Monday, March 6, 1961: 'Affirmative action'

Signed by President Kennedy, Executive Order 10925 establishes the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (to be renamed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1964).

Included in its provisions is the first reference to "affirmative action" -- requiring that government contractors give full and fair consideration to previously under-represented groups (i.e., minorities, women) when hiring.

The passage reads: "The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color or national origin. The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin."

* Text of Executive Order 10925 (from www.eeoc.gov): @

* Entry from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: @

* American Association for Affirmative Action: @

* Links to many other related sites: @

* "The Affirmative Action Debate" (book by George E. Curry, Cornel West): @

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March 1961: 'My Favorite Things'

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane takes "The Sound of Music" show tune in a different and memorable direction. The song appeared on the album also called "My Favorite Things," recorded in just 3 days in October 1960 and released in March 1961. The original piece came in at nearly 14 minutes; a shorter version was released as both sides of a 45 record. Billboard magazine described it this way: "Strong wax for modern jazz cats."

* Listen to song: @

* Summary of the making of the album: @

* Listen to "My Favorite Things at 50" (radio documentary): @

* Thesis and musical analysis: @

* "John Coltrane: His Life and Music" (book): @

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Wednesday, March 1, 1961: The Peace Corps

By Executive Order 10924, President Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps "for the training and service abroad of men and women of the United States in new programs of assistance to nations and areas of the world." The volunteer program had been set in motion by Kennedy's speech at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960. (Click here for entry.) On March 4, Kennedy appoints Sargent Shriver (left) as director. The trial program would be approved and funded by Congress on September 22.

* Summary (from the National Archives): @

* Summary (from The Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century): @

* Executive Order: @ and @

* Kennedy transcript and video: @

* March 13 newsreel: @

* Peace Corps website: @

* Peace Corps Digital Library: @

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March 1961: Mad magazine

1961 being the first year since 1881 and the last year until 6009 that reads the same upside down as it does rightside up (with the right typeface, of course).

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Undated: 'When I am an old woman ...'

"Warning" is a 1961 poem by British author Jenny Joseph about the delights of growing older. The first two lines:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

The poem appeared in the 1974 poetry collection "Rose in the Afternoon." In the late 1990s the reference to a red hat inspired the creation of The Red Hat Society.

* Watch Joseph read "Warning": @

* Poem in full: @

* Short biographies of Joseph: @ and @

* Red Hat Society website: @

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Thursday, February 23, 1961: Duncan Carse

Polar explorer Duncan Carse sets up camp on the remote island of South Georgia, about 1,000 miles off the southeastern tip of South America. Carse, who had helped map the island in the 1950s, hoped to stay there -- all alone -- for 18 months and do scientific research. His plan went awry in May when much of his gear was swept away by high waves; he was rescued in September by a passing ship.

Carse also worked for the BBC before and after his expedition. The photo is from 1949, when Carse was the main character's voice on the radio drama "Dick Barton, Special Agent."

Watch "Survival in Limbo" (BBC documentary):

* Part 1: @

* Part 2: @

* Part 3: @

* Part 4: @

* Part 5: @

* Part 6: @

* "An experiment in loneliness" (New Scientist, September 22, 1950): @

* "The Forgotten Man of the Atlantic" (2007 article from The Guardian newspaper): @

* 2004 obituary from The Times newspaper: @

* Obituary from The Telegraph newspaper: @

* South Georgia map: @

* South Georgia government website: @

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Tuesday, February 21, 1961: Electrical resistor

Otis Boykin receives a patent on a versatile, durable, inexpensive electrical resistor, which would find use in such devices as radios, TVs, computers and guided missiles. It was but one of many contributions to electronics by Boykin, who also invented a regulating device for a heart pacemaker.

* Short biography of Boykin (from MIT): @

* Short biography (from the book "African Americans in Science, Math and Invention"): @

* Documents and drawings from United States Patent Office: @

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Thursday, February 16, 1961: DuSable Museum of African American History

What was then called the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art opened its doors in the Chicago home of Charles and Margaret Burroughs (left). It was the first museum in the U.S. devoted to black history and culture. It was later renamed in 1968 to honor Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a Haitian regarded as Chicago's first permanent settler.

