At A Glance

16 December 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
16 December 1959 was a Wednesday.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 December 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 December 1959 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 16 December

  • 1944 World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
  • 1968 Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
  • 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the Pakistan Army brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India respectively.
  • 1971 The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's National Day.
  • 1972 The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is enacted.

Famous people born on 16 December

  • Theo James, English actor (born 1984)
  • Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter (born 1997)
  • Jane Austen, English novelist (1775–1817)
  • Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess, Queen Consort of England (1485–1536)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1959 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1959 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 7 January – Dáil Éireann debated a motion that Éamon de Valera's position as controlling director of the Irish Press newspaper could be regarded as incompatible with his duties as Taoiseach.
  • 23 January – The government was considering the introduction of a pay-as-you-earn system of income tax.
  • 8 April – James Dillon of the Fine Gael party wanted to abolish compulsory Irish language studies at school as he felt they were counter-productive.

Life in Ireland in 1959

Taoiseach

Seán Lemass

Petrol (per litre)

2s 4d/gal

Loaf of Bread

7½d

Average House

£2,100

Weekly Wage

£5 5s

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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