Tsar Bomba — hydrogen aerial bomb tested in 1961 by the Soviet Union; most powerful nuclear weapon ever created

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