At A Glance

26 May 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
26 May 1961 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Surrender” by Elvis Presley.
Top Film of 1961
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1961 was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Star sign
The star sign for 26 May is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 May 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 May 1961 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 26 May

  • 1966 British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
  • 1967 The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
  • 1968 H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight.
  • 1969 Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first crewed Moon landing.
  • 1970 The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.

Famous people born on 26 May

  • Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter (born 1948)
  • Helena Bonham Carter, English actress (born 1966)
  • John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (1907–1979)
  • Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor (born 1964)

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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