1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
Despite the multiple official inquiries that failed to find evidence of assassination or other forms of foul play, several individuals have continued to advance a theory of the crash being deliberately caused by hostile interests. At the time of Hammarskjöld's death, the Central Intelligence Agency and other Western agencies were actively involved in the political situation in the Congo, which culminated in Belgian and U.S. support for the secession of Katanga and the assassination of former prime minister Patrice Lumumba. The Belgian government had a vested interest in maintaining their control over much of the country's copper industry during the Congolese transition from colonial rule to independence. Concerns about the nationalisation of the copper industry could have provided a financial incentive to remove either Lumumba or Hammarskjöld.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
The official inquiry has come under scrutiny and criticism from historians, who point to a number of conclusions made which they claim were done to steer focus away from the assassination angle. The official report dismissed a number of pieces of evidence that would have supported the view that Hammarskjöld was assassinated. Some of these dismissals have been criticized, such as the conclusion that bullet wounds could have been caused by bullets exploding in a fire. Expert tests have questioned this conclusion, arguing that exploding bullets could not break the surface of the skin.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
Major C. F. Westell, a ballistics authority, said, "I can certainly describe as sheer nonsense the statement that cartridges of machine guns or pistols detonated in a fire can penetrate a human body." He based his statement on a large scale experiment that had been done to determine if military fire brigades would be in danger working near munitions depots. Other experts conducted and filmed tests showing that bullets heated to the point of explosion did not achieve sufficient velocity to penetrate their box container.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
On 19 August 1998, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), stated that recently uncovered letters had implicated MI5, the CIA, and then South African intelligence services in the crash. One TRC letter said that a bomb in the aircraft's wheel bay was set to detonate when the wheels came down for a landing. Tutu said that they were unable to investigate the truth of the letters or the allegations that South African or Western intelligence agencies played a role in the crash. The British Foreign Office suggested that they may have been created as Soviet misinformation or disinformation.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
On 29 July 2005, Norwegian Army Major General Bjørn Egge gave an interview to the newspaper Aftenposten on the events surrounding Hammarskjöld's death. According to Egge, who had been the first UN officer to see the body, Hammarskjöld had a hole in his forehead, and this hole was subsequently airbrushed from photos taken of the body. It appeared to Egge that Hammarskjöld had been thrown from the plane, and grass and leaves in his hands might indicate that he survived the crash – and that he had tried to scramble away from the wreckage. Egge did not officially claim that the wound was a gunshot wound.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
In his speech to the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2009, Colonel Gaddafi called upon the Libyan president of UNGA, Ali Treki, to institute a UN investigation into the deaths of Congolese prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was overthrown in 1960 and murdered the following year, and of Hammarskjöld in 1961.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
According to a dozen witnesses interviewed by Swedish aid worker Göran Björkdahl in the 2000s, Hammarskjöld's plane was shot down by another aircraft. Björkdahl also reviewed previously unavailable archive documents and internal UN communications. He believes that there was an intentional shoot down for the benefit of mining companies like Union Minière. A US intelligence officer who was stationed at an electronic surveillance station in Cyprus stated that he heard a cockpit recording from Ndola. In the cockpit recording a pilot talks of closing in on the DC-6 in which Hammarskjöld was traveling, guns are heard firing, and then the words "I've hit it".


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
In 2011, the study by Susan Williams Who Killed Hammarskjold?, a University of London scholar of decolonisation in Africa outlined several serious doubts about the accidental character of the plane crash in 1961. It led to the formation of independent, unofficial commission of inquiry in 2012 to provide an opinion on whether there was new evidence that would justify the UN re-opening its 1962 inquiry - the commission was headed by the British jurist Stephen Sedley. The Sedley commission's report was presented on 9 September 2013, at the Peace Palace in The Hague.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
It recommended that the UN re-open its inquiry "pursuant to General Assembly resolution 1759 (XVII) of 26 October 1962". Its findings formed the basis of the constitution of a panel of experts, and in March 2015 the appointment of Eminent Person Mohamed Chande Othman at the UN to support the ongoing Hammarskjöld Commission.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
In April 2014, the Guardian published evidence implicating Jan van Risseghem, a military pilot who served with the RAF during World War II, later with the Belgian Air Force, and who became known as the pilot of Moise Tshombe in Katanga. The article claims that an American NSA employee, former naval pilot Commander Charles Southall, working at the NSA listening station in Cyprus in 1961 shortly after midnight on the night of the crash, heard an intercept of a pilot's commentary in the air over Ndola, 5,300 km (3,300 mi) away.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
Southall recalled the pilot saying: "I see a transport plane coming low. All the lights are on. I'm going down to make a run on it. Yes, it is the Transair DC-6. It's the plane," adding that his voice was "cool and professional". Then he heard the sound of gunfire and the pilot exclaiming: "I've hit it. There are flames! It's going down. It's crashing!"


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
Based on aircraft registration and availability with the Katangese Air Force, registration KAT-93, a Fouga CM.170 Magister would be the most likely aircraft used and the website Belgian Wings claims that van Risseghem piloted the Magisters for the KAF in 1961. A further article was published by The Guardian in January 2019, repeating the allegations against van Risseghem and citing further evidence uncovered by the makers of the documentary Cold Case Hammarskjöld, including refutations of his alibi that he was not flying at the time of the crash.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Alternative theories
In December 2018, the German freelance historian Torben Gülstorff published an article in the Lobster magazine, arguing that a German Dornier DO-28A may have been used for the attack on Hammarskjöld's DC-6. The plane was delivered to Katanga by end of August 1961 and would have been technically capable of accomplishing such an assault.


1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash, Memorial
The Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site Memorial is under consideration for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A press release issued by the Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo stated that, "... in order to pay a tribute to this great man, now vanished from the scene, and to his colleagues, all of whom have fallen victim to the shameless intrigues of the great financial Powers of the West... the Government has decided to proclaim Tuesday, 19 September 1961, a day of national mourning."


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska and member of the Big Eight Conference in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The team was coached by Bill Jennings and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
Coach Jennings returned for a fifth year, with pressure mounting to put an end to the string of losing seasons that preceded his arrival. There were no changes to his assistant coaching staff for the first time in his tenure, providing a small amount of hope for enough consistency in coaching that might translate to success on the field. The schedule was favorable, with a home field Syracuse match as the only powerhouse nonconference foe on the slate, though it was those games that Jennings tended to win with an upset.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, North Dakota
The Cornhuskers came out with a roar to open 1961, racking up 33 unanswered points without a serious challenge from the visiting Fighting Sioux. The overmatched North Dakota squad managed only five first downs all day, and suffered the first shutout dealt by Nebraska since a 16–0 blanking given to Kansas State in 1955. This was the only time these teams met on the field.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Arizona
Nebraska and Arizona met for the first time in a closely fought battle. For every Cornhusker score, the Wildcats answered. No spectacular plays stood out on the day, just consistent production which was enough to hold on through most of the game. As the final seconds ticked away, Arizona landed on the Nebraska 27 yard line and scrambled to set up for a field goal, but time expired before they could run the play. The 14–14 final was Nebraska's first tie since a 21–21 split decision to Illinois in 1953.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
The Cornhuskers rolled unchallenged over the Wildcats with a punishing ground attack. Newcomer HB Willie Ross scored the first touchdown of his career on a one-yard push, and then put in two more before the time expired. It was the first loss handed to Kansas State on the year. The shutout victory was Nebraska's third unbeaten game in a row, which had not happened since 1955, and was the first time the Cornhuskers had opened a season with three unbeaten games since 1952. Nebraska's historic domination of Kansas State now stood at 34–9–2.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Syracuse
Riding an early wave of success, and mindful of their pattern of good fortune when going into a game as a serious underdog, Nebraska welcomed Syracuse into Lincoln in a bid to upset one of the highest-ranked teams of the east. The Orangemen proved to be a formidable opponent, playing relatively error-free football so as to not hand the game over to the Cornhuskers. Two costly interceptions that were converted into touchdowns also hurt Nebraska, and Syracuse dealt the first defeat of the Cornhuskers season. It was the third win in a row for the Orangemen over Nebraska, as they improved to 6–4–0 in the series. Syracuse finished the season at #14 in the AP Poll.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
The Cornhuskers made their first ever appearance in Stillwater against second-year Big 8 newcomer Oklahoma State. The Cornhuskers scored first, but further efforts were soon enough halted by a stiff Cowboy defensive effort. In the third quarter, Nebraska turned over a demoralizing fumble on their own 1-yard line to help Oklahoma State go ahead 7–0. The Cowboys then ground out a long, sustained drive over most of the final period to put in one more score to seal the game. The Cowboys remained perfect over the Cornhuskers in both attempts.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Top notch defensive stands defined the first half of the game as both teams fought to a scoreless draw at the half. The Tigers managed to finally get a field goal in to open the scoreboard in the third quarter, and the Cornhuskers were unable to answer. A fourth-quarter touchdown put the game away as Nebraska suffered the season's second loss. It was Missouri's fifth straight decision in the series as they improved to 23–28–3 and kept the Missouri-Nebraska Bell another year. The Tigers finished the season ranked number 11 in the AP Poll at 7–2–1, and placed 2nd in the Big 8.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska's early success out of the gate turned into another spiral into oblivion when Kansas brought an efficient and productive offense to town. The Cornhuskers were unable to answer as the Jawhawks ran out to a two-touchdown lead by the half. A single touchdown in the second half, followed by a failed two-point conversion, was the only feeble response that Nebraska could muster. Kansas was still only 18–43–3 in the series, but Nebraska's 3–0 start was now 3–4 and headed the wrong way.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
The score was closer than the game seemed to be played, as Nebraska rolled up yards with relative ease. HB Bill Thornton accumulated more rushing yards than the entire Cyclone team. Iowa State didn't just give the game away, however, battling the Cornhuskers to a hard-earned 13–13 tie as time was running out. Finally, with just eight seconds remaining, PK Ron Meade put the ball through the uprights for 3 and a Nebraska win. The Cornhuskers continued to own the series, 43–11–1.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
A cold and wet day with melting snow on the ground saw the #8 Buffaloes out to prove their ranking and avoid the typical Nebraska upset of highly ranked teams. True to their ranking, Colorado completely stifled every offensive effort attempted by the Cornhuskers. It was only due to the poor on-field conditions that sustained Buffalo drives repeatedly failed to produce points. Though the win was decided by a single touchdown, the visiting team from Boulder completely outplayed Nebraska.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Colorado's defense denied the Cornhuskers any first downs or completed passes through the entire game, for only the second time in the history of the program back to 1890. The triumphant Buffaloes took a 10–9–1 series lead. Colorado went on to finish the season ranked #7 by the AP Poll at 9–2 and claiming the Big 8 title before losing 7–25 to the #4 LSU Tigers in the Orange Bowl.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
The final game of the season was a tale of two different games. The first half was a 14–0 Nebraska domination as the struggling Sooners looked like they would fall to the Cornhuskers for the third straight game in the series. Oklahoma Head Coach Bud Wilkinson apparently made an effective plea during the halftime break, as the Sooners emerged a changed team for the second half. All Nebraska offense was stymied from that point on, as Oklahoma tallied 21 straight to come back and salvage their season at 5–5. The Oklahoma comeback helped them recover the lead in the series at 19–18–3, a lead that they would never relinquish.


