At A Glance
15 May 1961 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 15 May 1961 was a Monday.
- Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
- “Runaway” by Del Shannon was No. 1 on David Kent's retrospective Australian chart. This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.
- Top Film of 1961
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1961 was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 15 May is Taurus.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 15 May 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for May is Emerald.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 15 May 1961 was New Moon.
On this day: 15 May
- 1945 World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe, is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.
- 1948 Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel, thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
- 1963 Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
- 1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals.
- 1972 The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control.
Famous people born on 15 May
- Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach (1940–2026)
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer (born 1981)
- David Krumholtz, American actor (born 1978)
- Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer (born 1997)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1961 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1961 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 2 January – Oral contraceptives are first sold in Australia
- 20 January – to early March – Disastrous bushfires affect Western Australia, completely destroying a number of towns.
- 25 February – Last electric tram service runs in Sydney
Life in Australia in 1961
Prime Minister
Robert Menzies
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.05
Loaf of Bread
$0.13
Average House
$6,300
Weekly Wage
$17.00
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1960s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About The Day You Were Born
Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.
About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →
