View source for July 1961

{{short description|Month of 1961}}
{{Events by month|1961}}
{{calendar|year=1961|month=July}}

[[File:Grissom lifted from water 61-MR4-82.jpg|thumb|left|270px|July 21, 1961: U.S. astronaut Gus Grissom escapes sinking space capsule on return to Earth]]
[[File:Ernest Hemingway 1950 crop.jpg|thumb|right|180px|July 2, 1961: Author Ernest Hemingway commits suicide]]
[[File:K-19.jpg|thumb|270px|left|July 4, 1961: Soviet nuclear sub ''K-19'' has reactor accident]]

The following events occurred in '''July 1961''':

==[[July 1]], 1961 (Saturday)==
*At the request of the Emir of Kuwait, 7,000 British troops and 1,200 Saudi troops arrived to protect the small nation against a possible invasion by Iraq.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Hala Mundhir |last1=Fattah |first2=Frank |last2=Caso |title=A Brief History of Iraq |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2009 |page=203}}</ref>
*The [[Dowry Prohibition Act]] went into effect in India, prohibiting the solicitation or payment of money from one family to another as consideration for a marriage.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jodi |last=O'Brien |title=Encyclopedia of Gender and Society |volume=1 |publisher=SAGE |year=2008}}</ref>
*[[Fantasy Island (US amusement park)|Fantasy Island]], a theme park on [[Grand Island, New York|Grand Island]] near [[Buffalo, New York]], opened.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jim |last=Futrell |title=Amusement Parks of New York |publisher=Stackpole Books |year=2006 |page=t in 1982.157}}</ref>
*Responsibility for the operation of the [[Manned Space Flight Network|Mercury global network]] was assigned to the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]]. During active mission periods, network control would revert to [[Space Task Group]] personnel.<ref name="Grimwood">{{Source attribution}} {{cite book |title=Project Mercury - A Chronology |chapter=PART III (A) Operational Phase of Project Mercury May 5, 1961 through May 1962 |last=Grimwood |first=James M. |series=NASA Special Publication-4001 |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/p3a.htm |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>
*'''Born:''' 
**[[Diana Spencer]], later Diana, Princess of Wales, shortly after marrying [[Charles III]] in 1981; at [[Park House, Sandringham]], England (killed in [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|auto accident]], 1997)<ref>{{cite book |last=Morton |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Morton (writer) |year=1997 |orig-year=1992 |title=Diana: Her True Story&nbsp;– In Her Own Words |url=https://archive.org/details/dianahertruestor00mort |url-access=registration |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York City |isbn=0-684-85080-X |page=70 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
**[[Carl Lewis]], American track athlete; in [[Birmingham, Alabama]]<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference|title=Carl Lewis|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/carl-lewis-1.html|access-date=January 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026021043/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/carl-lewis-1.html|archive-date=October 26, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**[[Dominic Keating]] (stage name for Dominic Power), British television actor known for ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''; in [[Leicester]], [[Leicestershire]]<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Healy |first=Jo |date=September 2005 |title=Look Who's Stalking |url=http://dominickeating.com/2005/Interviews/2005_september.htm |url-status=dead |magazine=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025010542/http://dominickeating.com/2005/Interviews/2005_september.htm |archive-date=25 October 2008 |access-date=2009-05-20}}</ref>
*'''Died:''' [[Louis-Ferdinand Céline]], 67, French doctor and writer<ref>{{cite book |last=Vitoux |first=Frédéric |author-link=Frédéric Vitoux (writer) |year=1991 |title=Céline: A Biography |title-link=Céline: A Biography |location=New York |publisher=Paragon House |isbn=1-55778-255-5 |pages=551–7}}</ref>

==[[July 2]], 1961 (Sunday)==
*In a meeting at the Kremlin, Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] warned [[Frank Roberts (diplomat)|Sir Frank Roberts]], the British Ambassador, that Britain and France should avoid joining the United States in going to war over [[West Berlin]], telling him, "Six hydrogen bombs would be quite enough to annihilate the British Isles, and nine would take care of France."<ref>{{cite book |first=Richard K. |last=Betts |author-link=Richard K. Betts |title=Nuclear Blackmail and Nuclear Balance |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |year=1987 |page=107}}</ref>
*In [[1961 Mexican legislative election|elections for the Chamber of Deputies]] in Mexico, voters went to the polls to elect 178 members to serve for three-year terms.<ref>Elections in the Americas: a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.]: (Oxford University Press, 2005). p.459.</ref> The ruling PRI party won a majority of the seats.<ref>{{cite news |title=Incumbents Win Mexican Election |newspaper=[[Miami News]] |date=July 3, 1961 |page=2}}</ref>
*'''Died:''' American novelist [[Ernest Hemingway]], 61, committed suicide at his home in [[Ketchum, Idaho]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Michael |date=2000 |chapter=Ernest Hemingway, 1899–1961: A Brief Biography |editor-last=Wagner-Martin |editor-first=Linda |title=A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-512152-0 |page=16}}</ref> two days after returning home to Idaho from a course of treatment for depression at the [[Mayo Clinic]].<ref name="Meyers p551">{{cite book |author-link=Jeffrey Meyers |last=Meyers |first=Jeffrey |date=1985 |title=Hemingway: A Biography |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-42126-0 |page=551}}</ref> After shooting himself, Hemingway reportedly died shortly after 7:30 in the morning. His wife, Mary, told reporters initially that the renowned author had accidentally died while cleaning a double-barrelled shotgun.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M8daAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NmwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7322,581601&dq=hemingway&hl=en |title=GUN KILLS ERNEST HEMINGWAY |newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=July 3, 1961 |page=1 |via=[[Google News]]}}</ref>

==[[July 3]], 1961 (Monday)==
*General [[Douglas MacArthur]], 81, returned to the Philippines for the first time since the end of World War II, and received a tumultuous welcome. MacArthur, who had led the liberation of the islands from the Japanese, had been given honorary citizenship, and declared, "You have no more loyal and devoted a Filipino."<ref>"A Loyal Filipino, MacArthur Returns", ''Miami News'', July 3, 1961, p2</ref>
*Major General [[Park Chung Hee]] forced the resignation of Korean leader Chang Do-Young and became chief of the military junta that had taken over in May. Chang's job of Prime Minister of South Korea was assigned to Lt. Gen. [[Song Yo-chan]].<ref>"New Korea Coup; Chang Quits", ''Miami News'', July 3, 1961, p1</ref>
*[[Dan Ingram]], considered by many in broadcasting to be the greatest Top 40 disc jockey of all time, joined 77 WABC in New York. Ingram remained with WABC for 21 years until the station switched to a talk format in 1982.
*The stage première of the opera ''[[Krapp, ou, La dernière bande]] (Krapp's Last Tape)'' by [[Marcel Mihalovici]] with libretto by [[Samuel Beckett]], took place at the [[Théâtre des Nations]] in Paris.
*Invoking the [[Taft–Hartley Act]], a U.S. federal court ordered a temporary halt to the 19-day-old, nationwide maritime strike that had held up freight shipping.<ref>"Rush On To Send The Ships To Sea", ''Miami News'', July 4, 1961, p1</ref>
*As a result of the lobbying of Dr. [[Harold Griffith]], the Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal opened the first [[intensive care unit]] in Canada.<ref>Holly Dressel, ''Who Killed the Queen?: the Story of a Community Hospital and How to Fix Public Health Care'' (McGill-Queen's Press) p204</ref>
*[[Malcolm Arnold]] conducted the first performance of his [[Symphony No. 5 (Arnold)|Symphony No. 5]] at the [[Cheltenham Music Festival]].
*'''Died:''' [[Edwin Perkins (inventor)|Edwin Perkins]], 72, American inventor of [[Kool-Aid]]

