1961 Sheffield City Council election, Election result
This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:


1961 Silver City Trophy
The sixth Silver City Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 3 June 1961 at Brands Hatch Circuit. The race was run over 76 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Stirling Moss  in a Lotus 18/21.


1961 Silver City Trophy
The race was overshadowed by a fatal accident during qualifying when Shane Summers crashed his Cooper T53 into the concrete entrance to the paddock road tunnel.


1961 Singaporean by-elections
In 1961, 2 by-elections were held in Singapore. The first by-election was held on 29 April and the nomination day was held on 11 March while the second by-election was held on 15 July with the nomination day held on 10 June.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, April 1961 by-election in Hong Lim
Former PAP minister Ong Eng Guan resigned his seat in Hong Lim, filing the famous "16 resolutions" in the legislative assembly against the government and challenged the PAP to defeat him there after his sacking from the cabinet. Shortly after, he was expelled by the party after making open disputes with his Cabinet colleagues, including over the abolishment of the City Council when he was the last Mayor. Two other PAP members had followed him to join his faction and resigned from the party but did not resign their seats with Ong.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, April 1961 by-election in Hong Lim
Ong's landslide victory was attributed to his popularity with Hong Lim voters and his oratory skills. The PAP candidate, Jek Yeun Thong was Ong's secretary during his time as Mayor in the City Council.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, July 1961 by-election in Anson
It was held to elect a new assembly member after the death of the incumbent PAP member Baharuddin Mohammed Ariff in the constituency of Anson.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, July 1961 by-election in Anson
As both Ismail from Liberal Socialist Party and Ibrahim from Singapore Congress have failed to secure the minimum 12.5% of the votes, both had their deposits forfeited.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, July 1961 by-election in Anson, Historical significance
The victory of former Labour Front chief minister David Marshall, now Workers' Party (WP) leader, symbolised WP's first presence in the legislature.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, July 1961 by-election in Anson, Historical significance
At the same time, Ong Eng Guan mustered the two former PAP assembly members who resigned with him to form the United People's Party while independent Assembly Speaker A. P. Rajah joined the newly formed Singapore Alliance - an alliance of SPA, UMNO, MCA and MIC. Hence, for the first time since, there were no independent legislators.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
Two days after the Anson result, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew assumed full responsibility for the two election setbacks and resigned as prime minister to PAP chairman Toh Chin Chye, only for Toh to reject it.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
Lee then moved a motion of confidence in his own government five days after the Anson by-election. The motion was agreed to with 27 "Ayes", 8 "Noes" and 16 abstentions. The members who voted "No" included David Marshall and members of the Singapore People's Alliance. 13 allegedly pro-communist PAP members and 3 members of Ong Eng Guan's UPP abstained.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
Lee's view was that the PAP members who did not vote for his motion would be expelled for breaking ranks and pulling support away to Communist opponents and he did so, sacking the 13 AMs and reducing his assembly majority to 1.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
The sacked members formed the far left Barisan Sosialis (BS) with a large number of PAP branches crossing the floor to join BS. BS would pose a strong challenge against the PAP in the 1963 election, but the PAP was re-elected to a second term in office.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
David Marshall lost his seat of Anson in the 1963 general election contesting as an independent with the PAP regaining the seat. Anson would remain in PAP hands until 1981 when Workers' Party leader Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam won the seat.


1961 Singaporean by-elections, Aftermath
Ong Eng Guan retained his seat in the 1963 election serving as AM for Hong Lim until his retirement from politics in 1965.


1961 Six Hour Le Mans
The 1961 Six Hour Le Mans was an endurance motor race for sports cars and sedans. It was staged at the Caversham circuit in Western Australia on Monday, 5 June 1961.


1961 Six Hour Le Mans, Results
The winning car covered a record 187 laps (385 miles / 620 km) despite the fact that it rained throughout the race.


1961 Society of Film and Television Arts Television Awards
The 1961 Society of Film and Television Arts Television Awards, the United Kingdom's premier television awards ceremony. The awards later became known as the British Academy Television Awards, under which name they are still given.


1961 Solitude Grand Prix
The 11th Solitude Grand Prix was a non-Championship motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 23 July 1961 at the Solitudering, near Stuttgart. The race was run over 25 laps of the circuit, and was won by Innes Ireland in a Lotus 21.


1961 Somali constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Somalia on 20 June 1961 to vote on the new constitution for the country created the previous year by the union of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. It was approved by 90.56% of voters.


1961 Somali constitutional referendum
In the territory of former British Somaliland, the Somali National League (SNL) party encouraged a boycott of the referendum, and 60% of the approximately 100,000 votes from the area opposed the constitution. However the south of the country had 1,952,660 voters, effectively giving the south the power of veto, and obfuscated the fact there was no popular mandate for a union.


1961 Somali constitutional referendum, Electoral Fraud
More votes were cast in Wanlaweyn, a small town in southern Somalia, than in the entirety of Somaliland. This created a climate of distrust and a new term for southerners – Wanla Weyn.


1961 South African Grand Prix
The 1961 South African Grand Prix, formally titled the 8th International RAC South African Grand Prix, was a non-championship Formula One motor race held at Prince George Circuit, East London, South Africa on 26 December 1961. The race, run over 80 laps of the circuit, was won from pole position by Scotland's Jim Clark, driving a works Lotus-Climax. Englishman Stirling Moss finished second in a private Lotus-Climax, while Swede Jo Bonnier was third in a Porsche.


1961 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 18 October 1961. They were the first general elections after South Africa became a republic following the 1960 South African referendum. The National Party under Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd won a majority in the House of Assembly.


1961 South African general election
The National Union Party - led by J.D. du P. Basson and ex-Chief Justice Fagan in alliance with the United Party - had been formed as a "bridge" to the United Party for moderate nationalists who were unhappy with Verwoerd's leadership, but the party failed and later merged with the United Party.


1961 South African general election
This election also saw the first general election appearance of the liberal Progressive Party, which had broken away from the United Party in 1959. The new party retained one MP, in the form of Helen Suzman. She was to remain its sole parliamentary representative until 1974.


1961 South African general election, Changes in franchise, End of black representation
During the previous Parliament the seats of the three MPs and four Senators representing black South Africans had been abolished. The 1961 election produced the first Parliament with no representation at all for black South Africans.


1961 South African general election, Changes in franchise, Coloured Representative Members
The second election for the four coloured representative members took place on 4 October 1961, before the (white voters only) general election on 18 October 1961. Under the Separate Representation of Voters Act 1951, the members were to serve until the dissolution of the new Parliament.


1961 South African general election, Changes in franchise, Coloured Representative Members
The four seats were won by Independents, with United Party support. The recently formed Progressive Party did not contest the four vacancies.


1961 South African general election, Changes in franchise, Reduction in voting age
This was the first election after the passage of the Electoral Law Amendment Act, No. 30 of 1958, which reduced the voting age for white voters from 21 to 18.


1961 South African general election, Delimitation of electoral divisions
The South Africa Act 1909 had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division, for general roll voters in the four provinces. The representation by province, under the eleventh delimitation report of 1958, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1953) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.


1961 South African general election, Delimitation of electoral divisions
This was only the second general election, in South African history, where the boundaries were unchanged from the previous election.


1961 South African general election, Composition at the dissolution
At the end of the 12th Parliament elected since the Union of 1910, when it was dissolved in 1961, the House of Assembly consisted of two groups of members. White voters were represented by 156 general roll members and coloured voters in Cape Province by four white MPs known at the time as Coloured Representative Members (CRM).


1961 South African general election, Composition at the dissolution
The general election only affected the representatives of white voters. The other members were elected on a different date (see above).


1961 South African general election, Composition at the dissolution
The representation by party and province, at the dissolution was:-


1961 South African presidential election
The South African presidential election of 1961 was the first to be held in South Africa. It occurred as a result of the referendum of November 5, 1960, which ratified the transformation of the Union of South Africa into the Republic of South Africa, and the adoption of a new constitution organizing the new state's political institutions. The new constitution gave the South African Parliament the task of electing a person as State President, the position that replaced the British monarch as ceremonial head of state.


1961 South African presidential election
On April 30, 1961, Charles Robberts Swart, Governor-General of South Africa, presented his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, who remained the Head of State of South Africa until May 31. On May 10, Swart was elected by a joint session of Parliament as State President of South Africa, winning 139 votes against the 71 won by Henry A. Fagan, the candidate of the National Union Party who was supported by the pro-Commonwealth United Party.


1961 South African presidential election
On May 31, the day the Republic was proclaimed, Swart was sworn into his new position at an inauguration ceremony at the Groote Kerk (Afrikaans for "Great Church") in Pretoria before delivering his first speech as President on an official platform in front of the courthouse in front of thousands of people gathered on Church Square.


1961 South American Basketball Championship
The South American Basketball Championship 1961 was the 18th edition of this regional tournament. It was held from April 20 to April 30 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eight teams competed.


