On this day

September 18, 1961

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from September 18, 1961

1,140 Jailed in London Atom Protest; 1,140 ARE JAILED IN ATOM PROTEST

By Drew Middleton Special To the New York Times

LONDON, Monday, Sept. 18 -- The most ambitious British demonstration against nuclear arms ended early today in Trafalgar Square after 1,140 persons had been arrested. An attempt by the Committee of 100 to focus national attention on the movement against nuclear weapons end ed with Government officials and the demonstrators claiming victory.

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Notable Births

James Gandolfini

1961James Gandolfini, American actor and producer (died 2013)[†]

James John Gandolfini was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series The Sopranos (1999–2007). For this role, he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. His role as Tony Soprano has been described as one of the greatest and most influential performances in television history.

1961Konstantin Kakanias, Greek-American painter and illustrator[†]

Konstantin Kakanias is a contemporary Greek painter and multimedia artist. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles and Greece. Throughout his career Kakanias has created drawings, paintings, sculptures, performances, ceramics and books.

Mark Olson (musician)

1961Mark Olson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist[†]

Mark John Olson is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of alternative country bands The Jayhawks and the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers.

Notable Deaths

Dag Hammarskjöld

1961Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist and diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905)[†]

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second secretary-general of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. As of 2025, he remains the youngest person to have held the post, having been only 47 years old when he was appointed. He was a son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917.

Historical Events

Dag Hammarskjöld

1961U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in an air crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[†]

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second secretary-general of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. As of 2025, he remains the youngest person to have held the post, having been only 47 years old when he was appointed. He was a son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917.

Historical Context for September 18, 1961

In 1961, the world population was approximately 3,064,869,675 people[†]