At A Glance

26 April 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
26 April 1959 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Come Softly to Me” by The Fleetwoods.
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 26 April is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 April 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 April 1959 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 26 April

  • 1956 SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas.
  • 1958 Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
  • 1960 Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule.
  • 1962 The British space programme launches its first satellite, the Ariel 1.
  • 1963 In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allow for female participation in elections.

Famous people born on April 26

  • Channing Tatum, American actor and producer (born 1980)
  • Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer (born 1958)
  • Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States (born 1970)
  • Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer (born 1933)

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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