1961 South American Basketball Championship, Results
The final standings were determined by a round robin, where the 8 teams played against each other once.


1961 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1961 South American Championships in Athletics  were held in Lima, Peru, between 20 and 28 May.


1961 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
The third South American Junior Championships in Athletics were held in Santa Fe, Argentina from October 15–16, 1961.


1961 South American Junior Championships in Athletics, Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 56 athletes from about 5 countries:  Argentina (21), Brazil (13), Chile (14), Peru (5), Uruguay (3).


1961 South American Junior Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Medal winners are published for men and womenComplete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.


1961 South American Rugby Championship
The 1961 South American Rugby Championship was the third edition of the competition of the leading national Rugby Union teams in South America.


1961 South American Rugby Championship
The tournament was played in Uruguay and won by Argentina.


1961 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
The 1961 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Gamecocks finished the season 4–6 overall.


1961 South Dakota Coyotes football team
The 1961 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its sixth season under head coach Ralph Stewart, the team compiled a 1–8 record (0–6 against NCC opponents), finished in seventh place out of seven teams in the NCC, and was outscored by a total of 245 to 126. The team played its home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.


1961 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team
The 1961 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team was an American football team that represented South Dakota State University in the North Central Conference during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its 15th season under head coach Ralph Ginn, the team compiled an 8–2 record, tied for the NCC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 376 to 97.


1961 South Vietnamese presidential election
Presidential elections were held in South Vietnam on 9 April 1961. The result was a victory for Ngo Dinh Diem, who won 89% of the vote.


1961 South West African legislative election
Legislative elections were held in South West Africa on 8 March 1961. The whites-only election saw a victory for the National Party of South West Africa, which won 16 of the 18 seats in the Legislative Assembly. It marked the last time during the apartheid era that any other party won seats.


1961 South West African legislative election, Electoral system
The 18 members of the Legislative Assembly were elected from single-member constituencies. Prior to the elections two constituencies (Outjo and Rehoboth) were abolished and replaced by Tsumeb and Windhoek District. The other constituencies were Aroab, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Maltahöhe, Mariental, Okahandja, Otjikondo, Otjiwarongo, Swakopmund, Usakos, Warmbad, Windhoek East, Windhoek North and Windhoek West.


1961 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games
The 1961 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, officially known as the 2nd Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Rangoon, Burma from 11 to 16 December 1961 with 13 sports featured in the games. This was the first time all six founding members of the SEAP Games Federation competed in the biennial sports festival and the first time Myanmar, then known as Burma hosted the games. Burma, later known as Myanmar is the second country to host the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, which later known as the Southeast Asian Games after Thailand. The games was opened and closed by Win Maung, the President of Burma at the Bogyoke Aung San Stadium. The final medal tally was led by host Burma, followed by Thailand and Malaya.


1961 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, The games, Participating nations
1 - Singapore was a self-governing British colony at that time.


1961 Southern 500
The 1961 Southern 500 was a race that took place at Darlington Raceway on 4 September 1961, in the NASCAR Grand National Series. It was the forty-second race of the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series.


1961 Southern 500
Nelson Stacy won after 364 laps, after taking the lead from Fireball Roberts late in the race. It was the first of Stacy's four Grand National victories in his career.


1961 Southern 500, Crashes
Among the 43 competitors in the 1961 Southern 500, Marvin Potter, Paul Lewis and Woodie Wilson were involved in a crash, resulting in them coming 32nd, 33rd and 34th respectively. Tiny Lund crashed toward the end of the race, finishing in 15th position.


1961 Southern 500, Thurmond speech
Prior to the commencement of the race, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond was present to give a political speech in which he claimed that South Carolina would secede from the United States because of its opposition to civil rights legislation. The American Spectator reported that spectators responded to the speech with enthusiasm, and the infield at Darlington was "so violent and liquor-soaked that the area was fenced off and not even the police would enter for anything less than a shooting".


1961 Southern Cameroons parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Southern Cameroons on 30 December 1961. The result was a victory for the Kamerun National Democratic Party, which won 24 of the 37 seats in the House of Assembly.


1961 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1961 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 2–4, 1961 at the Richmond Arena in Richmond, Virginia. The George Washington Colonials, led by head coach William Reinhart, won their second Southern Conference title and received the automatic berth to the 1961 NCAA Tournament.


1961 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight finishers  of the conference's nine members were eligible for the tournament. Teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of three rounds.


1961 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 1961 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Under third-year head coach Carmen Piccone, the team compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 against conference opponents) and won the IIAC championship. The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.


1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Southern Rhodesia, then a constituent territory of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, on 26 July 1961. The new constitution was approved by about 66% of those who voted; turnout was 77%.


1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum
The referendum was held using the same franchise as elections to the Legislative Assembly, which excluded most Africans.


1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum, Background
Following three years of negotiations with the Southern Rhodesian government and other parties, the British government had put forward a draft constitution on 13 June 1961. It provided for a parliamentary system, with a 65-seat parliament; the previously common voters' roll was divided into two rolls, the "A" roll and the "B" roll, the latter of which had lower qualifications intended to make it easier for prospective voters to enter the political system. There were 50 "A"-roll constituencies and 15 larger "B"-roll districts, with a complicated mechanism of "cross-voting" allowing "B"-roll voters to slightly influence "A"-roll elections and vice versa. This system was theoretically non-racial, but in practice the "A" roll was largely white and the "B" roll was almost all black.


1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum, Unofficial National Democratic Party referendum
In protest against the official referendum, the black nationalist National Democratic Party (NDP) ran its own poll, professedly based on "one man, one vote", on 23 July. This was peacefully operated, but reportedly amateur and potentially biased in its execution, garnering criticism from British officials, rival nationalists and other observers amidst its virtually unanimous rejection of the constitution. The British High Commission commented that voters in the NDP referendum appeared to be subject to intimidation by the NDP officials running the exercise, and that the votes did not seem to be secret.


1961 Southern Rhodesian constitutional referendum, Unofficial National Democratic Party referendum
The rival Zimbabwe National Party called the NDP poll "phoney" and said it was designed "to hoodwink the African people". There were many cases of people posting multiple ballots: two whites told the press they had voted twice and one black man proudly announced that he had done so 11 times. After the government released the results of the official referendum, the NDP announced that their poll had garnered 467,189 votes against the constitution, and only 584 in favour—a reported majority of about 99.9% against. According to historian J. R. T. Wood, the NDP referendum "smacked of farce"; he highlights the fact that the general strike of black workers called by the NDP for the next day was adhered to by less than 10% of the black workforce.


1961 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team
The 1961 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the Gulf States Conference during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their first year under head coach Russ Faulkinberry, the team compiled a 2–8 record.


1961 Soviet Class B
1961 Soviet Class B was the twelfth season of the Soviet Class B football competitions since their establishment in 1950. It was also the 21st season of what was eventually became known as the Soviet First League.


1961 Soviet Cup
The 1961 Soviet Cup was an association football cup competition of the Soviet Union.


1961 Soviet Top League
22 teams took part in the league with FC Dynamo Kyiv winning the championship (the first Soviet champion from outside Moscow).


1961 Soviet nuclear tests
The Soviet Union's 1961 nuclear test series was a group of 57 nuclear tests conducted in 1961. These tests followed the 1958 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the Soviet Project K nuclear tests series.


1961 Speedway National League
The 1961 National League was the 27th season and the sixteenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.


1961 Speedway National League, Summary
The entry list was identical to the previous year and although Wimbledon Dons won their seventh title in eight years, it would be their last.


1961 Speedway National League, National Trophy
The 1961 National Trophy was the 23rd edition of the Knockout Cup. Southampton were the winners.


1961 Speedway World Team Cup
1961 Speedway World Team Cup was the second edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions.


1961 Speedway World Team Cup
The final took place in Wrocław, Poland. The World Champion title was won by Poland team (32 pts) who beat Sweden (31 pts), England (21 pts), and Czechoslovakia (12 pts).


