1961

1961 is a year in the Gregorian calendar, the chronological system most widely used in the world. It was a common year with 365 days, not a leap year. It falls within the 20th century, during the Cold War period, when the two blocs—the United States and the Soviet Union—competed for global influence.

The year is remembered for independence movements in Africa and Asia, political changes in divided Europe, and advances in space exploration. Among the most notable events were humanity's first spaceflight and the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Space exploration

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, orbiting the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. The following month, the United States sent Alan Shepard on a brief suborbital flight. That same year, US President John F. Kennedy presented to Congress the goal of landing humans on the Moon before the end of the decade.

Berlin and the Cold War

In August 1961, the government of East Germany began constructing a wall and barrier separating East Berlin from West Berlin. Its purpose was to stop people from leaving toward the West. The wall became the most iconic symbol of the division of Europe during the Cold War. That year also saw the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, which was backed by the United States but failed.

Independence and new states

1961 was a period when many African countries gained independence. Sierra Leone and Tanganyika obtained independence from the British Crown. That same year, the city of Belgrade hosted the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which aimed to enable newly independent states to stay outside the two blocs.