ATV in the UK. January 30 – President John F. Kennedy delivers his first State of the Union Address. January 31 – Ham, a 37-pound (17-kg) male chimpanzee, is rocketed into space aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, in a test of the Project Mercury spacecraft, designed to carry United States astronauts into space. February February 1 – The United States tests its first Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missile. February 4 – The Portuguese Colonial War begins in Angola. February 5–9 – In Congo, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu names Joseph Iléo as the new Prime Minister. February 9 – The Beatles at The Cavern Club: Lunchtime – The Beatles perform under this name at The Cavern Club for the first time following their return to Liverpool from Hamburg, George Harrison's first appearance at the venue. On March 21 they begin regular performances here. February 12 – The USSR launches Venera 1 towards Venus. February 13 – The Congo government announces that villagers have killed Patrice Lumumba. February 14 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized in Berkeley, California. February 15 United States President John F. Kennedy warns the Soviet Union to avoid interfering with the United Nations' pacification of the Congo. Sabena Flight 548 crashes near Brussels, Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team and several coaches. The total solar eclipse of February 15, 1961, visible in the southern part of Europe, occurs. February 26 – Hassan II is pronounced King of Morocco. March March–April – Drilling for Project Mohole is undertaken off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico. March 1 – United States President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps. March 3 – Hassan II is crowned King of Morocco. March 8 Max Conrad circumnavigates the earth in 8 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new world record. The first U.S. Polaris submarines arrive at Holy Loch in Scotland. March 11 – "Barbie" gets a boyfriend, when the "Ken" doll is introduced in the United States. March 13 Black and white £5 notes cease to be legal tender in the UK. 1961 Kurenivka mudslide: A dam bursts in Kiev, USSR, killing 145. United States delegate to the United Nations Security Council Adlai Stevenson votes against Portuguese policies in Africa. United States President John F. Kennedy proposes a long-term "Alliance for Progress", between the United States and Latin America. Cyprus joins the