towards Playa Girón and the paratroop positions. They were attacked by B-26s flown by Cuban exiles and CIA contractors using napalm, machine guns and bombs.
- The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic RelationsVienna Convention on Diplomatic RelationsThe Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It specifies the privileges of a diplomatic mission that enable diplomats to perform their function without fear of coercion or...
was approved, 72-0, by participants at a six-week long conference convened by the United Nations, and entered into effect on April 24, 1964. - Catherine Dorris NorrellCatherine Dorris NorrellCatherine Dorris Norrell was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas, wife of William F. Norrell.Born in Camden, Arkansas, Norrell attended high school in Monticello, Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville...
, widow and legislative assistant of Arkansas Congressman William F. NorrellWilliam F. NorrellWilliam Frank Norrell was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas, husband of Catherine Dorris Norrell.Born in Milo, Arkansas, Norrell attended the public schools, the Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College of Monticello, the College of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, and law school at the...
, won a special election to fill the vacancy left by her husband's death on February 15, defeating four men vying for the office. She took office as U.S. Representative for the 6th District of Arkansas on April 25, and finished out his term.
April 19, 1961 (Wednesday)
- Air attacks were made by B-26s against advancing Cuban ground forces. Combat air patrols, with strict rules of engagement, were flown by unmarked US Navy A4D Skyhawk jets from USS Essex, but they failed to prevent two bombers being shot down by Cuban aircraft, killing four Americans of the Alabama National Guard employed by the CIA as aircrew trainers. By dusk, about 17:30, Brigade 2506 ground forces had retreated to the beaches, then surrendered or dispersed into neighbouring swamps. About 114 Brigade ground troops, and 176 Cuban ground forces, were killed in combat. Subsequently, 1,189 prisoners were taken, and later tried for treason. On December 24, 1962, the last group of 1,113 prisoners was released in exchange for $53,000,000 worth of food and medicine.
- Born: Anna GerasimovaAnna GerasimovaAnna Gerasimova , also known by her nickname Umka , is a Russian rock singer-songwriter, the leader of the group Umka and Bronevik. She is also a poet, literary translator, literature researcher, traveler and a significant person in the Russian hippie movement.-Songs:Songs written and sung by Umka...
, Russian singer and songwriter
April 20, 1961 (Thursday)
- Harold Graham, a 26-year-old test pilot for Bell Laboratories, made the first successful untethered test of the Bell Rocket BeltBell Rocket BeltThe Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack.-Overview:...
, a jet packJet packJet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
. Starting at the airport in Niagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
, Graham flew 112 feet with the 21 second supply of superheated steam. - President John F. Kennedy sent Vice-President Johnson, to whom he had delegated the job of Chairman of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, a memorandum asking him to find out, "Do we have a chance of beating the Soviets" in the race to be the first "to go the moon and back with a man".
- In the Paisley by-electionPaisley by-election, 1961The Paisley by-election, 1961 was a parliamentary by-election held on 20 April 1961 for the British House of Commons constituency of Paisley in Scotland....
, John RobertsonJohn Robertson (Scottish Labour Party founder)John Robertson was a British politician, who sat as a Labour Member of Parliament before co-founding the Scottish Labour Party in 1976....
, retained the seat for the UK Labour Party with a reduced majority.
April 21, 1961 (Friday)
- The Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, who had already played six road games, played their first game at home and the first regular season MLB game in Minnesota. Formerly the Washington Senators until moving, the team played the new Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(who would later become the Texas Rangers, and lost, 5-3. - At a press conference in the State Department, President Kennedy was asked by NBC reporter Sander VanocurSander VanocurSander "Sandy" Vanocur is an American journalist.- Career :Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Vanocur moved to Peoria, Illinois when he was twelve years old. After attending Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the Northwestern...
whether it was true that 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...
and Chester BowlesChester BowlesChester Bliss Bowles was a liberal Democratic American diplomat and politician from Connecticut.-Biography:...
were against the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Kennedy said "There's an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan... What matters is only one fact, I am the responsible officer of the government." (the saying was later attributed to Mussolini's Foreign Minister, Galeazzo CianoGaleazzo CianoGian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
, in 1942). - Died: Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, 82; and James MeltonJames MeltonJames Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...
, 57, American singer
April 22, 1961 (Saturday)
- Algiers putsch of 1961: Four retired French Generals-- Maurice ChalleMaurice ChalleMaurice Challe was a French general during the Algerian War, one of four generals who took part in the Algiers putsch...
and Raoul SalanRaoul SalanRaoul Albin Louis Salan was a French Army general and the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. Salan was one of four generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch operation and then founded the Organisation de l'armée secrète....
, both of whom had formerly been Commanders-in-Chief of the French Army in Algeria; Edmond JouhaudEdmond JouhaudEdmond Jouhaud was one of four French generals who briefly staged a putsch in Algeria in April 1961. As Army General he had been the Inspector General of the Air Force in French North Africa. After the failure of the putsch, he became the deputy of Raoul Salan in the Organisation de l'Armée Secrète...
