March 26, 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 26, 1961
NY Times Headlines — Week of March 26, 1961
President To See Macmillan Today On Crisis In Laos; Kennedy Flies To Florida For Hastily Arranged Talk With Prime Minister Sends Note To France Gromyko Slated To Deliver Khrushchev Message At White House Tomorrow President To See Macmillan Today
Kennedy And Macmillan Appeal To Soviet To Back Neutral Laos; Rusk Asks Seato To Meet Crisis; Full Agreement President Holds Talk With British Chief At Key West President And Prime Minister Confer In Florida On Laos Situation U.S. And Britain Appeal To Soviet
Red Bloc Warns Of 'War Danger' In West Germany; Warsaw Pact Powers Press Demand For Peace Treaty With Both Germanys Laos Issue Secondary Parley In Moscow Stresses Disarmament But Drafts A Military Build-Up Red Bloc Charges Bonn War Threat
British See Peril In South Vietnam; Home Reports 'A Very Real Danger' Of Red Coup British See Peril In South Vietnam
World Events — March 1961
Time Person of the Year — 1961
On the radio
Billboard Charts — March 26, 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 26, 1961
On the field
Sports Champions — March 26, 1961
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