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
1.Florian Kapała - 12 (3,3,3,3)2.Henryk Żyto - 12 (3,3,3,3)3.Stanisław Tkocz - 12 (3,3,3,3)4.Konstanty Pociejkewicz - 12 (3,3,3,3)17.Antoni Woryna - NS


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
5.Igor Plechanov - 8 (2,2,2,2)6.Boris Samorodov - 8 (2,2,2,2)7.Farid Szajnurov - 8 (2,2,2,2)8.Viktor Kuznetsov - 6 (2,2,NS,2)18.Vsevolod Nerytov - NS


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
13.Milko Pejkov - 4 (1,1,1,1)14.Boris Damjanov - 3 (1,0,2,NS)15.Dimitri Bajev - 3 (1,1,1,NS)16.Plamen Aleksandrov - 4 (1,1,1,1)20.Gavril Macev - NS


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
9.Andreas Bocke - 0 (0,0,0,0)10.Helmut Suchland - 1 (0,0,0,1)11.Gunther Schelenz - 1 (0,1,0,0)12.Wilhelm Gunther - 2 (0,0,1,1)19.A.Mattscheck - NS


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, World Final
1.Mieczyslaw Polukard - 5 (2,1,2,-)2.Marian Kaiser - 10 (3,3,1,3)3.Henryk Żyto - 7 (1,0,3,3)4.Florian Kapała - 6 (3,3,E,-)R.Stanisław Tkocz - 4 (-,-,2,2)


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, World Final
1.Bjorn Knutsson - 7 (0,2,2,3)2.Sören Sjösten - 2 (0,-,-,2)3.Ove Fundin - 11 (2,3,3,3)4.Per Tage Svensson - 7 (3,2,0,2)R.Rune Sörmander - 4 (-,2,2,-)


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, World Final
1.Ron How - 3 (1,1,1,F)2.Bob Andrews - 6 (1,1,3,1)3.Peter Craven - 8 (2,3,2,1)4.Ken McKinlay - 4 (2,1,E,1)R.Cyril Maidment - NS


1961 Speedway World Team Cup, World Final
1.Luboš Tomíček - 7 (1,2,3,1)2.Antonín Kasper Sr. - 4 (3,0,1,0)3.Stanislav Svoboda - 0 (F,0,0,0)4.Bohumír Bartoněk - 1 (0,0,1,0)R.Libor Dušanek - NS


1961 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
The 1961 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second in St. Louis. The team improved on their previous year's 6–5–1 record, winning seven games. Despite the improvement, they finished fourth in the seven-team Eastern Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs (NFL title game) for the thirteenth consecutive season. The Cardinals were led by fourth-year head coach Pop Ivy, who was replaced after a 5–7 start by the tandem of Chuck Drulis, Ray Prochaska, and Ray Willsey.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
This was the final season of ownership by Violet Bidwill Wolfner, who died in January 1962 at age 62.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1961 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 80th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 70th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 80–74 during the season and finished fifth in the National League. It was the last season before the NL went to a 162-game schedule the following season to adjust for the new ten-team league.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
On July 6, with the Cardinals at 33–41, manager Solly Hemus was fired and replaced by Johnny Keane. The team went 47–33 under Keane.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
First baseman Bill White and third baseman Ken Boyer won Gold Gloves this year.


1961 St. Louis Cardinals 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 St. Louis Cardinals 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 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado
The 1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado was an F2 tornado that impacted the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 5, 1961. The tornado, which only touched down briefly, struck the Northeast High School and the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood in the extreme north part of St. Petersburg. The parent thunderstorm that spawned the tornado was also attended by hail up to .75 inches (1.9 cm) in diameter. The tornado traveled 0.5 miles (0.80 km) through the north side of St. Petersburg and produced a path 50 yards (46 m) wide. The tornado was part of a much larger outbreak sequence that produced 73 tornadoes.


1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado, Meteorological synopsis
On Friday, May 5, 1961, weather forecasters and surface weather maps indicated that a warm front was to lift northward over the Florida peninsula. As the front moved north, a warm, moist air mass expanded over the southern two-thirds of the state. Forecasters predicted that afternoon high temperatures over Central Florida would reach well into the 80s° F.  By early afternoon, temperatures exceeded expectations, reaching a high of 93 °F in the St. Petersburg area, creating atmospheric instability conducive to thunderstorm development. At 5:00 p.m. local time, severe storms developed over the Tampa Bay Area, producing widespread hail throughout the city of St. Petersburg. Hail was reported everywhere except in the Greater Pinellas Point and Jungle Terrace sections.


1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado, Impact and aftermath
Shortly after 5:00 p.m., a tornado touched down at 1155 53rd Avenue North in north St. Petersburg. There, the tornado unroofed a home, bending a TV antenna and dropping it on an automobile. Next, the tornado moved northwest to 5445 16th Street North, where it unroofed a second home. After striking the two homes, the tornado hit the campus of Northeast High School. According to then school principal John Sexton, the tornado unroofed a triangular portion of the tar paper roof that covered the north wing of the school, exposing three rooms to rain.


1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado, Impact and aftermath
Up to 2 inches (51 mm) of water covered the floor inside, and school supplies which had been prepared over seven years were ruined. However, because school had ended for the day, no students were inside, and no injuries were reported. Nearby observers reported garbage cans and beach balls flying through the air.


1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado, Impact and aftermath
The tornado apparently dissipated after hitting the school, as no further damage was noted, though power in the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood was out at 5:30 p.m. In addition to the tornado, severe thunderstorm winds unroofed a home at 245 78th Avenue North, near Fossil Park.


1961 Stanford Indians football team
The 1961 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by Jack Curtice in his fourth year. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1960–61 season, and the culmination of the 1961 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. Chicago was making its first Finals appearance since 1944, and Detroit its first appearance since 1956; both had lost to the Montreal Canadiens in those previous appearances. The Black Hawks won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals
However, this proved to be the last time Chicago won the Cup until 2010, a 49-year drought. This was the only title not won by the Canadiens, Red Wings or Toronto Maple Leafs during the Original Six era, and the only title won by a U.S. team between 1955 and 1970.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Detroit defeated Toronto in five games and Chicago upset Montreal, the record five-time defending champion, in six, setting up the first all-American-team Finals since 1950, when the Wings beat the New York Rangers in a seven-game series.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
Two future Hockey Hall of Fame members, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, made their first Stanley Cup appearances. Hull scored two goals in the first game, including the winner, and Mikita scored the winner in game five.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
This was the only Stanley Cup championship in the 1960s not to be won by either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens or feature either team.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 1961 Stanley Cup was presented to Black Hawks captain Ed Litzenberger by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Black Hawks 5–1 win over the Red Wings in game six.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Black Hawks players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving, Coaching and administrative staff
† Left off the cup, but included on the team picture.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals were almost not televised in Canada at all. At that time, the CBC only had rights to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs' games; home games only during the season and all games in the playoffs. However, with both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs eliminated in the semi-finals, the CBC's worst nightmare became reality. The CBC had to conceive a way to carry the Finals between the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings or face public revolt.


1961 Stanley Cup Finals, Broadcasting
According to lore, the CBC found a way to link their Windsor viewers as having a vested interest in the Finals with the across the river Red Wings. Thus, CBC was able to carry the series after inking special contracts with the Red Wings and Black Hawks as a service to the Windsor market. From Windsor, CBC linked the signal to Toronto and they relayed the coverage Dominion-wide. From there, Canadians were able to see the Finals with nary a glitch in the coverage.


1961 Star World Championships
The 1961 Star World Championships were held in San Diego, United States in 1961.


1961 Sugar Bowl
The 1961 Sugar Bowl featured the 2nd-ranked Ole Miss Rebels and the unranked Rice Owls. After winning the game, Ole Miss won the national championship.


1961 Sugar Bowl
In the first quarter, Rebels quarterback Jake Gibbs scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. In the third quarter, Rice scored on a 2-yard run by Blume, but the extra point missed and Rice was still trailing, 7–6. In the fourth quarter, Ole Miss put the game away with a 3-yard touchdown run from Gibbs as Ole Miss won, 14–6. Rice won the statistical battle, but their quarterback threw 4 interceptions, and the team made some key mistakes.


1961 Summer Universiade
The 1961 Summer Universiade, also known as the II Summer Universiade, was an international sporting event for university students that took place in Sofia, Bulgaria.


1961 Sun Bowl
The 1961 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Wichita Shockers (now known as Wichita State).


1961 Sun Bowl, Background
Wichita was the champion of the Missouri Valley Conference for the fourth time in seven  years.


1961 Sun Bowl, Game summary
Billy Joe's 19 yard run gave the Wildcats an early lead as the Shockers were limited to less than 200 yards of offense while committing four turnovers. A 47-yard drive got the Shockers onto the 18-yard line for a chance at narrowing the lead. Bill Seigle kicked a 36-yard field goal to make the halftime score 7–3. However, the Shockers' second half began disastrously. Richie Ross recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half at the 22 yard line of the Shockers. Seven plays later, Louis Rettino ran in for a two-yard score to make it 14–3.


1961 Sun Bowl, Game summary
Sam Gruneisen kicked a 26-yard field goal to pile onto the lead for the Wildcats, who even knocked out the Shocker quarterback Alex Zyskowski for most of the second half. However, he came back with five minutes remaining in the game, and the Shockers benefited. He rushed for a five-yard score with :45 remaining, though it was not enough as the Wildcats won.


1961 Sun Bowl, Aftermath
Wichita head coach Hank Foldberg left the Shockers for Texas A&M after the season. The Wildcats returned to a bowl game the following year. Future National Football League head coach Bill Parcells played linebacker and recorded one kickoff return for 13 yards for Wichita.


