At A Glance

12 June 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
12 June 1959 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton.
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 12 June is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 June 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for June is Pearl.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 June 1959 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 12 June

  • 1944 World War II: Battle of Carentan: American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division secure the town of Carentan, Normandy, France.
  • 1963 The film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, is released in US theaters. It was the most expensive film made at the time.
  • 1964 Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela's original 5-year sentence is extended to life sentence for high treason together with Denis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Andrew Mlangeni, Elias Motsoaledi and Walter Sisulu in the Rivonia Trial for sabotage in South Africa.
  • 1967 The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws that prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional.
  • 1975 State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain: Judge Jagmohanlal Sinha rules against Indira Gandhi in a case on her election to the Indian Parliament, and that she should be banned from holding any public office, triggering a political crisis.

Famous people born on June 12

  • George H. W. Bush, American lieutenant and politician, 41st President of the United States (1924–2018)
  • Dave Franco, American actor (born 1985)
  • Anne Frank, German-Dutch diarist; victim of the Holocaust (1929–1945)
  • Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychologist, professor and cultural critic (born 1962)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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.

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

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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