1961 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
In five seasons as the head coach of the Nebraska football program, Bill Jennings compiled a 15–34–1 record, including an 8–24 record in the conference (4–14 as the Big Seven, 4–10 as the Big 8). After the season, the University of Nebraska replaced Jennings with Bob Devaney, who had been successful at Wyoming, going 35–10–5 in Laramie. Devaney would go on to a great career as the head coach, as he helped to transform Nebraska from a losing football program into one of the most successful programs in college football history. The 3–6–1 season of 1961 would also be the last time the Cornhuskers ended the season with a losing record during the 20th century. Nebraska would not finish below .500 until the 2004 season.


1961 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 1961 Nemzeti Bajnokság I is the 11th season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's premier Handball league.


1961 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1961 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1961 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Wolf Pack were led by third-year head coach Dick Trachok and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1961 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 1960 season 3–6 and 2–3 in FWC play to finish tied in third place.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election
The 1961 New Democratic Party founding convention was held in Ottawa from July 31 to August 4 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada. This convention formally closed down the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party, the New Party clubs, and merged them with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) to form the NDP. It is also known for the divisive leadership vote in which  Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas was elected over national CCF leader Hazen Argue. Over 2000 delegates attended the five-day convention held at the Ottawa Coliseum.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, CCF leadership succession crisis
By 1960, progress was being made in creating a new party from the old CCF, and the trade union movement as represented by the CLC. There were still leadership issues left unresolved in the CCF in the summer of 1960, and the party's president, David Lewis was forced to try to keep the federal House of Commons leader from causing an open leadership crisis.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, CCF leadership succession crisis
Since M. J. Coldwell, the CCF's national leader, lost his seat in the House of Commons, he constantly was thinking of resigning his post, but was asked by the party, many times, to stay on as national leader. With Coldwell's defeat, the CCF caucus chose Hazen Argue as the new House leader. During the lead-up to the 1960 CCF convention, Argue was pressing for Coldwell to step down. This leadership challenge would mean that plans for an orderly transition to the New Party would be in jeopardy, something that the CLC's and CCF's organizers, headed by Lewis, did not want.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, CCF leadership succession crisis
They wanted as their leader Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, the most successful social democratic leader in Canada. To prevent their plans from being derailed, Lewis had to try to find a way to persuade Argue not to force a vote on the question of the party's leadership at the convention: Lewis was unsuccessful. There was a split between the parliamentary caucus and the party's executive that made it to the convention floor. Coldwell quit and Argue became the last National Leader of the CCF.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, CCF leadership succession crisis
In the mid-1970s, David Lewis reflected on this incident and he realized that he did not handle the leadership transition well:


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, CCF leadership succession crisis
I, as president of the CCF, was very much in the wrong in trying to get a unanimous vote for Tommy. It arose out of a tradition we had had – no one opposed Woodsworth, no one had opposed Coldwell. They were chosen. I met with Hazen and tried to dissuade him from being a candidate. It was wrong. This attitude produced bitterness around the Hazen–Douglas contest.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, Naming the party
In July and August 1961, the CCF became the New Democratic Party (NDP), after a long process of deciding what to name the party. The party used a preferential ballot system to make the decision from four choices: New Party, New Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Canadian Democratic Party. In the end, the name New Democratic Party won on Thursday evening, 3 August, narrowly beating out New Party 784 to 743 votes.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership vote
There were only two candidates, Saskatchewan premier T.C. Douglas, and National CCF leader Hazen Argue. Their nomination speeches were covered live on coast-to-coast television, something that did not happen before with the CCF. On Thursday evening, 3 August, the newly named party elected Douglas as its leader by a convincing 1391 to 380 victory over Argue. Six months later, Argue quit the party and crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, Federal council elections
On the last day of the convention, Friday, 4 August, the convention voted for 15 members to serve on the 82-seat federal council, the other 67 positions were filled by provincial or affiliate sections. There was some controversy that a slate was proposed, and distributed by union members and CCF establishment types, that did not include Hazen Argue. The convention's chairman, University of Toronto professor George Grube, was the leading candidate on the slate, and he did win the most votes.


1961 New Democratic Party leadership election, Federal council elections
Twelve of the slate's 15 candidates won, but Hazen Argue was not able to break the slate and he was defeated. The delegates elected McGill University professor, and former CCF activist, Michael Oliver as the party's first president. The co-president was Montreal labour activist Gerard Picard. David Lewis, as the former president of the CCF, turned-down both positions, and accepted being a vice-president. Eamon Park, a union executive member with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), was elected as the party's first treasurer. In recognition for his years of service as the National CCF's leader, M. J. Coldwell was unanimously voted in as the NDP's honorary chairman, a ceremonial post with no real power.


1961 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1961 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its 13th year under head coach Chief Boston, the team compiled a 3–5 record (1–3 against conference opponents) and finished fourth out of six teams in the Yankee Conference.


1961 New Jersey State Senate election
The 1961 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 5.


1961 New Jersey State Senate election
The elections took place alongside the election of Governor Richard J. Hughes. Ten of New Jersey's 21 counties elected Senators; no seats changed hands.


1961 New Jersey State Senate election, Incumbents not running for re-election, Democratic
All four Democratic Senators up for re-election ran for another term.


1961 New Jersey State Senate election, Mercer
Remarkably, Senator Ridolfi received the exact same number of votes he had received in 1957.


1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1961. Democratic nominee Richard J. Hughes defeated Republican nominee James P. Mitchell with 50.37% of the vote.


1961 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1961 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the Skyline Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Bill Weeks, the Lobos compiled a 7–4 record (3–3 against Skyline opponents), finished in a tie for third place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 215 to 197. The Lobos concluded their season with a victory over Western Michigan in the inaugural Aviation Bowl, played in snow and sleet at Dayton, Ohio.


1961 New Mexico Lobos football team
The team's statistical leaders included Jim Cromartie with 533 passing yards, Bobby Santiago with 535 rushing yards, and Larry Jasper with 161 receiving yards.


1961 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1961 New Mexico State Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their fourth year under head coach Warren B. Woodson, the Aggies compiled a 5–4–1 record (2–1 against conference opponents) and finished in third place in the Border Conference.


1961 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The team's statistical leaders included Ron Logback with 796 passing yards, Preacher Pilot with 1,278 rushing yards, and R. Cassell with 519 receiving yards. For the third consecutive year, a New Mexico State back won the NCAA rushing title, Pervis Atkins in 1959, Bob Gaiters in 1960, and Preacher Pilot in 1961.


1961 New Mexico State Aggies football team
Head coach Warren Woodson was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.


1961 New South Wales Road Racing Championship
The 1961 New South Wales Road Racing Championship was a motor race staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 1 October 1961. The race was contested over 13 laps at a total distance of approximately 50 miles.


1961 New South Wales Road Racing Championship
The race was won by Noel Hall driving a Cooper T51 Climax.


1961 New South Wales earthquake
The 1961 New South Wales earthquake (also called the Robertson earthquake) occurred on 22 May in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). It reached a Richter magnitude of 5.5 and caused significant structural damage in a wide area.


1961 New South Wales earthquake
The earthquake was felt from the Snowy Mountains region in the southeast of the state to Newcastle on the coast about 75 miles (120 km) north of Sydney; to Dubbo in central eastern NSW about 180 miles (290 km) northwest of Sydney; and to Narrandera in the state's central south about 210 miles (340 km) southwest of Dubbo — an estimated area of 50,000 square miles (129,500 km2). In the area of Moss Vale, Robertson, and Bowral about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Sydney, the earthquake caused significant structural damage to buildings, while rockfalls blocked the nearby Macquarie Pass. Sydney suffered minimal damage from the earthquake itself, though the tremors and resulting power failures caused "considerable alarm".


1961 New South Wales earthquake
Seismograms at the Sydney suburb of Riverview were used to estimate the magnitude of the earthquake. There were only three known earthquakes of comparable magnitude prior to this one, occurring respectively in 1930, 1934 and 1938.


1961 New South Wales referendum
A referendum concerning the abolition of the New South Wales Legislative Council was put to New South Wales voters on 29 April 1961. The abolition was specifically rejected by voters. The text of the question was:


1961 New South Wales referendum
Do you approve of the Bill entitled "A Bill for an Act to Abolish the Legislative Council to provide that another Legislative Council shall not be created, constituted or established nor shall any Chamber, Assembly or House, other than the Legislative Assembly, designed to form part of the Legislative Parliament of New South Wales, be created, constituted or established until a bill for the purpose has been approved by the electors in a referendum to amend the Constitution Act, 1902 and certain other Acts; and for purposes connected therewith."


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
The abolition of the New South Wales Legislative Council had been on the Labor Party agenda since at least federation. However, attempts to abolish the Council did not occur until Labor Premier Jack Lang’s first term of office from 1925 to 1927. His inability to gain control in the Upper House obstructed Lang’s legislative programme and in November 1930, claiming a mandate to abolish the Council, Labor MLCs put forward two bills, one to repeal section 7A of the NSW Constitution (which prevented the abolition of the Council without a referendum), the other to abolish the Council. Lang requested the necessary additional appointments to pass the legislation from the Governor. However, these requests were refused by De Chair's successor, Sir Philip Game.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
Believing that a referendum was necessary before the bills could become law, the Legislative Council permitted the bills to pass without a division on 10 December. Lang then announced his intention of presenting the bills for Game's Royal assent without a referendum. The following day, two members of the Legislative Council, Thomas Playfair and Arthur Trethowan, applied for and were granted an injunction preventing the President of the Council, Sir John Peden, and the ministers from presenting the bills to the Governor without having held a referendum.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
On 23 December the Supreme Court of New South Wales in the case of Trethowan v Peden, upheld the injunction and ordered the government not to present bills to abolish the council for royal assent, unless ratified by the electors in a referendum. Lang immediately prepared an appeal to the High Court of Australia. In the case of Attorney-General (New South Wales) v Trethowan, the appeal was rejected by a majority of the court. Lang then appealed this decision to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The Privy Council then delayed the appeal until April 1932.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
The appeal was finally resolved with the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on 31 May 1932. The judgment dismissed the appeal by the Government of New South Wales. The bills repealing Section 7A and abolishing the Legislative Council could not therefore be presented to the Governor for assent until they had been passed in a referendum. Faced with other problems, Lang's plans for abolition ultimately failed. His successor as Premier, Bertram Stevens, later passed major reforms to replace the appointed Legislative Council, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms. This was passed by referendum in 1933.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
However upon Robert Heffron's elevation as premier in 1959, which followed an approved motion from the 1958 state conference, Heffron reanimated the longstanding Labor policy to abolish the Legislative Council of New South Wales by announcing a statewide referendum on this question.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
Heffron had long supported this policy from his Langite days, seeing the council as an outdated bastion of conservative privilege, a position that was echoed by trade union official and member of the Legislative Council, Tom Dougherty, who had pushed through a rule at the 1952 state conference that banned MLCs from becoming members of the state party executive. However, Heffron's efforts found themselves up against significant opposition, not only from the Liberal and Country parties but also within the Labor party itself.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
Indeed, when the 'Constitution Amendment (Legislative Council Abolition) Bill' came before the Legislative Council on 2 December 1959, the council resolved 33 votes to 25 to send it back to the Legislative Assembly on the grounds that such a bill should have originated in the council. This was passed with the support of seven Labor councillors crossing the floor (including Cyril Cahill, Anne Press and Donald Cochrane), who were all subsequently expelled from the party.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
On 6 April 1960, Heffron attempted to send the bill back to the council, which returned it to the assembly on the same grounds as before. As a result of the deadlock, Heffron requested the Governor to order a joint session of parliament on 20 April, a session which lasted two hours and was boycotted by the opposition. On 12 May the Assembly resolved that the bill be submitted for a referendum.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
However, later that day the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council, Hector Clayton, started legal action against the government on the grounds that under section 5B of the NSW Constitution, the council had neither voted nor deliberated on the bill and thus the bill could not be submitted for a referendum.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Background
In the case of Clayton v. Heffron (1960) the full bench of the Supreme Court of New South Wales found in favour of the government on the grounds that they had complied fully with the intention of section 5B, while the High Court denied the plaintiff special leave to appeal. In January 1961, Heffron announced the date of the referendum for 29 April 1961. However, despite the lack of time allocated for a campaign, the Liberal/Country opposition led by Robert Askin spearheaded a strong campaign centred on warnings of a Labor-dominated single house subject to "Communist and Trades Hall influence".


1961 New South Wales referendum, Results
The referendum was resolved in the negative, defeating the long-held Labor policy to abolish the Council.


1961 New South Wales referendum, Aftermath
This would be the last attempt to abolish the council and, as the first time the NSW Labor party had lost a state poll in many years, was widely seen as the beginning of the end for the Labor government, which had been in power since 1941. Heffron's supporter Dougherty resigned from the council a month later in protest at the result. The referendum, while defeated, sparked discussion on future reform of the then indirectly elected Council, culminating in the 1978 referendum which overwhelmingly endorsed the reforms proposed by the Neville Wran Labor Government including the direct election of members. Since these reforms removed many of the arguments against the upper house, another question on abolition is unlikely.


1961 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1961 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 31 December 1960 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Rhodesia and Nyasaland to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1961.


1961 New Year Honours
At this time honours for Australians were awarded both in the United Kingdom honours, on the advice of the premiers of Australian states, and also in a separate Australia honours list.


1961 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1961 New Year Honours, United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Royal Victorian Order, Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
At this time the two lowest classes of the Royal Victorian Order were "Member (fourth class)" and "Member (fifth class)", both with post-nominal letters MVO. "Member (fourth class)" was renamed "Lieutenant" (LVO) from the 1985 New Year Honours onwards.


1961 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 1961 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1960 and the beginning of 1961, and were announced on 31 December 1960.


1961 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1961 New York City mayoral election
The New York City mayoral election of 1961 occurred on Tuesday, November 7, 1961, with incumbent Democratic Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. going on to win a decisive re-election victory for a third term in office.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Wagner defeated the Republican nominee, state Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz, and the Citizens Party nominee, New York City Comptroller Lawrence E. Gerosa.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Wagner received 51.03% of the vote to Lefkowitz's 34.46%, a Democratic victory margin of 16.57%.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Gerosa, running with the short-lived "pro-taxpayer" Citizens Party, billed himself as the "real Democrat" in the race, and took many Democratic votes, finishing relatively strongly for a third party candidate.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Wagner won decisive majorities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and won a plurality in Queens. Lefkowitz eked out a narrow 1-point plurality win in Staten Island.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Wagner was also the nominee of the Liberal Party, and additionally ran on the Brotherhood ballot line. Lefkowitz also ran on the Nonpartisan and Civic Action ballot lines, while Gerosa also ran on the Independent ballot line.


1961 New York City mayoral election
After being supported by the Tammany Hall machine in his 1953 and 1957 elections, Wagner broke with Tammany Hall in 1961, defeating the Democratic Party power brokers' chosen candidate, Arthur Levitt, in the Democratic primary and then going on to win a third term in the general election. Wagner's victory thus ultimately signified the decline of the power of political machines in New York City.


1961 New York City mayoral election
Wagner would be sworn into his third and final term in January 1962.


1961 New York City mayoral election, Results
Other vote was: Vito Battista - United Taxpayers Party - 19,960; Richard Garza - Socialist Workers - 7,037; Eric Haas - Socialist Labor - 3,272


1961 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
The 27th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honored the best filmmaking of 1961.


1961 New York Giants season
The 1961 New York Giants season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League. After relinquishing the NFL East title the previous season, the Giants reclaimed the title with a 10–3–1 record, a half-game ahead of the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.


1961 New York Giants season
New York traveled to Wisconsin for the NFL Championship Game and were shut out 37–0 by the Vince Lombardi-coached Green Bay Packers.


1961 New York Giants season, Regular season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 New York Titans season
The 1961 New York Titans season was the second season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). The Titans finished with a record of 7–7.


1961 New York Titans season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 New York Yankees season
The 1961 New York Yankees season was the 59th season for the team in New York, and its 61st season overall. The team finished with a record of 109–53, eight games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and won their 26th American League pennant. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games. This season was best known for the home run chase between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, with the former beating Babe Ruth's single season record by hitting 61.


1961 New York Yankees season
The 1961 Yankees are often mentioned as a candidate for the unofficial title of greatest baseball team in history.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season
The 1961 season was notable for the race between center fielder Mickey Mantle and right fielder Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season (set in 1927). Maris eventually broke the record, hitting his 61st home run on October 1, the season's final day. During the season, Maris had seven multi-home run games; in a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, he hit four home runs.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season
1961 was an expansion year, with the American League increasing from eight to ten teams, the first expansion in the 61-year history of the league. The old schedule of 154 games (seven opponents multiplied by 22 games apiece) was replaced by 162 games (nine opponents multiplied by 18 games apiece) which led to some controversy due to the eight extra games that Maris had to try to hit 61.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season
Ultimately, when Maris broke Ruth’s record in game 162, baseball commissioner Ford Frick instigated "The Asterisk", which designated that Maris had only accomplished the feat in a longer season, and disallowed any reference to him as the record-holder. When commissioner Fay Vincent removed "The Asterisk" in 1991, Maris was finally given credit as the single-season home run record-holder. However, Maris had died in 1985, never knowing that the record belonged to him.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season
In addition to the individual exploits of Maris and Mantle, the '61 Yankees hit a major league record 240 home runs. The record stood until 1996 when the Baltimore Orioles, with the added benefit of the designated hitter, hit 257 home runs as a team.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Roger Maris
In 1961, the American League expanded from eight to ten teams, generally watering down the pitching, but leaving the Yankees pretty much intact. Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankee players, including Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Johnny Blanchard, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname "Murderers Row", because they hit a combined 207 home runs that year. The title "Murderers Row", originally coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the Yankees side of the late 1920s.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Roger Maris
As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Babe Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, in which the competition between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa was given extensive positive media coverage, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "M&M Boys" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, as Yogi Berra has testified in recent interviews.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Roger Maris
The 1961 home run race between Maris and Mantle was dramatized in the 2001 film 61*, filmed under the direction of Billy Crystal.


1961 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Roger Maris, Roger Maris 61 Home Runs
The Yankees played one tie game which was later made up, and hence took 163 games to achieve 162 decisions.


1961 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 New Zealand Grand Prix
The 1961 New Zealand Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Ardmore Circuit on 7 January 1961.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season
The 1961 New Zealand rugby league season was the 54th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
New Zealand drew a Test series 1-all with Australia. The New Zealand squad was coached by Des White and included; Gary Phillip, Brian Reidy, George P Turner, Tom Hadfield, Reg Cooke, George Menzies, Graeme Farrar, Jim Patterson, Jock Butterfield, Maunga Emery, Don Hammond, captain Ron Ackland, Bill Snowden, Tom Reid and Mel Cooke.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
Australia defeated New Zealand Māori 25-13, Wellington 66-3, a National youth combination 9-4, the West Coast 27-7, Taranaki 34-0 and Waikato 26-8. However, in the Kangaroos last tour game, Auckland defeated Australia 13-8 in front of 17,000 fans at Carlaw Park. It was Auckland's first victory over Australia. Auckland included; Gary Phillips, Tom Hadfield, George P Turner, Bill Sorensen, Neville Denton, Doug Ellwood, Bill Snowden, Maunga Emery, Jim Patterson, Tom Reid, Ron Ackland, Ted Johnson and Bruce Castle.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
The Kiwis then toured Great Britain and France, losing the series to Great Britain 1-2 and winning the series against France 1-0 after two drawn Tests. The team was coached by Bill Telford and included; Jack Fagan, Tom Hadfield, Reg Cooke, Brian Reidy, Roger Bailey, Bill Snowden, Jim Bond, Sam Edwards, Jock Butterfield, Maunga Emery, captain Don Hammond, Brian Lee, Graham Kennedy, Bruce Castle, Billy Harrison, Jim Patterson, Ken McCracken, Reg Hart and Mel Cooke. Original selections, Test captain Ron Ackland, Neville Denton and Gary Phillips withdrew from the tour squad due a dispute over allowances.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, International competitions
Gary Phillips won the New Zealand Rugby League's player of the year award.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Northern Union Cup
Auckland again held the Northern Union Cup at the end of the season. Auckland defeated Canterbury 38-4 and the West Coast 16-7.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, National competitions, Inter-district competition
Auckland were coached by Des White and included Gary Phillips, Neville Denton, Ron Ackland, Tom Hadfield, Rata Harrison, Laurie Olliff, Bruce Castle, Bill Sorensen, Paul Schultz, Don Hammond and Reg Cooke.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Eastern United won the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Trophy, Rukutai Shield, Roope Rooster and Stormont Shield. They defeated Glenora 24-7 in the Fox Memorial grand final.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Auckland
Ron Ackland again won the Rothville Trophy as player of the year.


1961 New Zealand rugby league season, Club competitions, Other Competitions
Jock Butterfield was the captain-coach of Brunner in the West Coast Rugby League competition. Greymouth Marist defeated Linwood 10-5 to win the Thacker Shield.


1961 Night Series Cup
The 1961 VFL Night Premiership Cup was the Victorian Football League end of season cup competition played in August and September of the 1961 VFL Premiership Season. This was the sixth season of the VFL Night Series. Run as a knock-out tournament, it was contested by the eight VFL teams that failed to make the 1961 VFL finals series. Games were played at the Lake Oval, Albert Park, then the home ground of South Melbourne, as it was the only ground equipped to host night games. Geelong won its first night series cup defeating North Melbourne in the final by 12 points.


1961 Nippon Professional Baseball season
The 1961 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the twelfth season of operation of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).


1961 Nordic Athletics Championships
The 1961 Nordic Athletics Championships was the inaugural edition of the international athletics competition between Nordic countries and was held in Oslo, Norway. It consisted of 34 individual athletics events, 22 for men and 12 for women. This covered a track and field programme plus a men's marathon race.


1961 Nordic Athletics Championships
Finland topped the men's points classification with 190.5 points, while Sweden won the first women's team title with 89 points. Iceland took part in the men's competition only and was the only nation not to have an athlete top the podium. Among the athletes in attendance were 1956 Olympic medalists Vilhjálmur Einarsson and Jorma Valkama and 1960 Olympic medalist Eeles Landström.


1961 Nordic Athletics Championships
Nina Hansen was the most successful athlete of the tournament, taking the women's titles in 80 metres hurdles, long jump and women's pentathlon for Denmark. Carl Fredrik Bunæs and Ulla-Britt Wieslander won 100 metres/200 metres sprint doubles in the men's and women's sections, respectively. Dan Waern of Sweden had a middle-distance track double and Finland's Reijo Höykinpuro similarly completed a long-distance track double.


1961 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The 1961 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Tar Heels were led by third-year head coach Jim Hickey and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The team competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in second.


1961 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team
The 1961 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team, also known as the Nodaks, was an American football team that represented the University of North Dakota in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its fifth year under head coach Marvin C. Helling, the team compiled a 6–3 record (4–2 against NCC opponents), tied for third place out of seven teams in the NCC, and outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 134. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, North Dakota.