1961 Swedish football Division 2
Statistics of Swedish football Division 2 for the 1961 season.


1961 Swedish football Division 3
Statistics of Swedish football Division 3 for the 1961 season.


1961 Swiss referendums
Four referendums were held in Switzerland in 1961. The first two were held on 5 March on an amendment to the constitution regarding oil pipelines and a fuel tax to fund national roads. The constitutional amendment was approved, but the fuel tax rejected. The third referendum was held on 22 October on a popular initiative on using popular initiatives for federal-level laws, and was rejected by voters. The fourth referendum was on a federal resolution on the clock industry, and was approved by two-thirds of voters.


1961 Syracuse Grand Prix
The 11th Syracuse Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 25 April 1961 at Syracuse Circuit, Sicily. The race was run over 56 laps of the circuit, and was won by Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti in a Ferrari 156 in his first Formula One race, the only driver to achieve this feat. Baghetti went on to win his next two Formula One races, including his first World Championship race.


1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team
The 1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Orangemen were led by 13th-year head coach Ben Schwartzwalder and played their home games at Archbold Stadium in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse finished the regular season with a record of 7–3 and ranked 14th in the final AP Poll. Running back Ernie Davis rushed for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to his second straight consensus All-American honors. Davis became the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's best college football player each year. Syracuse was invited to the 1961 Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Miami (FL).


1961 Syracuse Orangemen football team, 1961 team players in the NFL draft
Ernie Davis was the first black player to be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft. Davis was  drafted by the Washington Redskins then traded to the Clevand Browns in the first round of the 1962 American Football League draft. However, he never played in the NFL; he was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before he was to enter the league, and he died in May 1963, less than a year after his diagnosis.


1961 Syrian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Syria on 1 December 1961. Voters had the choice of submitting a green ballot marked "I am in favour of the temporary constitution" or a red one marked "I am against the temporary constitution". However, the ballot was not secret, and votes were made in the presence of an official. The temporary constitution was approved by 97.1% of voters.


1961 Syrian coup d'état
The Syrian coup d'état of 1961 was an uprising by disgruntled Syrian Army officers on September 28, 1961, that resulted in the break-up of the United Arab Republic and the restoration of an independent Syrian Republic.


1961 Syrian coup d'état
While the army had all the power, it chose not to rule directly and instead entrusted politicians from the traditional political parties of the earlier Syrian Republic to form the secessionist government. The restored country was a continuation of the Syrian Republic, but due to the influence of Nasserists and Arab nationalists it adopted a new name and became the Syrian Arab Republic. The restored regime was fragile and chaotic as internal army struggles influenced government policy. The traditionalist conservative politicians were increasingly out of touch with the radicalized army, which eventually swept the old order away in the coup of March 8, 1963.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Syrian dissatisfaction with UAR
After the rushed and overtly enthusiastic decision to unite with Egypt, Syrians realized that they had joined a very centralized, autocratic military dictatorship which increasingly destroyed Syria's traditional politics and economy. In fact, during this period Syria did not exist, it was Northern Region of the UAR.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Syrian dissatisfaction with UAR
Political parties were dissolved. Communists were the first to be purged. The Ba’ath Party, despite being the champions of unity and the most natural political allies of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, was also removed from the positions of influence during 1959-1960. Syrian officers felt threatened in their previously secure positions. Hundreds of Syrian officers were either posted in far-away Egypt or sent into retirement. In their place came Egyptian administrators and officers. Syria was ruled by the secret police of Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Economy
During the first months of 1961 state control over the Syrian economy was greatly increased. The governor of the Central Bank of Syria resigned at the end of January, warning about the dangers of nationalization and planned currency unification (Egypt and Syria still had their own currencies). On February 5 currency control was introduced, all foreign currency deposits were frozen, and the export of currency over 100 Syrian piasters from Syria was prohibited.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Economy
The official goal was to increase currency reserves and to prevent the flight of capital, in reality just the opposite occurred as capital started to flee the country. On February 10 existing import licenses were revoked and importers had to reapply for new ones. On March 4 all banks had to become joint stock companies owned by UAR Arab citizens. Of the 16 banks operating in Syria at this time, 6 were UAR-Arab owned, 6 were owned by non-UAR Arabs and 7 were owned by non-Arabs.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Economy
From February 20 until March 8 1961, Nasser was on his fifth and final visit in Syria, where he made speeches denouncing liberal economy and promoting a more socialist, state controlled model. He also promised that more factories and industrial infrastructure would be developed in the still largely agricultural country.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Economy
In early July government seized grain from storage and announced increased import of cattle in order to meet food and meat shortages that were caused by severe drought that had plagued Syria for three years.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Economy
In July 1961 Nasser announced his Second (Social) revolution by promoting a number of laws that nationalized most of the industries, toughened the agrarian reform, introduced employee management participation and profit sharing rights. As usual for Nasser, these laws were not discussed beforehand. Syrian elites were united in the realization that they were about to lose everything. This was coupled with the increasing dissatisfaction among army officers.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Regional government abolished
On August 16 the Northern Executive council, the regional government of Syria since 1958, was abolished and all executive power was concentrated in Cairo. Syrian executives were transferred to Cairo and given positions of in the unified government. On August 30 the Northern Region was divided in 11 governorates with governors appointed by Nasser and accountable to the Minister of the Interior. Syria had become just another Egyptian province.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj was the last Syrian with real power in Syria. He was President of the Northern Executive Council, Secretary General of the local branch of the ruling National Union, Syrian Minister of Interior and the long-time head of the secret police.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
Already in June 1961 Nasser had told Sarraj about his plan to liquidate the local administration. As a way of removing him from the power, on August 17, 1961 Sarraj was made one of UAR's Vice Presidents with responsibility over internal affairs and moved to Cairo. On August 13 Nasser sent his confidant Abdel Hakim Amer (in the role of Inspector General) to take control in Damascus. On August 26 Amer and Sarraj both went to Cairo for a government meeting. On September 15 Sarraj returned to Damascus, and on September 16 he convened a meeting of Northern region's National Union Executive committee meeting.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
On September 16, Amer announced that Sarraj no longer had authority to convene such meetings, to which Sarraj replied that as an elected Secretary General of the regional National Union, he remained in power until the next Secretary General was elected. The National Union at that time was the UAR's ruling party and, at least in theory, had control over the government. To eliminate this conflict, on September 18 Nasser ordered the merger of Egyptian and Syrian National union branches.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
A struggle over Sarraj's power base, the secret police, started. During September 16–17 Amer ordered the dismissal or arrest of leading security officers. On September 17 Amer published a decree prohibiting the arrest of any person without a warrant from the Attorney General. This curbed the freedom of the secret services to arrest anyone at will. At the same time, it was decided to unite the Egyptian and Syrian security services, bringing them under Cairo's control.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
Amer also tried to rebuild positive contacts with Ba'ath politicians, including Salah ad-Din al-Bitar, who were enemies of Sarraj but supporters of Nasser's socialism, by awarding pensions to the former Ba’ath ministers on September 17.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
The struggle between Amer and Sarraj had caused further consolidation of all power structures in the hands of Cairo. As the week progressed, some underground parties started street demonstrations against increased Egyptian control and the army was brought out to guard key buildings in Damascus.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
On September 20, 1961 Sarraj and Amir went to Cairo for a crisis meeting with Nasser. Sarraj was expected to continue in his duties, but on September 26 he submitted his resignation from all posts. Nasser ordered Amir to return to Damascus immediately.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Sarraj crisis
During this tumultuous time amongst the UAR leadership, the coup plotters were able to plan and launch their coup unnoticed.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
At 4 am on September 28 an armoured column under the command of Lt-Colonel Abd al-Karim al-Nahlawi, the chief of Amir's bureau in Syria and Desert Guard units under the command of Lt-Colonel Haydar al-Kuzbari entered Damascus and met with the troops of the Damascus garrison and air force. Army HQ, the radio station and airport were seized, checkpoints established and tanks patrolled the streets. The Syrian Army's commanding officers and Amir were arrested. Sarraj was placed under house arrest.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
Just before his arrest at 4 am, Amir had time to order Egyptian Major General Anwar al-Qadi to move a Field Artillery brigade from its base 40 km away from Damascus to the city and to suppress the uprising. While the Egyptian officers, ignoring Syrian complaints, dutifully obeyed the order, en route to Damascus these troops were met by their Syrian commanding officer who ordered them back to the base and arrested all the Egyptian officers.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
At 7:25 am Damascus radio broadcast communique #1 of the Supreme Arab Revolutionary Command of the Armed Forces (SARCAF) in which they announced that army has taken steps to remove corruption and tyranny and to restore the legitimate rights of the people. Communique #2 was more political and listed complaints against “the oppressive, corrupt clique” that had discredited the union between the Arab peoples. Socialist laws that had been introduced in July and plans to purge Syrian officers were also criticized. Communique #3 announced that SARCAF was in full control and asked to treat all Egyptians with care. Communique # 4 announced the closure of all airports and harbours.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
While SARCAF at this time did not announce the break-up of UAR or secession from it, most Syrians had had enough of the Egyptian dictatorship and despite the never ending professions towards the goal of Arab unity, they were happy to regain their traditional freedoms.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
At 9:07 am Nasser took the unusual step of responding to the rebellion via live radio broadcast. He announced that he would not dissolve the UAR (this was to be done by Anwar Sadat in 1971), that the rebellion in Damascus was small scale and that he had given orders to the Syrian army to suppress it.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
Meanwhile, Amer, along with other arrested Syrian army commanders and ministers spent the day negotiating with the rebels. Amer was certain that the UAR could be saved by meeting the rebel demands for greater local autonomy, softening the July laws and through agrarian reform. It is still unclear if Amer was sincere during these negotiations or was simply playing for time and awaiting Egyptian troops. Amer was allowed to get in touch with Nasser via shortwave radio and to get his approval for this agreement.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
On this conciliatory note, SARCAF communique #9 was broadcast at 1:26 pm in which it was announced that SARCAF wanted to preserve Arab unity and that Amer had “made the necessary decisions to safeguard the unity of the armed forces of the United Arab Republic. The army matters had been restored to their normal course”. Radio Damascus once again identified itself as the  “radio station of the UAR in Damascus”.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
While for a few hours it seemed that the UAR was saved, both sides were far from agreement. By early afternoon the rebels had received support from nearly all the Syrian army units and felt certain of victory. Nasser followed the logic of every autocrat and refused to negotiate with the rebels or to change his policies in Syria. At 5:20 pm Amer and a group of Egyptian officers and loyalists were put on a plane to Cairo, this was announced in communique #12 at 5:45 pm.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
At 6:55 pm Nasser went on radio once again. He refused to negotiate and called on the armed forces to do their duty by crushing the rebels. In fact, at around 9:30 am that morning, Nasser had ordered some Egyptian troops to Syria in an effort to suppress the rebellion. As Egypt and Syria shared no land border, airborne paratroopers and some seaborne troops were ordered to leave for Latakia and Aleppo, where army bases were still loyal to Nasser. However, a short time before the Egyptian forces reached these bases they were taken over by rebel troops. The fewer than 200 Egyptian paratroopers who landed in Latakia were surrounded by the rebel troops and later returned to Egypt. Nasser called off the whole operation. On November 2, 870 Egyptian officers and soldiers were sent home while 960 Syrians returned home peacefully from Egypt.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
Later in the evening of September 28, rebel radio announcements started attacking Nasser personally, calling him a tyrant. A curfew was imposed on Damascus from 7 pm until 5:30 am. If during the day it was unclear if rebels want greater freedom for Syria within UAR or restoration of total independence, when Radio Damascus ended its last broadcast for that day after midnight with the Syrian national anthem it was clear that they had chosen independence.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
At 7:30 am on September 29, Radio Damascus announced that SARCAF has entrusted Maamun al-Kuzbari (a relative of one of the coup organizers) to form a new government which consisted of the old National Party and People's Party politicians. It was government of the traditional Syrian elites, but it promised to maintain some of Nasser's progressive and socialist policies. On the same day Jordan and Turkey recognized the new regime. During that day, Major-General Abd al-Karim Zahreddine, a Druze, who was not involved in the planning of the coup, was appointed the army's commander-in-chief. He was a compromise figure and survived in the post until the March 8, 1963, coup. The restored republic kept the flag and anthem of the old Syrian Republic but changed its name the Syrian Arab Republic (to demonstrate its commitment to the Arab nationalist cause).