* Summary (from Encylopedia of Chicago): @

* Museum website: @

* Watch documentary on museum: @

* Short biography of du Sable from DuSable Heritage Association: @

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Wednesday, February 15, 1961: U.S. figure skating team

The entire U.S. figure skating team -- 18 skaters -- dies when their plane crashes near Brussels, Belgium. The team (along with coaches, officials and family members) was en route to Prague, Czechoslovakia, for the world championships, which were cancelled in the wake of the accident.

* Accident description (from Aviation Safety Network): @

* Crash site footage: @

* U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund (established after crash): @

* "Remembering Flight 548" (2000 series from Boston Globe): @

* Footage of Laurence Owen at U.S. National Championships (January 29, 1961): @

* Sports Illustrated (February 13, 1961) -- Cover: @ Story: @

* "Never to Skate Again" (Life magazine, February 24, 1961): @

* "Rise" (2011 movie): @

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Sunday, February 12, 1961: Venera-1

The Soviet Union launches the first interplanetary exploration spacecraft. Venera-1's mission was to send back information as it flies past Venus. A week after launch, communications with the craft were lost; Venera-1 passed near Venus in May and entered into orbit around the sun.

* NASA summary: @

* "The Soviet Exploration of Venus" (from mentallandscape.com): @

* Summary of Venera program (from Case Western Reserve University): @

* Graphic: @

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Thursday, February 9, 1961: The Beatles at The Cavern Club

The band plays a lunchtime gig at Liverpool's Cavern Club, the first of nearly 300 appearances there through August 1963.

* Summary (from thebeatlesbible.com): @

* Summary (from the book "Beatles-Discography.com"): @

* Account from a club regular: @

* About the club (from cavernclub.org): @

* 1961 appearances and photos (from beatlesource.com): @

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Undated: '7 Days to Better Bowling'

This 1961 album "has been specifically designed to adapt to the schedule of the busy executive or career woman." It includes these instructions: "Listen to the record while in a relaxed, comfortable position. ... Should you be fortunate enough to relax to the point of drowsiness or sleep, you will receive even more rapid benefit ... since the instruction is directed primarily to your sub-conscious mind." However, it also includes this disclaimer: "This recording is for right-handed bowlers only."

* Album front: @

* Album back: @

* Watch Brunswick ad from 1961: @

* Watch 1961 episode of "Jackpot Bowling," hosted by Milton Berle and guest-starring Debbie Reynolds: @ and @

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Saturday, February 4, 1961: Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall

Controversial comedian Lenny Bruce takes the stage at New York's Carnegie Hall at midnight and delivers a nearly two-hour performance that is considered among his finest. It is recorded for the album "The Carnegie Hall Concert."

* Album liner notes: @

* Listen to "How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties" (not part of Carnegie Hall show): @

* Links to books, records, movies: @

* Chronology: @

* The Official Lenny Bruce Website (maintained by his daughter, Kitty Bruce): @

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Friday, February 3, 1961: Operation Looking Glass

The United States' Strategic Air Command sends a specially outfitted Boeing EC-135 plane into the air. Its purpose is to allow the U.S. government to retain control of its nuclear arsenal in the event of an attack on the country, particularly the SAC command post in Omaha, Nebraska. Flying in shifts, EC-135s are aloft 24 hours a day.

* Summary (from nebraskastudies.org): @

* Summary (from Federation of American Scientists): @

* "America's Top-Secret Doomsday Plan" (Popular Mechanics, May 1994): @

* EC-135 entry from Strategic Air and Space Museum: @

* U.S. Strategic Command website: @

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Undated: The films of Sid Davis

A stand-in for John Wayne in several movies, Sid Davis makes a short educational film in 1950 called "The Dangerous Stranger," warning young people to be wary of adults they don't know, and what can happen if they're not. (Wayne put up the money for the production.) Davis would go on to make more than 180 such films. Two of the more memorable were released in 1961: "Boys Beware" (about homosexual predators) and "Girls Beware" (about the risks faced by teenage girls).

* Watch "Boys Beware": @

* Watch "Girls Beware": @

* Watch "Dangerous Stranger": @

* Partial list of movies: @

* Davis talks about his early years in Hollywood: @

* New York Times obituary: @

* Los Angeles Times obituary: @

* "Mental Hygiene: Better Living Through Classroom Films 1945 - 1970" (book by Ken Smith): @

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