What Happened in 1961 Major Events, Popular Culture, Prices, Born This Year

What happened in 1961 Major News Stories include Yuri Gagarin is the first human in space, Alan Shepard makes first US Space Flight, Peace Corps is established by John F. Kennedy, Construction of the Berlin Wall begins, IBM introduces Golf Ball Typewriter, "Freedom Riders" test the United States Supreme Court decision, Pampers the first disposable diaper introduced, US Cuban Exiles and CIA mount unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro known as the Bay of Pigs, UN General Assembly condemns Apartheid,

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 April 12 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."

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 18 , 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" / Bahía 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

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 25 the United States was determined to be the first to put a man on the moon which they achieved on July 20 News Events 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.

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 13 German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) closes the border with West Germany and install barbed wire entanglements and fences

5. August 17 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.

USA -- Peace Corps Established

U.S. President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps during March. Kennedy issued Executive Order #10924 which created the group as an agency within the State Department. The Peace Corps works to train young Americans in community development efforts and then deploy them around the world as helpful volunteers in developing countries. Their intended goal was to promote democracy, freedom, and peace by building positive American influence around the world, acting as a counter-effort against Soviet groups promoting communism during the Cold War.

U.K. - World Wildlife Fund

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) started.

More Information for the World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was officially founded and opened its first office during September . The World Wildlife Fund was created by the world's top conservationists as a means to organize and collaborate on conservation fundraising throughout the globe. The WWF used its influence and resources to bring public awareness to conservation issues with the goal of lessening humanity's impact on natural wildlife habitats and preserving endangered species. Since its founding, the WWF has become the world's largest conservation organization.