Editing 1961 (section)

===October===
{{Main|October 1961}}
* [[October 1]]
** [[Unification Day (Cameroon)]]: The formerly British [[Southern Cameroons]] gains independence from the United Kingdom by vote of the UN General Assembly and joins with formerly French Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of [[Cameroon]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Diane|last=Cook|title=Cameroon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jn7TBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT95|year=2014|publisher=Mason Crest|isbn=978-1-4222-9434-5|page=95}}</ref>
** Baseball player [[Roger Maris]] of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run in the last game of the season, against the [[Boston Red Sox]], setting a new record for the longer baseball season. The record for the shorter season is still held by Babe Ruth.
*[[October 5]] &ndash; [[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (film)]] is theatrically released by [[Paramount Pictures]], to critical and commercial success.
* [[October 10]] &ndash; A volcanic eruption on [[Tristan da Cunha]] causes the whole population to be evacuated to Britain, where they will remain until 1963.
* [[October 12]] &ndash; The [[death penalty]] is abolished in New Zealand.
* [[October 17]] &ndash; [[Paris massacre of 1961]]: French police in Paris attack about 30,000 protesting a curfew applied solely to [[Algeria]]ns. The official death toll is 3, but human rights groups claim 240 dead.
* [[October 18]] &ndash; ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' is released as a film in the United States.
* [[October 19]] &ndash; The [[Arab League]] takes over protecting [[Kuwait]]; the last British troops leave.
* [[October 25]] &ndash; The first edition of ''[[Private Eye]]'', the British satirical magazine, is published.
* [[October 26]] &ndash; [[Cemal Gürsel]] becomes the fourth president of Turkey (his former title is head of state and government; he is elected as president by constitutional referendum).
* [[October 27]]
** An [[armistice]] begins in [[Katanga Province|Katanga]], [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Congo]].
** [[Mongolia]] and [[Mauritania]] join the [[United Nations]].
** [[Berlin Crisis of 1961|Berlin Crisis]]: Confrontation at [[Checkpoint Charlie]] &ndash; A standoff between [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and American tanks in Berlin, Germany, heightens [[Cold War]] tensions.
** [[Fahrettin Özdilek]] becomes the acting prime minister of Turkey.
* [[October 29]]
** [[GMA Network|DZBB-TV Channel 7]], the Philippines' third TV station, is launched.
** [[Devrim]], the first ever [[car]] designed and produced in [[Turkey]], is released. The project has been completed in only 130 days almost from scratch, a period including decision on the project, research, design, development and production of four vehicles.
* [[October 30]]
** [[Nuclear weapons testing]]: The [[Soviet Union]] detonates a 58-megaton yield [[hydrogen bomb]] known as [[Tsar Bomba]], over [[Novaya Zemlya]] (it remains the largest ever man-made explosion).
** The [[Note Crisis]]: The Soviet Union issues a diplomatic note to Finland, proposing military co-operation.
* [[October 31]]
** [[Hurricane Hattie]] devastates [[Belize City]], [[Belize]] killing over 270. After the hurricane, the capital moves to the inland city of [[Belmopan]].
** [[Joseph Stalin]]'s body is removed from the [[Lenin Mausoleum]] in Moscow.