1961 Snapshot
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The Vibe
Pop Culture
Go-Go Dancing
Slang
"It"
Price Check
Gas: $0.31
Notable Deaths
Ernest Hemingway, Gary Cooper
Music & Style
Surf Rock
World Affairs
Berlin Wall
Bay of Pigs
Yearly Summary
- Global Events: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space; JFK commits the US to landing on the moon. The Berlin Wall is erected overnight. The Bay of Pigs invasion fails in Cuba.
- Culture & Mood: High-stakes Cold War tension balanced by 'Camelot' optimism in the White House. The Freedom Riders begin their challenge to segregated busing.
- Fashion & Slang: Jackie Kennedy's pillbox hats and pearls dominate women's style. To be talented is to have 'it.'
- Fun Fact: 1961 was the first year that 100% of the digits in the year were 'strobogrammatic' (they look the same upside down) until the year 6009!