At A Glance

11 May 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
11 May 1959 was a Monday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Venus” by Frankie Avalon was No. 1 on David Kent's retrospective Australian chart. This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 11 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 11 May 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 11 May 1959 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 11 May

  • 1919 Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
  • 1973 Citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg's charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times are dismissed.
  • 1987 Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
  • 1997 Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
  • 1998 India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran.

Famous people born on 11 May

  • Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress (born 1999)
  • Natasha Richardson, English actress (1963–2009)
  • Lana Condor, American actress (born 1997)
  • Richard Feynman, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (1918–1988)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1959 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1959 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 26 January – (Australia Day) – Darwin was granted city status
  • 12 February – The Melbourne outdoor performance venue the Sidney Myer Music Bowl is officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
  • 15 February – American evangelist Billy Graham begins a tour of Australia.
More events of 1959 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Australia in 1959

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.04

Loaf of Bread

$0.12

Average House

$5,300

Weekly Wage

$13.00

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Angus Young31 March 1955GuitaristView their day →Nick Cave22 September 1957Musician & singerView their day →Pauline Hanson27 May 1954PoliticianView their day →Geoffrey Rush6 July 1951ActorView their day →Deborra-Lee Furness30 November 1955ActressView their day →Chrissy Amphlett25 October 1959SingerView their day →Judy Davis23 April 1955ActressView their day →Malcolm Young6 January 1953GuitaristView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →