What Happened in 1961 inc. Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions
How Much things cost in 1961
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.07%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 2.9%
Average Cost of new house  $12,500.00
Average Income per year  $5,315.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 27 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,850.00
Bacon for 1LB  67 cents
Eggs per dozen 30 cents
Below are some Prices for UK Pounds Sterling
Average House Price    2,770
 
1961
1961 The cold war continued to worsen with the USSR exploding some very large bombs during testing and then masterminding the building of the Berlin Wall separating East from West Berlin, America sent a battle group to Germany and Americans and Russians Glared at each other across the border, due to this uncertainty many Americans built backyard fallout shelters in case of nuclear war. To make matters worse the Americans financed anti-Castro Cubans for an invasion at the bay of pigs which was an unmitigated disaster. The Soviets put the first man in space on
Yuri Gagarin followed by the US in May with Alan Shepard. Popular music included Chubby Checker's "Pony Time" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles, and top movies included "West Side Story" and "The Parent Trap."
 
Space --- First Men In Space
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space.
More Information and Timeline For The Early Space Race
1. 1957 October 4th The Soviet Union  puts the worlds first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit around the earth
2. 1957 November 3rd The Soviet Union  puts Sputnik 2 the worlds first  spacecraft to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika into orbit around the earth.
3. 1958 January 31st The United States  puts it's first  satellite into space the Explorer 1
4. 1959 September 14th The Soviet Union   launches first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon  Luna 2
5. 1961 April 12th The Soviet Union   launches the first spacecraft to take a man into space the  Vostok 1  carrying Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
6. 1961 May 5th The United States launches it's first man in space Alan Shepard on the Freedom 7
7. 1961 President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to  put a man on the moon before the end of the decade
If you look at the timeline for space travel up to this point the The Soviet Union was consistently one step ahead of the United States, but following the speech by President Kennedy on May 25th the United States was determined to be the first to put a man on the moon which they achieved on July 20th 1969 when Apollo 11 landed  Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr, who became the first human beings to walk on the Moon's surface.
 
 
Cuba --- Bay of Pigs
US Cuban Exiles and CIA mount unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro known as the Bay of Pigs
More Information and Timeline For Bay of Pigs
1. 1959 Cuban Revolution ends with  Fidel Castro holding power following the defeat of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista
2. 1959 - 1960 Cuba Declares It is a now a Communist country and Nationalizes Land and Businesses including U.S. assets totaling $1 billion
3. 1960 August 18th , US President Dwight D. Eisenhower approves funding for assault on Southern Cuba by  anti Castro Cuban exiles backed by CIA
4. 1961 January 20th John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States
5. 1961 Fidel Castro declares Cuba bans free elections
6. 1961 April 17th to 19th A 1,500 CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles invade southern Cuba at the  "Bay of Pigs" / Bah�a de Cochinos
7. 118 are killed and 1,202 are captured by Cuban forces
8. 1962 1,113 prisoners are released in exchange for US$53 million in food and medicine
This has to be one of the worst planned and executed invasions in modern times poorly thought out, as a covert operation it was a bust with Cuban and Soviet Forces knowing almost to the day where and when the operation would occur.
 
The USSR tests the "Tsar Bomba," the largest nuclear bomb ever.
More Information for the Tsar Bomba
1. The Soviet Union conducts the largest ever nuclear bomb test despite worldwide objections during October of 1961.
2. The "Tsar Bomba" also known as the "Kuzkina mat" and "Big Ivan" was detonated over the Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic.
3. The strength of the blast was equivalent to about 50 megatons (over 50 million tons of T.N.T.) and registered as a 5.0 on the Richter scale.
4. Light from the blast was seen over 600 miles away from the detonation site.
5. The "Tsar Bomba" was the largest and most powerful man-made weapon ever created and just a few years after the test the United States, Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, banning all nuclear tests conducted anywhere but underground.
 
 
Germany --- Berlin Wall
East German Authorities close the border between east and west Berlin and Construction of the Berlin Wall begins.
More Information and Timeline For Berlin Wall
1. 1957 December 11th East Germany introduce a new passport law reducing the overall number of refugees leaving Eastern Germany
2. 1961 20% of the entire East German population leave and defect for West Germany including a high percentage of engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers and skilled workers
3. Following the large defection of professionals from East Germany a decision to build a wall securing the border is confirmed by Soviet and East German leaders
4. 1961 August 13th German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) closes the border with West Germany and  install barbed wire entanglements and fences
5.  August 17th First concrete elements and large blocks being put in place to create the Berlin Wall
6. 1961-1975 Concrete wall  87 miles long built separating East and West Germany
7. Nine border crossing points between East and West Berlin including Checkpoint Charlie at the  corner of Friedrichstrae and Zimmerstrae, which was restricted to Allied personnel and foreigners
8. 1989 The separation of East and West Germany ends as the Berlin Wall is taken down leading to eventual German reunification on October 3rd 1990
The Berlin Wall was a good example how society was effected by the Cold War which existed between the East and West following the end of World War II up to the nineties.
 
United States --- Disney - Babes In Toyland
Disney releases their first live action musical film, "Babes In Toyland."
More Information for the film Babes in Toyland
The film "Babes In Toyland" premieres during December of 1961. "Babes In Toyland" was created by Walt Disney and was the first live action musical to be produced by the company. The film, starred Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Ed Wynn, and Annette Funicello. The Mother Goose themed musical focused on the evil character of Barnaby's plot to derail the upcoming marriage between characters Tom and Mary in an attempt to further his own romantic agenda. Despite heavy promotion the film was considered a flop for Disney but it did receive two Academy Award nominations for Best Costumes and Best Music.
 
Soviet Union --- Venera 1 space probe
The Soviet Union launches the Venera 1 space probe.
More Information for Venera 1
The Soviet Union launches the Venera 1 space probe during February of 1961. The unmanned probe was the first spacecraft to fly by Venus. The Venera 1's mission returned some data back to Earth verifying the presence of plasma in space, but it was ultimately a failure as contact with the probe was lost within about a week of its launch. It did not transmit any data back about Venus when it passed by the planet. The Soviet Union launched a total of 16 Venera probes and many succeeded in providing detailed data and images of Venus.
 
Australia  --  Prime Minister  --  Sir Robert Menzies   --
Brazil  --  President   -- Juscelino Kubitschek  --  Till 31 January
Brazil  --  President    -- Janio Quadros  --  From 31 January
Brazil  --  President    -- Janio Quadros  --  Till 25 August
Brazil  --  President    -- Ranieri Mazzilli   --  From 25 August
Brazil  --  President    -- Ranieri Mazzilli   --  Till 7 September
Brazil  --  President    -- Joao Goulart  --  From 7 September
Canada  --  Prime Minister  --  John Diefenbaker    --
China  --  Chairman of the People's Republic of China  --  Liu Shaoqi   --
France  --  President  --   Charles de Gaulle   --
Germany  --  Chancellor  --   Konrad Adenauer  --
India  --  Prime Minister   --  Jawahar Lal Nehru   --
Italy  --  Prime Minister   --  Amintore Fanfani   --
Japan  --  Prime Minister  --  Hayato Ikeda   --
Mexico  --  President  --   Adolfo Lopez Mateos   --   Russia / Soviet Union  --   First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union   -- Nikita Khrushchev     --
South Africa  --  Prime Minister  --   Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd  --
United States  --  President  -- Dwight D. Eisenhower  --  Till January 20,
United States  --  President   -- John F. Kennedy  --  From January 20,
United Kingdom  --  Prime Minister  --  Harold Macmillan   --