At A Glance

5 May 1961 at a glance

Day of the week
5 May 1961 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Runaway” by Del Shannon.
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 5 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 5 May 1961 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 5 May 1961 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 5 May

  • 1946 The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • 1955 The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
  • 1961 Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
  • 1964 The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
  • 1973 Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.

Famous people born on May 5

  • Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player (born 1998)
  • Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1957)
  • Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player (born 2003)
  • Henry Cavill, English actor (born 1983)

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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