At A Glance

15 October 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
15 October 1961 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles.
Top Film of 1961
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1961 was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Bestselling Novel of 1961
“The Agony and the Ecstasy” by Irving Stone was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1961.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Wagon Train” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1961–62 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 15 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 15 October 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 15 October 1961 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 15 October

  • 1944 World War II: Germany replaces the Hungarian government after Hungary announces an armistice with the Soviet Union.
  • 1951 Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes completes the synthesis of norethisterone, the basis of an early oral contraceptive.
  • 1956 FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, is first shared with the coding community.
  • 1965 Vietnam War: A draft card is burned during an anti-war rally by the Catholic Worker Movement, resulting in the first arrest under a new law.
  • 1966 The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

Famous people born on October 15

  • Dominic West, English actor and director (born 1969)
  • Friedrich Nietzsche, German composer, poet, and philosopher (1844–1900)
  • Anthony Joshua, British professional boxer (born 1989)
  • Mira Nair, Indian-American actress, director, and producer (born 1957)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1961 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1961 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 25 – Disney's animated film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, is released. Its financial success pulling the studio out of another financial slump from the initial underperformance of Sleeping Beauty.
  • February 14 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized in Berkeley, California.
  • March 1 – President of the United States John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.

Life in the US in 1961

President

John F. Kennedy

Gas (per gallon)

$0.31

Loaf of Bread

$0.21

Average House

$12,500

Weekly Wage

$89

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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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