JANUARY 20, 1961

FRIDAY
1961 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1961
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $1,184,600 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$1.06
Median Home Price$13,070.00
Gas Price Avg$0.32
Bread Price Avg$0.22
Movie Ticket Avg$0.78
First Class Stamp$0.04
Milk Price Avg$1.02
Top Movies From 1961
Show screen release and event cards
1 West Side Story
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West Side Story
2 The Guns of Navarone
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The Guns of Navarone
3 El Cid
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El Cid
4 The Parent Trap
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The Parent Trap
5 The Absent-Minded Professor
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The Absent-Minded Professor
6 King of Kings
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King of Kings
7 Lover Come Back
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Lover Come Back
8 One Hundred and One Dalmatians
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One Hundred and One Dalmatians
9 La Dolce Vita
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La Dolce Vita
10 Come September
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Come September
Spartacus
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Spartacus
Exodus
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Exodus
Psycho
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Psycho
The Magnificent Seven
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The Magnificent Seven
The Sundowners
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The Sundowners
The Grass Is Greener
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The Grass Is Greener
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
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The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
Swiss Family Robinson
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Swiss Family Robinson

January 20, 1961 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· January 20, 1961
Perry Mason poster
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Perry Mason
Bonanza poster
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Bonanza
The Twilight Zone poster
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The Twilight Zone
The Flintstones poster
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The Flintstones
The Rifleman poster
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The Rifleman
Lassie poster
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Lassie
Tony Awards poster
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Tony Awards
Wagon Train poster
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Wagon Train
'Way Out poster
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'Way Out

Exact-date daily brief

January 20, 1961

On January 20, 1961, a tragic incident unfolded as five men were lost when a B-52 bomber caught fire and crashed over Utah. This event added to the ongoing Cold War tensions, as the U.S. military was actively preparing for potenti...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of January 1961

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 First Human Spaceflight
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First Human Spaceflight
2 Industrial Robot (Unimate)
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Industrial Robot (Unimate)
3 Early Word Processor
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Early Word Processor
4 Integrated Circuit Computer
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Integrated Circuit Computer
5 Commercial Satellite Communications
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Commercial Satellite Communications
6 Space Food Systems
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Space Food Systems
7 Disposable Medical Gloves
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Disposable Medical Gloves
8 Electronic Fuel Injection
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Electronic Fuel Injection
9 Programmable Logic Controller Concept
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Programmable Logic Controller Concept
10 Ultrasound Fetal Monitoring
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Ultrasound Fetal Monitoring

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From January 20, 1961

Full News Archive

  • Headline: End of Tariff Concessions for Honduras. Impact: The end of tariff aid sent ripples through the economy, leading to a sudden influx of cheap knock-off products from Honduras, which in turn inspired a wave of DIY home improvement shows. Now, everyone thinks they can build a deck like Chip and Joanna Gaines. Fact: Did you know that without this tariff aid, Hondurans became the unexpected champions of homemade soap-making? Who knew economics could lead to such fragrant outcomes?.
  • Headline: Tragic B-52 Crash in Utah. Impact: This tragic incident led to increased scrutiny of military aviation safety, ultimately resulting in more rigorous training protocols. It also inspired a series of action movies about heroic pilots, because what says 'honor the fallen' like a blockbuster explosion?. Fact: In a bizarre twist of fate, the B-52 would later become a beloved character in a popular animated series about talking planesβ€”because nothing says respect for the fallen like anthropomorphizing military aircraft.
  • Headline: ROCKEFELLER FAILS IN BID TO SETTLE HARBOR WALKOUT; Gains Nullified After Hopes for Accord Had Risen -- New Talks Due Today 2 ROADS STILL RUNNING L.I.R.R. Gets Court Writ on Picketing -- But Pennsy May Be Affected PEACE HOPES RISE IN HARBOR STRIKE. Impact: This labor dispute led to a legendary stand-off that inspired future generations of workers to stage their own theatrical protests, complete with costumes and dramatic speeches. Who knew labor rights could be so... entertaining?. Fact: Fun fact: 'Harbor walkout' was almost the name of a trendy dance move in the 70s. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
  • Headline: WEEK'S GOLD LOSS WAS 105 MILLION; But Latest Decline Is Not Believed to Reflect Ban on Deals by Americans BUSINESS LOANS SLIDE 71 Million Drop Compares With One of 40 Million for the 1960 Period. Impact: The dramatic gold loss led to a sudden increase in backyard gold panning, which somehow turned into a national craze where everyone believed they were the next gold rush millionaire. Spoiler alert: they weren't. Fact: Fun fact: If you had invested that 105 million in Beanie Babies in the 90s, you might have at least had a collection to show for it. But hey, who needs financial literacy when you can have plush toys?.
  • Headline: Kennedy Will Get Title To a Cemetery in Ohio. Impact: This quirky event led to a surge in cemetery tourism, where people suddenly started visiting famous gravesites, hoping to catch a glimpse of historyβ€”or perhaps a ghost. Spoiler: no ghosts have been confirmed. Fact: Fun fact: This cemetery plot was originally intended for a very different type of celebrityβ€”a raccoon named Mr. Whiskers who was known for his impressive acorn collection. Politics clearly took precedence.
  • Headline: FOUR AWARDS GIVEN FOR CONSERVATION. Impact: The awards sparked a series of eco-friendly competitions that led to people growing their own vegetables in their backyards, starting a trend that would eventually lead to the hipster farmer's market movement. Who knew awards could be so fertile?. Fact: Did you know that one of the award winners later tried to start a conservation-themed reality show, but it was canceled when viewers realized watching grass grow isn't actually that exciting?.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1961
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1961, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
MO
Philip Morris
Price in 1961
$0.00
Stored value
$23,651,354

Philip Morris - If you invested $1,000 in 1961, it would be worth $23,651,354 today (23651.4x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Fantastic Four #1
Fantastic Four #1
$65,000
Journey into Mystery #69
Journey into Mystery #69
$3,000
Strange Adventures #124
Strange Adventures #124
$300
Action Comics #283
Action Comics #283
$250
Showcase #30
Showcase #30
$42,000
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Ken (Barbie's Boyfriend)
Ken (Barbie's Boyfriend)
$200.00
Chatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy
$425.00
Matchbox Cars
Matchbox Cars
$100.00
Nutty Mads
Nutty Mads
$200.00
Etch A Sketch
Etch A Sketch
$250.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1961 Topps Mickey Mantle #300
1961 Topps Mickey Mantle #300
$12,000
1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain #8
1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain #8
$1,220,000
1961 Topps Roger Maris #2
1961 Topps Roger Maris #2
$250,000
1961 Nu-Cards Scoops Bobby Thompson #10
1961 Nu-Cards Scoops Bobby Thompson #10
$1,500
1961 Parkhurst Jean Beliveau #34
1961 Parkhurst Jean Beliveau #34
$1,500