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
In a speech on October 5 Nasser recognized the fact of Syrian secession and said that he would not block Syria's renewed membership in the UN and League of Arab States which Syria re-joined on October 29. However, this did not mean that Nasser was going to be friendly towards the new regime. The Egyptian-Syrian propaganda wars started in October with Egypt calling the Syrian politicians “capitalists, reactionaries and feudalists”. Instead of talking about the dictatorial nature of the UAR police state, the Syrians constantly had to respond by stating that they were not reactionaries, western agents and traitors against Arab unity.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
After SARCAF appointed Zahr as-Din, the new communiques were issued under his name. A new National Security Council was established which included the Army commanders, the President and five key ministers who supervised the government. This system was the source for the instability of the secessionist regime. While the parliament and government were composed of largely traditional, right of centre politicians, the military wanted to retain and to implement many of the UAR era socialist reforms and gains aimed at improving conditions for the poor and creation of a state controlled economy. The military were not democrats, but rather wanted to implement their local version of UAR-style one party military rule.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
Abd al-Karim al-Nahlawi established a National Security Council, which served as a tool for continued army control over the civilian government. UAR era restrictions on political and individual freedoms were retained. Political parties were still banned and control over the media was retained. Those who were purged from their posts under the UAR regime, were not reinstated. The traditional infighting and instability resumed. This was aided by the fact that the main coup leaders had different political leanings and also business interests (through their extended families). Al-Kuzbari was arrested already in November 1961 and al-Husseini in January 1962.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
While the traditional parties fully supported the restored Syria, the Ba’ath party was split. Akram al-Hawrani and his socialists were against the UAR, while both founders Michel Aflaq and Salah ad-Din al-Bitar sent confusing signals. Aflaq refused to support secession, while al-Bitar initially had supported it, but withdrew his support under the pressure from the party. Many party members in the provinces had kept the party alive during the UAR period and were against Aflaq, who had proclaimed the dissolution of the Ba’ath party without any consultation with party members. This period of confusion increased the determination of the Ba’ath Military Committee to achieve its goals.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
While the new Constitution was being drafted and not yet approved, the Constitution of 1950 was in force. On October 17 Syria abolished the July laws that had nationalized large sectors of economy.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
After the December elections, Peoples Party leaders Maarouf al-Dawalibi and Nazim al-Kudsi became Prime Minister and President, respectively. Maamun al-Kuzbari was elected Speaker of the Parliament.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
During the first months after the coup, the government succeeded in reducing the number of coup supporters in the leading army positions and at the same reduced UAR socialist laws and regulations. Instead of maintaining strong relations with Egypt's ally, the USSR, better relations were established with West Germany and Iraq. On March 16, 1962 President Nazim al-Kudsi met with Iraq's Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
During the spring of 1962 the pressure grew in parliament for the restoration of full democratic freedoms. Parliament requested al-Dawalibi's resignation, restoration of all liberties and establishment of National Unity Government. Al-Dawalibi resigned on March 27.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
Between March 28 and April 2, 1962 Syria was racked by coups and counter coups. The first attempt was made by Abd al-Karim al-Nahawi, whose forces now included Ba’athists and Nasserites. He wanted to regain his lost influence in the army and government. Al-Nahlawi's forces arrested government members and dissolved the parliament after which President al-Qudsi resigned in protest. On March 30 general Zahr ad-Din and leading army officers from the Damascus region announced that this coup was a continuation of the September 28 coup and would return the country to its original goals.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
Meanwhile, on March 31 Nasserites and Ba’athists led by Jassem Alwan rose in revolt. While their goals were different, they were united in their opposition to al-Nahlawi's coup in Damascus. Alwan's forces and Ba’athists from the Military Committee rebelled in Aleppo, Homs and Deir ez-Zor. They called for the restoration of the UAR and for Egypt to send supporting troops.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
On April 1, 1962, army chief Abd al-Karim Zahreddine held talks in Homs between all the army factions, during which a secret compromise was reached:


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
Syria's army had fractured along political, regional and religious lines, but it was unified in its wish to retain the control over the government, to prevent return to a full democracy and to continue on a more socialist course of development.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
On April 3 a group of mutinous officers was exiled to Switzerland. On April 4 Abd al-Karim Zahreddine made new appointments in the ranks. On April 13 President al-Qudsi resumed his duties. On April 16 a new government of technocrats, led by Dr. Bashir al-Azma was sworn in. Abd al-Karim Zahreddine was the new Defence minister. This government reintroduced the nationalization of large enterprises, banks and restarted land reform.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
Meanwhile, Nasserites and Ba’athists, with Egyptian support, planned another coup for the restoration of UAR, which was to take place on July 28, 1962, but was discovered and suppressed by the government. Syria demanded that the Arab League look into the matter and during a meeting publicly accused Egypt of wanting to annex Syria. The Egyptian delegation left the meeting and suspended Syrian participation in the Arab League for a year.


1961 Syrian coup d'état, Secessionist government period (September 29, 1961 – March 8, 1963)
On September 17 a new National Unity Government, led by Khalid al-Azm, was sworn in and the parliament dissolved. The new government began to implement socialist policies and restore full democratic liberties. The state of emergency was lifted on December 22, 1962. Benefiting from the new liberties, Abd al-Karim al-Hahlawi returned to Syria and demanded reinstatement in the army. The machinations and conspiracies in the army continued and eventually led to the coup of March 8, 1963, organized by junior officers from the Ba’athist Military Committee.


1961 Syrian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Syria on 1 and 2 December 1961. The People's Party remained the largest party in parliament, winning 33 of the 172 seats.


1961 São Paulo FC season
The 1961 football season was São Paulo's 32nd season since club's existence.


1961 TANFL season
The 1961 Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) premiership season was an Australian Rules football competition staged in Hobart, Tasmania over twenty (20) roster rounds and four (4) finals series matches between 1 April and 16 September 1961.


