MAY 8, 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 8, 1961 Trivia

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Television On May 8, 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

May 8, 1961

On May 8, 1961, significant global labor shortages became apparent, particularly in industrial countries outside the U.S., where nations actively sought workers to fill jobs. While the U.S. was grappling with economic stability, c...

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 8, 1961

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Global Labor Demand and Employment Trends. Impact: The scramble for workers back then prompted nations to develop a strange obsession with job fairs. Today, job seekers still feel the need to dress up and awkwardly shuffle around booths, wondering if they should have just stayed in bed. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing worse than a job fair is being the person at a job fair trying to convince people that being a 'Professional Waiter' is a viable career path.
  • Headline: Howard Russell Moody: The Singing Pastor. Impact: Moody's rise led to a surge in pastor-themed folk music, which ultimately resulted in the birth of the β€˜Christian Rock’ genre. Who knew Jesus had such a flair for rock and roll?. Fact: Did you know that Howard Russell Moody was one of the first to mix faith and folk? If only he had known what that would evolve intoβ€”he might have stuck to hymns.
  • Headline: TALKS AT 2 SITES IN LAOS PROPOSED; Vientiane Will Send Mission Behind Rebel Line if Reds Accept 2d-Parley Plan TALKS AT 2 SITES IN LAOS PROPOSED. Impact: These talks were like the first awkward attempts at diplomacy, leading to the β€˜we can’t even’ era of international relations where everyone just pretended to like each other for the cameras. Fact: It's ironic that many peace talks are held in places far from the actual conflict. Maybe they thought a change of scenery would help everyone forget the whole 'war' thing.
  • Headline: NATO TO CONSIDER KEY WORLD ISSUES AT PARLEY TODAY; Stikker Says Oslo Agenda Include Talks on Congo, Cuba and Angola U.S. WILL PROD ALLIES Wants Better Conventional Forces So Atom Arms Will Be Only a 'Last Resort' NATO TO CONSIDER KEY WORLD ISSUES. Impact: This meeting sparked a series of global discussions that made everyone realize that discussing issues was way more fun than actually solving them. Hence, the birth of committee meetings. Fact: Did you know NATO meetings often included snacks? Because what better way to discuss global issues than with a side of pretzels and political posturing?.
  • Headline: KENNEDY PLANS VISIT; Trip to Tunisia Reported by Bourguiba's Son. Impact: Kennedy’s visit to Tunisia was a pivotal moment in U.S.-North African relations, leading to a series of diplomatic exchanges that would be discussed in history classes for decadesβ€”if only for the awkward photo ops. Fact: Did you know that Kennedy's charisma was so powerful that it could probably have single-handedly solved several international conflicts? Well, at least for a lunch hour.
  • Headline: President Speeding Curb on Tariff Bloc; PRESIDENT SPEEDS TARIFF BLOC CURB. Impact: Kennedy's tariff decisions sent shockwaves through the economy, resulting in a never-ending cycle of tariffs and trade wars that we still see today. Thanks, Kennedy!. Fact: Did you know that tariffs are basically just taxes on stuff you want to buy? So, if you’re wondering why your imported cheese costs more, just blame it on people in suits arguing about it.
  • Headline: Editor Is Engineer of Year. Impact: Bowman's recognition as Engineer of the Year highlighted the important intersection of journalism and engineering, leading to countless articles that make engineering sound way cooler than it actually is. Fact: You know you’ve made it as an engineer when someone writes about you in the newspaper. Too bad the headline doesn’t say β€˜Engineering Wizard’—that would have been a serious upgrade!.

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