At A Glance

26 June 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
26 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 26 June is Cancer.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 June 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for June is Pearl.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 June 1959 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 26 June

  • 1955 The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.
  • 1959 Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavyweight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.
  • 1960 The former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland.
  • 1960 Madagascar gains its independence from France.
  • 1963 Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gives his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.

Famous people born on June 26

  • Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (born 1993)
  • Jacob Elordi, Australian actor (born 1997)
  • Aubrey Plaza, American actress (born 1984)
  • Manon Bannerman, Swiss singer and dancer (born 2002)

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.

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

Browse by Year

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →