At A Glance

21 January 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
21 January 1959 was a Wednesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “The Day the Rains Came” by Jane Morgan.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 21 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 January 1959 fell in the Year of the Dog.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 January 1959 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 21 January

  • 1951 The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives.
  • 1954 The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
  • 1960 Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia, with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey, on board.
  • 1963 The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation.
  • 1968 Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.

Famous people born on 21 January

  • Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Princess of Norway (born 2004)
  • Geena Davis, American actress and producer (born 1956)
  • Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (1869–1916)
  • IShowSpeed, American YouTuber and online streamer (born 2005)

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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