1961 North Dakota State Bison football team
The 1961 North Dakota State Bison football team was an American football team that represented North Dakota State University during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season as a member of the North Central Conference. In their fifth year under head coach Bob Danielson, the team compiled a 3–6 record.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season had no bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Sea to the west of India.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. An average of four to six storms form in the North Indian Ocean every season with peaks in May and November. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression One
A depression developed on January 9. It cut across northern Ceylon and southern India before dissipating on January 11.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Two
A deep depression developed in the Bay of Bengal on February 18. It moved generally northward and dissipated on February 21.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm Three (Winnie)
From May 6–9, the JTWC tracked this system as Tropical Storm Winnie. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that the storm attained peak one-minute winds of 155 km/h (95 mph).


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm Three (Winnie)
There was also a C5 typhoon in 1997, also named Winnie.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm Five
Caused considerable damage in East Pakistan, where wind gusts reached 155 km/h (95 mph). A storm surge of 6.4 m (21 ft) was measured in Chittagong. Due advanced warnings, put out an unprecedented 36 hours before the storm, relatively few casualties took place.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Six
Produced torrential rain over northeastern India, with Cherrapunji recording 1,340 mm (53 in) of precipitation over a four-day span.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm Seven
A severe cyclonic storm developed in the Arabian Sea on June 21. The system struck western India before dissipating on June 26.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Eight
A depression developed in the Bay of Bengal on June 27. The system struck the state of West Bengal in India and promptly dissipated.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Nine
The ninth depression of the season existed inland over eastern India. It developed on July 1 and dissipated the following day.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Land Depression Ten
The depression remained around the Gujarat Peninsula for several days, resulting in prolonged rains that amounted to 680 mm (27 in) in Junagadh.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Land Depression Eleven
Another land depression briefly existed over western India from July 18 to July 19.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Twelve
The twelfth depression of the season existed from August 27 to August 28.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Thirteen
Deep depression produced heavy rains over a large swath of northern India, with several areas reporting daily totals in excess of 300 mm (12 in).


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm Fourteen
Heavy rains from the storm caused significant flooding in Vidarbha and Madhya Pradeshes.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Fifteen
The fifteenth depression of the season developed in the northern Bay of Bengal on September 22. It then struck West Bengal before dissipating on September 23.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression Sixteen
A deep depression developed in the Bay of Bengal on September 27. The system then moved inland over West Bengal. It meandered inland until dissipating on October 2.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Land Depression Seventeen
Significant flooding resulted from the depression's heavy rains, with 57 fatalities occurring in Uttar Pradesh.


1961 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression Eighteen
The final depression of the season developed in the Bay of Bengal on October 24. It soon struck the province of East Pakistan in Pakistan and dissipated on the following day.


1961 North Mino earthquake
The 1961 Kita Mino earthquake (Japanese: 北美濃地震) is an earthquake that occurred on August 19, 1961, near the border between Ishikawa, Fukui and Gifu Prefectures in Japan. The magnitude was 7.0. This is one of the earthquakes that the Japan Meteorological Agency named for the. The earthquake left 8 people dead and 43 people injured.


1961 Northeast Louisiana State Indians football team
The 1961 Northeast Louisiana State Indians football team was an American football team that represented Northeast Louisiana State College (now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe) in the Gulf States Conference during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jack C. Rowan, the team compiled a 3–7 record.


1961 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 1961 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. The Huskies competed in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). They were led by sixth-year head coach Howard Fletcher and played their home games at the 5,500-seat Glidden Field, located on the east end of campus.


1961 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum
A referendum on the islands' status was held in the Northern Mariana Islands  on 5 February 1961. Although 65% of voters supported integration with Guam, the United States did not integrate the islands.


1961 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum, Background
Saipan had been administratively separated from Guam since 1898, when the latter had come under American control. Saipan also came under American control in 1947. In 1957, the Popular Party had victories in Guam and Northern Marianas. In 1958, an unofficial poll in Saipan had been in favor of integration and the Guam Legislature had asked the US Congress to integrate the Northern Marianas's government into Guam's.


1961 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum, Background
The 1961 referendum was organized by the local Parliament, as members wished to integrate with Guam. It was held prior to a March visit by a United Nations commission checking on the conditions of the UN trust territories. Rota was in a different district at the time, and could not vote.


1961 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum, Aftermath
The Carolinian community held a poll opposed to integration. Both results were given to the UN mission upon its arrival, but neither affected the mission's stance that the area needed greater self-reliance. Later referendums were held in 1963 and 1969.


1961 Northern Region legislative election
Legislative elections were held in the Northern Region of Nigeria in May 1961.


1961 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 1961 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Ara Parseghian, the Wildcats compiled a 4–5 record (2–4 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten Conference.


1961 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The team's offensive leaders were Tom O'Grady with 322 passing yards, Bill Swingle with 476 rushing yards, and Willie Stinson with 158 receiving yards.


1961 Norwegian Football Cup
The 1961 Norwegian Football Cup was the 56th season of the Norwegian annual knockout football tournament. The tournament was open for all members of NFF, except those from Northern Norway. Rosenborg was the defending champions, but was eliminated by the second tier team Brann in the quarterfinal.


1961 Norwegian Football Cup
The final was played at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo on 22 October 1961, and was contested by the seven-times former winners Fredrikstad and the second-tier team Haugar who made their debut in the Norwegian Cup final. Fredrikstad won their eighth Norwegian Cup title with an impressive 7-0 win against Haugar in the final, and also secured the double for the third time.


1961 Norwegian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 11 September 1961. The result was a victory for the Labour Party, which won 74 of the 150 seats in the Storting. Although it lost the absolute majority it had held since 1945, the Labour Party was able to continue in government.


1961 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results
The joint list of the Centre Party and the Liberal Party won eight seats, three taken by the Liberal Party and five by the Centre Party.


1961 Norwegian parliamentary election, Results
The joint list of the Conservative Party and the Christian People's Party won two seats, with the parties taking one each.


1961 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1961 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season.


1961 Nyasaland general election
General elections were held for the Legislative Council in Nyasaland in August 1961. The result was a victory for the Malawi Congress Party, which won all 20 lower roll seats (in five of which they were unopposed) and two of the eight higher roll seats.


1961 Nyasaland general election, Electoral system
There were two voter rolls, a lower roll with a predominantly African electorate, which elected 20 members, and had 106,095 registered voters, and a higher roll of largely European and Asian electors, which elected eight members, with 4,337 registered voters. As five constituencies in the lower roll were uncontested, only 75,707 voters were eligible on election day. All members were elected from single-member constituencies, which largely followed the same boundaries as the country's districts.


1961 Nyasaland general election, Aftermath
Before the elections, the Colonial Office had assumed that the Malawi Congress Party would be entitled to three Executive Council seats through winning a majority of the lower roll seats. As the Lancaster House agreement provided that two Executive Council seats would go to ministers elected from the higher roll, it was thought that the mainly white United Federal Party would gain both these seats. In the event, the United Federal Party only won five seats, two going to Congress and one to a Congress-inclined independent, Colin Cameron. The Governor offered the United Federal Party a single Executive Council seat, which it refused. This left all five elected Executive Council seats available for Congress candidates.


1961 Oakland Raiders season
The 1961 Oakland Raiders season was the team's second in the American Football League.


1961 Oakland Raiders season
The Raiders tried to improve on their 6–8 record from 1960. The team failed to do so and finished last in the AFL West with a 2–12 record.


1961 Oakland Raiders season
The team was based out of Oakland, but they played their home games at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.


1961 Oakland Raiders season
The Raiders set an AFL record in 1961, posting a point differential of negative-221. The Raiders surrendered 36 rushing touchdowns, a pro football record.


1961 Oakland Raiders season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 Odisha Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Third Odisha Legislative Assembly were held 1961.


1961 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, Constituencies
The elections were held for 140 constituencies, of which 25 were reserved for Scheduled Castes, 29 for Scheduled Tribes and 86 unreserved.


1961 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, Contesting parties
There are three national parties Communist Party of India, Congress and Praja Socialist Party, one state party All India Ganatantra Parishad,one registered unrecognised party Jharkhand Party and some Independent Politiciantook part in this assembly election. Congress party emerged again as the winner by winning 58% of the seats with a vote share of 43.28%. The post of Chief Minister saw successive replacements during this period. Biju Patnaik became the  Chief Minister of Odisha and remained in power till 1963, before being replaced by Biren Mitra, and finally by Sadashiva Tripathy.


1961 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 1961 Ohio Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Ohio University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bill Hess, the Bobcats compiled a 5–3–1 record (3–2–1 against MAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the MAC, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 129 to 116.


1961 Ohio Bobcats football team
The team's statistical leaders included Otis Wagner with 441 rushing yards, Bob Babbitt with 573 passing yards, and John Trevis with 258 receiving yards.


