Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– The
European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
*
January 3 – The
West Indies Federation
The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean that ...
is formed.
*
January 4
**
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reache ...
's
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South ...
completes the third overland journey to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
, the first to use powered vehicles.
**
Sputnik 1 (launched on October 4, 1957) falls to Earth from its orbit, and burns up.
*
January 13 –
Battle of Edchera
The Ifni War, sometimes called the Forgotten War in Spain (''la Guerra Olvidada''), was a series of armed incursions into Spanish West Africa by Moroccan insurgents that began in October 1957 and culminated with the abortive siege of Sidi I ...
: The
Moroccan Army of Liberation
The Army of Liberation ( ary, جيش التحرير, translit=Jish Etteḥrir; ber, Aserdas Uslelli, script=Latn) was an organization of various loosely united militias fighting for the independence of Morocco from the French-Spanish coalitio ...
ambushes a Spanish patrol.
*
January 27 – A Soviet-American executive agreement on cultural, educational and scientific exchanges, also known as the "
Lacy–Zarubin Agreement", is signed in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
*1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
– The first successful American
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
,
Explorer 1, is launched into orbit.
February
*
February 1 –
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
and
Syria unite, to form the
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
.
*
February 6 – Seven
Manchester United footballers are among the 21 people killed in the
Munich air disaster in West Germany, on the return flight from a
European Cup game in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. 23 people survive, but 4 of them, including manager
Matt Busby and players
Johnny Berry and
Duncan Edwards, are in serious condition. Busby and Berry will pull through, although Berry will never play again. Edwards dies a fortnight later.
*
February 11
**Marshal
Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to:
* Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty
* Chen Yi (Kuomintang)
Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...
succeeds
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...
as Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs.
**
Ruth Carol Taylor is the first
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
woman hired as a
flight attendant. Hired by
Mohawk Airlines, her career lasts only 6 months, due to another discriminatory barrier – the airline's ban on married flight attendants.
*
February 14 – The
Hashemite
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921 ...
Kingdoms of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
unite in the
Arab Federation, with King
Faisal II of Iraq
Faisal II ( ar, الملك فيصل الثاني ''el-Melik Faysal es-Sânî'') (2 May 1935 – 14 July 1958) was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regici ...
as head of state.
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
*452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
*1440 – The Pru ...
– A
peace symbol
A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph b ...
is designed and completed by
Gerald Holtom
Gerald Herbert Holtom (20 January 1914 – 18 September 1985Westcott, Kathryn (20 March 2008"World's best-known protest symbol turns 50"'' BBC.co.uk (News)'' (Retrieved: 21 February 2010)) was a British artist and designer. In 1958, he designed ...
, commissioned by the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuc ...
, in protest against the
Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
*
February 23
**
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n rebels kidnap five-time world driving champion
Juan Manuel Fangio, releasing him 28 hours later.
**
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ércoli (October 28, 1908 – April 18, 1995) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, teacher and politician, who was elected President of Argentina and ruled between May 1, 1958 and March 29, 1962, when he was overthrown by a ...
is elected president of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
*
February 24 – In
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
Fidel Castro's ''
Radio Rebelde
Radio Rebelde (English: Rebel Radio) is a Cuban Spanish-language radio station. It broadcasts 24 hours a day with a varied program of national and international music hits of the moment, news reports and live sport events. The station was set up ...
'' begins broadcasting from
Sierra Maestra
The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it a ...
.
*
February 17 –
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...
launches the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuc ...
in the UK.
*
February 28 –
Prestonsburg bus disaster: One of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history occurs when a school bus hits a truck and falls into a river, resulting in 27 deaths, 26 of them schoolchildren. Twenty-two others are rescued.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
– Turkish passenger ship capsizes and sinks in the
Gulf of İzmit
Gulf of İzmit ( Turkish: ''İzmit Körfezi''), also referred to as Izmit Bay, is a bay at the easternmost edge of the Sea of Marmara, in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. The gulf takes its name from the city of İzmit. Other cities and towns around ...
, Turkey; at least 300 die.
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
– A British
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South ...
team, led by Sir
Vivian Fuchs
Sir Vivian Ernest Fuchs ( ; 11 February 1908 – 11 November 1999) was an English scientist-explorer and expedition organizer. He led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition which reached the South Pole overland in 1958.
Biography
Fuchs ...
, completes the first overland crossing of the Antarctic, using
snowcat caterpillar tractors and dogsled teams, in 99 days, via the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– The is decommissioned, leaving the United States Navy without an active battleship for the first time since
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
(she is recommissioned October 22, 1988).
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
– A U.S.
B-47
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircr ...
bomber
accidentally drops an
atom bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
on
Mars Bluff, South Carolina
Mars Bluff is an unincorporated community in Florence County, South Carolina, United States that bears the distinction of having been inadvertently bombed with a nuclear weapon by the United States Air Force.
