What happened in 1959
69 entries recorded for 1959, listed by date. That was 67 years ago.
1959 at a glance
- Years ago
- 67 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1950s
- Generation born
- Baby Boomers
- Entries here
- 69
- Breakdown
- 69 historical events
January
- January 2
Luna 1
The Soviet Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon, was launched by a Vostok rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
- January 7
Cuba
The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
- January 11
Lufthansa Flight 502
36 people are killed when Lufthansa Flight 502 crashes on approach to Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport in Brazil.
- January 26
Chain Island
The 41-acre (17 ha) Chain Island is listed for sale by the California State Lands Commission, with a minimum bid of $5,226.
- January 29
Melodifestivalen
The first Melodifestivalen is held at Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden.
- January 30
Saiq
The forces of the Sultanate of Muscat occupy the last strongholds of the Imamate of Oman, Saiq and Shuraijah, marking the end of Jebel Akhdar War in Oman.
- January 30
MS Hans Hedtoft
Danish ocean liner MS Hans Hedtoft sank, resulting in the deaths of all 95 passengers and crew.
February
- February 2
Ural Mountains
Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
- February 3
Buddy Holly
Rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson are killed in a plane crash along with the pilot near Clear Lake, Iowa, an event later known as The Day the Music Died.
- February 3
American Airlines Flight 320
Sixty-five people are killed when American Airlines Flight 320 crashes into the East River on approach to LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
- February 3
Rock and roll
American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash (wreckage pictured) shortly after takeoff from Mason City Municipal Airport in Iowa.
- February 6
Jack Kilby
Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.
- February 6
Cape Canaveral
At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
- February 16
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba, beginning his decades-long rule over the country.
- February 17
Vanguard 2
Vanguard 2 (model pictured), the first weather satellite, was launched to measure cloud cover distribution.
- February 19
Cyprus
The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
- February 20
John Diefenbaker
Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro CF-105 Arrow (pictured) interceptor-aircraft program amid much political debate.
- February 20
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow
The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
- February 22
Lee Petty
Lee Petty won the first edition of the Daytona 500, a NASCAR auto race at the Daytona International Speedway (pictured) in Florida.
- February 28
Discoverer 1
Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit.
March
- March 9
Barbie
The popular fashion doll Barbie debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.
- March 10
1959 Tibetan uprising
An anti-Chinese uprising began as thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Potala Palace in Lhasa to prevent the Dalai Lama from leaving or being removed by the Chinese army.
- March 18
1959 Tibetan uprising
Tibetan uprising: After the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge at Sera Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, Chinese forces bombarded the monastery, inflicting severe destruction and killing hundreds of Buddhist monks.
- March 18
Hawaii Admission Act
The Hawaii Admission Act is signed into law.
- March 25
Chain Island
Chain Island is sold by the State of California to Russell Gallaway III, a Sacramento businessman who plans to use it as a "hunting and fishing retreat", for $5,258.20 ($58,072 in 2025).
- March 28
State Council of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the government of Tibet.
- March 30
14th Dalai Lama
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.
- March 31
Dalai Lama's escape from China
After a two-week escape journey from Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama reached the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in India.
April
- April 8
Grace Hopper
A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
- April 8
Computer science
A team of computer scientists and others met to discuss the creation of a common business-oriented programming language, which became COBOL.
- April 8
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
- April 9
NASA
NASA announced the selection of the Mercury Seven, the first astronauts in Project Mercury.
- April 25
St. Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping.
May
- May 16
Tritons' Fountain
The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks, was turned on for the first time.
- May 30
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge officially opened, connecting the suburbs of Saint Marys Bay and Northcote in Auckland, New Zealand, across Waitematā Harbour.
June
- June 9
USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
- June 14
Disneyland Monorail
Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in Anaheim, California.
- June 20
Extratropical cyclone
The extratropical remnants of an Atlantic hurricane reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, causing 22 fishing boats to capsize and killing 35 people.
July
- July 1
B. Anthony Stewart
B. Anthony Stewart is credited with the first image on the cover of National Geographic featuring the 49-star flag of the United States after Alaska's admission to the Union as a U.S. state.