==[[July 4]], 1961 (Tuesday)==
*At 4:15 a.m., the [[Soviet submarine K-19|Soviet submarine ''K-19'']] developed a leak in its nuclear reactor, while conducting exercises in the North Atlantic near the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen. The rupture of the primary coolant system caused the water pressure in the aft reactor to drop to zero and causing failure of the coolant pumps. Eight crew members died within three weeks of the accident, and others were successfully treated for deadly doses of radiation.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Gary E. |last1=Weir |first2=Walter J. |last2=Boyne |author2-link=Walter J. Boyne |title=Rising Tide: The Untold Story of the Russian Submarines That Fought the Cold War |publisher=Basic Books |year=2003 |page=70}}</ref>
*''[[La Notte]]'' by [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] won the [[Golden Bear]] Award for Best Film at the [[11th Berlin International Film Festival]].
*'''Born:'''
**[[Hesham Mohamed Hadayet]], Egyptian terrorist who carried out the [[2002 Los Angeles Airport shooting]] and was killed in the shootout(d.2002)
**[[Andrew Zimmern]], American chef and television host; in [[New York City]]

==[[July 5]], 1961 (Wednesday)==
[[File:Shavit Ofek7a.jpg|180px|thumb|right|July 5, 1961: Launch of Shavit 2]]
*The first Israeli rocket, [[Shavit 2]], was launched.<ref>{{cite web
 |access-date=2007-12-18  
|url=http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Egypt/Missile/index.html 
 |title=Missile Overview 
 |publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105202129/http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Egypt/Missile/index.html 
 |archive-date=2008-01-05 
}}</ref><ref>"Israel Joins Ranks, Fires Space Rocket", ''Miami News'', July 5, 1961, p1</ref> At 4:41 a.m., the missile, ostensibly for "meteorological research" rather than for carrying warheads, was sent up "from a secret installation on the Mediterranean".<ref>{{cite web
|access-date=2007-12-18
|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Timeline/1961-3.html
|title=July 1961
|publisher=NASA}}'</ref>
*[[Tunisia]] announced that it was [[Bizerte crisis|claiming the French military base]] located at [[Bizerte]], which had been the only base remaining after France had withdrawn all of its forces in 1958.<ref>Chris Cook and John Stevenson, ''The Routledge Companion to World History since 1914'' (Routledge, 2005) p283</ref>

==[[July 6]], 1961 (Thursday)==
*In Moscow, [[North Korea]] and the [[Soviet Union]] signed a "Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance", providing that if one of the nations was in a state of war, the other one would extend military assistance. Five days later, North Korea signed a similar treaty with the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref name=Kim>Jae-Cheon Lim, ''Kim Jong Il's Leadership of North Korea'' (Taylor & Francis US, 2009) p47</ref>
*[[Morocco]] signed a treaty with Algerian rebels led by [[Ferhat Abbas]], pledging support for the independence movement against France, and agreeing that any further negotiations on the border between the two nations would be made after independence.<ref>Phillip C. Naylor, ''Historical Dictionary of Algeria'' (Scarecrow Press, 2006) pp130-131</ref>
*'''Born:''' [[Benita Fitzgerald-Brown]], American track athlete and 1984 Olympic gold medalist; in [[Warrenton, Virginia]]
*'''Died:''' 
**[[Edwin Bush]], 21, British murderer who had been the first to be convicted based on the [[facial composite|identikit]] system, was hanged at [[HM Prison Pentonville]] in London.
**[[Scott LaFaro]], 25, American jazz bassist who was one third of the [[Bill Evans Trio]], was killed in an auto accident near [[Avon, New York]].
**[[Cuno Amiet]], 92, Swiss artist

==[[July 7]], 1961 (Friday)==
*A mine explosion in [[Czechoslovakia]] killed 108 coal miners. The blast, which happened at the [[Dukla coal mine|Dukla mine]] at [[Karviná]], [[Czech Republic]], caused an underground fire that prevented rescuers from reaching the trapped men.<ref>{{cite news |title=108 Czech Miners Die in Blaze |newspaper=[[Spokane Spokesman-Review]] |date=July 9, 1961 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hornictvi.info/podzemi/nestesti/12.htm |title=Blaze at Dukla mine in Karviná on July 7th, 1961 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031320/http://www.hornictvi.info/podzemi/nestesti/12.htm |archive-date=24 September 2015 |language=cs}}</ref>
*Tennis star [[Rod Laver]] of Australia defeated American [[Chuck McKinley]] in straight sets, 6–3, 6–1 and 6–4 to win the championship at [[1961 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|Wimbledon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=McKinley No Match for Laver in Wimbledon Final |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Sentinel]] |date=July 8, 1961 |pages=2–3}}</ref>
*[[McDonnell Aircraft Corporation]] briefed NASA's Space Task Group about three configurations for a redesign of the [[Mercury spacecraft]]. The three options were a slight modification to improve accessibility; the installation of an [[ejection seat]]; and a capsule that could carry two astronauts. In all cases, the capsule would be returned to Earth with two main parachutes, but with the ejection seat serving as a backup.<ref name="Grimwood 2">{{Source attribution}} {{cite book |title=Project Gemini Technology and Operations - A Chronology |chapter=PART I (A) Concept and Design April 1959 through December 1961 |last1=Grimwood |first1=James M. |last2=Hacker |first2=Barton C. |last3=Vorzimmer |first3=Peter J. |series=NASA Special Publication-4002 |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/p1a.htm |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>
*'''Born:'''
**[[Welshman Ncube]], Zimbabwean politician, founder of the [[Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube]] and former [[Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Zimbabwe)|Minister of Industry and Commerce]] from 2009 to 2013; in [[Gweru|Gwelo]], [[Southern Rhodesia]]
**[[Eric Jerome Dickey]], American author; in [[Memphis, Tennessee]] (died of cancer, 2021)
**[[Michael Kieran Harvey]], Australian pianist; in [[Sydney]] 
*'''Died:''' [[Georgy Aleksandrov]], 53, Soviet Marxist philosopher

==[[July 8]], 1961 (Saturday)==
*A series of explosions killed 237 people on the Portuguese ship ''Save'' after the vessel ran aground on a sandbar in [[Mozambique]].<ref>"237 Perish In Sea Blast", ''Miami News'', July 10, 1961, p1</ref>
*[[John Profumo]], the British [[Secretary of State for War]], was introduced to [[Christine Keeler]] at a party. The [[Profumo affair|extramarital affair that followed]], and Profumo's false statements about it to Parliament, caused a scandal in 1963 that led to his resignation; and may have been a factor in the retirement later that year of Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] and the defeat of the Conservative Party in the 1964 elections.<ref>Terry Crowdy, ''Military Misdemeanors: Corruption, Incompetence, Lust and Downright Stupidity'' (Osprey Publishing, 2007) p204</ref>
*Dissatisfied with life in the [[Soviet Union]], American defector [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] flew from [[Minsk]] to [[Moscow]], then went to the American Embassy to ask for the return of his U.S. Passport, #1733242. His passport was returned, and he, his wife, and his daughter departed for the United States the following year.<ref>Vincent Bugliosi, ''Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 2007) p616</ref>
*The [[United Klans of America]] was created by the merger of several different racist groups meeting at [[Indian Springs, Georgia]], seeking a revival of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. Alabama Knights leader [[Robert Shelton (Ku Klux Klan)|Robert Shelton]] became the first Grand Wizard of the new UKA.<ref>Patsy Sims, ''The Klan'' (University Press of Kentucky, 1996) p94</ref>
*No Briton had won the [[1961 Wimbledon Championships – Women's singles|women's championship at Wimbledon]] in 24 years, but in an all-British final, [[Angela Mortimer]] beat [[Christine Truman]], 4–6, 6–4 and 7–5.<ref>"Angela Wins Wimbledon Singles Title", ''Miami News'', July 9, 1961, p2-C</ref>
*'''Born:'''
**[[Andy Fletcher (musician)|Andy Fletcher]], English keyboard player and founding member of the electronic band [[Depeche Mode]] (d. 2022); in [[Nottingham]]<ref name=Dalton>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/andy-fletcher-dead-depeche-mode-keyboardist-ee539b41c7fa6f90b3d22f5b9ef89a46 |title=Depeche Mode founding keyboardist Andy Fletcher dies at 60 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |website=AP News |location=Los Angeles |last=Dalton |first=Andrew |date=26 May 2022 |access-date=26 May 2022}}</ref>
**[[Kelly Kryczka]], Canadian synchronized swimmer; gold medalist, 1982 World Aquatic Championships; in [[Calgary]]
**[[Toby Keith]], American country music singer (d. 2024); in [[Clinton, Oklahoma]]
*'''Died:''' [[Julián Bautista]], 60, Spanish classical music composer