History
Originally known as Marr's ...
. Without a fissile warhead, its conventional explosives destroy a house and injure several people.
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
– The United States launches the
Vanguard 1
Vanguard 1 (Harvard designation: 1958-Beta 2, COSPAR ID: 1958-005B ) is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to be successfully launched, following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1. It was laun ...
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
.
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
– The
Monarch Underwear Company fire occurs in New York, United States, killing 24 people.
*
March 25 – Canada's
Avro Arrow
The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) p ...
makes its maiden flight.
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
** The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
launches
Explorer 3.
** The
30th Academy Awards
The 30th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 26, 1958, to honor the best films of 1957.
The Oscar for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium was awarded to Pierre Boulle for ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', despite the f ...
Ceremony takes place; ''
The Bridge on the River Kwai
''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, th ...
'' wins 7 awards, including
Academy Award for Best Picture.
*
March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
–
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
becomes
Premier of the Soviet Union
The Premier of the Soviet Union (russian: Глава Правительства СССР) was the head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The office had four different names throughout its existence: Chairman of the ...
.
April
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
– In Cuba,
Castro
Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''.
...
's revolutionary army begins its attacks on
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. .
*
April 13 – The satellite
Sputnik 2
Sputnik 2 (, russian: Спутник-2, ''Satellite 2''), or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 (PS-2, russian: Простейший Спутник 2, italic=yes, ''Simplest Satellite 2'') was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on 3 November 195 ...
(launched November 3, 1957) disintegrates during reentry from orbit.
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
–
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (; July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold W ...
wins the
International Tchaikovsky Competition
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...
for
pianists
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...
in Moscow, breaking
Cold War tensions.
*
April 17
Events Pre-1600
*1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
*1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan ...
– King
Baudouin of Belgium officially opens the
world's fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, also known as
Expo 58. The
Atomium
The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the ex ...
forms the centrepiece.
* April 20 – The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey, after 1958 Stanley Cup Finals, defeating the US team the Boston Bruins in 6 games.
* April 21 – United Airlines Flight 736 is involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force North American F-100 Super Sabre, F-100F jet fighter in what is now Enterprise, Nevada; all 49 persons in both aircraft are killed.
May
* May 1
**
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ércoli (October 28, 1908 – April 18, 1995) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, teacher and politician, who was elected President of Argentina and ruled between May 1, 1958 and March 29, 1962, when he was overthrown by a ...
becomes President of Argentina.
** U.S. space scientist James van Allen announces the discovery of Earth's magnetosphere.
** The Nordic Passport Union comes into force.
* May 10 – Interviewed in the Chave d'Ouro café, when asked about his rival António de Oliveira Salazar, Humberto Delgado utters one of the most famous comments in Portuguese political history: "Obviamente, demito-o! (Obviously, I'll sack him!)".
* May 12 – A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada.
* May 13
** May 1958 crisis in France, Crisis in France: Pied-Noir, French Algerian protesters seize government offices in Algiers, leading to a military coup.
** During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President of the United States, Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by Anti-Americanism, anti-American demonstrators.
* May 15 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
* May 18 – An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of .
* May 20 – The
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n government of Fulgencio Batista launches a counteroffensive against Castro's rebels.
* May 22 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first American elected official to be broadcast on color television.
* May 23 –
Explorer 1 ceases transmission.
* May 28 – Real Madrid C.F., Real Madrid beats A.C. Milan 3–2 at Heysel Stadium,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and wins the 1957–58 European Cup.
* May 30 – The bodies of unidentified United States soldiers killed in action during World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National Cemetery.
June
* June 1
** Charles de Gaulle is brought out of retirement at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises to lead France by decree for 6 months.
** Iceland extends its fishing limits to 12 miles (22.2 km).
* June 4 – French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle visits Algeria.
* June 16 – Imre Nagy and other leaders of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956 are hanged for treason, following secret trials.
* June 20 – The iron barque ''Omega'' of Callao, Peru (built in Liverpool, 1887), sinks on passage carrying guano from the Pachacamac Islands for Huacho, the world's last full-rigged ship trading under sail alone.
* June 27 – The Justicialist Party, Peronist Party becomes legal again in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
* June 29 – Brazil national football team, Brazil beats Sweden national football team, Sweden 5–2 in the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final, final game, to win the Association football, football 1958 FIFA World Cup, World Cup in Sweden.
* June 30 – The Ifni War ends in Spanish Sahara.
July
* July 9 – 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami: A 7.8 strike-slip earthquake in Southeast Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reaches on the rim of Lituya Bay.
* July 11 – Count Michael Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde, direct descendant of Samuel Aba, King of Hungary, age 60, is pistol-whipped and murdered over a few hectares of land by Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak Communists, during the collectivization process at his residence in Košické Oľšany, Olcsvar, Slovakia.
