At A Glance

2 March 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
2 March 1959 was a Monday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” by The Platters 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 2 March is Pisces.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 2 March 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 2 March 1959 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 2 March

  • 1955 Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit.
  • 1962 In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état.
  • 1962 Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
  • 1968 Baggeridge Colliery closes, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country.
  • 1969 In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.

Famous people born on 2 March

  • Chris Martin, English singer-songwriter (Coldplay) (born 1977)
  • Daniel Craig, English actor and producer (born 1968)
  • Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress (born 1981)
  • Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian lawyer and politician, the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union, Nobel Prize laureate (1931–2022)

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.

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

Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

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

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 →