Born in 1961
Turns 65 in 2026 · 65th birthday gifts
65th birthday gifts for someone born in 1961
1961 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $50.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $50.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $50.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $50.50
Front Page: Australia edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1961 · Australia
A little history to go with their gift.
Yuri Gagarin completed the first human spaceflight aboard Vostok 1, making one orbit of Earth. Freedom Riders challenged segregation on interstate buses and terminals, facing violence and arrests. President Kennedy also asked Congress to support a goal of landing a person on the Moon and returning safely before 1970.
What happened in 1961?
Four Corners begins regular television broadcasts
The ABC current-affairs programme Four Corners first went to air on 19 August 1961, opening with reports on Australia and the wider region.
Australian Screen Online, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
GLV 10 brings television to regional Gippsland
GLV 10 began broadcasting in Gippsland on 9 December 1961, becoming the first station to bring television to regional Australia.
Bob Dylan signs with Columbia Records
In 1961, Columbia Records producer John Hammond signed Bob Dylan, then a young folk musician in New York, to a recording contract.
Harper Lee wins the Pulitzer for To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for To Kill a Mockingbird, her novel about a small Southern town.
The Pulitzer Prizes, Columbia University · Monroe County Museum
Firsts and new ideas
Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed the first human spaceflight on 12 April 1961 aboard Vostok 1.
Alan Shepard rides Freedom 7 into space
Alan Shepard piloted Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961, becoming the first American in space.
Number ones and music in 1961
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Ben E. King takes “Stand by Me” into the top ten
Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” entered the U.S. pop charts in 1961 and climbed into the Hot 100’s top ten. Its steady pulse carries a promise of loyalty through the song’s simple refrain.
Billboard (scan hosted by Lesve archive) · Songwriters Hall of Fame
Boy George is born in Eltham
Boy George, born George O’Dowd, was born in Eltham on June 14, 1961.
Prices and everyday money in 1961
Australia figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Bread, delivered (about 2 lb loaf) | about 1s 11d | per about 2 lb loaf Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Tea (½ lb equivalent) | about 3s 6d | per ½ lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Sugar (2 lb equivalent) | about 1s 11d | per 2 lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Potatoes (per lb equivalent) | about 11d | per lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1961 turns 65 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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