Life & Times 1961
Indicators
| Average annual income | $5,315 |
| New House | $30,000 |
| New Car | $2,275 |
| Minimum Wage | $1.15 |
| Gallon of Gas | $.25 |
| Gallon of Milk | $1.05 |
| Dozen Eggs | $.91 |
| Loaf of Bread | $.21 |
| Postage Stamp (ground) | $.04 |
Events
US-aided Cuban exiles attempted invasion at the Bay of Pigs is repelled by Castro
First Russian space flight (orbital, by Yuri Gargarin)
First US space flight (sub-orbital, by Alan Shepard)
The drug thalidomide is found to cause malformations in new born babies
Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defects to the West
Latest dance craze is The Twist
Trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem
President of the United States John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps
Robert Noyce is granted the first patent for an integrated circuit
Construction of the Berlin Wall begins
Fidel Castro declares that Cuba is going to adopt Communism
Ernest Hemingway commits suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho
IBM introduces the Selectric typewriter
Books
The Carpetbaggers - Harold Robbins
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Movies
West Side Story (Best picture)
Judgement At Nuremberg (Best actor, Maximilian Schell)
Two Women (Best actress, Sophia Loren)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
La Dolce Vita
One-Eyed Jacks
Flower Drum Song
El Cid
Summer and Smoke
Splendor in the Grass
The Hustler
101 Dalmations
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Parent Trap
Blue Hawaii
The Guns of Navarone
Music
1 Tossin' and Turnin' - Bobby Lewis
2 I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline
3 Michael - Highwaymen
4 Crying - Roy Orbison
5 Runaway - Del Shannon
6 My True Story - Jive Five
7 Pony Time - Chubby Checker
8 Wheels - String-A-Longs
9 Raindrops - Dee Clark
10 Wooden Heart - Joe Dowell
11 Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
12 Take Good Care of My Baby - Bobby Vee
13 Running Scared - Roy Orbison
14 Dedicated to the One I Love - Shirelles
15 Last Night - Bar Kays
16 Will You Love Me Tomorrow - Shirelles
17 Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
18 Where the Boys Are - Connie Francis
19 Hit the Road Jack - Ray Charles
20 Sad Movies - Sue Thompson
21 Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Do
22 Bristol Stomp - Dovells
23 Travelin' Man - Ricky Nelson
24 Shop Around - Miracles
25 The Boll Weevil Song - Brook Benton
26 A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels
27 The Mountain's High - Dick & Deedee
28 Don't Worry - Marty Robbins
29 On the Rebound - Floyd Cramer
30 Portrait of My Love - Steve Lawrence
31 Quarter to Three - Gary U.S. Bonds
32 Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp, De Bomp - Barry Mann
33 Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka
34 I Like It Like That - Chris Kenner
35 Apache - Jorgen Ingeman
36 Don't Bet Money, Honey - Linda Scott
37 Without You - Johnny Tillotson
38 Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
39 Little Sister - Elvis Presley
40 Blue Moon - Marcels