==[[July 9]], 1961 (Sunday)==
*[[Greece]], represented by Deputy Prime Minister [[Panagiotis Kanellopoulos]], and the [[European Economic Community]], represented by West German Vice-Chancellor [[Ludwig Erhard]] signed a treaty making Greece the first nation to become an associate member of the Common Market, effective November 1, 1962. Similar agreements followed between the EEC and Turkey, Malta and Cyprus.<ref>Allan F. Tatham, ''Enlargement of the European Union'' (Kluwer Law International, 2009) pp 28-29; "Pact Links Greece with Common Market", ''New York Times'', July 10, 1961</ref>
*The [[Turkish Constitution of 1961]] was approved by voters in a [[referendum]]. With an 81% turnout rate, there were 6,348,191 votes in favor and 3,934,370 against.<ref>Jacob M. Landau, ''Radical Politics in Modern Turkey'' (BRILL, 1974) p9</ref>
*'''Died:''' [[Whittaker Chambers]], 60, former American Communist who later became a staunch anti-Communist after testifying against [[Alger Hiss]]

==[[July 10]], 1961 (Monday)==
*In a secret meeting with Soviet nuclear scientists, [[Nikita Khrushchev]] announced his decision to resume nuclear testing and to end the [[moratorium (law)|moratorium]] that the U.S. and the USSR had observed since 1958. Khrushchev gave the go-ahead for physicists [[Andrei Sakharov]] and [[Yakov Zeldovich]] to test a 100 megaton hydrogen bomb, the largest up to that time, which, Sakharov would say later, Khrushchev would call a device that would "hang over capitalists like the [[sword of Damocles]]".<ref>Vladislav M. Zubok, ''A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev'' (UNC Press Books, 2007) p141</ref>
*[[Mildred Gillars]], nicknamed "Axis Sally", was released from the women's federal prison in [[Alderson, West Virginia]], after serving 12 years of a sentence for treason. An American citizen, she moved to Berlin in 1934; during World War II, she was "the starring voice of Nazi propaganda" in English-language radio broadcasts aimed at American troops in Europe.<ref>"'Axis Sally' Walks Jauntily Out Of Prison", ''Miami News'', July 10, 1961, p1</ref>
*The German Banking Act was passed, creating a federal bank regulating agency, the Bundesaufsichtsamt für das Kreditwesen (Federal Bank Supervisory Office).<ref>''Bank Regulatory Structure: The Federal Republic of Germany'' (DIANE Publishing, 1994) p9</ref>
*'''Born:''' [[Liyel Imoke]], Nigerian politician and state governor; in [[Ibadan]]

==[[July 11]], 1961 (Tuesday)==
*Following a contest to come up with a name for an artificial lake, near [[Mount Isa]], [[Queensland]], Australia, created in 1958 by a dam on the Leichhardt River, the winning entry was selected from 471 suggested names. [[Lake Moondarra]], the entry suggested by 9-year-old Danny Driscoll, is said to have been an Australian aboriginal ([[Murri people|Murri-language]]) name that means 'plenty of rain, also thunder'.<ref>[http://www.mountisa.biz/history/moondarra.php "Mount Isa Biz"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829084629/http://www.mountisa.biz/history/moondarra.php |date=2007-08-29 }}</ref>
*Five days after signing a friendship and military assistance treaty with the [[Soviet Union]], [[North Korea]] signed a similar agreement with the [[People's Republic of China]]. Together, the two treaties established a balance of power at the 38th parallel, between the northern allies (North Korea, the USSR and China) and the southern allies (South Korea and the U.S.).<ref name=Kim/>
*[[United Airlines Flight 859]], a DC-8 jet, crashed while landing in [[Denver]], killing 17 of the 115 people on board and one person on the ground.<ref>{{cite news |title=ANOTHER PLANE CRASHES, 17 KILLED |newspaper=Miami News |date=July 12, 1961 |page=1}}</ref><ref>[https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610711-1 Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*'''Born:''' [[Ophir Pines-Paz]], Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs; in [[Rishon LeZion]]