1961 TANFL season, 1961 TANFL Ladder, Grand Final
Source: All scores and statistics courtesy of the Hobart Mercury and Saturday Evening Mercury (SEM) publications.


1961 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 1961 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University (TCU) in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Horned Frogs finished the season 3–5–2 overall and 2–4–1 in the Southwest Conference. The team was coached by Abe Martin in his ninth year as head coach. The Frogs played their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth, Texas.


1961 Tampa Spartans football team
The 1961 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. It was the Spartans' 25th season. The team was led by head coach Marcelino Huerta, in his tenth year, and played their home games at Phillips Field in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1). Huerta resigned as the Spartans' head coach on January 8, 1962, to take the same position at Wichita State.


1961 Tangerine Bowl
The 1961 Tangerine Bowl was held on December 29, 1961 at the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Lamar Tech Cardinals defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders by a score of 21–14.


1961 Tangerine Bowl
The scoring opened with a Lamar Tech touchdown on a 52-yard rush by quarterback Win Herbert, and that play proved to be the only scoring in the first quarter, which ended 7–0. The second quarter's only scoring came when Middle Tennessee fumbled the ball in their own end zone and Lamar Tech recovered to lead 14–0 at halftime. Middle Tennessee finally found the end zone in the third quarter, scoring on a 32-yard pass but failing the two-point conversion to make it 14–6 at the end of the third quarter. Lamar Tech later extended their lead to 21–6 after a 3-yard pass for a touchdown. The last score of the game came from Middle Tennessee, who scored a touchdown plus a two-point conversion to end the game 21–14.


1961 Tangerine Bowl
At the end of the game, Lamar Tech had two more first downs, 73 more rushing yards, and 66 more total yards. However, Middle Tennessee out-passed Lamar by 6 yards. Lamar Tech halfback Ralph Stone was named the game's most valuable player.


1961 Targa Florio
The 45° Targa Florio took place on 30 April 1961, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, (Sicily, Italy). It was the second round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship, and third round of the FIA GT Cup.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Entry
The event attracted fewer cars than in previous seasons, with 64 racing cars were registered for this event,  instead of the 78 in 1960,  of which 57 arrived for practice. Only these, 54 qualified for, and started the race.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Entry
Reigning World Champions, Ferrari had entered two of their Ferrari 246 SP and a 250 TRI 61 for their squad of drivers; Willy Mairesse, Ricardo Rodríguez, Wolfgang von Trips, Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill and Richie Ginther. As like 1960, there was no other factory entrants in the S3.0 class, their main opposition would come from the works Porsche 718 RS 61s of Hans Herrmann, Edgar Barth, Jo Bonnier, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill and Stirling Moss, despite these were smaller engined cars and less powerful, the marque had won the last two Targa Florios.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Race
At the start, Moss would take an immediate lead, which would eventually build up to around 90 seconds, with his team-mate Bonnier in second place. The leading Ferrari was that of von Trips and he would be trailing along further behind, yet it seemed more than obvious the Ferrari 246 SP just couldn’t match the overall performance of the nimble Porsches   The Ferrari of Phil Hill and Ginther suffered an accident of the very first lap, and was one of 24 cars that didn’t reach half distance.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Race
After a few laps, Moss would have to hand the car over to Graham Hill. Hill’s inexperience of the event was coming into play. While he would stay out of trouble and would have a decent pace, it wouldn’t be fast enough as the Ferrari of von Trips and Gendebien took the overall lead by nearly 80 seconds, while Bonnier/Gurney fell back to third. Still, Hill had done his job, he complete a couple of laps and would hand the car back to Moss for the remainder of the race.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Race
Moss picked up the pace quite dramatically and was soon right back up with the leading Ferrari. He wasn’t going to be stop and he soon was back in the lead. In reply, von Trips set an amazing fastest lap, with an average speed of 67.019 mph. Still heading into the final lap, he followed Moss in the running order. Moss headed into the last lap with a lead of more than a minute over the Ferrari. By this point he had covered more than 440 miles, when the differential failed. He was just a few miles around from victory.


1961 Targa Florio, Report, Race
The Ferrari of von Trips/Gendebien inherited the lead, to take the victory, completing 10 laps, covering 447.388 miles in just under 7½ hours of racing, averaging a speed of 64.272mph. Second place went to the works Porsche of Bonnier and Gurney in a Porsche 718 RS 61, albeit over 4½ mins adrift. The podium was complete by another works Porsche, of Herrmann and Barth who were further 12 mins behind.


1961 Targa Florio, Standings after the race
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.


1961 Taça de Portugal Final
The 1961 Taça de Portugal Final was the final match of the 1960–61 Taça de Portugal, the 21st season of the Taça de Portugal, the premier Portuguese football cup competition organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The match was played on 9 July 1961 at the Estádio das Antas in Porto, and opposed two Primeira Liga sides: Leixões and Porto. Leixões defeated Porto 2–0 to claim the Taça de Portugal for the first time.


1961 Temple Owls football team
The 1961 Temple Owls football team was an American football team that represented Temple University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its second season under head coach George Makris, the team compiled a 2–5–2 record (1–2–2 against MAC opponents) and finished seventh out of eight teams in the MAC's University Division. The team played its home games at Temple Stadium in Philadelphia.


1961 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1961 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bowden Wyatt, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4 overall, 4–3 in the SEC).


1961 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 1961 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Aggies were led by head coach Jim Myers in his fourth season and finished with a record of four wins, five losses and one tie (4–5–1 overall, 3–4 in the SWC).


1961 Texas Longhorns baseball team
The 1961 Texas Longhorns baseball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1961 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Longhorns played their home games at Clark Field. The team was coached by Bibb Falk in his 19th season at Texas.


1961 Texas Longhorns baseball team
The Longhorns reached the College World Series, but were eliminated after losing their first two games to Southern California and Western Michigan.


1961 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1961 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The 1961 season was first season that Texas wore the "Bevo" Longhorn decal on their helmets. Texas debuted the helmet decal in season opener against Cal in Berkley, and have continued to wear it ever since.


1961 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 1961 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the Southwest Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach J. T. King, the Red Raiders 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 201 to 94. The team's statistical leaders included Doug Cannon with 442 passing yards, Coolidge Hunt with 486 rushing yards, and Bob Witucki with 335 receiving yards. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium.


1961 Texas Western Miners football team
The 1961 Texas Western Miners football team was an American football team that represented Texas Western College (now known as University of Texas at El Paso) as a member of the Border Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its fifth and final season under head coach Ben Collins, the team compiled a 3–7 record (1–3 against Border Conference opponents), finished fourth in the conference, and was outscored by a total of 283 to 176.


1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1961 NCAA football season. The Bulldogs were led by fifth year head coach Eddie Teague and played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. They played as members of the Southern Conference, as they have since 1936. In 1961, The Citadel won its first Southern Conference championship.


1961 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
After the season, the Bulldogs declined two bowl invitations. The first to be offered was the Tangerine Bowl. The Citadel had appeared in the previous edition of this small-college bowl in 1960 and elected to decline the repeat trip. Later, the Bulldogs declined an invitation to the Aviation Bowl.


1961 Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup competition is an international team tournament for supremacy in men's badminton (Its female counterpart is the Uber Cup). Beginning in 1948 and 1949 it was held every three years until 1982 and thereafter every two years. Nineteen teams, eighteen of them starting from four regional qualifying zones, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Pan America, contested for the Thomas Cup during the 1960-1961 seasons. Zone winners then played-off in Jakarta, Indonesia for the right to face defending champion Indonesia (exempt from all earlier ties), in a conclusive challenge round. For a more detailed description of the Thomas Cup format, see Wikipedia's general article on the Thomas Cup.


1961 Thomas Cup
This was the first ever international multi-sport event hosted by Indonesia, who was only 15 years old at the time. The venue was the Istora Gelora Bung Karno, which was only opened on 11 days before the tournament.


1961 Thomas Cup, Intra-zone summary
Despite missing its best known singles player, Charoen Wattanasin, Thailand again prevailed in the Asian zone by beating, consecutively, India (6–3), three time former champion Malaya (7–2), and Pakistan (8–1). Of note in these ties, the talented Nandu Natekar had a hand in all of the individual matches which India salvaged, while Malaya's Eddie Choong, well past his prime at a fairly young age, was routinely beaten in both of his singles. No player on Thailand's team was more than twenty-four years old.


1961 Thomas Cup, Intra-zone summary
For the second straight time Japan defaulted an Australasian zone tie, this time allowing Australia, led by Kenneth Turner, to advance to the inter-zone phase after its 8–1 victory over New Zealand. Star-studded Denmark coasted through three ties in the European zone, shutting out its usual victim England in the zone final. The same two-way American zone race ended as before with the United States beating Canada 7–2. Evergreen Joe Alston and Wynn Rogers still led the way in doubles for the USA which also had a small but competent cadre of international level singles players.


