At A Glance

29 December 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
29 December 1961 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens.
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 29 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 29 December 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 29 December 1961 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 29 December

  • 1934 Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
  • 1937 The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.
  • 1989 Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1989 The Nikkei 225 for the Tokyo Stock Exchange hits its all-time intra-day high of 38,957.44 and closing high at 38,915.87, serving as the apex of the Japanese asset price bubble.
  • 1992 Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil, tries to resign amidst corruption charges, but is then impeached.

Famous people born on December 29

  • Alison Brie, American actress (born 1982)
  • Myles Garrett, American football player (born 1995)
  • Jon Voight, American actor and producer (born 1938)
  • The Wachowskis, American director, screenwriter and producer (born 1967)

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 →