At A Glance

31 July 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
31 July 1961 was a Monday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Travelin' Man / Hello Mary Lou” by Ricky Nelson 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 31 July is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 July 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for July is Ruby.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 July 1961 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 31 July

  • 1945 Pierre Laval, the fugitive former leader of Vichy France, surrenders to Allied soldiers in Austria.
  • 1948 At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.
  • 1964 Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
  • 1970 Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.
  • 1971 Apollo program: The Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.

Famous people born on 31 July

  • J. K. Rowling, English author and film producer (born 1965)
  • Mark Cuban, American businessman and television personality (born 1958)
  • Emilia Fox, English actress (born 1974)
  • Wesley Snipes, American actor and producer (born 1962)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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

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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)

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