1961 Thomas Cup, Inter-zone playoffs
The inter-zone playoffs in Jakarta began on the first two days of June with Thailand beating Australia without the loss of a match or a game. Denmark then defeated the USA 7–2, but even in victory Danish problems with the heat and humidity were evident as players hailed by some as the best in the world often struggled against less talented opponents who, as Californians, were more accustomed to hot gymnasiums.


1961 Thomas Cup, Inter-zone playoffs
The Danes' contest against Thailand fully demonstrated this weakness. A team entirely composed of either past, present, or future All-England champions was decisively beaten by a team composed of players who would never win that individual honor. Erland Kops and Finn Kobbero defeated the Thai number two Somsook Boonyasukhanonda comfortably, but both were beaten by young Channarong Ratanaseangsuang. Most shockingly, the famous doubles team of Kobbero and Hammergaard Hansen was beaten by both Thai pairs who swept all four doubles matches. Thus Thailand completed its run to the challenge round with an impressive 7–2 victory over Denmark.


1961 Thomas Cup, Challenge round
The task of beating a strong Indonesian team in Jakarta's Senayan Stadiam was possibly rendered even more difficult for Thailand when "neutral" officials and linesmen failed to arrive from Malaya. As they had done three years earlier in Singapore, the Indonesians swept all five singles matches. Ratanaseangsuang was unable to produce the consistency he had displayed against Kops and Kobbero and lost tamely to Indonesia's Tan Joe Hok and Ferry Sonneville. Boonyasukhanonda was simply not in the class of the two Indonesians, whose careers would be hallmarked by their Thomas Cup brilliance. The Thai doubles pairs played quite well, particularly the team of Narong Bhornchima and Raphi Kanchanaraphi who won both of their matches. Doubles victories were not enough, however, as Indonesia retained the Cup 6–3.


1961 Thomas Cup - American Zone
The Thomas Cup is an international teams competition for the supremacy in men's badminton. For the Thomas Cup 1961, 18 national teams were divided in 4 groups; namely, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and America. The four zone winners would then play a second round (the Inter-zones play-offs) in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the right to face the defending champion, Indonesia, who was exempted from earlier rounds, in a conclusive Challenge Round. For a more detailed description of the Thomas Cup format, see Wikipedia's general article about the Thomas Cup.


1961 Thomas Cup - American Zone
As in previous years, the American zone qualifiers of the Thomas Cup of 1961 were limited to a dual meet between the United States and Canada that was won as always by the former team. These games were held at Toronto, Canada, on the 24 and 25 February 1961.


1961 Thomas Cup - American Zone
The United States defeated Canada 7-2. Jim Poole won his 2 singles matches in 2 sets, plus one more together with Manny Armendariz. Joseph Cameron Alston and T Wynn Rogers did a brilliant performance too and won their 2 doubles matches in 2 sets as well. Bill E. Berry also won his 2 singles games. Perhaps the most outstanding Canadian figure was Bert Fergus who won his singles match against Manny Armendariz, and one men's doubles match as a couple of B. Westcott to Jim Poole and Manny Armendariz.


1961 Thomas Cup - American Zone
The United States would face—later on the Inter-zone play-offs—the powerful team of Denmark led by their badminton legends: Erland Kops and Finn Kobbero.


1961 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The 1961 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 71st staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887.


1961 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
On 15 October 1961, Thurles Sarsfields won the championship after a 3-04 to 0-09 defeat of Toomevara in the final at Páirc Shíleáin. It was their 23rd championship title overall and their first title since 1959.


1961 Titleholders Championship
The 1961 Titleholders Championship was the 22nd Titleholders Championship, held April 27–30 at Augusta Country Club in Augusta, Georgia. Mickey Wright won the first of two consecutive Titleholders, one stroke ahead of runners-up Patty Berg and Louise Suggs.


1961 Titleholders Championship
It was the fifth of Wright's thirteen major titles and her 22nd victory on tour.


1961 Titleholders Championship
Wright was tied with Kathy Cornelius for the 36-hole lead at 147 (+3).


1961 Togolese constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Togo on 9 April 1961 alongside the general elections. The changes to the constitution would make the country a presidential republic with a directly elected President. It was approved by 99.62% of voters with a 90% turnout.


1961 Togolese general election
General elections were held in Togo on 9 April 1961, alongside a constitutional referendum. It was the first time the President had been directly elected, and Prime Minister Sylvanus Olympio of the Party of Togolese Unity was the only candidate. He was elected unopposed, with the PUT won all 52 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 90.0%.


1961 Toledo Rockets football team
The 1961 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented Toledo University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Clive Rush, the Rockets compiled a 3–7 record (2–4 against MAC opponents) and finished in fifth place in the MAC.


1961 Toledo Rockets football team
The team's statistical leaders included Phil Yenrick with 563 passing yards, Frank Baker with 739 rushing yards, and Pete Jollif with 330 receiving yards.


1961 Torneo di Viareggio
The 1961 winners of the Torneo di Viareggio (in English, the Viareggio Tournament, officially the Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament Coppa Carnevale), the annual youth football tournament held in Viareggio, Tuscany, are listed below.


1961 Torneo di Viareggio, Format
The 16 teams are organized in knockout rounds. The round of 16 are played in two-legs, while the rest of the rounds are single tie.


1961 Toronto Argonauts season
The 1961 Toronto Argonauts finished in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 7–6–1 record. They appeared in the Eastern Finals.


1961 Toronto Argonauts season, Preseason
The Argonauts hosted the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals at CNE Stadium on August 2 in the third of three interleague games hosted in Toronto and lost 36–7.


1961 Tour de France
The 1961 Tour de France was the 48th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 25 June and 16 July, with 21 stages covering a distance of 4,397 km (2,732 mi). Out of the 132 riders who started the tour, 72 managed to complete the tour's tough course. Throughout the 1961 Tour de France, two of the French national team's riders, André Darrigade and Jacques Anquetil held the yellow jersey for the entirety 21 stages. There was a great deal of excitement between the second and third places, concluding with Guido Carlesi stealing Charly Gaul's second-place position on the last day by two seconds.


1961 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Since Jacques Anquetil had won the 1957 Tour de France, he was unable to repeat it, due to illness, tiredness and struggle within the French team. For 1961, he asked the team captain Marcel Bidot to make a team that would only ride for him, and Bidot agreed. Anquetil announced before the race that he would take the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification on the first day, and wear it until the end of the race in Paris.


1961 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Gastone Nencini, who won the previous edition, did not enter in 1961, but Graziano Battistini, his teammate and runner-up of 1960, started the race as leader of the Italian team. If the French team would again have internal struggles, the Italian team could emerge as the winner.


1961 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The Spanish team had two outsiders, José Pérez Francés and Fernando Manzaneque. The last outsider was Charly Gaul, winner of the 1958 Tour de France, who rode in the mixed Luxembourg/Swiss team. He considered his teammates so weak that he did not seek their help, and rode the race on his own. Raymond Poulidor was convinced by his team manager Antonin Magne that it would be better to skip the Tour, because the national team format would undermine his commercial value.


1961 Tour de France, Route and stages
The 1961 Tour de France started on 25 June in Rouen, and had one rest day, in Montpellier. For the first time the finish on top of the Superbagnères was included to the race. The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,115 m (6,939 ft) at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet mountain pass on stage 17.


1961 Tour de France, Race overview
André Darrigade won the opening stage, and it became the fifth time that he won the opening stage. Darrigade had been in a small group that broke away, which included Anquetil. Other competitors, such as Gaul and Battistini, already lost more than 5 minutes. After that, there was a time trial, won by Jacques Anquetil. Anquetil became the leader of the race, with his teammate Joseph Groussard in second place, almost five minutes behind him.


1961 Tour de France, Race overview
The second stage, run in bad weather, featured small roads in Northern France. Several cyclists got into problems, and seven cyclists already had to leave the race; the favourites were not harmed. In the sixth stage, West German Horst Oldenburg fell down on the descent of the Col de la Schlucht, and the Dutch team captain Ab Geldermans ran into him. Geldermans was taken to the Belfort hospital by helicopter, and the Dutch team had lost its captain.


1961 Tour de France, Race overview
Unlike previous years, the French team continued without fights, and won five of the first eight stages. The ninth stage included four major climbs. On the second climb, Gaul escaped. He crashed on the descent of the third mountain, but managed to stay away and win the stage; Anquetil was not far behind and kept the lead. Anquetil had a five-minutes margin on the second-placed rider, which was Manzaneque. In the eleventh stage, Graziano Battistini was hit by a car, and had to leave the race. This situation had not changed when the sixteenth stage started. It was expected that Gaul, in third place more than six minutes behind, would attack, but this did not happen, because Gaul had been injured in his crash in the previous stage.


