When This Dropped

October 3, 1961

President
Kennedy
Dow (EOY)
731
Gas/gal
$0.31
Min Wage
$1.15

That fall of 1961, gas ran $0.31 a gallon and Kennedy was in the White House — the Soviet Union was pushing hard on the question of Germany and Khrushchev was signaling he wanted a direct meeting with Kennedy to resolve it. On television, "Gunsmoke" remained the country's top-rated show, while at the movies audiences were filling seats for "The Hustler," and Ray Charles had the number one song in the country with "Hit The Road Jack." The New York Yankees won the World Series that October, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, and just weeks later test pilot Robert White set a world air speed record of 4,093 miles per hour in an X-15 rocket plane.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — October 3, 1961

New York Times
Time
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of October 3, 1961

Canada Asks U. N. To Insist On End Of Nuclear Tests; Canada Bids U. N. Act On Atom Tests

Mme. Khrushchev Tells Marchers Soviet Is 'Not Getting Ready For War'; Mme. Khrushchev Meets Marchers

Sharp Reduction In Troops Likely If Crisis Recedes; Prospect Disturbs The Army -- Pentagon Said To Plan 53-Billion Budget For '63 Troop Cut Likely If Crisis Recedes

President Sees Gromyko 2 Hours; Progress Scant; Blunt Parley In White House Yields No Encouragement For New Negotiations Berlin Access A Topic Kennedy Says Soviet Offers 'Apple For An Orchard' On Germany And Laos Kennedy Presses Gromyko In Talk

World Events — October 1961

Time Person of the Year — 1961

U.S. Scientists
Person of the Year
U.S. Scientists

On the radio

Billboard Charts — October 3, 1961

Take Good Care Of My Baby
Bobby Vee
Hot 100 #1
"Take Good Care Of My Baby"
Bobby Vee
Days Of Wine And Roses
Andy Williams
Billboard 200 #1
"Days Of Wine And Roses"
Andy Williams

Grammy Awards

Judy at Carnegie Hall
Judy Garland
Grammy Album of the Year
"Judy at Carnegie Hall"
Judy Garland
Moon River
Henry Mancini
Grammy Song of the Year
"Moon River"
Henry Mancini
Moon River
Henry Mancini
Grammy Record of the Year
"Moon River"
Henry Mancini
Peter Nero
Grammy Best New Artist
Peter Nero

On the bookshelf

The Agony and the Ecstasy
Irving Stone
NYT Fiction #1
"The Agony and the Ecstasy"
Irving Stone
The Making of the President 1960
Theodore H. White
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"The Making of the President 1960"
Theodore H. White
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
Harper Lee
The Waters of Kronos
Conrad Richter
National Book Award Fiction
"The Waters of Kronos"
Conrad Richter
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
William L. Shirer
National Book Award Nonfiction
"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"
William L. Shirer

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1961–62 Season

Gunsmoke
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1961–62 Season

Emmy Winners — 1961

The Defenders
Emmy Drama Series
The Defenders
The Bob Newhart Show
Emmy Comedy Series
The Bob Newhart Show
E.G. Marshall
The Defenders
Emmy Lead Actor
E.G. Marshall
The Defenders
Shirley Booth
Hazel
Emmy Lead Actress
Shirley Booth
Hazel

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — October 3, 1961

Come September
Box Office #1
Come September
The Apartment
Oscar Best Picture
The Apartment
Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins
West Side Story
Oscar Best Director
Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins
West Side Story
Maximilian Schell
Judgment at Nuremberg
Oscar Best Actor
Maximilian Schell
Judgment at Nuremberg
Sophia Loren
Two Women
Oscar Best Actress
Sophia Loren
Two Women

On the field

Sports Champions — October 3, 1961

NFL Champion
Green Bay Packers
AFL Champion
Houston Oilers
World Series
New York Yankees
def. Cincinnati Reds
NBA Champion
Boston Celtics
def. St. Louis Hawks
Stanley Cup
Chicago Blackhawks
def. Detroit Red Wings

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