OCTOBER 21, 1961

SATURDAY
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 Hustler
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The Hustler
Splendor in the Grass
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Splendor in the Grass
Breakfast at Tiffany's
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Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Misfits
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The Misfits
A Raisin in the Sun
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A Raisin in the Sun
Underworld U.S.A.
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Underworld U.S.A.
The Exiles
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The Exiles
Two Rode Together
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Two Rode Together
Fanny
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Fanny
The Ladies Man
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The Ladies Man
The Secret Ways
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The Secret Ways
Pit and the Pendulum
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Pit and the Pendulum
The Young Savages
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The Young Savages
Master of the World
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Master of the World
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Gorgo
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Gorgo
One-Eyed Jacks
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One-Eyed Jacks
The Pleasure of His Company
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The Pleasure of His Company
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

October 21, 1961 Trivia

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Television On October 21, 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

October 21, 1961

On October 21, 1961, notable events unfolded in the United States reflecting both agricultural advancements and political maneuvers. A calf, named MARIS-61, was shipped to the Governor of Michigan, a gesture facilitated by the phi...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of October 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 October 21, 1961

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Rockefeller's Gift: MARIS-61 Calf Shipped. Impact: If only that calf had known its destiny would inspire a series of misguided agricultural policies across the Midwest, it might have opted for a more leisurely life in a pasture. But alas, the butterfly flapped its wings, and now we have kale smoothies. Fact: Did you know that sending a calf to a governor is just the 19th-century equivalent of a meme? 'Look, I sent you a cow, now we’re best friends!'.
  • Headline: Hughes Advocates for More College Aid. Impact: Hughes' push for college aid may have led to an explosion of student debt down the line. Who knew that making education more accessible could also mean creating a nationwide game of 'Who Can Dodge Their Student Loans the Longest?'. Fact: Fun fact: ‘Increased support’ really just means ‘We’re going to keep raising tuition, so good luck!’.
  • Headline: City Theatre Tax Abolished by Mayor. Impact: The death of the city theatre tax must have sent shockwaves through the arts community, leading to a decline in theatrical productions and an increase in people asking, 'What’s that one thing we can binge-watch tonight?'. Fact: Wow, no more tax on tickets! So now, instead of paying taxes, we can just pay exorbitant prices for popcorn and overpriced drinks. Hooray for progress!.
  • Headline: MRS. STEPHEN J. NEGREY. Impact: Mrs. Stephen J. Negrey’s brief mention may have sparked a revolution of women reclaiming their identities, though we’re still waiting for that to fully kick in. Step aside, Mrs. Negrey, the future is about to get a lot louder. Fact: Spoiler alert: 'MRS.' is just the first clue that history tends to overlook the women behind the men.
  • Headline: Cerebral Palsy Unit Organizes An Eisenhower Research Fund. Impact: The establishment of the Eisenhower Research Fund likely catalyzed an avalanche of research funding that eventually contributed to breakthroughs in cerebral palsy treatments. Who knew a dinner could change lives?. Fact: Fun fact: The Eisenhowers were basically the celebrity couple of the 1950s, so naturally, they were awarded for being humanitarians. You know, like those influencers today who promote veganism after eating a burger.
  • Headline: Roseland Dance City Rules Out the Twist. Impact: Banning the Twist at Roseland Dance City may have inadvertently led to a worldwide dance revolution. Thank you, Roseland, for making everyone suddenly want to do the Macarena instead. Fact: The Twist was so popular that banning it was like telling everyone they couldn’t have cake at a birthday party. Good luck with that!.
  • Headline: HORACE C. STAHLER. Impact: Horace C. Stahler’s legacy might have been lost to time, but every time someone forgets to mention their middle initial during a historical debate, we silently nod to his influence. To all the middle initials out there, we see you. Fact: Middle initials are just fancy ways to make sure no one confuses you with your less successful cousins. Thanks, Horace!.
  • Headline: Roland ButleR, Colorful Herald Of Ringling Bros., Is Dead at 74; Master of Exaggeron Gave Spring Message, 'the Circus Is Coming,' for 25 Years.. Impact: Roland Butler's colorful personality and his circus proclamations likely inspired generations of entertainers. Without him, we may have never known the joy of circus-themed birthday parties or clowns in therapy. Fact: Butler was the original hype man before it was cool. He made people excited about tigers and tightropes—take that, modern marketing!.
  • Headline: GENERAL HICKEY, ARMY COMMANDER; Aide to MacArthur Dies--Led 3d Armored Division. Impact: General Hickey's leadership in the 3rd Armored Division might have shaped military strategies for decades. You could say he paved the way for countless war movies, which, let’s be honest, we still can’t get enough of. Fact: The phrase ‘Hickey’s got your back’ was never a thing, but it should’ve been. History missed an opportunity for some real catchphrases.
  • Headline: REV. HENRY PFLUG. Impact: Rev. Henry Pflug's contributions likely helped shape community values, but his lack of a Twitter account meant he missed out on the chance to trend for all the right reasons. Just imagine those hashtags!. Fact: The Reverend was probably the only person who could make ‘soul-saving’ sound like a fun Saturday activity—unlike our current weekend plans of binge-watching and takeout.

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