1961 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1961 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

*Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II
*Prime Minister - Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party

Events

* 1 January - The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
* 9 January - British authorities announce that they have discovered a large Soviet spy ring in London.
* 5 February - Sunday Telegraph first published.cite book|title=Penguin Pocket On This Day|publisher=Penguin Reference Library|isbn=0-141-02715-0|year=2006]
* 19 February - Police break up a demonstration outside the Belgian embassy in London protesting about the murder of the ex-Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/19/newsid_2748000/2748931.stm|title="Lumumba rally clashes with UK police" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
* 13 March
** the five members of the Portland Spy Ring go on trial at the Old Bailey accused of passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/13/newsid_4059000/4059209.stm|title="Five Britons accused of spying for Moscow" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
** Black and white £5 notes cease to be legal tender.
* 21 March - The Beatles perform at the legendary Cavern Club for the first time.
* 27 April - Sierra Leone gains independence from the UK. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/27/newsid_2502000/2502411.stm|title="Sierra Leone wins independence" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
* 1 May - Betting shops are legalised.cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan & Veronica |year=1992 |title= The Chronology of British History|publisher= Century Ltd|location=London|isbn= 0-7126-5616-2]
* 8 May - George Blake is sentenced to 42 years imprisonment for spying, having been found guilty of being a double agent who was in the pay of the Soviet Union.
* 28 May - Peter Benenson's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
* 19 June - The British protectorate ends in Kuwait and it becomes an emirate.
* 27 June
** Michael Ramsey enthroned as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury.
** Kuwait requests British help; the United Kingdom sends in troops.
* 21 July - the Runcorn Widnes Bridge (later known as the Silver Jubilee Bridge) over the River Mersey opened by Princess Alexandra.
* 10 August - Britain applies for membership in the EEC.
* 16 August - The play "Lady Chatterley" by John Harte - based on D.H.Lawrence's novel - opened at The Arts Theatre in London and was well reviewed by west end theatre critic Harold Hobson.
* 23 August - Police launch a man hunt for the perpetrator of the A6 murder, who killed 36-year-old Michael Gregsten and paralysed his mistress Valerie Storie. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/23/newsid_3013000/3013236.stm|title="Couple found shot in A6 lay-by" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
* 4 September - James Pitman's Initial Teaching Alphabet tested in a number of schools.
* 17 September - Police arrest over 1,300 protesters in Trafalgar Square during a CND rally.
* 10 October - the population of the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha evacuated to Britain because of a volcanic eruption.
* 25 October - The first edition of "Private Eye", the British satirical magazine, is published.
* 27 November - Royal Air Force participates in air drops of food to flood victims in Somalia. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/27/newsid_3230000/3230711.stm|title="RAF flies aid to flood-stricken Somalia" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
* 4 December - Birth control pills become available on the National Health Service after their availability is backed by Health Minister Enoch Powell. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/4/newsid_3228000/3228207.stm|title="Birth control pill available to all" BBC On This Day|accessdate=2008-02-10]
* 9 December - Tanganyika gains independence from the UK. [CIA_World_Factbook_link|tz|Tanzania. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.]

Undated

* Jaguar launches its new E Type sports car, available as a two-seater roadster and 2+2 coupe.

Publications

* Agatha Christie's novel "The Pale Horse".
* Ian Fleming's James Bond novel "Thunderball".
* Richard Hughes' novel "The Fox in the Attic".
* Iris Murdoch's novel "A Severed Head".
* Muriel Spark's novel "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".
* Evelyn Waugh's novel "Unconditional Surrender", last of the Sword of Honour trilogy.

Births

January - April

* 1 January - Mark Wingett, British actor
* 12 January - Simon Russell Beale, British actor
* 13 January - Suggs, British singer (Madness)
* 31 January - Lloyd Cole, British singer and songwriter
* 16 February -Andy Taylor, British musician (Duran Duran)
* 20 February - Imogen Stubbs, British actress
* 24 February - John Grogan, British Labour politician
* 3 March - Fatima Whitbread, British javelin thrower and Olympic medalist
* 29 March - Michael Winterbottom, British filmmaker
* 14 April - Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor
* 17 April - Bella Freud, British fashion designer and columnist
* 18 April - Jane Leeves, English actress
* 20 April - Nicholas Lyndhurst, actor

May - August

* 2 May - Phil Vickery, British celebrity chef
* 8 May - Janet McTeer, British actress
* 12 May - Billy (William H) Duffy, English guitarist (The Cult)
* 14 May - Tim Roth, English actor
* 30 May - Harry Enfield, English comedian
* 5 June - Rosie Kane, member of Scottish Parliament
* 13 June - Bob Crow, British trade union leader
* 14 June - Boy George, English musician
* 15 June - Dave McAuley, Northern Irish boxer
* 25 June - Ricky Gervais, English comedian
* 27 June - Meera Syal, British comedian and writer
* 1 July - Diana, Princess of Wales (d. 1997)
* 17 July - Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio panelist, and singer
* 3 August - Nicholas Harvey, English politician
* 22 August - Roland Orzabal, English musician Tears for Fears)

eptember - December

* 13 September - Tom Holt, British author
* 22 September - Liam Fox, British Conservative politician and Shadow Defence Secretary
* 26 September - Will Self, English novelist, reviewer and columnist
* 3 November - David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, chairman of Christie's U.K. auction house
* 4 November - Nigel Worthington, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
* 9 November - Jill Dando, television newsreader (died 1999)
* 16 November - Frank Bruno, British boxer
* 20 November - Dave Watson, English footballer
* 26 November - Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria, British Asian entrepreneur and university chancellor
* 28 November - Martin Clunes, actor
* 11 December - Marco Pierre White, British chef and restaurateur
* 12 December
** Sarah Sutton, British actress
** Philip Parkin, Welsh golfer
* 19 December - Matthew Waterhouse, British actor
* 29 December - Jim Reid, Scottish musician

Unknown dates

* Sexton Ming, British artist, poet and musician
* Graham Taylor, British clergyman and author
* Gerard Woodward, British novelist and poet

Deaths

* 26 January - Stan Nichols, English cricketer (born 1900)
* 6 March - George Formby, British singer, comedian and actor (born 1904)
* 8 March - Thomas Beecham, English conductor (born 1879)
* 7 April - Vanessa Bell, English artist and interior designer (born 1879)

References

ee also

* UK No.1 Hits of 1961
* List of Statutory Instruments of the United Kingdom, 1961
* Society of Film and Television Arts Television Awards 1961