March 1961 calendar

Events

• 01 Mar 1961 US President John Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.
• 02 Mar 1961 13 Daughters opens at 54th St. Theater NYC for 28 performances
• 03 Mar 1961 Max Conrad circumnavigates the earth in 8 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new world record.
• 06 Mar 1961 1st London minicabs introduced
• 08 Mar 1961 US nuclear submarine Patrick Henry arrives at Scottish naval base of Holy Loch from South Carolina in a record underseas journey of 66 days 22 hours.
• 09 Mar 1961 1st animal returned from space, dog named Blackie aboard Sputnik 9
• 12 Mar 1961 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Miami Golf Open.
• 13 Mar 1961 JFK sets up the Alliance for Progress
• 14 Mar 1961 George Weiss becomes president of New York Mets.
• 15 Mar 1961 South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 17 Mar 1961 South Africa leaves British Commonwealth
• 21 Mar 1961 Art Modell purchases Cleveland Browns for then record
• 24 Mar 1961 New York Senate approves US$55 million for a baseball stadium at Flushing Meadows.
• 25 Mar 1961 13 Daughters closes at 54th St. Theater NYC after 28 performances
• 26 Mar 1961 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Golden Circle of Golf Festival.
• 27 Mar 1961 Failed assassination attempt on King Saif al-Islam Achmad of Yemen.
• 29 Mar 1961 KCPT TV channel 19 in Kansas City, MO (PBS) begins broadcasting
• 30 Mar 1961 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 169,600 feet (51,690 metres).
• 31 Mar 1961 Aklilou Habtewold becomes first premier of Ethiopia.

Famous Birthday

• Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

  French gaullist and souverainist politician.

• Arnaud Lagardère

  French business leader, the General and Managing Partner of Lagardère SCA, holding company of the Lagardère Group.

• Eric Naulleau
• John Clark Gable
• Lothar Matthäus

  German football manager and former player.

• Camryn Manheim

  American actress.

• Dana Reeve

  American actress and activist, widow of Christoper Reeve (Born 1961).

• Amy Sedaris

  American actress and screenwriter.

• Ali Hewson
• Mitch Gaylord

  American gymnast, considered the top gymnast of the U.S.

• Marianne Basler

  French/Belgian actress of Swiss origin.

• Michael Winterbottom

  English director and producer.

• David Habib
• Bice Vanzetta

  Italian skier, an Olympic Bronze Medal champion at Albertville in February 1992.

• Penny Johnson Jerald

  American actress.

• Jos Lansink

  Dutch-Belgian horse rider.

• Elias Koteas

  Canadian actor.

• Steven Weber

  American actor producer and screenwriter.

• Barbara Wussow
• Tony Rominger

  Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the Giro d'Italia in 1995.

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Famous Deaths

• Max Hymans

  WWII resistance fighter/Head of Air France, dies at age 60.

• Edric Cundell

  Composer, dies at 68.

• Seerp Anema

  Dutch Poet / writer (Modern Art & Degenerating), dies at 85.

• Kjeld Abell

  Danish playwright/director of Tivoli, dies at age 59.

• Akiba Rubinstein

  Polish chess player (opening theorist), dies at age 78.

• Suzanna Salter

  first US female mayor/temperance leader, dies at age 101.

• Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko

  cosmonaut, dies in accident at age 24.

• James Edward Murray

  American politician (Senator-Democrat-Montana) (1935-61), dies.

• Chen Geng

  Chinese military leader (Born 1903).

• Susanna M Salter

  American politician (Born 1860).

• Thomas Beecham

  English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras.

• Paul Wittgenstein

  Austrian-American pianist and educator (d. 1961).

• George Formby

  British comedian and singer (Born 1904).

• Jack Kane

  Orchestra leader (Steve & Eydie, Andy Williams Show), dies at 37.

• George Formby

  British comedian and singer (Born 1904).

• Englebert van Anderlecht

  Belgian painter, dies at 42.

• Belinda Lee

  English actress, often typecast as a "sexy blonde," for example in a supporting role in the Benny Hill film "Who Done It?" (1956).

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Top #5 songs in the USA

1. Chubby Checker - Pony Time
2. Elvis Presley - Surrender
3. Lawrence Welk - Calcutta
4. The String-A-Longs - Wheels
5. Marty Robbins - Don't Worry

Top #5 songs in the UK

1. The Everly Brothers - Walk Right Back / Ebony Eyes
2. Elvis Presley - Wooden Heart
3. Allisons - Are You Sure
4. Bobby Darin - Lazy River
5. Cliff Richard - Theme For A Dream