At A Glance

31 July 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
31 July 1961 was a Monday.
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)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1961 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1961 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 6 January – Lieutenant-General Seán Mac Eoin left Dublin for the Congo to take up his new post as General Commanding Officer of the United Nations.
  • 9 April – The national census showed that County Cork's population had reached an all-time low, with just 330,000 (in the late 1950s it was 336,000).
  • 10 June – President Éamon de Valera and his wife Sinéad greeted Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco at the presidential residence, Áras an Uachtaráin. It was the first official visit to Ireland by a head of state after it became an independent republic.

Life in Ireland in 1961

Taoiseach

Seán Lemass

Petrol (per litre)

2s 6d/gal

Loaf of Bread

8d

Average House

£2,400

Weekly Wage

£5 15s

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 →