UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
24 May 1959 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 24 May 1959 was a Sunday.
- Top Film of 1959
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 24 May is Gemini.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 24 May 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for May is Emerald.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 24 May 1959 was Waning Gibbous.
On this day: 24 May
- 1956 The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.
- 1958 United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
- 1960 Following the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest ever recorded earthquake, Cordón Caulle begins to erupt.
- 1961 American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus.
- 1962 Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
Famous people born on 24 May
- Queen Victoria (1819–1901)
- Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist, writer, and producer; Nobel Prize laureate (born 1941)
- Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman (born 1945)
- Alfred Molina, English actor (born 1953)
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
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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Pierce Brosnan16 May 1953ActorView their day →Brendan Gleeson29 March 1955ActorView their day →Fiona Shaw10 July 1958ActressView their day →Gabriel Byrne12 May 1950ActorView their day →Colm Meaney30 May 1953ActorView their day →Bob Geldof5 October 1951Singer-songwriter & political activistView their day →Catherine Connolly5 November 1955President of IrelandView their day →Shane MacGowan25 December 1957Singer-songwriterView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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