==[[July 12]], 1961 (Wednesday)==
[[File:Thor-Delta TIROS III launch.jpg|180px|thumb|right|July 12, 1961: Launch of the TIROS-3 weather satellite]]
*The [[TIROS-3]] satellite was launched from Florida, and the [[Missile Defense Alarm System|MIDAS-3]] satellite was fired into orbit from California.<ref>"U.S. Midas 'Spies' on Russ — Weather Eye Also Launched", ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', July 13, 1961, p1</ref> TIROS-3 would become the first satellite to photograph storms during the [[1961 Atlantic hurricane season]].<ref>Dennis R. Jenkins, ''To Reach the High Frontier: A History of U.S. Launch Vehicles'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2002) pp112-114</ref> The MIDAS-3 spy satellite reached orbit, but ran out of power after only five orbits when its solar power arrays failed to completely deploy.<ref>Walter J. Boyne, ''Air Warfare: an International Encyclopedia: A-L'' (ABC-CLIO, 2002) pp170-171
</ref>
*A [[Czechoslovakian Airlines]] Ilyushin-18 turboprop airplane crashed while attempting to make a landing in [[Casablanca]], [[Morocco]], killing all 72 people on board. The flight had originated in [[Prague]] and stopped at [[Zürich]] before continuing to Africa.
*An alleged "unexplained incident" is said to have occurred in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], when [[peach]]es "fell from the sky" on a group of carpenters roofing a house. Though oft-repeated,<ref>E. Randall Floyd, ''Great Southern Mysteries'' (Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2000) p76</ref> there were no contemporary accounts of such an occurrence<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/archivesearch?as_q=shreveport+peaches&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Search+Archives&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_user_ldate=07%2F01%2F1961&as_user_hdate=07%2F31%2F1961&lr=&as_src=&as_price=p0&as_scoring=a|title = Google News}}</ref> and the earliest mention appears to have been in a 1978 book.<ref>Jim Brandon ''Weird America: A Guide to Places of Mystery in the United States'' (Dutton, 1978)</ref>
*The [[Voynich manuscript]] was sold for the last time, to bookdealer Hans Kraus for $24,500. Although the undeciphered medieval book had been the subject of much study, and Kraus asked as much as $160,000 for it, he had no takers, and finally donated it to Yale University in 1969.<ref>Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill, ''The Voynich Manuscript: The Unsolved Riddle of an Extraordinary Book Which Has Defied Interpretation for Centuries''  (Orion, 2004) p242</ref>
*Eight people were killed when lightning struck a tobacco curing barn in [[Clinton, North Carolina]], where they had taken shelter from a storm. Although they were inside, the victims had been sitting on metal surfaces when the bolt hit.<ref>''Spokane Spokesman-Review'', July 12, 1961, p1</ref>
*[[Lech Wałęsa]], 17, began working at the [[Lenin Shipyard]] in [[Gdańsk]], Poland. In 1980, he would lead a strike there and help form the [[Solidarność]] (Solidarity) trade union, a key moment in the downfall of Communism.<ref>Lech Wałęsa and Arkadiusz Rybicki, '' The Struggle and the Triumph: An Autobiography'' (Arcade Publishing, 1992) p95</ref>
*[[Mario Jascalevich]] was granted his medical license by the state of New Jersey. He later would be indicted for homicide in the multiple deaths of patients at the [[Riverdell Hospital]] in [[Oradell, New Jersey]].<ref>Colin Evans, ''Blood on the Table: The Greatest Cases of New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner'' (Penguin, 2008)</ref>
*A dam at [[Panshet]] in India burst, causing massive flooding in the city of [[Pune]]. Although there was significant damage to property, there was little to no loss of human life.
*The first [[Ohrid Summer Festival]] opened in Macedonia.
*'''Born:''' Robert Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman, subjects of the 2018 documentary ''[[Three Identical Strangers]]'', were born at [[Long Island Jewish Medical Center]] and put up for adoption to three separate families, each unaware of the multiple birth. By chance, the identical triplets would discover each other in 1980,<ref>"Identical Triplets Reunited After 19 Years Apart", ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'',  September 24, 1980, p1</ref> and would find out that the Louise Wise Agency had secretly studied them to gather data on separation of twins and triplets.<ref>Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein, ''Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited'' (Random House Digital, Inc., 2008)</ref>
*'''Died:'''
**[[Roger Tredwell]], 76, American diplomat, best known for his imprisonment during the Russian Revolution in 1918
**[[Mazo de la Roche]], 82, Canadian novelist<ref>{{cite news |last1=Crowe-Grande |first1=Trish |title=Exploring the early years of Newmarket literary icon Mazo de la Roche |url=https://www.newmarkettoday.ca/local-news/exploring-the-early-years-of-newmarket-literary-icon-mazo-de-la-roche-2623894 |access-date=4 February 2021 |work=Newmarket Today |date=9 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==[[July 13]], 1961 (Thursday)==
*In "the last of the early Cold War spy cases",<ref>{{cite book |first1=John Earl |last1=Haynes |author1-link=John Earl Haynes |first2=Harvey |last2=Klehr |author2-link=Harvey Klehr |title=Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials that Shaped American Politics |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |page=222}}</ref> [[Robert Soblen]] was convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union against the United States. Sentenced to life imprisonment, but allowed to post bail while the conviction was on appeal, Soblen fled to Israel. He would take an overdose of barbiturates while awaiting deportation back to the U.S. and die on September 11, 1962.
*'''Born:''' [[Anders Järryd]], Swedish tennis player and winner of eight Grand Slam men's doubles titles (3 French Open, 2 Wimbledon and U.S. Open, one Australian Open); in [[Lidköping]]

==[[July 14]], 1961 (Friday)==
*[[Martti Miettunen]], the Governor of [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]], replaced [[Vieno Johannes Sukselainen]] as [[Prime Minister of Finland]]. Sukselainen had been forced to resign after being convicted of abusing public funds.<ref>"Governor Takes Control As Finn Crisis Ends", ''Deseret News'' (Salt Lake City),  July 15, 1961, p1</ref>
*'''Born:''' [[Unsuk Chin]], South Korean composer; in [[Seoul]]

==[[July 15]], 1961 (Saturday)==
*In Pakistan, President [[Ayub Khan]] promulgated the [[Talaq (conflict)|Muslim Family Laws Ordinance of 1961]] to supersede traditional Sunni and Shia Muslim law practices concerning marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Under the unpopular MFLO, divorces, remarriages, and polygamous marriages had to be approved by a local Arbitration Council, and violations of the law were punishable by jail.<ref>{{cite book |first=Christophe |last=Jaffrelot |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=A History of Pakistan and Its Origins |publisher=Anthem Press |year=2004 |pages=70–71}}</ref> 
*[[1961 Victorian state election|Elections]] were held in the Australian state of Victoria to elect the 66 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 17 members of the 34-member Legislative Council. The Liberal and Country Party (LCP) government of Premier [[Henry Bolte]] won a third term in office.
*[[William A. Fitzgerald]], alias Nathan Boya, became the fifth person known to have ridden over [[Niagara Falls]] and survived. Fitzgerald, an African-American, encased himself in a {{Convert|6|foot|adj=on}} diameter "rubber-coated steel ball", and said, "I have integrated Niagara Falls."<ref>{{cite news |title=Negro Beats Niagara Falls |newspaper=Miami News |date=July 16, 1961 |page=1}}</ref>
*[[Atlas (rocket family)|Atlas]] launch vehicle 88-D was delivered to [[Cape Canaveral]] for the [[Mercury-Atlas 4]] (MA-4) mission.<ref name="Grimwood"/>
*German driver [[Wolfgang von Trips]] won the [[1961 British Grand Prix]] at Aintree.
*'''Born:''' [[Forest Whitaker]], American film actor, winner of 2006 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator [[Idi Amin Dada]] in ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]''; in [[Longview, Texas]]

==[[July 16]], 1961 (Sunday)==
*In one of the bloodiest battles up to that time in [[War in Vietnam (1959–1963)|fighting in Vietnam]], 187 Viet Cong and 12 South Vietnamese troops were killed in a clash at the [[Plain of Reeds]].<ref>"200 Red Guerillas Killed In Viet Trap", ''Miami News'', July 17, 1961, p1</ref>
*The [[Singleton Bank rail crash]] occurred in Lancashire, England, when the 8:50 [[diesel multiple unit]] passenger train from {{stnlnk|Colne}} to {{stnlnk|Fleetwood}} collided with the rear of a ballast train at about {{convert|45|mph|km/h}}. Seven people, including the driver, were killed, and another 116 were injured.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Langley
  | first = Brig C A
  | title = Report on the Collision at Singleton Bank
  | date = 22 December 1961
  | publisher = HMSO
  | url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Singleton1961.pdf
  | access-date = 2009-01-10
}}; "Train Crash Fatal to Six- 125 Others Are Hurt in Britain on Way to Sea Coast", ''Milwaukee Journal'', July 17, 1961, p2</ref>
*'''Died:''' [[George Jivajirao Scindia of Gwalior]], 45, last Maharaja of [[Gwalior State]] in central India

==[[July 17]], 1961 (Monday)==
*[[Valery Brumel]] of the Soviet Union broke the world record for the [[high jump]] with a leap of 2.24 meters. On June 18, Brumel had reached 2.23 meters, appearing to have bested the record set in 1960 by American [[John Thomas (athlete)|John Thomas]], until Thomas's 1960 record of 7 feet, {{frac|3|3|4}} inches, was recalculated from 2.22 to 2.23.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120714011932/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Fm5QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yBAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4025,4906011&dq=brumel+thomas&hl=en "Russ Goof, So Brumel Just Ties Thomas' Mark"], ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', June 19, 1961, p2-2</ref> When Brumel and Thomas competed against each other at the U.S.-USSR dual track and field meet in [[Moscow]], Brumel set a new mark of 2.24 m or 7'4". At the same meet, [[Ralph Boston]] broke his own record in the [[long jump]], reaching 8.28 m or 27'2".<ref>"Brumel Ends On Top Over John Thomas", ''Edmonton Journal'', July 17, 1961, p9</ref>
*'''Born:''' 
**[[Veton Surroi]], Kosovo Albanian newspaper publisher and politician, founder of the [[Reformist Party ORA]]; in [[Pristina]], [[SR Serbia]], [[Yugoslavia]]
**[[Jeremy Hardy]], English comedian and broadcaster; in [[Farnborough, Hampshire]] (died of cancer, 2019)
*'''Died:''' [[Ty Cobb]], 74, American baseball player who was the American League batting champion 12 times during the 13 seasons between 1907 and 1919, and was one of the first players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.<ref>"Ty Cobb, 74, Baseball's Georgia Peach, Dies", ''Sacramento Bee'', July 17, 1961, p. 1</ref>

