What is 1961?
{{Year nav|1961}} {{Year in various calendars|1961}} '''1961''' ([[Roman numerals|MCMLXI]]) was a [[common year starting on Sunday]] in the [[Gregorian calendar]], the 1961st year of the [[Common Era]] (CE) and ''[[Anno Domini]]'' (AD) designations,{{Year article header/year number|1961}}. Its rendering using the Hindu-Arabic numeral system creates a numeral which looks the same when put upside down. The next such year will be 6009. == Events == [[File:Berlin Wall 1961-11-20.jpg|thumb|Construction of [[Berlin Wall]]]] * [[John F. Kennedy]] becomes [[President of the United States]]. * ''[[The Fantastic Four]]'' make their debut. * [[Yuri Gagarin]] becomes the first human in space. * [[Sierra Leone]] becomes independent. * The [[Berlin Wall]] is built. * The [[Vietnam War]] begins. * [[Bay of Pigs invasion]] * Rockband [[Golden Earring]] was founded == Births == [[File:Henry rollins microphone.jpg|thumb|[[Henry Rollins]] in 2003]] ===January=== *[[January 1]] - [[Mark Wingett]], British actor *[[January 26]] – [[Wayne Gretzky]], Retired Canadian [[National Hockey League|NHL]] player *[[January 28]] – [[Arnaldur Indridason]], Icelandic writer ===February=== *[[February 13]] &ndash; [[Henry Rollins]], American musician and activist ([[Black Flag]]) ===March=== *[[March 3]] &ndash; [[John Matteson]], Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer ===April=== *[[April 1]] – [[Susan Boyle]], Scottish singer ===May=== *[[May 6]] – [[George Clooney]], American actor ===June=== *[[June 4]] – [[Ferenc Gyurcsany]], former Prime Minister of [[Hungary]] *[[June 9]] – [[Michael J. Fox]], Canadian actor *[[June 14]] – [[Boy George]], British singer *[[June 18]] – [[Alison Moyet]], British singer *[[June 25]] – [[Ricky Gervais]], British comedian and actor ===July=== *[[July 1]] – [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] (d. [[1997]]) *[[July 1]] – [[Carl Lewis]], American athlete *[[July 23]] – [[Woody Harrelson]], American actor *[[July 30]] – [[Laurence Fishburne]], American actor *[[July 31]] - [[Peter O'Brien]], American drummer