What Happened in Apr 1961

The Beatles visit Hamburg for a second time

The Beatles returned to Hamburg in April 1961, performing at the Top Ten Club again. They were recruited by singer Tony Sheridan (who also had a... Read more

"Saturday Night And Sunday Morning" Is Released

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a 1960 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe. Sillitoe wrote the screenplay... Read more

Gary Player wins the 25th Masters Tournament and becomes the first non-American to win the Masters

Getting the ball up and down from the bunker at No. 18, Gary Player held off Arnold Palmer and amateur Charles Coe to become the Masters first... Read more

FDA Approves AstraZeneca's Elavil

Elavil is the discontinued brand name for Amitriptyline that was manufactured by Astrazeneca. Elavil is a tricyclic antidepressant with sedative... Read more

First Human in Space

Vostok 1 (Russian: Восток-1, East 1 or Orient 1) was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The... Read more

United States B-26B Invader Bombers Attack Three Cuban Airfields

At about 06.00 Cuba local time on 15 April 1961, eight Douglas B-26B Invader bombers in three groups, simultaneously attacked three Cuban... Read more

Chicago Blackhawks win Stanley Cup

The 1961 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago was making its first appearance since 1944 in... Read more

CIA/Brigade 2506 Invasion Fleet Converges on "Rendezvous Point Zulu" South of Cuba

Following the air strikes on airfields on April 15, 1961, the FAR managed to prepare for armed action at least four T-33s, four Sea Furies and five... Read more

33rd Academy Awards

The 33rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1960, were held on April 17, 1961 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica,... Read more

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion (known as La Batalla de Girón in Cuba), was an unsuccessful attempt by a U.S.-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade... Read more

Second Day of Bay of Pigs Invasion

By about 10.30 on 18 April, Cuban troops and militia, supported by tanks, took Playa Larga after Brigade forces had fled towards Girón in the early... Read more

Third Day of the Bay of Pigs Invasion

The final air attack mission (code-named Mad Dog Flight) comprised five B-26s, four of which were manned by American CIA contract air crews and... Read more

Fourth Day of the Bay of Pigs Invasion

From 19 April until about 22 April, sorties were flown by A4D-2Ns to obtain visual intelligence over combat areas. Reconnaissance flights are also... Read more