==[[July 18]], 1961 (Tuesday)==
*The Basque separatist group [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) carried out its first act of terrorism on the 25th anniversary of the 1936 uprising that brought [[Francisco Franco]] to power in Spain, by sabotaging a train carrying hundreds of veterans to [[San Sebastián]]. Whether it was a plan "to derail the trains without harming any of the passengers",<ref>{{cite book |first=Robert P. |last=Clark |title=The Basques, the Franco Years and Beyond |publisher=University of Nevada Press |year=1979 |page=157}}</ref> or an action which, "had it not been discovered...might well have caused injuries or even deaths",<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Walter |editor-last=Laqueur |editor-link=Walter Laqueur |title=Voices of terror: Manifestos, Writings, and Manuals of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Other Terrorists from around the World and throughout the Ages |title-link=Voices of Terror |location=Naperville, Illinois |publisher=Sourcebooks, Inc. |year=2004 |isbn=978-1594290350 |page=500}}</ref> no trains were derailed, but the Franco government arrested more than 100 Basque activists and sentenced many of them to long prison terms. The ETA responded by stepping up its attacks.
*At a [[Synod#Orthodox|council]] in [[Zagorsk]] of bishops of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], [[Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow]] pressured the assembled group to approve changes in the laws of the church. The new rules, demanded by [[Nikita Khrushchev]] in a meeting with Alexy, transferred control of affairs in the various parishes from the local priests to committees of three laymen who would follow the guidance of the Soviet Communist Party.<ref>{{cite book |first=Geoffrey A. |last=Hosking |author-link=Geoffrey Hosking |title=Church, Nation and State in Russia and Ukraine |publisher=CIUS Press |year=1990 |page=318}}</ref>
*Meeting at [[Bad Godesberg]] in [[West Germany]], the leaders of the six [[European Economic Community]] nations (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany) agreed to a plan to hold regular summits, and to further the goals of "political unification" of the Common Market nations, a forerunner of the [[European Community]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Mark |last=Gilbert |title=Surpassing Realism: The Politics of European Integration since 1945 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefiel] |year=2003 |page=91}}</ref>
*'''Born:''' 
**[[Elizabeth McGovern]], American film actress and singer; in [[Evanston, Illinois]]
**[[Neil Friske]], American politician and member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]] since 2023
*'''Died:''' 
**[[Alfréd Deésy]], 73, Hungarian actor and film director 
**[[Hod Eller]], 67, American baseball pitcher

==[[July 19]], 1961 (Wednesday)==
[[File:Monument des martyrs Bizerte.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Memorial for 670 killed in French attack on Tunisian protesters]]
*The [[Bizerte crisis]] began when [[Tunisia]] sent troops to surround France's naval base at [[Bizerte]], beginning a standoff between the two nations. The demonstration started out peacefully<ref>{{cite news |title=Navy Base At Bizerte Ringed By Tunisians |newspaper=Miami News |date=July 19, 1961 |page=1 |edition=first}}</ref> until 2:15 p.m., when ground forces fired at a [[French Army]] [[helicopter]] flying supplies into the base.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tunis Fires On Helicopter Over Bizerte |newspaper=Miami News |date=July 19, 1961 |page=1 |edition=final}}</ref> France responded by bombing and strafing the Tunisian positions as the two sides exchanged gunfire.<ref>{{cite news |title=TUNISIANS, FRENCH OPEN FIRE |newspaper=[[Windsor Star]] |location=Windsor, Ontario |date=July 19, 1961 |page=1}}</ref> Two days later, France attacked the city of Bizerte. French losses were 13 dead and 35 wounded. The Tunisians suffered 670 dead and 1,555 wounded.<ref>{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Alexander |title=Tunisia |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2010 |page=90}}</ref>
*All 67 people on [[Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 644]] were killed after the DC-6 departed from [[Buenos Aires]] to a destination of [[Comodoro Rivadavia]]. The plane had been attempting to make an emergency landing at [[Azul, Buenos Aires Province|Azul]] and burst into flames after crashing near Chachari.<ref>{{cite news |title=Airliner Crashes, All 67 Killed |newspaper=Miami News |date=July 19, 1961 |page=1}}</ref>
*The first regularly scheduled [[in-flight movie]] service began, as a [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]] flight from New York to Los Angeles showed ''[[By Love Possessed (film)|By Love Possessed]]'' to its first-class customers.<ref>{{cite book |first=Douglas |last=Gomery |author-link=Douglas Gomery |title=Shared Pleasures: A History of Movie Presentation in the United States |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |year=1992 |page=141}}</ref>
*The submarine {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|SSBN-600}} began its first deterrent patrol, loaded with [[Polaris]] missiles.
*The first moves were made in the formation of the [[NATO Tiger Association]].
*'''Born:''' 
**[[Harsha Bhogle]], Indian cricket commentator and journalist; in [[Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] state
**[[Noriyuki Abe]], Japanese anime storyboard artist, sound director and director; in [[Kyoto]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Hodgkins|first=Crystalyn|title=Seven Deadly Sins: Prisoners of the Sky Anime Film Reveals Trailer, Visual, More Cast|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-04-13/seven-deadly-sins-prisoners-of-the-sky-anime-film-reveals-trailer-visual-more-cast/.130324|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=December 10, 2023|date=April 13, 2018|archive-date=January 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129163328/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-04-13/seven-deadly-sins-prisoners-of-the-sky-anime-film-reveals-trailer-visual-more-cast/.130324|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''Died:''' [[Hjalmar Gullberg]], 63, Swedish poet, committed suicide

==[[July 20]], 1961 (Thursday)==
*Meeting in Cairo, the Council of the [[Arab League]] voted to admit [[Kuwait]] as its 11th member nation, and to send troops to replace the British in protecting the newly independent state from annexation by [[Iraq]]. Admission of new members required unanimous approval by the representatives present, but Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hashim Jawad, had made the mistake of boycotting the meeting in protest.<ref>Fred Moore, ed., ''Iraq Speaks: Documents on the Gulf Crisis'' (DIANE Publishing, 1993) p39</ref>
*Three years after [[Egypt]] and [[Syria]] had merged their governments to form the [[United Arab Republic]], with Egypt's [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] as president, Nasser nationalized Syria's banks, insurance companies, and other private businesses. Nasser's moves to put Syria's economy under his control would prompt the breakup of the UAR two months later.<ref>Malik Mufti, ''Sovereign Creations: Pan-Arabism and Political Order in Syria and Iraq'' (Cornell University Press, 1996) pp133-134</ref>
*[[Hurricane Anna (1961)|Hurricane Anna]] formed in the Atlantic. The storm would strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day [[Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale]] before dissipating on July 24, causing one fatality and $300,000 (1961 [[United States dollar|USD]]) in damage, mostly in Central America.<ref name="sju11">{{cite report|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1961/anna/preloc/pshsju11.gif|title=Report on Hurricane Anna - July 20, 1961|author=Ralph L. Higgs|date=August 4, 1961|work=U.S. Weather Bureau Office San Juan, Puerto Rico|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Hurricane Center|page=11|access-date=December 3, 2013|location=San Juan, Puerto Rico}}</ref>
*After two years of living and working in [[Minsk]], American defector [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] applied to the Soviet Union for an [[exit visa]] so that he could return to the United States. He, his wife and daughter were finally granted permission to leave on May 30, 1962.<ref>Norman Mailer, ''Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery'' (Random House, 1995) p235, 295</ref>
*What is now the [[Barzilai Medical Center]] opened at [[Ashkelon]], Israel, and is named for [[Yisrael Barzilai]].

