At A Glance

20 June 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
20 June 1959 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Roulette” by Russ Conway.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 June is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 June 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for June is Pearl.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 June 1959 was Full Moon.

On this day: 20 June

  • 1945 The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
  • 1948 In Western Allied-occupied Germany, the Currency Reform of 1948 goes into effect, introducing the Deutsche Mark. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later.
  • 1960 The Mali Federation gains independence from France (it later splits into Mali and Senegal).
  • 1963 Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called "red telephone" link between Washington, D.C., and Moscow.
  • 1972 Watergate scandal: An 18+1⁄2-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.

Famous people born on 20 June

  • Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress (born 1967)
  • John Goodman, American actor (born 1952)
  • Lionel Richie, American singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor (born 1949)
  • Frank Lampard, English footballer (born 1978)

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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