* July 12
** The Beatles, at this time known as The Quarrymen, pay 17 shillings and 6 pence to have their first recording session where they record Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day" and "In Spite of All the Danger", a song written by Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
** Henri Cornelis becomes Governor-General of the Belgian Congo, the last Belgian governor prior to independence.
* July 14 – July 14 Revolution in Iraq: Faisal II of Iraq, King Faisal is killed. Abd al-Karim Qasim assumes power.
* July 15 – In Lebanon, 5,000 United States Marines land in the capital Beirut in support of the pro-Western government.
* July 24 – Fourteen life peerages, the first under the Life Peerages Act 1958, are created in the United Kingdom.
* July 26
** Explorer program: Explorer 4 is launched in the United States.
** Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom announces that she is giving her son and heir apparent Charles III, Prince Charles, the customary title of Prince of Wales. The announcement is made at the end of the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, held in Cardiff.
* July 29 – The United States Congress, U.S. Congress formally creates the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
* July 31 – The Protests and uprisings in Tibet since 1950, Tibetan resistance movement against rule by China receives support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
August
* August 3 – The nuclear-powered submarine becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole under water.
* August 6
** Australian athlete Herb Elliott clips almost 3 seconds off the Mile run world record progression, world record for the mile run at Santry Stadium, Dublin, recording a time of 3 minutes 54.5 seconds.
** The Law of Permanent Defense of Democracy, which outlawed the Communist Party of Chile and banned 26,650 persons from the electoral lists, is repealed.
* August 14 – KLM Flight 607-E, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, crashes into the sea with 99 people aboard.
* August 17 – The first Thor-Able rocket is launched, carrying Pioneer 0, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 17. The launch fails due to a first stage malfunction.
* August 18 – Brojen Das from East Pakistan swims across the English Channel in a competition, the first Bangali as well as the first Asian to ever do it. He is first among 39 competitors.
* August 21 – October 15 – Illinois observes the centennial of the Lincoln–Douglas debates.
* August 23 – The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis begins, with the People's Liberation Army's bombardment of Quemoy.
* August 26 – A 1958 Paraguayan general strike, general strike is called in Paraguay.
* August 30 – September 1 – 1958 Notting Hill race riots, Notting Hill race riots: Riots occur between blacks and whites in Notting Hill, London.
September
* September 1 – The first Cod War begins between the United Kingdom and Iceland.
* September 2
** Hendrik Verwoerd becomes the 6th Prime Minister of South Africa.
** China's first television broadcasts start at Beijing Television Station, a predecessor of China Central Television.
* September 4 – Jorge Alessandri is the winner of 1958 Chilean presidential election, Chile's presidential election.
* September 6 – Paul Robeson performs in concert at the Soviet Young Pioneer camp Artek (camp), Artek.
* September 12 – Jack Kilby invents the first integrated circuit, while working at Texas Instruments.
* September 14 – Two Mohr Rocket, rockets designed by German engineer Ernst Mohr (the first German post-war rockets) reach the upper atmosphere.
* September 18 – BankAmericard, the first credit card to be widely offered, is launched in Fresno, California in what becomes known as the "Fresno Drop".
* September 27
** Typhoon Ida (1958), Typhoon Ida kills at least 1,269 in Honshū, Japan.
** Hurricane Helene (1958), Hurricane Helene, the worst storm of the North Atlantic hurricane season, reaches category 4 status.
* September 28 – In the 1958 French constitutional referendum, a majority of 79% says yes to the constitution of the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic.
* September 30 – The U.S.S.R. performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
October
* October – GoldStar, as predecessor for LG Electronics, founded in South Korea.
* October 1
** Tunisia and Morocco join the Arab League.
** NASA starts operations and replaces the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA in the United States.
* October 2 – Guinea declares itself independent from France.
* October 4
** The new Constitution of France is signed into law, establishing the French Fifth Republic.
** British Overseas Airways Corporation uses the new De Havilland Comet jets, to become the first airline to fly jet passenger services across the Atlantic.
* October 11 – ''Pioneer 1'', the second and most successful of the 3 project Pioneer program, Able space probes, becomes the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA.
* October 13 – Penelope Coelen, Penny Coelen is crowned Miss World 1958 during the 8th Miss World Pageant, the first South African to win the title.
* October 16 – The long-running BBC Television children's programme ''Blue Peter'' is first broadcast.
* October 17 – ''An Evening with Fred Astaire'', the first television show recorded on color videotape, is broadcast on NBC in the United States.
* October 18 – ''Tennis for Two'', a game invented by William Higinbotham and considered to be the first pure entertainment computer game, is introduced at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Visitors' Day Exhibit in the United States.
* October 23 – The Nobel Committee announces Russian novelist Boris Pasternak as the winner of the 1958 Prize for Literature.
