At A Glance

21 January 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
21 January 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 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)

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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

Éamon de Valera

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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