At A Glance

13 April 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
13 April 1959 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Side Saddle” by Russ Conway.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 13 April is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 13 April 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 13 April 1959 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 13 April

  • 1953 CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
  • 1960 The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world's first satellite navigation system.
  • 1964 At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American man to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
  • 1970 At 10:08 PM EST an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed "Odyssey") while en route to the Moon.
  • 1972 The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.

Famous people born on 13 April

  • Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (1743–1826)
  • Ron Perlman, American actor (born 1950)
  • Jonathan Brandis, American actor (1976–2003)
  • Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (1949–2011)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1959 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1959 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 7 May – Scientist and novelist C. P. Snow delivers an influential Rede Lecture on The Two Cultures, concerning a perceived breakdown of communication between the sciences and humanities, in the Senate House, University of Cambridge.
  • 28 May – The Mermaid Theatre opens in the City of London.
  • 1 June – The first episode of Juke Box Jury airs on BBC Television, chaired by David Jacobs.

Life in 1959

Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

10p

Loaf of Bread

7p

Average House

£2,530

Weekly Wage

£13.05

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.

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

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