Beatles, The
The Beatles make their debut at the Cavern Club
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1961 in Great Britain
Explore 154 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1961.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1961
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 154 unique records.
154Unique records
1 of 4Page
25Named events on this page
23Named people on this page
10Places on this page
January
Reform of Currency
The farthing ceases to be legal tender
Birth of Peter Andrew Beardsley
Birth of Peter Andrew Beardsley
February
Cavern Club
The Beatles make their Cavern Club debut in Liverpool.
Cavern Club
Performs when the Beatles make their Cavern Club debut.
Cavern Club
The Beatles make their Cavern Club debut in Liverpool.
Cavern Club
Performs when the Beatles make their Cavern Club debut.
Cavern Club
The Beatles make their Cavern Club debut in Liverpool.
Cavern Club
Performs when the Beatles make their Cavern Club debut.
March
Holy Loch
The American Polaris submarine USS Patrick Henry reaches Holy Loch as the United States establishes a forward submarine base in Scotland
Water Tower Speech
Addresses the National Association for Mental Health and argues for replacing large isolated mental hospitals with community-based care.
Birth of William Hague
Birth of William Hague
Holy Loch
The British Government defends the use of Holy Loch as a base for American Polaris submarines
Meeting with Kennedy
Meets Kennedy but finds out the US does not need a "broker" with Russia
April
Governor-General Appointed
Becomes first Governor-General and representative head of state at independence
Head of State Representative
Represents the monarch as Sierra Leone begins independence as a Commonwealth realm
May
St John Signs as Central Attacking Figure
Ian St John joined Liverpool from Motherwell in May 1961, supplying goals and link-up play as Shankly pursued promotion from the Second Division.
1961 FA Cup Final Goalkeeping Appearance
Banks plays in goal for Leicester City in the 1961 FA Cup final at Wembley, where Tottenham Hotspur win 2-0 to complete their league-and-cup double.
Consecration
Consecrates Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
Consecrates Guildford Cathedral
Amnesty International
Benenson and Baker, in consultation with other writers, academics and lawyers, write via Louis Blom-Cooper to David Astor, editor of The Observer newspaper, who, on May 28, 1961, publishes Benensons article The Forgotten Prisoners.
Amnesty International
Marks the launch of Appeal for Amnesty, 1961, the aim of which is to mobilize public opinion, quickly and widely, in defence of these individuals, and in particular communist party members, who Benenson named "Prisoners of Conscience".
Amnesty International
Benenson and Baker, in consultation with other writers, academics and lawyers, write via Louis Blom-Cooper to David Astor, editor of The Observer newspaper, who, on May 28, 1961, publishes Benensons article The Forgotten Prisoners.
Amnesty International
Marks the launch of Appeal for Amnesty, 1961, the aim of which is to mobilize public opinion, quickly and widely, in defence of these individuals, and in particular communist party members, who Benenson named "Prisoners of Conscience".
Appeal for Amnesty
Marks the launch of Appeal for Amnesty, 1961, the aim of which is to mobilize public opinion, quickly and widely, in defence of these individuals, and in particular communist party members, who Benenson named "Prisoners of Conscience"
Prisoners of Conscience
Marks the launch of Appeal for Amnesty, 1961, the aim of which is to mobilize public opinion, quickly and widely, in defence of these individuals, and in particular communist party members, who Benenson named "Prisoners of Conscience"
Archbishop
Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Death of Michael Barne
Death of Michael Barne
June
Elizabeth II entertains President Kennedy
Elizabeth II entertains President Kennedy
Beatles, The
A single "My Bonnie" by Tony Sheridan & backing by The Beatles is released in Germany
Beatles, The
A single "My Bonnie" by Tony Sheridan & backing by The Beatles is released in Germany
Beatles, The
A single "My Bonnie" by Tony Sheridan & backing by The Beatles is released in Germany
July
Birth of Diana
Birth of Diana, Princess of Wales, youngest daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later John Spencer, Eighth Earl Spencer, and his first wife, France's Spencer, Viscountess Althorp
Peerage
Is created Earl of Avon and enters the House of Lords
Beatles, The
Brian Epstein orders 144 copies of "Cry For A Shadow", written by George Harrison
Beatles, The
Brian Epstein orders 144 copies of "Cry For A Shadow", written by George Harrison
Yeats Recruited to Lead the Defence
Shankly signed Ron Yeats from Dundee United in July 1961, and the commanding centre-half later became Liverpool captain.
Amnesty International
Benenson and his friend Alec Digges, an Irish communist, members of the International Brigade Association at the same address (2 Parton Street WC1, London) take control of the Amnesty shell. Amnesty International is founded by Peter Benenson, an English lawyer who had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1958
September
Inaugural League Cup Victory
Villa defeats Rotherham United 3-2 on aggregate in the first League Cup final.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.