October 20, 1961
1961 Formula One season — sports season
Combined oral contraceptive pill — birth control method that includes a combination of an estrogen (estradiol) and a progestogen (progestin)
1961 Cannes Film Festival — film festival edition
EuroBasket 1961 — Basketball tournament
1961 event in Athens, Georgia
Armed conflict in Myanmar
1961 school shooting in Kungälv, Sweden
Eurovision Song Contest 1961 — 6th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest
International treaty on recreational drugs
33rd Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1960