1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the 1961 Big Ten Conference football season. The Buckeyes compiled an 8–0–1 record. They were awarded the national championship by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). This was the Buckeyes fourth national championship and the third for head coach Woody Hayes.


1961 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Days after the conclusion of the regular season, the university's faculty council voted down participation in the Rose Bowl, which then went to Minnesota.


1961 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1961 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. They were coached by head coach Bud Wilkinson.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team
The 1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team represented Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in the 1961 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Cowboys played their home games at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The team was coached by Toby Greene in his eighteenth season at Oklahoma State.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team
The Cowboys reached the College World Series, finishing as the runner up to Southern California.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in the Big Eight Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh season under head coach Cliff Speegle, the Cowboys compiled a 4–6 record (2–5 against conference opponents), tied for sixth place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 166 to 154.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
On offense, the 1961 team averaged 15.4 points scored, 191.2 rushing yards, and 64.3 passing yards per game. On defense, the team allowed an average of 16.6 points scored, 151.8 rushing yards, and 84.7 passing yards per game The team's statistical leaders included Jim Dillard with 627 rushing yards, Mike Miller with 371 passing yards, Don Brewington with 215 receiving yards, and Bill McFarland with 42 points scored.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
No Oklahoma State players were selected as first-team All-Big Eight Conference players.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The team played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.


1961 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, After the season
The 1962 NFL Draft was held on December 4, 1961. The following Cowboys were selected.


1961 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 1961 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Rebels' finished the season with a 9–2 record and received a berth in the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the Texas Longhorns, 12–7.


1961 Ole Miss Rebels football team, Schedule
Ole Miss was favored in every game throughout the 1961 season as two–time defending champions. The Rebels played against SEC opponents LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tulane and finished the season with a 9–2 record and a 5–1 record in SEC play.


1961 Omloop Het Volk
The 1961 Omloop Het Volk was the 16th edition of the Omloop Het Volk cycle race and was held on 4 March 1961. The race started and finished in Ghent. The race was won by Arthur Decabooter.


1961 Open Championship
The 1961 Open Championship was the 90th Open Championship, played 12–15 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Arnold Palmer won the first of two consecutive Open Championships, one stroke ahead of Dai Rees. It was the second Open for Palmer, the runner-up in his first in 1960, and the fourth of his seven major titles. He was the first American to win the Claret Jug since Ben Hogan in 1953. This was the second Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, which hosted in 1954.


1961 Open Championship
Qualifying took place on 10–11 July. Entries played 18 holes on the Championship course and 18 holes at Hillside Golf Club. The number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 120. Ties for 120th place would not qualify. The qualifying score was 151 and 108 players qualified. There were 22 players on 152. Bob Charles led the qualifiers on 136, two ahead of Gary Player. A maximum of 50 players could make the cut after 36 holes. Ties for 50th place did not make the cut.


1961 Open Championship
Gale-force winds caused scores to soar during the second round on Thursday,followed by heavy rains which washed out both rounds on Friday. Cancellation was a possibility, but the weather cooperated enough to play the third and fourth rounds in showers on Saturday.


1961 Open Championship
1959 Open champion and reigning Masters champion Gary Player withdrew early in the third round due to a stomach ailment.


1961 Open Championship, Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Christmas (+6), White (+6), Chapman (+11), Bonallack (+15), Carr (+17), Reece (+18), Pearson (+25)


1961 Orange Bowl
The 1961 Orange Bowl was the 27th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1960–61 bowl game season, the fifth-ranked Missouri Tigers of the Big Eight Conference defeated the #4 Navy Midshipmen, 21–14.


1961 Orange Bowl
New Year's Day was on a Sunday in 1961; the college bowl games were played the following day.


1961 Orange Bowl, Teams, Missouri
Missouri won its first nine games; they lost to visiting Kansas, but the Jayhawks used an ineligible player and later forfeited.


1961 Orange Bowl, Teams, Navy
Navy's only loss was in early November at Duke; the Blue Devils went on to win the Cotton Bowl. Senior halfback Joe Bellino won the Heisman Trophy.


1961 Orange Bowl, Game summary
Navy jumped to a 6–0 lead with a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown. But Missouri answered when Norm Beal intercepted Navy's Hal Spooner, rumbling down the sideline for a 90-yard return, giving Missouri a 7–6 advantage. They then drove 80 yards for a second touchdown, and led 14–6 at halftime.


1961 Orange Bowl, Game summary
Missouri's defense shut down the Midshipmen's running game, including Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino, forcing Navy to pass. But Missouri continued to run the ball, grinding it out for 223 rushing yards. After a scoreless third quarter, Missouri drove down 64 yards and capitalized with a 1-yard run from quarterback Ronnie Taylor. Taylor, who went 1 for 6 passing, threw for only five total yards. Down 21–6, Bellino caught a 27-yard pass from Spooner, and then made the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 21–14. Missouri held on for the win. President-elect John F. Kennedy attended the game.


1961 Orange Bowl, Aftermath
Missouri's next major bowl appearance was after the 1965 season, a win in the Sugar. Their only Orange Bowl since this one was in January 1970.


1961 Orange Bowl, Aftermath
This remains Navy's only Orange Bowl; their next major bowl appearance is their most recent, the Cotton following the 1963 season.


1961 Orange Bowl, Aftermath
This was the last telecast of the Orange Bowl by CBS for 35 years.


1961 Oregon State Beavers football team
The 1961 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Tommy Prothro, the Beavers ended their third season as an independent with five wins and five losses, and outscored their opponents 198 to 192. Four home games were played on campus at Parker Stadium in Corvallis with one at Multnomah Stadium in Portland.


1961 Oregon State Beavers football team
Prior to this season, the university's current title, Oregon State University, was adopted by a legislative act signed into law by Governor Mark Hatfield on March 6, 1961, and became effective in the summer.


1961 Oregon Webfoots football team
The 1961 Oregon Webfoots football team represented the University of Oregon during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their eleventh season under head coach Len Casanova and third as an independent, the Webfoots compiled a 4–6 record and outscored their opponents 152 to 112. Three home games were played on campus at Hayward Field in Eugene, with two at Multnomah Stadium in Portland.


1961 Oregon Webfoots football team
The team's statistical leaders included Doug Post with 662 passing yards, Mel Renfro with 335 rushing yards, and Paul Burleson with 222 receiving yards. All three were sophomores.


1961 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo)
1961 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo) was the 55th water polo championship in Hungary. There were twelve teams who played two-round match for the title.


1961 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1961 Oswestry by-election
The 1961 Oswestry by-election was held on 9 November 1961. It was held due to the incumbent Conservative MP and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, William Ormsby-Gore becoming the British Ambassador to Washington. The by-election was won by the future Conservative cabinet minister John Biffen, then aged 31.


1961 Oswestry by-election, Candidates
The local Liberals selected 36 year old John Buchanan. He was born in July 1925 and was educated at Collyer's School, Horsham. He was standing for parliament for the first time.


1961 PGA Championship
The 1961 PGA Championship was the 43rd PGA Championship, played July 27–31 at the North Course of Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. Jerry Barber, age 45, won his only major title in an 18-hole Monday playoff by one stroke over Don January, 67 to 68. It was the fourth edition as a stroke play event and the first playoff.


1961 PGA Championship
Rain washed out the second round on Friday afternoon with only about one-third of the field completing their rounds. The scores were scrapped and the second round was replayed on Saturday, with 36 holes on Sunday. Barber led at the midway point with a 136 (−4), two shots ahead of January and Doug Sanders. A top putter of the era, Barber sank 120 feet (37 m) of putts on the last three holes of the final round to erase a four-stroke deficit to January and force a Monday playoff.


1961 PGA Championship
At the 72nd hole, January had a two-stroke lead, but put his tee shot into the sand. With Barber on the green but an improbable 60 feet (18 m) away, January played conservatively for the bogey. Barber drained his third lengthy putt in as many holes (birdie-par-birdie) to even it up at the end of regulation.


1961 PGA Championship
In the playoff, the two were tied at three-under after 16 holes, following January's birdie. Both had pars at the 17th, which effectively turned the 18th hole into sudden-death. Both tee shots found fairway bunkers, and Barber hit a 3-iron onto the green, 18 feet (5.5 m) from the cup. January found another bunker short of the green and could not save par from 15 feet (4.6 m).


1961 PGA Championship
At age 45, Barber became the oldest winner of the PGA Championship, whose previous champions were all under age 40, with several at age 39. At the time, the only older major winner was Old Tom Morris at age 46 in 1867. Barber was surpassed in 1968 by Julius Boros at age 48.


