At A Glance

8 December 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
8 December 1961 was a Friday.
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 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 December 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 December 1961 was New Moon.

On this day: 8 December

  • 1953 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
  • 1955 The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe.
  • 1962 Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
  • 1971 Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
  • 1974 A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

Famous people born on 8 December

  • Raheem Sterling, English footballer (born 1994)
  • Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen of Scots, daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise (1542–1587)
  • Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter (1966–2023)
  • Nicki Minaj, Trinidadian-American rapper and actress (born 1982)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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

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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)

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