At A Glance

23 December 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
23 December 1961 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Moon River” by Danny Williams.
Top Film of 1961
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1961 was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Star sign
The star sign for 23 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 December 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 December 1961 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 23 December

  • 1954 First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
  • 1955 The first film adaptation of Väinö Linna's novel The Unknown Soldier, directed by Edvin Laine, premieres.
  • 1968 The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
  • 1970 The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 417 metres (1,368 ft), making it the tallest building in the world.
  • 1970 The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a one-party state.

Famous people born on 23 December

  • Jim Harbaugh, American football player and coach (born 1963)
  • Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1964)
  • Corey Haim, Canadian actor (1971–2010)
  • Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (1805–1844)

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

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

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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)

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