At A Glance

5 May 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
5 May 1959 was a Tuesday.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Star sign
The star sign for 5 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 5 May 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 5 May 1959 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 5 May

  • 1946 The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • 1955 The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
  • 1961 Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
  • 1964 The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
  • 1973 Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.

Famous people born on 5 May

  • Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player (born 1998)
  • Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1957)
  • Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player (born 2003)
  • Henry Cavill, English actor (born 1983)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

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.
More events of 1959 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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.

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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