At A Glance

26 September 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
26 September 1959 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny.
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 September is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 September 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for September is Sapphire.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 September 1959 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 26 September

  • 1936 Spanish Civil War: Lluis Companys reshuffles the Generalitat de Catalunya, with the marxist POUM and anarcho-syndicalist CNT joining the government.
  • 1942 Holocaust: Senior SS official August Frank issues a memorandum detailing how Jews should be "evacuated".
  • 1950 Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul from North Korean forces.
  • 1953 Rationing of sugar in the United Kingdom ends.
  • 1960 In Chicago, the first televised debate takes place between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy.

Famous people born on September 26

  • Serena Williams, American tennis player (born 1981)
  • Jim Caviezel, American actor (born 1968)
  • Olivia Newton-John, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress (1948–2022)
  • Linda Hamilton, American actress (born 1956)

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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