Rwandan coup d'état
In Gitarama, Rwanda, local and other government officials initiated a coup to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.
Explore 7 historical moments from 1961 — 6 events, 0 birthdays, and 1 notable deaths.
In Gitarama, Rwanda, local and other government officials initiated a coup to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.
A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf killed 238 people.
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to journey into outer space. He completed one orbit of Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
Led by Park Chung-hee, the Military Revolution Committee carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Posun in Seoul, ending the Second Republic of Korea.
On September 18, 1961, an aircraft crashed near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia, killing 16 people, including United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld. The crash remains a subject of investigation.
Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges. These included war crimes and crimes against humanity.
No births recorded for 1961.
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, dies at age 85 in Küsnacht, Switzerland.
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