==[[July 21]], 1961 (Friday)==
[[File:Grissom prepares to enter Liberty Bell 7 61-MR4-76.jpg|170px|thumb|Grissom]]
*[[Gus Grissom]] became the second American astronaut to go into space as he piloted the ''[[Mercury-Redstone 4|Mercury 4]]'' capsule ''Liberty Bell 7'' following his launch from Cape Canaveral at 7:20 a.m. From lift-off to reentry, operational sequences were similar to those of the first crewed suborbital flight, ''[[Mercury-Redstone 3|Mercury 3]]''. Grissom reached a peak altitude of {{Convert|118|mi}} without attaining orbit, then descended in his capsule by parachute, with [[splashdown (spacecraft landing)|splashdown]] 303 statute miles downrange from Cape Canaveral at 7:36. Grissom's flight experience was similar to [[Alan Shepard]]'s in that there was a 5-minute period of [[weightlessness]], and neither reported any ill effects. He also found it easy to manually control his [[spacecraft attitude]]. Grissom narrowly escaped drowning when the explosive escape hatch opened prematurely while he was awaiting a helicopter to rescue him, but he escaped and swam to safety. The ''Liberty Bell 7'' capsule sank after filling with water.<ref name="Grimwood"/><ref>{{cite news |title=GRISSOM SAVED, CAPSULE LOST |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=July 22, 1961 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nlQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22virgil+grissom%22&pg=PA26 |title=It Was a Good Flight and a Great Float |first=Virgil |last=Grissom |author-link=Gus Grissom |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|LIFE]] |date=July 28, 1961 |page=27 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Although a helicopter managed to secure the capsule and attempted to lift it, the weight of the water added {{Convert|4,000|lb}} to the load. The $5,000,000 [[Mercury spacecraft]] was cut loose and sank to the bottom of the ocean, and would not be found until May 1999.<ref>{{cite news |title=Salvage team finds Mercury capsule |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]] |date=May 3, 1999 |page=7A}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gus Grissom's Space Capsule Recovered |newspaper=Toledo Blade |date=July 21, 1999 |page=14}}</ref> Grissom almost drowned when water filled his suit, and a {{Convert|10|foot|adj=on}} long [[shark]] was observed in the water soon after his rescue. Grissom would die in 1967, unable to escape the capsule of [[Apollo 1]] when it caught fire.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Francis |last1=French |author1-link=Francis French (author) |display-authors=etal |title=Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 |title-link=Into That Silent Sea |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2009 |pages=79–90}}</ref> An unidentified [[NASA]] official commented, "We've got only one Gus, but we've got plenty of space capsules."<ref>{{cite news |title='We've Got Only One Gus But Plenty Of Capsules' |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=July 21, 1961 |page=1}}</ref> After this second successful suborbital flight, Space Task Group decided that there was no need to continue the initial phase of Project Mercury, and the remaining Mercury-Redstone flights were canceled.<ref name="Grimwood"/>
*[[Alaska Airlines Flight 779]], a Douglas DC-6 delivering {{Convert|26,000|lb}} of cargo to Japan, crashed {{Convert|300|ft}} short of the runway as it came in for a landing at the [[Shemya Air Force Base]] in [[Alaska]], killing the crew of six.<ref>[https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610721-0 Aviation-Safety-Network]</ref> An investigation found that the power cable for the runway approach lights, and to many of the pairs of threshold lights and runway lights, had been cut off two days before the accident to allow construction vehicles to pass, and that nobody had notified the crew of Flight 779.
*[[Dominica]] adopted a new [[Coat of arms of Dominica|coat of arms]], consisting of a shield with two guardian Sisserou Parrots bracing the shield atop of which is a raging lion.
*'''Born:'''
**[[Matt Preston]], English-Australian food critic, writer, food journalist, television and radio presenter; in [[London]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Preston |first=Matt |date=10 April 2009 |title=Does Blumenthal smell of caramel? |url=https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/does-blumenthal-smell-of-caramel-20090410-ge7sfz.html|newspaper=[[The Age]]}}</ref>
**[[Morris Iemma]], Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales from 2005 to 2008; in [[Sydney]]
**[[Sergiy Bychkov]], Ukrainian politician; in [[Dnipropetrovsk]]
*'''Died:''' [[Sérvulo Gutiérrez]], 47, Peruvian artist

==[[July 22]], 1961 (Saturday)==
*The [[Economic Planning Board (South Korea)|Economic Planning Board]] (EPB) was created by order of South Korean dictator [[Park Chung Hee]], to implement the goals of the Comprehensive Economic Development Five-Year Plan, drafted by three young economists (Kim Song Bom, 37; Paek Yong Chan, 32; and Chong So Yong, 29). South Korea went from being a poor nation to an economic powerhouse; [[Economy of South Korea|per capita income]] rose from $80 to $1,000 during Park's 18 years in office. The [[gross national product]], only $2.7 billion when Park took office, is now{{when|date=July 2022}} more than one trillion dollars.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Byung-Kook |editor1-last=Kim |editor2-first=Ezra F. |editor2-last=Vogel |editor2-link=Ezra Vogel |title=The Park Chung Hee Era: The Transformation of South Korea |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2011 |pages=100, 257 |isbn=9780674058200}}</ref>
*The British government agreed to pay the government of [[San Marino–United Kingdom relations|San Marino]] the sum of 732,000,000 Italian lira (80,000 British pounds, or at the time US$224,000) as compensation for the erroneous bombing of the republic on June 26, 1944, during a British raid on Italy.<ref>[http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/12/28/00023357.pdf United Nations Treaty Series] {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The attack on the small ({{convert|38|sqmi}}) republic had killed 59 people and caused extensive damage. San Marino's Grand Council had refused the £80,000 offer in 1946.<ref>On July 7, the 1961 Council voted 32-17 to accept. {{cite news |title=San Marino OKs Britain's Offer For War Damage |newspaper=[[Youngstown Vindicator]] |date=July 6, 1961 |page=5}}</ref>
*[[NASA Administrator]] [[James E. Webb]] awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] to [[Gus Grissom]], pilot of ''Liberty Bell 7'', as part of the post-mission [[press conference]] held at Cape Canaveral.<ref name="Grimwood"/>
*The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Tilarán]] and the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Huehuetenango]] were erected.

