At A Glance

8 August 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
8 August 1959 was a Saturday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton 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 8 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 August 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 August 1959 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 8 August

  • 1946 First flight of the nuclear capable Convair B-36, heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft at the time.
  • 1963 Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal £2.6 million in bank notes.
  • 1963 The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), the current ruling party of Zimbabwe, is formed by a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union.
  • 1967 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
  • 1969 At a zebra crossing in London, photographer Iain Macmillan takes the iconic photo that becomes the cover image of the Beatles' album Abbey Road.

Famous people born on 8 August

  • Ryan Garcia, American boxer (born 1998)
  • Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player (born 1981)
  • Dustin Hoffman, American actor and director (born 1937)
  • A'ja Wilson, American basketball player (born 1996)

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

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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)

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