March 1961 - March 4, 1961 (Saturday)

March 4, 1961 (Saturday)

• The Soviet Union made its first successful test of its V-1000 anti-ballistic missile system, proving that it could intercept an intercontinental ballistic missile. The ICBM, an R-12 Dvina (referred to by NATO as the SS-4), was fired from the Kapustin Yar in southwest Russia. The V-1000 was launched from the Sary Shagan range in thousands of miles to the east, and the intercept took place at an altitude of 80,00 feet over the Kazakh SSR.
• Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower became, once again, a five-star general, as an act of Congress restored him to his former rank of General of the Army.
• The centennial of the presidential inauguration of Abraham Lincoln was observed with a re-enactment at the east front of the U.S. Capitol. A crowd of 20,000 people watched, twice as many as had witnessed the actual event in 1861.
• Born: Ray 'Boom-Boom' Mancini, American boxer best remembered for the tragic 1982 bout with Duk Koo Kim; WBA lightweight champion, 1982–84; in Youngstown, Ohio
• Died: Pudge Wyman, 65, American pro football player credited with the first NFL touchdown (1920)