1961 PGA Championship
It was the third major championship at Olympia Fields Country Club; it previously hosted the PGA Championship in 1925 (Courses 3 & 4) and the U.S. Open in 1928 (Course 4). The four 18-hole courses at Olympia Fields were reduced to two in the 1940s when the club sold half of its property. Course 4 became the North course, and the South course is a composite of holes form the other three. The North Course later hosted the U.S. Open in 2003, won by Jim Furyk.


1961 PGA Championship, Round summaries, Second round
Play in the second round on Friday was ended by heavy rain in the early afternoon, with 54 of the 166 rounds completed. All scores were scrapped and the round was replayed on Saturday.


1961 PGA Tour
The 1961 PGA Tour season was played from January 6 to December 10. The season consisted of 48 official money events. Arnold Palmer won the most tournaments, six, and there were nine first-time winners. Gary Player was the leading money winner with earnings of $64,540. Jerry Barber was voted the PGA Player of the Year and Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.


1961 PGA Tour, Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1961 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.


1961 Pacific Tigers football team
The 1961 Pacific Tigers football team represented the College of the Pacific during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season.


1961 Pacific Tigers football team
Pacific competed as an independent in 1961. They played home games in Pacific Memorial Stadium in Stockton, California. In their first season under head coach John Rohde, the Tigers finished with a record of five wins and four losses (5–4). For the season they outscored their opponents 200–187.


1961 Pacific Tigers football team, Team players in the NFL
No College of the Pacific players were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.


1961 Pacific Tigers football team, Team players in the NFL
The following finished their college career at Pacific, were not drafted, but played in the NFL starting with the 1962 season.


1961 Pacific hurricane season
The 1961 Pacific hurricane season was an event in meteorology. It officially started on May 15, 1961, in the eastern Pacific and lasted until November 30, 1961. Ten tropical cyclones, 9 named storms (Madeline and Simone were operationally considered a tropical storm) and two hurricanes formed during the 1961 season, none of the hurricanes reached beyond category 1 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.


1961 Pacific hurricane season
The 1961 Pacific hurricane season featured only one notable tropical cyclone: Hurricane Tara. Tara devastated southwest Mexico, causing 436-500 fatalities, making it the fourth deadliest tropical cyclone in the Eastern Pacific basin.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Season summary
The 1961 Pacific hurricane season was slightly more active than 1960, which had eight tropical cyclones, compare with 11 during this year. However, in 1960, there were five hurricane, but only two in 1961. Although there were an abnormally high number of tropical cyclones for its time, 1961 fell below the 1995-2008 average number of tropical cyclones, which is 15 tropical cyclones, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. In addition, there were eleven tropical cyclones, two hurricanes, but no major hurricanes. However, in post-analysis, it was noted that "Tropical Storm Madeline" was only a tropical depression, and shouldn't have been named.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Season summary
Tropical cyclone activity first began about a month after the official start of the season, with Iva developed on June 9. After Iva dissipated on June 11, there was another period of lack of tropical cyclogenesis for almost a month, ending after Tropical Storm Joanne developed on July 10. July was an active month, with four tropical cyclones developing. However, the month of August and September combined featured only two tropical cyclones. After September, there were two tropical cyclones in October, both existing only on October 3 and October 4. Two more tropical cyclones developed in November, which was the first time on record, and would not occur again until 2006.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Season summary
Operationally, the San Francisco Weather Bureau issued advisories for Tropical Storm Simone, which existed in early November south of Mexico. The system originated from the remnants of Atlantic Hurricane Hattie, crossing into the basin on November 1; on the same day, the system was named Simone. The system consisted of a broad circulation with gale force winds, which the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis committee referred as a Central American gyre; as it lacked a well-defined center, the system was removed as a tropical cyclone in 2019. The gyre intensified before moving ashore Mexico on November 3, whereupon it dissipated.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Iva
Hurricane Iva was the first storm of the season, as the Eastern Pacific continued through the name lists regardless of the year. Iva was first observed on June 9 280 mi (420.61 km/h) southwest of Puerto Ángel. The storm slowly curved northward, and Iva did not intensify past its peak with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). By June 11, Iva made landfall near Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico at the same intensity. Iva transitioned into an extratropical cyclone less than six hours later, and the remnants completely dissipated on June 12.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Joanne
Tropical Storm Joanne developed on July 10 175 mi (281.63 km) southwest of Socorro Island. Winds were at 50 mph (80 km/h) upon development, and no further intensification would occur while Joanne headed generally westward. Joanne dissipated two days later 883 mi (1421 km/h) south-southeast of Guadalupe Island.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Kathleen
Tropical Storm Kathleen developed on July 14 in a similar location to Tropical Storm Joanne. Kathleen headed west-southwestward and did not intensify past 50 mph (85 km/h). By July 16, Kathleen dissipated.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Orla
Tropical Storm Orla came close to the Baja California Peninsula. but stayed at sea.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Tara
Hurricane Tara was one of the deadliest Pacific hurricanes on record. It was the final storm of the season, forming on November 10 about 230 mi (365 km) off the coast of Mexico. It strengthened to reach 85 mph (140 km/h) before making landfall in the Mexican state of Guerrero near Zihuatanejo. Hurricane Tara dissipated on November 12, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to locations inundated by 10 days of precipitation. Damage was light in the major port city of Acapulco, though further west along the coast, the effects of Tara were much worse. The city of Nuxco in Tecpán de Galeana municipality received the most damage and deaths from the hurricane. Throughout Mexico, at least 436 fatalities were reported, and damage exceeded $16 million (1961 USD).


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the eastern Pacific in 1961. Simone was operationally considered a tropical storm, but was removed as a tropical cyclone by the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis committee in 2019. No names were retired, and the names on this portion of list 1 were used again in the 1968 season. This is the same list as list 1 used during the 1960-1965 Pacific hurricane seasons, names that were not assigned are marked in gray.


1961 Pacific hurricane season, Storm names
The Central Pacific used names and numbers from the Western Pacific's typhoon list. No systems formed in the area, and thus no names were required.


1961 Pacific typhoon season
The 1961 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1961, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.


