At A Glance

17 March 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
17 March 1961 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Pony Time” by Chubby Checker.
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 17 March is Pisces.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 March 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 March 1961 was New Moon.

On this day: 17 March

  • 1950 Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium".
  • 1958 The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite, which is also the first satellite to achieve a long-term orbit.
  • 1960 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
  • 1962 A Clockwork Orange, a British dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess, is published.
  • 1969 Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

Famous people born on March 17

  • Rob Lowe, American actor (born 1964)
  • Pattie Boyd, English model, author, and photographer (born 1944)
  • Grimes, Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and visual artist (born 1988)
  • Claressa Shields, American boxer and mixed martial artist (born 1995)

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

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.

Jeff Bezos12 January 1964Business magnateView their day →Sandra Bullock26 July 1964Actress & film producerView their day →Matthew McConaughey4 November 1969ActorView their day →Cindy Crawford20 February 1966ModelView their day →Tom Cruise3 July 1962Actor & film producerView their day →Nicole Kidman20 June 1967Actress & producerView their day →Woody Harrelson23 July 1961ActorView their day →Kyle Chandler17 September 1965ActorView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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