, former Inspector General of the French Air Force; and André ZellerAndré ZellerAndré Zeller was a French Army general, one of the four generals who organized the Algiers putsch of 1961...
, former Chief of Staff of the French Ground Army—sent at least 2,000 paratroopers to seize control of cities in Algeria to prevent the transfer of power from France to Algerian nationals. In the early morning hours in Algiers, France's delegate general, Jean Morin, French Transport Minister Robert Buron, and General Fernand Gambiez were taken prisoner as the troops seized control of government offices. Expecting that an attempted coup would reach the French mainland, 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....
ordered loyal units to fight the mutineers. Failing to win support in the coup, General Challe surrendered to loyal troops on April 26 and was flown to Paris to face trial for treason, while Salan, Jouhad and Zeller fled. - The 1961 Aintree 2001961 Aintree 200The 6th Aintree 200 was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 22 April 1961 at Aintree Circuit, England. The race was run over 50 laps of the circuit, and was won by Australian driver Jack Brabham in a Cooper T55.-Results:-References:...
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 T55.
April 23, 1961 (Sunday)
- Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
performed in a legendary comeback concert at Carnegie HallCarnegie HallCarnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, receiving a standing ovation as she arrived on stage, and five minutes of cheering. Variety critic Gordon Cox Tom Moon, 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (Workman Publishing, 2008) described the event as "the greatest night in show business history". The live performance was recorded as a Grammy award winning and bestselling album, Judy at Carnegie HallJudy at Carnegie HallJudy at Carnegie Hall is a two-record live recording of a concert by Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in New York.This concert appearance, on the night of April 23, 1961, has been called "the greatest night in show business history". Garland's live performances were big successes at the time and her...
. - For the first and only time in the history of the Fifth RepublicFrench Fifth RepublicThe Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
of FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the emergency powers (pouvoirs exceptionnels) provision in Article 16 of its Constitution was invoked. President De Gaulle retained the special power following the uprising in Algeria, until September 29September 1961January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in September 1961.-September 1, 1961 :...
. - A monument "to the victims of fascism" was dedicated, before a crowd of 200,000 by East German leader Walter UlbrichtWalter UlbrichtWalter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
at the site of the Sachsenhausen concentration campSachsenhausen concentration campSachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
.
April 24, 1961 (Monday)
- The Swedish warship VasaRegalskeppet VasaVasa is a Swedish warship that was built from 1626 to 1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile into its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. It fell into obscurity after most of its valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century...
was raised from the sea after sinking in the Baltic Sea almost 333 years earlier. The Vasa capsized hours into its maiden voyage on August 10, 1628, drowning the 30 people onboard. The ship was rediscovered in 1956 by Anders FranzénAnders FranzénAnders Franzén was a Swedish marine technician and an amateur naval archaeologist. He is most famous for having located the 1628 wreck of the Swedish galleon Vasa in 1956 and participated in her salvage 1959-1961...
off of the island of BeckholmenBeckholmenBeckholmen is a small island in central Stockholm, Sweden.Having served the city's shipping industry for centuries, Beckholmen is now regarded as a historical monument of national interest, and, by its location just south of Djurgården in the vicinity of other similar localities it also...
, still well-preserved, and is now in a museum in Stockholm.
April 25, 1961 (Tuesday)
- U.S. Patent 2,981,877 was issued to Robert NoyceRobert NoyceRobert Norton Noyce , nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968...
, founder of the Intel CorporationIntel CorporationIntel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
as the first ever granted for an integrated circuitIntegrated circuitAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
. Noyce's application for "Semiconductor Device-and-Lead Structure" had been filed on July 30, 1959, after Jack KilbyJack KilbyJack St. Clair Kilby was an American physicist who took part in the invention of the integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments in 1958. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2000. He is credited with the invention of the integrated circuit or microchip...
's filing on May 6, 1959 for "Miniaturized Self-Contained Circuit Modules and Method of Fabrication", but was not approved until June 23, 1964 (and granted U.S. Patent 3,138,744) because it was more complex. - Algiers putsch of 1961: In order to prevent an atomic weapon from being captured by mutineering French soldiers in Algeria, France hastily detonated the last of its plutonium fission devices at RegganeRegganeReggane from berber argan is a town in the Adrar Province of central Algeria, in the Sahara Desert. It is the southernmost town of the Tuat....
in the Sahara Desert. - An unmanned American Atlas rocket was destroyed by ground control, 40 seconds after an attempt to launch it into orbit, sending a rain of shrapnel from 16,000 feet. Gus GrissomGus GrissomVirgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
, piloting an F-106A to observe the launch, was able to fly through the debris without injury.
April 27, 1961 (Thursday)
- At 10 seconds after midnight in Freetown, the green white and blue flag of the Dominion of Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
replaced Britain's Union Jack as the former British colony for freed slaves became an independent nation. A British anti-slavery society had purchased West African land in 1787 from King Waimbana, and Britain created the colony in 1808. Later in the day, Sir Milton MargaiMilton MargaiSir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai was a Sierra Leonean politician and the first prime minister of Sierra Leone...
took office as the nation's first Prime Minister, and accepted the new constitution from Prince Edward, Duke of KentPrince Edward, Duke of KentThe Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
, who was appearing on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. The former colonial governor, Sir Maurice Dorman, became the first Governor-General. Opposition leader Siaka StevensSiaka StevensSiaka Probyn Stevens was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967–1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971–1985. Stevens is generally criticised for dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging...