1961 Pacific typhoon season
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator, and west of the International Date Line. Storms that form east of the dateline and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1961 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin had the "W" suffix added to their number.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Rita
A tropical low developed from the ITCZ about 140 miles to the south of Eauripik on January 8. The low gradually deepened as it moved west-northwest during the following days. Early on January 14, the system organized itself enough to be classified as a tropical depression. The next day the depression strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Rita by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Rita reached a peak intensity of 45 mph (70 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 996 hPa (29.4 inHg) on January 16.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Rita
At this time a cold front to the north and a subtropical ridge positioned behind it forced the storm to turn sharply to the north-northeast. Rita began to, at this time, weaken, and became a depression on January 17. It remained a depression for the next three days. On January 19 Rita weakened to a remnant low and became attached to the tail-end of a passing front. By the 21 what was left of Rita became fully absorbed by the aforementioned front.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Rita
Rita stayed largely at sea with little to minor effects to Palau or to the Mariana Islands, besides some rain and squally weather.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Alice
Typhoon Alice formed to the east of the Philippines on the 17th of May. Alice quickly strengthened and passed directly over Hong Kong with gusts of 85  mph on the 18th before recurving through the Chinese Mainland. The hurricane signal was again like Mary in 1960, not strictly justified as sustained winds were far-fledged from hurricane force. Sustained winds in Hong Kong never reached hurricane force; maximum 60-minute winds reached 90 km/h in Waglan Island and 83 km/h at the RHKO. 4 people were killed and 20 people were injured in Hong Kong.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon June
20  people were killed from heavy rain and mudslides, when 90  mph Typhoon June hit southeastern Taiwan on August 6.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Marie
On September 29, a tropical depression formed with 30-knot winds. The system tracked westwards, briefly intensifying into a tropical storm. The system made landfall on the Japanese island of Shikoku a tropical depression.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Olga
On September 4, a low developed off of the eastern coast of the Philippines. Upon crossing into the South China Sea, the low became more organized and started dropping in pressure. On September 8, the system was upgraded to a tropical storm. The system continued to strengthen, and on September 9, it was designated as a typhoon by the JTWC. Typhoon Olga made landfall 50 kilometers to the northeast of Hong Kong, killing 7  people, mostly due to landslides. The system rapidly deteriorated over land and dissipated 180 kilometers to the northwest of Hong Kong.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Pamela
Typhoon Pamela, which formed on September 8, rapidly intensified to a peak of 180  mph on the 11th. Pamela weakened to a 145  mph typhoon by the time it hit eastern Taiwan late on the 11th, and after crossing the island and the Taiwan Strait, the storm hit eastern China as a 65  mph tropical storm. Pamela dissipated on the 12th, after causing 98 casualties (with 27 missing), $5 million in damage (1961 USD), and leaving 50,000 homeless.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Nancy
Tropical Storm Nancy, having developed on September 7 in the open West Pacific, rapidly intensified to reach super typhoon status early on the 9th. Nancy continued to strengthen and reached peak winds of 215  mph (187 knots) on the 12th. Such intensity is speculative, as Reconnaissance Aircraft was in its infancy and most intensities were estimates. Furthermore, later analysis indicated that equipment likely overestimated Nancy's wind speed; if the measurements were correct, Nancy would have been tied with Hurricane Patricia for the highest wind speeds for a tropical cyclone on Earth.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Nancy
Regardless, Nancy was a formidable typhoon and retained super typhoon status until the 14th as it neared Okinawa. The typhoon turned to the northeast, and made landfall on southern Japan on the 16th with winds of 100  mph. It continued rapidly northeastward, and became extratropical on the 17th in the Sea of Okhotsk. Well executed warnings lessened Nancy's potential major impact, but the typhoon still caused 172 fatalities and widespread damage.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Tilda
A circulation was first reported from a ship 300 miles west of Guam on September 26. The system then quickly intensified into a typhoon and made a northward turn directly towards Japan. During this period, a favorable environment allowed the typhoon to intensify to peak winds of 160  mph. The storm then turned westwards, passing 15 miles under Okinawa. The town of Naha, Okinawa received sustained winds of 85  mph with gusts of 120  mph. The much-weakened typhoon made landfall on the Chinese mainland 100 miles south of Shanghai on October 4.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Tilda
It caused 11 deaths, over $6  million in crop damage, and the Lebanese merchant ship Sheik ran aground off of Kitadaitōjima, killing 2. The Taiwanese military exercise Sky Soldier was canceled due to the typhoon. The system then recurved outwards due to westerly winds into the Sea of Japan with sustained winds of 30  mph. The remnants began an extratropical transition and dissipated in the Sea of Okhotsk.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Violet
Violet was first observed as a small circulation to the southwest of Marcus Island. On October 2, the system had organized enough to warrant further investigation. After a few days of observation, a report of tropical-storm-force winds was relayed back to the JTWC and on October 4, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Violet. Violet took an unusual track, moving in a southern direction after formation. This was due to its location west of a high-pressure system, which the storm struggled to move around. After completing a curve to the south of the ridge, Violet quickly intensified into a typhoon.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Violet
The movement of the subtropical ridge to the east resulted in Violet turning abruptly to the northwest. Violet continued to intensify and soon reached its peak intensity, on October 7, with sustained winds of 205 mph (330 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 886 hPa (26.2 inHg); however, the wind readings during this era of reconnaissance were erroneously high. Violet moved in a smooth path northward and clipped the Boso Peninsula area of Japan, near Tokyo. After landfall, Violet began to transition into an extratropical cyclone and continued to move northward. By October 10, Violet had become fully extratropical.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Violet
Violet was an intense storm, yet did not impact any landmass at or near peak intensity. On Guam damages were light, mostly consisting to crop damage. The effects on Japan were generally minimal due in part to early preparation. A 9124-ton freighter, The Pioneer Muse, was left stranded on the Daitō Islands during the passing of the typhoon on October 9. All men on board were saved and later the cargo of military hardware was scavenged. Another ship, The Sheik, also was stranded a few miles from The Pioneer Muse, it would later break in two due to rough seas. Two fatalities were reported in Japan due to the passage of Violet.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Wilda
Wilda was the first record on October 5 over the South China Sea, near the western coast of Luzon. The system moved to the southwest, neared the coast of Vietnam, but abruptly turned in the opposite direction on October 8. The depression completed an elongated clockwise loop and continued to the southeast. The depression gradually deepened and by October 11 Wilda became a tropical storm while curving in a west direction. Wilda reached a peak intensity of 70 mph (115 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 990 hPa (29 inHg) before making landfall on Vietnam. Wilda proceeded to dissipate a short time later.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Wilda
Wilda contributed to an already rain-drenched area of Cambodia and Vietnam. The extra rain caused the flood level to reach the highest since 1937 along the Mekong River.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Depression Anita
Anita first formed to the north of Busuanga Island on October 18. It traveled in a generally westward direction over the South China Sea, and intensified into a tropical storm later that day. On October 19 the storm weakened slightly before making landfall on Vietnam. Anita rapidly weakened into a remnant low on October 20. The low tracked over Indochina before emerging over the Bay of Bengal and completely dissipated on October 22. The remaining moisture may have helped aid the development of a tropical depression, on October 22, near present-day Rakhine.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Depression Anita
Impact, if any, was minimal or discernable from the previous tropical system Wilda, which had struck a week before.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Billie
Billie originated from an extensive area of low pressure near Pohnpei. The Japan Meteorological Agency first picked up on the system on October 18 as it tracked to the west. The organization, at first, was poor as multiple vortices were present within the circulation. One of these vortices split from the main circulation and became a weak tropical depression while it moved southwest. Over the next few days, one circulation became dominant and the whole system began to strengthen.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Billie
The first warning was issued by the JTWC on October 23, by that time the cyclonic radius extended over 1,000 nautical miles from the center. Quickly the system strengthen into a tropical storm, and by midday October 24, had become a typhoon. Billie began to curve to the north during this time; passing to the south of Guam. The radius of Billie had also decreased to 750 nautical miles, which remained constant throughout the rest of its life. The size of Billie's eye was comparable to the extensive radius of the circulation.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Billie
At times the eye measured over 180 miles in diameter, an eye size not matched by any of the other typhoons during this season. By this time, October 26, Billie had reached a peak intensity of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 961 hPa (28.4 inHg). The large typhoon continued almost straight north, maintaining its intensity, before encountering a polar front. It merged with the associated low-pressure area near the Kuril Islands on October 30. At this point, Billie had completely translated into an extra-tropical low and passed over the Kamchatka Peninsula.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Billie
Despite Billie's rather large size, it did not pass over any significant landmass. The biggest impact on land was at Iwo Jima where strong winds and excess rain occurred. No damage; however, was reported. Billie contributed to the sinking of a Japanese freighter, The Fukazan Maru. A leak in the vessel's hold caused the ship to slowly sink. All 47 crew members were rescued and safely transported to Guam.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Clara
Clara had formed from a vortex embedded within the ITCZ near Enewetak Atoll. The circulation was pulled north by the influence of Typhoon Billie. The storm had organized enough that by October 25 its was classified as a tropical depression by the JMA. Gradually intensifying as it moved to the northeast, the first warning was issued by the JTWC on October 26 as sea surface reports indicated Clara was a tropical storm. By October 27 Clara had intensified into a typhoon and started a small clockwise loop that was completed by October 28.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Clara
Soon after Clara had reached a peak intensity of 85 mph (135 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 984 hPa (29.1 inHg). Moving in a westward direction Clara weakened back into a tropical storm. Clara continued to gradually weaken over the next few days, performing swaying movements in its track. On November 1 Clara turned to the north and transitioned into an extra-tropical low after encountering a polar front.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Clara
Clara remained mostly over the open ocean during its life; however, its path did near a few minor islands. No damage was reported, but there were possibilities that damage to shipping or small islands occurred.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Dot
The origin of Dot can be traced back to a compact low-pressure center over open water to the east of Guam on November 7. Moving in a zig-zag pattern the system quickly organized into a typhoon late on November 8. Initially, it wasn't until November 9 that when pilots traversing the Pacific reported the existence of an area of severe weather to the northeast of Guam. Reconnaissance investigation of the storm had found a fully developed typhoon.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Dot
It was likely, due to the small size of Dot, that it would not have been discovered before it reached the Mariana Islands, had it not passed through a route used by trans-Pacific aircraft. Dot moved in a near westward direction after being discovered, passed through the Mariana Islands, and gradually intensifying into a category five super typhoon to the northwest of Guam. On November 11 Dot reached a peak intensity of 160 mph (255 km/h) and a minimal surface pressure of 923 hPa (27.3 inHg).


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Dot
During this time Dot began to curve to the northeast, weakening gradually from the influence of a trough to the north. By November 13 the typhoon had weakened to a category three and was accelerating to the northeast. This motion was carried on for three days before Dot transitioned into an extra-tropical low on November 15. The extra-tropical low traversed the rest of the Pacific Ocean and made landfall over Southern California on November 20. The low continued over the Rocky Mountains, weakened, then regenerated over the western Gulf of Mexico states. From there it crossed into the Atlantic Ocean and was finally absorbed by another low-pressure area off the East Coast on November 26.


1961 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Dot
Impacts from Dot were mostly confined to its passing of the Mariana Islands. Damage to Alamagan was substantial. The extra-tropical low of Dot dumped one to five inches of rain over the Southwest U.S. and contributed to excessive rainfall over the New England area.