==[[July 23]], 1961 (Sunday)==
*The [[Sandinistas]] were created by Nicaraguan leftists [[Carlos Fonseca]], Silvio Mayorga, and [[Tomás Borge]], while they were living in [[Honduras]]. Fonseca had included the name of [[Augusto Sandino]] in the name of the FSLN, the [[Sandinista National Liberation Front]]. The FSLN would topple the government of Anastasio Somoza in 1979 and win control of Nicaragua.<ref>Stephen E. Atkins, ''Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups'' (Greenwood Publishing, 2004) p97</ref>
*'''Born:'''
**[[Woody Harrelson]], American TV and film actor; in [[Midland, Texas]]<ref>{{cite web|first=Tim|last=Cooper|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/review-574706-welcome-to-woody-world.do|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505102545/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/review-574706-welcome-to-woody-world.do|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2013|title=Welcome to Woody World|publisher=Thisislondon.co.uk|date=July 19, 2002|access-date=September 30, 2013}}</ref>
**[[Martin Gore]], English musician and songwriter of the electronic rock band [[Depeche Mode]]; in [[London]]<ref name="factmag.com">{{cite web |title=Depeche Mode's Vince Clarke and Martin Gore reunite in the name of techno |url=https://www.factmag.com/2011/11/24/depeche-modes-vince-clarke-and-martin-gore-reunite-in-the-name-of-techno/ |date=24 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231164257/https://www.factmag.com/2011/11/24/depeche-modes-vince-clarke-and-martin-gore-reunite-in-the-name-of-techno/ |archive-date=31 December 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**[[Michael Durant]], American pilot held hostage in Somalia during 1993; in [[Berlin, New Hampshire]]
**[[Vikram Chandra (novelist)|Vikram Chandra]], Indian novelist; in [[New Delhi]]
[[File:Higashikuni Shigeko (1959).jpg|120px|thumb|right|Princess Higashikuni Shigeko of Japan]]
*'''Died:''' [[Shigeko Higashikuni]], 35, formerly Princess Terunomiya of Japan and eldest child of the Emperor [[Hirohito]] and Empress Nagako, died of cancer. In 1943, she had married a commoner, Morihito Higashikuni, and renounced her royal status.<ref>"Japan Ex-Princess Dies", UPI report in ''The Sunday Advertiser'' (Honolulu), July 23, 1961, p. 1</ref>

==[[July 24]], 1961 (Monday)==
*[[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 202 was hijacked shortly after takeoff from Miami, en route to Tampa. Wilfred Roman Oquendo, a Cuban-born American citizen, who had boarded as "J. Marin" and carried a pistol on board, entered the cockpit and forced the pilot to fly to Cuba. The crew of 5 and the other 32 passengers were allowed to fly back to Miami the next day, while Fidel Castro did not allow the release of the [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] until August 15. Oquendo was indicted for 37 counts of kidnapping by a federal grand jury on August 23, and never returned to the United States.<ref>Michael Newton, ''The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings'' (Infobase Publishing, 2002) p214</ref>

==[[July 25]], 1961 (Tuesday)==
*President Kennedy delivered [[Berlin Crisis of 1961#Escalation and crisis|a nationwide address]] on American television and radio, making clear that if the Soviet Union attempted to take control of [[West Berlin]], then the United States would be prepared to go to war, even at the risk of nuclear annihilation. "We must have sea and air lift capable of moving our forces quickly and in large numbers to any part of the world," said Kennedy, and announced that he was "ordering that our [[selective service|draft calls]] be doubled and tripled" to expand the [[U.S. Army]] from 875,000 to one&nbsp;million men. Kennedy then announced, "We have another sober responsibility. To recognize the possibilities of nuclear war in the missile age, without our citizens knowing what they should do and where they should go if bombs begin to fall, would be a failure of responsibility." To that end, he would ask Congress for funding to identify and stock "[[fallout shelters]] in case of attack" and upgrade an emergency warning system, adding that "In the event of an attack, the lives of those families which are not hit in a nuclear blast and fire can still be saved--if they can be warned to take shelter and if that shelter is available."<ref>[http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/5740 Video and text of speech] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605193651/http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/5740 |date=2011-06-05 }}, "Report on the Berlin Crisis" MillerCenter.org</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. WILL FIGHT FOR BERLIN, PRESIDENT WARNS RUSSIANS |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=July 26, 1961 |page=1}}</ref> "It was nearly a presidential proclamation of a national emergency," one author would note later, "with the unmistakable implication that nuclear war might be imminent."<ref>{{cite book |first=Dee |last=Garrison |title=Bracing for Armageddon: Why Civil Defense Never Worked |publisher=Oxford University Press US |year=2006 |page=112}}</ref>
*The very last [[Convair B-36]] Peacemaker strategic bomber was dismantled at [[309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group|AMARC]], the [[aircraft boneyard]] at [[Davis-Monthan Air Force Base]] at Tucson, Arizona.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Nicholas A. |last1=Veronico |display-authors=etal |title=Military Aircraft Boneyards |publisher=Zenith Imprint |year=2000 |page=103}}</ref>
*The Secular Institute of the Scalabrinian Missionary Women was founded by the [[Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo]].
*'''Born:'''
**[[Johan H. Andresen, Jr.]], Norwegian CEO of the [[Ferd (company)|Ferd]] and the wealthiest man in Norway (2008 figures); in [[Oslo]]
**[[Darren Star]], American writer, director and producer of film and television; in [[Potomac, Maryland]]<ref>{{cite news|title= DARREN STAR, creator, 'Beverly Hills 90210'|work= New York Times|date=August 31, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/arts/television/31star.html?_r=1&scp=10&sq=Beverly%20Hills,%2090210&st=Search|access-date=2010-08-10}}</ref>

==[[July 26]], 1961 (Wednesday)==
*Voters in [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]), most of whom were white, [[1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum|approved a new Constitution]] guaranteeing some representation to the black majority. The results were 41,949 to 21,846 in favor, with the Parliament of Rhodesia having 50 seats for Whites, and 15 for Blacks.<ref>Dickson A. Mungazi, ''The last defenders of the laager: Ian D. Smith and F.W. de Klerk'' (Greenwood Publishing, 1998) p112</ref>
*On a visit to [[East Germany]], Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] agreed to let DDR leader [[Walter Ulbricht]] order construction of the [[Berlin Wall]].<ref>"New Evidence on the Berlin Crisis 1958-1962", by Douglas Selvage, ''Cold War International History Project Bulletin'' 11, p219</ref>
*'''Born:''' [[Dimitris Saravakos]], Greek soccer football midfielder with 78 appearances on the national team; in [[Athens]]

==[[July 27]], 1961 (Thursday)==
*McDonnell and NASA personnel met to discuss the proposed 2-astronaut space concept (later designated [[Project Gemini]]), which had been introduced in [[May 1961]]. Following the meeting, the design effort was concentrated on two versions of the advanced spacecraft, a one-man Mercury that could make 18 orbits and would require minimum changes; and a [[Gemini spacecraft|2-man spacecraft]] capable of advanced missions, which would require more radical modifications.<ref name="Grimwood"/><ref name="Grimwood 2"/>
*[[Cyril of Bulgaria|Cyril I]] was recognized as the first [[Patriarch of All Bulgaria]] since the [[14th century]], after the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] decreed the restoration of the office and declared Cyril (Konstantin Konstantinov) to be patriarch.{{sfn|Kiminas|2009|pp=25}}
*In the UK, the [[Mock Auctions Act 1961]] received royal assent.
*'''Born:''' [[Erez Tal]], Israeli TV host; in [[Tel Aviv]]

==[[July 28]], 1961 (Friday)==
*The United Kingdom informed its six partners in the [[European Free Trade Association]] (EFTA) that it intended to file an application to join the six-member [[European Economic Community]] (also known as the EEC or the Common Market). A formal announcement was not made until July 31.<ref>{{cite news |title=Britain Will Seek Ties With Common Market |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |date=July 29, 1961 |page=2}}</ref>
*The first wristwatch made in India, manufactured by [[Hindustan Machine Tools]] (HMT), was presented to Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in [[Bangalore]]. The company had been set up in collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer [[Citizen Holdings]], maker of the Citizen watch.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hmtindia.com/html/frame.asp?page=pr-specialevents.htm |title=HMTIndia.com |access-date=2011-06-25 |archive-date=2011-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928140638/http://www.hmtindia.com/html/frame.asp?page=pr-specialevents.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*'''Died:''' [[Shigeru Tonomura]], 58, Japanese novelist

