At A Glance

8 October 1959 at a glance

Day of the week
8 October 1959 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin.
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 8 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 October 1959 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 October 1959 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 8 October

  • 1956 The New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series.
  • 1962 Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, leading to accusations of treason.
  • 1969 The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago.
  • 1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature.
  • 1973 Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions.

Famous people born on October 8

  • Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1970)
  • Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1985)
  • Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player (born 2002)
  • Sigourney Weaver, American actress and producer (born 1949)

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.
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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