1961 Tour de France, Race overview
The last chance for the opposition to win back time on Anquetil was in the seventeenth stage, but Anquetil stayed close to his direct competitors, and only allowed lower classified riders to escape. The press criticized Anquetil's tactics, saying he was riding passively. In the nineteenth stage, an individual time trial, Gaul was on his way to win back a little time on Anquetil, when he crashed heavily, and could not find his pace again. Anquetil won almost three minutes on Gaul and extended his lead to more than ten minutes.


1961 Tour de France, Race overview
In the final two stages, Anquetil did not get into problems. His main rival Gaul even lost time in the last stage, and conceded his second place to Guido Carlesi.


1961 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1961 Tour de France, two of them awarding jerseys to their leaders. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.


1961 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
Additionally, there was a points classification. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.


1961 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
There was also a mountains classification. Most stages of the race included one or more categorised climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. The climbs were categorised as third-, second- or first-category, with the more difficult climbs rated lower. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, but was not identified with a jersey.


1961 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
For the team classification The calculation was different from previous years. Before 1961, the classification was based on time, but in 1961, it was based on points; times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the team with the lowest time on a stage won the team prize for that stage. The overall team classification was calculated by counting the number of team prizes.


1961 Tour de France, Classification leadership and minor prizes
In addition, there was a combativity award, in which a jury composed of journalists gave points after each stage to the cyclist they considered most combative. The split stages each had a combined winner. At the conclusion of the Tour, the entire West/South-West team won the overall super-combativity award, also decided by journalists. The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace on stage 6. This prize was won by Jef Planckaert.


1961 Tour de France, Aftermath
As Anquetil had led the race after every stage, there was not much competitiveness, which organiser Jacques Goddet termed a "fiasco". After the race, the system with national teams was abandoned, and it was announced that the 1962 Tour de France would be run with sponsored teams.


1961 Tour de Romandie
The 1961 Tour de Romandie was the 15th edition of the Tour de Romandie cycle race and was held from 11 May to 14 May 1961. The race started in Geneva and finished in Lausanne. The race was won by Louis Rostollan.


1961 Tour de Suisse
The 1961 Tour de Suisse was the 25th edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 15 June to 21 June 1961. The race started in Zürich and finished in Lucerne. The race was won by Attilio Moresi of the Carpano team.


1961 Tour of Flanders
The 1961 Tour of Flanders cycling race took place on March 26, 1961, and was won by Rapha-Gitane-Dunlop's Tom Simpson, becoming the first British winner. It was the 45th edition of the Tour of Flanders "monument" classic race.


1961 Tour of Flanders, Route
The race started in Ghent and finished in Wetteren for the last time – after 17 years. The total distance was 255 km. There were six categorized climbs:


1961 Trinidad and Tobago general election
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 4 December 1961. The result was a victory for the People's National Movement, which won 20 of the 30 seats. Voter turnout was 88.1%.


1961 Tulane Green Wave football team
The 1961 Tulane Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Tulane University during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. In their eighth year under head coach Andy Pilney, the team compiled a 2–8 record.


1961 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The 1961 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their first year under head coach Glenn Dobbs, the Golden Hurricane compiled a 2–8 record (1–2 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents) and finished in last place in the conference. The team's statistical leaders included Ronnie Sine with 512 passing yards, David White with 293 rushing yards, and Max Letterman with 277 receiving yards.


1961 Turkish Senate election
Turkey held senate elections on 15 October 1961. In this election 150 members of the senate were elected by the majority (winner takes all) system. The result was surprising because the party with second greatest number of votes nationwide won twice as many seats  as  the leading party.


1961 Turkish constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Turkey on 9 July 1961. Following the coup d'état the previous year, a new constitution was drawn up to replace the one from 1924. It was approved by 61.7% of voters, with an 81.0% turnout.


1961 Turkish general election
General elections were held in Turkey on 15 October 1961. The electoral system used was party-list proportional representation with the D'Hondt method in 67 electoral districts. In order to receive seats in a district, parties needed to win a Hare quota in that district. The Republican People's Party (CHP) emerged as the largest party, winning 173 of the 450 seats. It was the first time the CHP had won the most seats since the 1946 elections. Voter turnout was 81.4%.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from January 25 to 29, 1961. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – across three levels: senior, junior, and novice.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The event determined the U.S. team for the 1961 World Championships.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The competition was dedicated to the memory of Howard D. Herbert, president of the United States Figure Skating Association, who had died suddenly just a few days before the competition opened.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The event is noted especially for its catastrophic aftermath, in which most of the U.S. team died in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 on their way to the World Championships in Prague. Because many of the top American figure skaters (including Carol Heiss and David Jenkins) had retired from the sport after the 1960 Winter Olympics, new champions were crowned in all four disciplines.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
A notable feature of this event is that it was the first time the United States Figure Skating Championships were covered on national television, with a modest rights fee being paid by CBS. Sportscaster Bud Palmer provided the "play-by-play", and Dick Button provided the commentary for the event, a role Button continued to perform for decades after the Championships broadcasts were picked up by ABC Sports in subsequent years.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Men
The men's competition was won by Bradley Lord, likewise in a come-from-behind victory in the free skating after having been second to Gregory Kelley in the compulsory figures.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ladies
Stephanie Westerfeld had a narrow lead over Laurence Owen after the compulsory figures and performed well enough in the free skating that she might have won the competition. However, Owen followed with a superior effort in the free skating and won the title on a 4-1 split of the first-place ordinals.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Pairs
Maribel Owen / Dudley Richards, the silver medalists from the previous year, were the clear winners.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ice dancing (Gold dance)
Diane Sherbloom / Larry Pierce—skating in their first season together—took the championship.


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Aftermath
Following the U.S. Championships, all the top skaters with the exception of Brown (who was ill; his place was taken by fourth-place finisher Ramsay) took part in the North American Figure Skating Championships in Philadelphia, where Owen captured the ladies title. The team then immediately departed for the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on February 14, 1961, on board Sabena Flight 548. However, they never arrived; their flight crashed near Brussels, Belgium the next morning, killing all on board (including coaches, officials, and family members). The few team members who had not made the trip included skater Brown, and coach Ronald Ludington (who was unable to afford the travel expenses).


1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Aftermath
The U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund was established eight days after the crash by F. Ritter Shumway, then-president of the USFSA, and the fund has continued to this day. Its purpose is to provide help to promising skaters who lack funding for equipment. Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton are among future champions who have credited the memorial fund with being vital to their careers. RISE, a documentary film about the 1961 team, was released on February 17, 2011, two days after the 50th anniversary of the crash.


1961 U.S. National Championships (tennis)
The 1961 U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills in New York City, United States. The tournament ran from 1 September until 10 September. It was the 81st staging of the U.S. National Championships, and the fourth Grand Slam tennis event of 1961.


1961 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's doubles
Chuck McKinley /  Dennis Ralston   defeated  Rafael Osuna /  Antonio Palafox 6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 13–11


1961 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Women's doubles
Darlene Hard /  Lesley Turner defeated  Edda Buding /  Yola Ramírez 6–4, 5–7, 6–0


1961 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Mixed doubles
Margaret Smith /  Bob Mark defeated  Darlene Hard /  Dennis Ralston default


1961 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles
Roy Emerson defeated Rod Laver 7–5, 6–3, 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1961 U.S. National Championships.


1961 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Roy Emerson is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1961 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles
First-seeded and defending champion Darlene Hard defeated sixth-seeded Ann Haydon 6–3, 6–4 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1961 U.S. National Championships.


1961 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Darlene Hard is the champion; others show in brackets the round in which they were eliminated.


1961 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1961 U.S. Open was the 61st U.S. Open, held June 15–17 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit. Gene Littler shot a final round 68 for 281 (+1) to win his sole major title, one stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Goalby and Doug Sanders, the 54-hole leader.


1961 U.S. Open (golf)
Amateur Jack Nicklaus tied for fourth at age 21, the second of his three consecutive top-4 finishes at the U.S. Open. The runner-up the previous year, he turned professional in November and won the first of four U.S. Open titles the following year. Defending champion Arnold Palmer made the cut on the number at 149 (+9), then shot even-par twice and climbed into a tie for 14th place, eight strokes behind Littler. Four-time champion Ben Hogan also tied for 14th, the only time since 1940 that he was outside the top ten at this major. This course was the site of his third title a decade earlier in 1951, a rare successful defense. Hogan did not enter for five years and made his final U.S. Open appearances in 1966 and 1967.


1961 U.S. Open (golf)
The South Course previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1924, 1937, and 1951. It later hosted in 1985 and 1996, and the PGA Championship in 1972, 1979, and 2008.


1961 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round
At the start of the final round on Saturday afternoon, Littler was at 213 (+3), three strokes behind 54-hole leader Sanders. After a 34 on the front-nine, Littler tied the lead with a birdie at 11. With a birdie at 13 combined with a Sanders bogey at the same hole, Littler was two strokes ahead. Sanders rebounded with a birdie at 16 to move within one. As Littler and Sanders reached the 18th, Goalby had already posted a 282 total, two off the pace.