UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
19 May 1961 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 19 May 1961 was a Friday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “You're Driving Me Crazy” by The Temperance Seven.
- Top Film of 1961
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1961 was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 19 May is Taurus.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 19 May 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for May is Emerald.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 19 May 1961 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 19 May
- 1959 The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam; the resulting route is the Ho Chi Minh trail.
- 1961 Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
- 1962 A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday".
- 1963 The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
- 1971 Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
Famous people born on 19 May
- Malcolm X, American minister and activist (1925–1965)
- Lainey Wilson, American singer-songwriter (born 1992)
- Archie Manning, American football player (born 1949)
- Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (1949–2021)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1961 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1961 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 7 January – The Avengers television series first screened on ITV.
- 15 March – The Jaguar E-Type, a sports car capable of reaching speeds of 150 mph, is launched as a two-seater roadster or 2+2 coupé (at the Geneva Motor Show). On 3 April it makes its racing debut by winning at Oulton Park.
- 20 March – Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, becomes the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and its company the Royal Shakespeare Company (Peter Hall (director)).
Life in 1961
Prime Minister
Harold Macmillan
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
11p
Loaf of Bread
7p
Average House
£2,670
Weekly Wage
£14.90
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1960s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Guy Ritchie10 September 1968FilmmakerView their day →Diana, Princess of Wales1 July 1961Member of the British royal familyView their day →Nigella Lawson6 January 1960Food writer & television cookView their day →Jason Statham26 July 1967ActorView their day →Catherine Zeta-Jones25 September 1969ActressView their day →Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer20 May 1964Peer & authorView their day →Kenneth Branagh10 December 1960Actor & filmmakerView their day →George Michael25 June 1963SingerView their day →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 →