At A Glance

1 January 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
1 January 1959 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)” by The Chipmunks with David Seville.
Top Film of 1959
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1959 was Ben-Hur.
Bestselling Novel of 1959
“Exodus” by Leon Uris was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1959.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Gunsmoke” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1959–60 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 1 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 1 January 1959 fell in the Year of the Dog.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 1 January 1959 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 1 January

  • 1957 George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
  • 1957 Lèse majesté in Thailand is strengthened to include "insult" and changed to a crime against national security, after the Thai criminal code of 1956 went into effect.: 6, 18
  • 1958 The European Economic Community is established.
  • 1959 Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces.
  • 1960 Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.

Famous people born on January 1

  • Noah Kahan, American singer-songwriter (born 1997)
  • J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1895–1972)
  • Angourie Rice, Australian actress (born 2001)
  • Lamine Camara, Senegalese footballer (born 2004)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1959 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1959 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 3 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state (see History of Alaska).
  • January 12 – The Motown record label is founded as Tamla by Berry Gordy in Detroit.
  • May 8 – The first Little Caesars pizza restaurant is opened by Mike Ilitch and his wife Marian in Garden City, Michigan.
More events of 1959 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1959

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gas (per gallon)

$0.31

Loaf of Bread

$0.20

Average House

$11,500

Weekly Wage

$83

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Michael Jackson29 August 1958Singer & songwriterView their day →Anthony Bourdain25 June 1956Chef & television personalityView their day →Bruce Willis19 March 1955ActorView their day →Madonna16 August 1958SingerView their day →Annette Bening29 May 1958ActressView their day →Robin Williams21 July 1951Actor & comedianView their day →Steve Jobs24 February 1955Entrepreneur & co-founder of Apple Inc.View their day →Prince7 June 1958MusicianView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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