At A Glance

8 April 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
8 April 1961 was a Saturday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Wooden Heart” by Elvis Presley 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 8 April is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 April 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 April 1961 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 8 April

  • 1959 A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
  • 1959 The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
  • 1960 The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
  • 1968 BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
  • 1974 Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time leader in career home runs by hitting his 715th home run off of Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Famous people born on 8 April

  • Patricia Arquette, American actress and director (born 1968)
  • Chris Kyle, American sniper and memoirist (1974–2013)
  • Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer (born 1966)
  • Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter (born 1963)

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 →