1961

Doctor Who Universe

 * Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union becomes the first Human to travel into space, at least officially. (DW: The Seeds of Death).
 * UNIT's predecessor, Great Britain's Intrusion Countermeasures Group is formed. Group leader Ian Gilmore begins training his men. (MA: Who Killed Kennedy)

January

 * 7 - The Avengers debuts on British television. The series was devised by Sydney Newman, who would next go on to create Doctor Who. During its run (which would last until 1969), the series would play host to many guest actors who would also appear on Doctor Who, and many scriptwriters for the series would also write for The Avengers, including Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke.

May

 * 17 - Corey Johnson, who played Henry van Statten in Dalek, is born in America.

December

 * 12 - 'Sarah Sutton, who played companion Nyssa, is born.
 * 19 - Matthew Waterhouse, who played companion Adric, is born at Hertford, England, UK.

Unknown dates

 * Mark Strickson, who portrayed companion Vislor Turlough, is born at Stratford-upon-Avon.
 * Steven Moffat, the acclaimed writer and Doctor Who Executive Producer and head writer is born in Paisley, Scotland.