At A Glance

23 October 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
23 October 1959 was a Friday.
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 23 October is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 October 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 October 1959 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 23 October

  • 1955 Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm defeats former emperor Bảo Đại in a referendum and founds the Republic of Vietnam.
  • 1955 The people of the Saar region vote in a referendum to unite with West Germany instead of France.
  • 1956 Secret police shoot several anti-communist protesters, igniting the Hungarian Revolution.
  • 1958 Belgian artist Peyo's comic characters, the Smurfs, make their debut in Spirou magazine.
  • 1965 Vietnam War: The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, launches an operation seeking to destroy Communist forces during the siege of Plei Me.

Famous people born on 23 October

  • Margaret Qualley, American actress (born 1994)
  • Ryan Reynolds, Canadian-American actor and producer (born 1976)
  • Emilia Clarke, English actress (born 1986)
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic, American comedy musician, writer, and actor (born 1959)

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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