- July 21
International Mathematical Olympiad
The inaugural International Mathematical Olympiad, the leading mathematical competition for pre-university students, began in Romania.
- July 24
Nikita Khrushchev
Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. vice president Richard Nixon held an impromptu debate (pictured) at the opening of the American National Exhibition at Sokolniki Park in Moscow.
- July 27
Continental League
The Continental League is announced as baseball's "third major league" in the United States.
August
- August 3
PIDE
Portugal's state police force PIDE fires upon striking workers in Bissau, Portuguese Guinea, killing over 50 people.
- August 17
Miles Davis
American musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz recordings of all time.
- August 21
President of the United States
United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day.
- August 26
1959 Coatzacoalcos earthquake
The Coatzacoalcos earthquake struck near the Mexican state of Veracruz, killing 25 people.
- August 29
Mona Best
Mona Best opened the Casbah Coffee Club with a performance by the Quarrymen, the precursor of the Beatles.
- August 30
Phan Quang Đán
South Vietnamese opposition figure Phan Quang Dan is elected to the National Assembly despite soldiers being bussed in to vote for President Ngo Dinh Diem's candidate.
- August 30
Abdul Muis
Writer and politician Abdul Muis became the first person to be awarded the posthumous title of National Hero of Indonesia.
- August 30
South Vietnam
South Vietnamese opposition figure Phan Quang Đán was elected to the National Assembly, despite soldiers being bussed in to vote multiple times for President Ngô Đình Diệm's candidate.
- August 31
Letter bomb
A parcel bomb sent by Ngô Đình Nhu (pictured), younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm, failed to kill Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister of Cambodia.
September
- September 13
Luna 2
The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 (model pictured) struck the Moon, the first spacecraft to reach another celestial body.
- September 15
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.
- September 24
TAI Flight 307
TAI Flight 307 crashes during takeoff from Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport in Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, killing 55 people.
- September 25
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon, is mortally shot by a Buddhist monk, Talduwe Somarama, and dies the next day.
- September 26
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
The Cambodian–Vietnamese War formally ended with the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from the People's Republic of Kampuchea, a client state it had implemented to overthrow Democratic Kampuchea and the Khmer Rouge.
- September 26
Typhoon Vera
Japan was struck by Typhoon Vera, the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country, causing damage in excess of US$261 million and more than 5,000 deaths.
October
- October 21
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in New York City.
- October 30
Piedmont Airlines Flight 349
Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 crashes on approach to Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport in Albemarle County, Virginia, killing 26 of the 27 on board.
November
- November 1
Hockey puck
After being struck in the face with a hockey puck, Jacques Plante played the rest of the game wearing a face mask, now mandatory equipment for goaltenders in ice hockey.
- November 1
Dominique Mbonyumutwa
Dominique Mbonyumutwa, one of the few Hutu sub-chiefs in colonial Rwanda, was attacked by Tutsi activists, precipitating the Rwandan Revolution.
- November 15
Clutter family murders
Two men murdered a family in Holcomb, Kansas; the events became the subject of Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, a pioneering work of the true crime genre.
- November 16
National Airlines Flight 967
National Airlines Flight 967 explodes in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico, killing all 42 aboard.
- November 16
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music, a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based on The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
- November 21
Disc jockey
American disc jockey Alan Freed (pictured), who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola scandal.
December
- December 1
Antarctic Treaty System
Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War, banning military activity in the Antarctic and setting the continent aside as a scientific preserve.
- December 3
Flag of Singapore
The current flag and coat of arms of Singapore (pictured) were adopted, six months after the island became self-governing within the British Empire.
- December 13
List of archbishops of Cyprus
Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus.
- December 29
Richard Feynman
American physicist Richard Feynman gave a speech entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" at Caltech, anticipating the field of nanotechnology.
Questions about 1959
What happened in 1959?
This site records 69 entries for 1959, including Luna 1 on January 2. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1959?
67 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1959 turns 67 this year.
Which century is 1959 in?
1959 falls in the 20th century, in the 1950s.
Which generation was born in 1959?
Baby Boomers (1946–1964). Born in the post-war birth surge.
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