Venera 1 Launch
The Soviet planetary programme launches Venera 1 toward Venus, beginning a long series of dedicated Venus missions.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1961 in Russia
Explore 77 historical events and records for Russia in 1961.
Historical records for Russia in 1961
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 77 unique records.
77Unique records
1 of 2Page
36Named events on this page
6Named people on this page
6Places on this page
February
March
First Secretary
Appointed First Secretary of the Komsomol Krai Committee
Komsomol
Appointed First Secretary of the Komsomol Krai Committee
April
1st Orbit of the Earth
1st man to orbit the Earth, Vostok -1
First Human Spaceflight
The achievement marks first human spaceflight as an important Russian scientific milestone.
Vostok
1st man to orbit the Earth, Vostok -1
Vostok 1
Pilots Vostok 1 during the first human journey into outer space.
Yuri Gagarin First Human Spaceflight
Yuri Gagarin completes the first human orbital spaceflight, a major Soviet achievement under Khruschev.
Gagarin Kremlin Celebration
Hosts national celebrations for Yuri Gagarin after the first human orbital flight.
Soviet Protest over Cuban Invasion
Khrushchev protests the invasion, calls on Kennedy to end the attack and promises assistance to Cuba.
May
Capital Punishment for Economic Crimes
Soviet law expands capital punishment to specified major economic crimes.
Reform of Capital Punishment
Capital punishment is extended to include economic crime
June
Crisis
Meets Kennedy & will settle with East Germany if the west signs a peace Treaty
Vienna Summit with Kennedy
Meets President John F. Kennedy in Vienna for tense discussions on Berlin, Laos and nuclear issues.
Renewed Berlin Deadline
Renews pressure for a German peace settlement and threatens a separate treaty with East Germany.
Vienna Summit Laos Agreement
Agrees with Kennedy on the goal of a neutral Laos governed by a coalition rather than direct superpower confrontation.
Conference of Vienna
Russia & the USA agree to enforce a truce within their areas of influence. Kennedy & Khrushchev meet to avoid direct confrontation between USA & Russia
July
Budget
Announces the Defence budget will be increased by 30%
Defense Budget Increase
Announces a major increase in Soviet defense spending during the renewed Berlin confrontation.
Visit to To Britain where he is greeted by
Begins a visit to Britain where he is greeted by ectstatic crowds
August
First Full Day in Orbit
The achievement marks first full day in orbit as an important Russian scientific milestone.
Vostok 2
Pilots Vostok 2 on a flight lasting more than twenty-four hours.
Vostok 2 Flight
The Soviet Union launches Gherman Titov on Vostok 2 for a day-long orbital mission.
Crisis
The Warsaw Pact calls on East Germany for "protection & control" of the Berlin borders
Warsaw Pact Backs Berlin Border Controls
Warsaw Pact governments support East German measures to tighten controls around Berlin.
Warsaw Pact Organisation
The Warsaw Pact calls on East Germany for "protection & control" of the Berlin borders
East Berlin Border Closure
Supports East German measures sealing the border between East and West Berlin.
Berlin Wall
The border between East & West is sealed off
Crisis
The border between East & West is sealed off
Berlin Wall
Construction of the Berlin Wall begins
Construction of Berlin Wall
The fortified Berlin Wall begins taking shape after the initial closure of the sector boundary.
Crisis
Construction of the Berlin Wall begins
Soviet Nuclear Testing Resumed
Ends the Soviet nuclear testing moratorium and orders a new series of weapons tests.
September
Democratic Programme
Kerensky records his position on democratic programme in exile.
October
Constitution of Russia
The Central Committee plenum adopts a new Party programme replacing that of 1919
Party of the Whole People Doctrine
The new party programme describes the CPSU as the party of the whole people rather than solely the proletariat.
Reform of Government
Defined as a party of the whole people rather than a dictatorship of the proletariat
Congress of Communist Party, 21st
By 1980 "distribution according to need" should be in place
Congress of Communist Party, 22nd
Proposes a 20 year plan to usher in a communist society
Twenty-Second Party Congress Opens
Opens the Twenty-Second Party Congress and renews public criticism of Stalin-era repression.
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.