At A Glance

17 October 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
17 October 1959 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 October 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 October 1959 was Full Moon.

On this day: 17 October

  • 1952 Indonesian Army elements surrounded the Merdeka Palace demanding President Sukarno disband the Provisional People's Representative Council.
  • 1956 The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield, England.
  • 1961 The first attempt of the apartheid analogy by Ahmad Shukeiri.
  • 1965 The 1964–65 New York World's Fair closes after two years and more than 51 million attendees.
  • 1969 The Caravaggio painting Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence is stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo.

Famous people born on 17 October

  • Eminem, American rapper, producer, and actor (born 1972)
  • Norm Macdonald, Canadian actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter (1959–2021)
  • Rita Hayworth, American actress, singer and dancer (1918–1987)
  • Matthew Macfadyen, English actor (born 1974)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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.
More events of 1959 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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.

Richard E. Grant5 May 1957ActorView their day →Gary Oldman21 March 1958Actor & filmmakerView their day →Anthony Head20 February 1954ActorView their day →Phil Collins30 January 1951Drummer & singerView their day →Bonnie Tyler8 June 1951SingerView their day →Liam Neeson7 June 1952ActorView their day →Emma Thompson15 April 1959Actress & screenwriterView their day →Rowan Atkinson6 January 1955Actor & comedianView their day →

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

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