==[[July 29]], 1961 (Saturday)==
*[[KGB]] Director [[Alexander Shelepin]] presented to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev the outline for a plan to combat "The Main Adversary", the euphemism for the United States. The Shelepin recommendation, accepted by the Politburo three days later, was to finance popular uprisings in Central American nations and to spread disinformation in the NATO nations. After the end of the [[Cold War]], when secret American and Russian documents were finally declassified, the Shelepin plan would be revealed by retired KGB archivist [[Vasili Mitrokhin]].<ref>Christopher M. Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, ''The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB'' (Basic Books, 2000) p181</ref>
*Using an [[IBM 7090]] computer, researchers Daniel Shanks and John W. Wrench, Jr., were able to calculate the value of [[pi]] to 100,000 digits for the first time. In 1949, prior to the use of computers, the first 1,120 digits had been found "by hand" using a desk calculator.<ref>D.F. Ferguson and [[John Wrench|John W. Wrench]], [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2002657 A New Approximation to π (Conclusion)] ff.</ref> The same year, the [[ENIAC]] computer took 70 hours to reach 2,037 decimal places. The 10,000 mark had been broken in 1957 on an [[IBM 704]] in 100 minutes. The IBM 7090 operation took 8 hours and 43 minutes.<ref>
Jörg Arndt and Christoph Haenel, ''π Unleashed'' (Vol. 1) (Springer, 2001) p197</ref>
*Country music singer [[Patsy Cline]] sang at a concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a recording was made of the live performance. Thirty years after Cline's death in 1963, the tape was purchased at a yard sale. MCA Records bought the rights, enhanced the sound quality, and on July 29, 1997, released it in CD form as ''[[Live at the Cimarron Ballroom]]''.<ref>Douglas Gomery, ''Patsy Cline: The Making of an Icon'' (Trafford Publishing, 2011) p372</ref>
*The islands of [[Wallis and Futuna]], located in the South Pacific Ocean, were accepted as "an integral part of the French Republic" in the form of a single [[Overseas departments and territories of France|French overseas territory]].<ref>"Wallis and Futuna", ''Historical dictionary of Polynesia'', by Robert D. Craig (Scarecrow Press, 2002) p255</ref>

==[[July 30]], 1961 (Sunday)==
*The flights of [[Avion Pirata|"El Avion Pirata]]" ("The Pirate Plane"), a four-engine [[Lockheed Constellation]] that had been making smuggling flights into [[Bolivia]] with landings at night at [[El Trompillo Airport]] in [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra|Santa Cruz]], were brought to an end when [[Bolivian Air Force]] fighter jets intercepted the aircraft and forced it to land. During its escape, the rogue aircraft caused an air force P-51 Mustang to crash, killing its pilot. The crew of four Americans and one Brazilian were all arrested, and the "Constellation Trial" would later cause a political scandal in Bolivia.<ref>"'Sky Pirates' Held in Crash", ''Daily News'' (New York), August 1, 1961, p30</ref> All five would later escape the country; the vintage airplane is now a tourist attraction in Santa Cruz.<ref>[https://www.eldia.com.bo/index.php?cat=386&pla=3&id_articulo=97260 "Aterriza el olvido al 'Avión Pirata'" (Spanish) ("The 'Pirate Plane' that landed in oblivion"], ''El Dia'' (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), August 19, 2012</ref> 
*The [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] unveiled First Secretary Khrushchev's 20-year program for reform, with 47,000 words printed in nine of the ten pages of the newspaper ''[[Pravda]]'' and broadcast in a six-hour program on Radio Moscow. Among the promises were that by 1970, the workday would be reduced to six hours, and the USSR would surpass the United States in industrial and agricultural production. By 1980, the plan promised, Soviet workers would enjoy free housing and public utilities, free public transportation, and free meals at schools and at the workplace.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110205031931/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,895551,00.html "RUSSIA: The New Gospel"], ''TIME'' Magazine, August 11, 1961; "Russian Press, Radio Hammer Home Khrushchev Vision of Red Utopia", ''Saskatoon Star-Phoenix'', July 31, 1961, p. 1; "The 1961 Party Programme and the fate of Khrushchev's reforms", by Alexander Titov, in ''Soviet State and Society under Nikita Khrushchev'' (Taylor & Francis US, 2009), p. 18.</ref>
*The first [[NASCAR]] race (referred to at the time as the Volunteer 500) at [[Bristol Motor Speedway]], the shortest track on the circuit, was won by [[Jack Smith (American racing driver, born 1924)|Jack Smith]] (who started the race) and [[Johnny Allen (racing driver)|Johnny Allen]], who finished after Smith's foot was burned by his car.<ref>A. R. Schaefer, ''Bristol Motor Speedway'' (Capstone Press, 2006), p. 10.</ref>
*'''Born:''' 
**[[Laurence Fishburne]], American stage, film and TV actor; in [[Augusta, Georgia]] 
**[[Víctor Trujillo]], Mexican TV and film comedian; in [[Mexico City]]
*'''Died:'''
**[[Domenico Tardini]], 73, [[Vatican Secretary of State]] since 1958
**[[Mamin Kolyu]], 81, Bulgarian revolutionary

==[[July 31]], 1961 (Monday)==
[[File:IBM Selectric typeball.jpg|100px|thumb|right|IBM's revolutionary "typeball"]]
*[[International Business Machines]] placed the [[IBM Selectric typewriter]] on the market. The "typeball", a sphere with the characters on it, replaced the individual "[[typebars]]", and moved along the paper while the carriage stood still, and could be switched out to accommodate different fonts. Initially selling at $395, the Selectric soon became the most popular typewriter in the world, until superseded by the word processor.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Typewriter Eliminates Type Bar, Movable Carriage |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |location=St. Petersburg, Florida |date=August 1, 1961 |page=6-B}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Van Dulken |title=American Inventions: A History of Curious, Extraordinary, and Just Plain Useful Patents |publisher=NYU Press |year=2004 |page=203}}</ref> 
*At [[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], the annual [[Major League Baseball]] [[All-Star Game]] ended in a tie for the firt time. The game— which also marked the third time<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/ |title=All-Star Game History and Leaders}}</ref> that two All-Star Games had been played in the same season— was stopped in the ninth inning due to rain, with the score tied 1–1. Not until 2002 would another MLB All-Star Game end in a tie.<ref>{{cite news |title=All-Stars Duel to 1-1 Draw |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |date=August 1, 1961 |page=2-2}}</ref>
*The classic Japanese monster film ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', about a giant [[moth]], premiered in Japanese cinemas as ''Mosura''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ragone |first=August |year=2007 |title=Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters|publisher=Chronicle Books |page=63 |isbn=978-0-8118-6078-9 }}</ref> The film, which was produced by [[Toho|Toho Co., Ltd]], was [[dubbing|re-dubbed]] in [[English language|English]] and released in the U.S. in May 1962.
*[[Jerry Barber]] won the [[1961 PGA Championship]] at Olympia Fields near Chicago, beating [[Don January]] by a single stroke (67 to 68) after the two were forced into a playoff.<ref>{{cite news |title=Barber (67) Wins Playoff |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |date=August 1, 1961 |page=2-2}}</ref>
*Ireland submitted its first ever application to join the [[European Economic Community]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Literature==
* {{Cite book|last=Kiminas|first=Demetrius|title=The Ecumenical Patriarchate: A History of Its Metropolitanates with Annotated Hierarch Catalogs|year=2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLWqXrW2X-8C|publisher=Wildside Press LLC|isbn=9781434458766}}

{{Events by month links}}

[[Category:July|1961]]
[[Category:1961|*1961-07]]
[[Category:Months in the 1960s|*1961-07]]