At A Glance

24 December 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
24 December 1961 was a Sunday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“My Boomerang Won't Come Back” by Charlie Drake 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 24 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 24 December 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 24 December 1961 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 24 December

  • 1951 Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
  • 1968 Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
  • 1969 Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.
  • 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
  • 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.

Famous people born on 24 December

  • Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (1905–1976)
  • Ed Miliband, British politician, Foreign Secretary (born 1969)
  • Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837–1898)
  • Davante Adams, American football player (born 1992)

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
More events of 1961 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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Famous Faces Born in the 1960s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Nicole Kidman20 June 1967Actress & producerView their day →Hugh Jackman12 October 1968Actor & singerView their day →Simon Baker30 July 1969Actor & directorView their day →Steve Irwin22 February 1962Zookeeper & conservationistView their day →Kylie Minogue28 May 1968Singer & actressView their day →Cate Blanchett14 May 1969Actor & producerView their day →Guy Pearce5 October 1967ActorView their day →Eric Bana9 August 1968ActorView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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