1961: The Year in People
The year in numbers
$0.31
$12,500
$1.15/hr
$0.69
3.08B
John F. Kennedy
"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby Lewis
101 Dalmatians
Wagon Train
West Side Story
In the news: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
What happened in 1961
1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1961st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 961st year of the 2nd millennium, the 61st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1960s decade.
Born in 1961
Barack Obama
President of the United States from 2009 to 2017
Billy Ray Cyrus
American country singer and actor
Diana, Princess of Wales
Member of the British royal family
Chad Smith
American drummer
Eddie Murphy
American comedian, actor, and singer
Dennis Rodman
American basketball player
Janet McTeer
English actress
Boy George
British musician
Clark Kellogg
American basketball player
Melissa Etheridge
American singer-songwriter
Susan Boyle
Scottish singer
John Thune
American politician
Bonnie Hunt
American actress, comedian, writer and director
Jeff Probst
American television host, producer, and young adult fiction writer
Arundhati Roy
Indian author and activist
Aaron Sorkin
American screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker
Doc Rivers
American basketball coach and player
Christopher Meloni
American actor
Alfonso Cuarón
Mexican filmmaker
Amy Sedaris
American actress, comedian, and writer
Dylan McDermott
American actor
Carey Lowell
American actress
Isiah Thomas
American basketball player and coach
Ann Coulter
American political activist