At A Glance

18 November 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
18 November 1961 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean.
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 18 November is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 November 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for November is Topaz.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 November 1961 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 18 November

  • 1961 Vietnam War: United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.
  • 1963 The Bell Telephone Company introduces the first push-button telephone.
  • 1970 U.S. President Richard Nixon asks the U.S. Congress for $155 million in supplemental aid for the Cambodian government.
  • 1971 Oman declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
  • 1978 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet makes its first flight, at the Naval Air Test Center in Maryland, United States.

Famous people born on November 18

  • Duncan Sheik, American singer-songwriter and composer (1969–2026)
  • Owen Wilson, American actor (born 1968)
  • Chloë Sevigny, American actress, model, and fashion designer (born 1974)
  • Caleb Williams, American football player (born 2001)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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

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 →