Featured moment
Yuri Gagarin Becomes First Human in Space
The Soviet cosmonaut completed one orbit of Earth, a massive propaganda victory in the Cold War.
Man in space and a wall in Berlin.
Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, the Berlin Wall went up, and JFK took office.
The Cost of Living in 1961
Gallon of Gas
$0.31
Loaf of Bread
$0.20
Gallon of Milk
$1.04
World Population
3.09 billion
Featured moment
Construction of the Berlin Wall Begins
East Germany began building a barrier to stop defections to the West, creating the physical symbol of the Iron Curtain.
Featured moment
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by exiles failed disastrously, severely damaging US prestige and pushing Cuba closer to the USSR.
The wider picture
More from 1961
A few more things worth remembering.
Science & Space
JFK Promises to Put a Man on the Moon
President Kennedy committed the US to landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
Science & Space
Alan Shepard Becomes First American in Space
A month after Gagarin, Shepard made a 15-minute suborbital flight, keeping the US in the Space Race.
World Events
Freedom Riders
Civil rights activists rode interstate buses into the segregated South to challenge the non-enforcement of integration laws.
Cinema & TV
Breakfast at Tiffany's Released
Audrey Hepburn's iconic portrayal of Holly Golightly cemented her as a fashion and cultural icon.
You arrivedin 1961.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1961 to today.