MAY 1, 1961

MONDAY
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
The Misfits
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The Misfits
Underworld U.S.A.
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Underworld U.S.A.
The Secret Ways
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The Secret Ways
Master of the World
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Master of the World
Gorgo
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Gorgo
One-Eyed Jacks
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One-Eyed Jacks
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

May 1, 1961 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· May 1, 1961
Perry Mason
Bonanza
The Twilight Zone
The Flintstones
The Rifleman
Lassie
Tony Awards
Wagon Train
'Way Out

Exact-date daily brief

May 1, 1961

On May 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy engaged in urgent discussions with Secretary of State Dean Rusk, cutting his weekend short as they addressed escalating geopolitical tensions during the Cold War. The Soviet Union's influe...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 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 May 1, 1961

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Kennedy's Urgent Talks with Rusk. Impact: In a shocking twist, Kennedy's decision to meet Rusk led to the creation of a secret society of politicians who believed weekends should be strictly for crisis management. This society eventually morphed into a group of overly caffeinated advisors who now refuse to let anyone relax. Fact: Did you know that cutting vacation time for crisis talks is basically the political version of saying 'I’ll take my work home with me'? Who needs a break anyway?.
  • Headline: Wagner Pressed for Liberal Support Bargain. Impact: Wagner’s bargaining led to future politicians realizing that the only thing more important than getting votes is ensuring everyone else is equally miserable. This set the stage for decades of backroom deals and shady alliances. Fact: Fun fact: Pressing party leaders is a lot like pressing your luck at a casino. Spoiler alert: neither tends to end well.
  • Headline: Hospitals Struggle with Indigent Care Funding. Impact: The outcry over low payments sparked a nationwide movement where hospitals began to form secret alliances to lobby for better funding, in an attempt to avoid becoming the 'poorhouse' of healthcare. Fact: Hospitals complaining about payments isn’t new; it’s basically the adult version of whining about your allowance. Just wait until you hear the one about how much they spend on coffee!.
  • Headline: New Housing and Industry Suggested on 18 City Sites; Felt Asks Study as Part of Wide Plan of Renewal and Rehabilitation RENEWAL STUDIES ASKED IN 18 AREAS. Impact: This plan for renewal triggered a butterfly effect where urban planners became the new rock stars, leading to a boom in hipster neighborhoods where artisanal coffee shops now flourish in once-abandoned warehouses. Fact: Did you know that urban renewal often means 'let’s gentrify this area and hope nobody notices'? It’s like a makeover show, but for neighborhoods!.
  • Headline: ARTHUR DEAN ELECTED; Heads the American Society of International Law. Impact: Arthur Dean's election led to a surge in international law interest, ultimately resulting in a global trend of people arguing about the legality of everything from pizza toppings to intergalactic treaties. Fact: Being elected to head a society of international law sounds fancy, but really it’s just a bunch of lawyers trying to outsmart each other while sipping overpriced lattes.
  • Headline: LEVITT CRITICIZES STATE TAX CHANGE; Cost of Using U.S. Data Put at $40,000,000, or 4 Times the Governor's Estimate LEVITT CRITICIZES STATE TAX CHANGE. Impact: Levitt's criticism sparked a revolution in tax policy debates, leading to a future where politicians are required to take math classes before making budget proposals. Spoiler alert: they still fail. Fact: Criticizing tax changes is a time-honored tradition among politicians. It’s like a sport; the more you complain, the more points you earn for your next campaign!.
  • Headline: LAOS REBELS ASK TRUCE TALK SOON; PROPOSE NEW SITE; Pro-Reds Suggest a Parley Within 3 Days at Village Between Front Lines HOPES RISE IN VIENTIANE But Suspicions of Stalling by Foe Persist -- Harriman Flies to See Premier LAOS REBELS NAME A TRUCE TALK SITE. Impact: The rebels’ attempt at peace negotiations inadvertently led to a series of failed truces that inspired future negotiators to take up meditation and yoga to cope with their frustrations. Fact: Did you know that peace talks often involve more drama than a soap opera? Everyone’s hoping for a happy ending, but it usually just leads to more cliffhangers.
  • Headline: Advertising: Everyone Is Mum on Partings. Impact: The silence surrounding advertising partings triggered a trend where brands began to hire 'mystery influencers' to create buzz from the shadows, resulting in a new era of marketing where no one knows who to trust. Fact: In advertising, keeping quiet about partings is just another way of saying, 'We’ll pretend this never happened and hope no one notices!'.
  • Headline: Folk-Singing Arrest Stirs 2,000; Crowd Nearly Riots in Washington Sq. Demonstration STUDENT IS SEIZED IN SONG PROTEST. Impact: The arrest of the folk singer ignited a cultural revolution where music became synonymous with protest, leading to the rise of countless musicians who thought they could change the world with just a guitar and a dream. Fact: A crowd of 2,000 nearly rioting over a folk singer is proof that sometimes, all it takes is one ballad to get people really fired up. Who knew protest songs could be so potent?.

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