, who would become President when the Dominion became a Republic in 1971, was kept under house arrest until ceremonies were over. - President 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....
delivered the speech: The President and the Press: Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Associationhttp://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03NewspaperPublishers04271961.htm. Kennedy told the assembled press that the Cold War required the media to avoid disclosing information that might threaten American interests, saying, "Every newspaper now asks itself with respect to every story: 'Is it news?'. All I ask is that you add the question: 'Is it in the interest of national security?'"
April 28, 1961 (Friday)
- Little Joe 5BLittle Joe 5BLittle Joe 5B was an unmanned Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The mission used production Mercury spacecraft # 14A. The mission was launched April 28, 1961, from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Little Joe 5B flew to an apogee of 2.8...
, the final unmanned test of the Launch Escape System of the Mercury spacecraft, was launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, exactly one week before the first American astronaut would be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A misfire sent the rocket to 14,000 feet rather than 40,000 feet, the original altitude at which the abort system was to eject the capsule. The system performed flawlessly, even against a dynamic pressure of almost twice as much as what had been planned.
April 29, 1961 (Saturday)
- Luciano PavarottiLuciano Pavarottiright|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, a 25-year-old tenor from Italy, made his operatic debut, as Rodolfo in a production of La bohèmeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
at Reggio EmiliaReggio EmiliaReggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
. - The television program ABC's Wide World of Sports, hosted by Jim McKayJim McKayJames Kenneth McManus , better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist....
made its debut at 2:00 pm EST. The innovative program used videotaped highlights of sports not often seen on TV, and started with two track and field competitions, the Penn RelaysPenn RelaysThe Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
and the Drake RelaysDrake RelaysThe Drake Relays is an annual outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, in Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University...
. - The Union of African StatesUnion of African StatesThe Union of African States, was a short lasting union of first two, then three African states in West Africa, in the 1960s. These states were Ghana, Guinea, and Mali...
was created as the nation of MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
joined an existing union between GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
to become the third member of what had Ghana's leader Kwame NkrumahKwame NkrumahKwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
had described as the nucleus of a "United States of Africa" open to all nations on the continent. The Union, which fell apart after Nkrumah's ouster in 1966. - Westward TelevisionWestward TelevisionWestward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward provided a popular, distinctive and highly regarded service to its region, until public boardroom squabbles led to its franchise not...
became the holder of the independent television franchise for the South West of England, retaining it for twenty years. - Died: Cisco HoustonCisco HoustonGilbert Vandine 'Cisco' Houston was an American folk singer and songwriter who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together....
, 42, American folk singer
April 30, 1961 (Sunday)
- Lee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
married Marina PrusakovaMarina Oswald PorterMarina Oswald Porter, is the widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.-Life with Oswald:...
in Minsk. - Willie MaysWillie MaysWillie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
of the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
ended a batting slump with what he described as "the greatest game of my career", becoming only the sixth major league player to hit four home runs in one game, in a 14-4 win over the host Milwaukee Braves, whose Hank Aaron hit two homers. Giants' first-base coach Wes WestrumWes WestrumWesley Noreen Westrum was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager, and scout. He played for 11 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants from to . He was known as a superb defensive catcher...
, a former catcher, is said to have been able to decode the signals from the Braves' catcher, and to have signaled Mays on what to expect. - Eastern Air LinesEastern Air LinesEastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
revolutionized commuter air travel by inaugurating the Eastern Air-Shuttle, hourly flights between New York's LaGuardia airport and Boston and Washington, with no reservation required. If a customer was unable to make one flight, it was guaranteed that another one would be available within an hour or less. The New York Times described it as "the greatest advance in aviation since the Wright Brothers". - Soviet submarine K-19Soviet submarine K-19K-19, KS-19, BS_19 was one of the first two Soviet submarines of the 658, 658м, 658с class , the first generation nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear ballistic missiles, specifically the R-13 . Its keel was laid down on 17 October 1958, christened on 8 April 1959 and launched on 11 October 1959...
, the first Russian nuclear-powered submarine, was commissioned. - Born: Isiah ThomasIsiah ThomasIsiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
, American NBA player selected by the league in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest in its history; 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... - Died: Dickie DaleDickie DaleRichard H. Dale was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer born in Wyberton near Boston, Lincolnshire, England.He competed in the inaugural 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Dale was a victor in the 1951 North West 200...
, 34, motorcycle racer, following an accident at the NürburgringNürburgringThe Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
circuit; and Jessie Redmon FausetJessie Redmon FausetJessie Redmon Fauset was an American editor, poet, essayist and novelist. Fauset was most known for being the editor of the NAACP magazine the Crisis. She also was the editor and co-author for the African American children magazine called Brownies' Book...
, 79, African-American novelist.