At A Glance

21 February 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
21 February 1959 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “As I Love You” by Shirley Bassey.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 21 February is Pisces.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 February 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for February is Amethyst.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 February 1959 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 21 February

  • 1948 NASCAR is incorporated.
  • 1952 The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free".
  • 1952 The Bengali language movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
  • 1958 The CND symbol, aka peace symbol, commissioned by the Direct Action Committee in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom.
  • 1971 The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.

Famous people born on 21 February

  • Harald V, King of Norway (1937–2026)
  • Elliot Page, Canadian actor (born 1987)
  • Sophie Turner, English actress (born 1996)
  • Alan Rickman, English actor and director (1946–2016)

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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