March 9, 1961
Gas cost $0.31 a gallon in the spring of 1961, and the Dow Jones stood at 731 — a young Navy test pilot named Alan Shepard had just become the first American in space, riding a Freedom 7 capsule on a 15-minute suborbital flight that May and returning to a hero's welcome in Washington. On the cultural front, "Blue Moon" by The Marcels was climbing the charts with its distinctive doo-wop sound, while "The Apartment" had just taken home the Oscar for Best Picture. In sports, the Boston Celtics claimed the NBA championship over the St. Louis Hawks, and on the golf course that April, South African Gary Player became the first non-American to win the Masters Tournament.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — March 9, 1961
NY Times Headlines — Week of March 9, 1961
Soviet Orbits And Returns 5-Ton Satellite With Dog; Animal Is Reported Well After Trips Around Earth -- Moscow Hails Step Toward Man In Space Soviet Recovers Dog In Satellite
World Events — March 1961
Time Person of the Year — 1961
On the radio
Billboard Charts — March 9, 1961
Grammy Awards
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1960–61 Season
Emmy Winners — 1961
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — March 9, 1961
On the field
Sports Champions — March 9, 1961
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