Historical Events
- "Donnybrook!" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 68 performances
British Golf Open
British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Arnold Palmer wins the first of 2 consecutive Open Championships, a stroke ahead of Welshman Dai Rees

Arnold Palmer
- Spain accepts equal rights for men and women
Famous Birthdays
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker, actor and director (The Last King of Scotland, Platoon), born in Longview, Texas

Forest Whitaker
- Jean-Christophe Grangé, French writer and screenwriter
- Lolita Davidovich, actress (Blaze, Jungle2Jungle)
- Scott Ritter, UN weapons inspector in Iraq
Famous Deaths
- John E. Brownlee, Canadian politician (b. 1884)
1961 Highlights
About July 15, 1961
Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 59 years, 6 months and 11 days
Leap Year: No
Generation Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Cancer