About the day » Thursday August 3, 1961Calender converter

• Freddie Last († 2016)
• Andries Leendert (Dries) Bongaards, De Lier, 2678, Nederland († 2014)
• Yvonne Anna Al. Maria Schoemaker
• Gregory James Killam, Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada († 1962)
• Gerard Johannes Cattel († 1969)
• N.N. van Wagtendonk, Schiedam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland († 1961)
• Jan Kremer, Doodstil, Zandeweer, Kantens, Groningen, Nederland († 2023)
• Cornelia Gertrudis Maria Limmen, Beverwijk († 1981)
• Amy Wade

• Alida Scholten (71), Amsterdam
• Bertha Vandierendonck (76), Blankenberge, West-Vlaanderen, België
• (69), Kjerringvollen. Tovmodal Meråker
• Cornelia Timmermans (81), Gemonde, NL
• Albertus van Ingen (64), Velp, Gelderland, Nederland
• Cornelia Timmermans (81), Boxtel (Boxtel) (Noord-Brabant)
• Albertus van Ingen (64), Velp
• Anne Dijkstra (79), Groningen, Nederland
• Catharina Gerdina Vromans (81), Roosendaal, Gemeente Roosendaal, Noord-Brabant, Nederland
• Charlotte Louise TENGBERGEN (77), Baarn (Noord-Holland, Nederland)

• 1959 » John C. McGinley, American actor and producer
• 1959 » Koichi Tanaka, Japanese chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1959 » Martin Atkins, English drummer and producer
• 1959 » Mike Gminski, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1960 » Gopal Sharma, Indian cricketer
• 1960 » Tim Mayotte, American tennis player and coach
• 1961 » Lee Rocker, American bassist
• 1961 » Molly Hagan, American actress
• 1961 » Nick Harvey, English politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
• 1963 » Tasmin Archer, English pop singer

• 1949 » Ignotus, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1869)
• 1954 » Colette, French novelist and journalist (b. 1873)
• 1958 » Peter Collins, English race car driver (b. 1931)
• 1959 » Herb Byrne, Australian footballer (b. 1887)
• 1961 » Hilda Rix Nicholas, Australian artist (b. 1884)
• 1964 » Flannery O'Connor, American short story writer and novelist (b. 1925)
• 1966 » Lenny Bruce, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
• 1968 » Konstantin Rokossovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union during World War II (b. 1896)
• 1969 » Alexander Mair, Australian politician, 26th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1889)
• 1972 » Giannis Papaioannou, Turkish-Greek composer (b. 1913)

• Koningin Juliana (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from September 4, 1948 till April 30, 1980 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from May 19, 1959 to July 24, 1964 the cabinet De Quay, with Prof. dr. J.E. de Quay (KVP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 11.6 million citizens.
• January 8 » In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria.
• March 9 » Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.
• April 11 » The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
• August 1 » U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation's first centralized military espionage organization.
• December 9 » Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain.
• December 31 » RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.

The temperature on August 3, 1961 was between 8.1 °C and 19.1 °C and averaged 14.6 °C. There was 0.5 mm of rain during 1.6 hours. There was 8.3 hours of sunshine (54%). The partly or heavily clouded was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the west-southwest.