* October 26 – A Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 makes its first transatlantic flight.
* October 28 – Pope John XXIII succeeds Pope Pius XII, as the 261st pope.
November
* November 3
** The new UNESCO building, World Heritage Centre, is inaugurated in Paris.
** Jorge Alessandri is sworn in as President of Chile.
* November 10 – The bossa nova is born in Rio de Janeiro, with João Gilberto's recording of ''Chega de Saudade''.
* November 10 – Harry Winston donates the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.
* November 18 – En route to Rogers City, Michigan, the Lake freighter breaks up and sinks in a storm on Lake Michigan; 33 of the 35 crewmen on board perish.
* November 20 – The Jim Henson Company is founded as The Muppets, Muppets, Inc. in the United States.
* November 22 – 1958 Australian federal election: Robert Menzies' Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal/National Party of Australia, Country Coalition (Australia), Coalition Menzies Government (1949-66), Government is re-elected with a slightly increased majority, defeating the Australian Labor Party, Labor Party led by H.V. Evatt. This is the first election where television was used as a medium for communicating with voters. Evatt will eventually resign as Labor leader and will be 1960 Australian Labor Party leadership election, replaced by his deputy Arthur Calwell.
* November 25 – French Sudan gains autonomy as a self-governing member of the French Community, French colonial empire.
* November 28 – Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon become autonomous republics within the French colonial empire.
* November 30 – Gaullism, Gaullists win the 1958 French legislative election, French parliamentary election.
December
* December 1
** Our Lady of the Angels School fire: 90 students and 3 nuns are killed in a fire in Chicago.
** Adolfo López Mateos takes office as President of Mexico.
* December 14 – The ''3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition'' becomes the first ever to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility.
* December 15 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, Arthur L. Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes, Charles H. Townes of Bell Laboratories publish a paper in ''Physical Review, Physical Review Letters'' setting out the principles of the optical laser.
* December 16
** A fire breaks out in the Vida Department Store in Bogotá, Colombia and kills 84 persons.
** Soviet Union, Soviet polar pilot V. M. Perov on Li-2 rescues four Belgian polar explorers, led by Gaston de Gerlache, who have survived a plane crash in Antarctica 250 km from their base five days earlier.
* December 18
** The United States launches SCORE (satellite), SCORE, the world's first communications satellite.
** The Bell XV-3 Tiltrotor makes the first true mid-air transition from vertical helicopter-type flight to fully level fixed-wing flight.
* December 19 – A message from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower is broadcast from the SCORE (satellite), SCORE satellite.
* December 21 – General Charles de Gaulle is elected president of France with 78.5% of the votes.
* December 24 – 1958 BOAC Bristol Britannia crash: A BOAC Bristol Britannia (312 G-AOVD) crashes near Winkton, England, during a test flight, killing nine people. Three crew members survive.
* December 28 – In American football, the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23–17 to win the 1958 NFL Championship Game, NFL Championship Game, the first to go into Sudden death (sport), sudden death Overtime (sport), overtime and "The Greatest Game Ever Played".
* December 29 – Battle of Santa Clara: Rebel troops under Camilo Cienfuegos and Che Guevara begin to invade Santa Clara, Cuba.
* December 30 – The Guatemalan Air Force fires on Mexican fishing boats which had strayed into Guatemalan territory, triggering the Mexico–Guatemala conflict.
* December 31
** Tallies reveal that, for the first time, the total of passengers carried by air this year exceeds the total carried by sea in transatlantic service.
** After the fall of Santa Clara, Cuban President Fulgencio Batista flees the country.
Date unknown
* Denatonium, the bitter (taste), bitterest substance known, is discovered. It is used as an aversive agent in products such as bleach to reduce the risk of children drinking them.
Births
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian-American hip-hop/rap DJ
*
January 4 – Matt Frewer, Canadian-American actor (''Max Headroom'')
* January 6 – Shlomo Glickstein, Israeli tennis player
* January 7 – Yasmin Ahmad, Malaysian film director, writer and scriptwriter (died 2009)
* January 8 – Betsy DeVos, American businesswoman and politician, 11th Secretary of Education
* January 9 – Mehmet Ali Ağca, Turkish militant, would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II
* January 10 – Samira Said, Moroccan singer
* January 15 – Boris Tadić, Serbian president
* January 20 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor, martial artist and reality show participant
* January 21 – Hussein Saeed, Hussein Saeed Mohammed, Iraqi football player
* January 24 – Jools Holland, British musician
* January 26
** Anita Baker, American soul and R&B singer
** Ellen DeGeneres, American actress, comedian, and television host
* January 28 – Maitê Proença, Brazilian actress
February
* February 4 – Tomasz Pacyński, Polish writer (died 2005)
* February 8 – Marina Silva, Brazilian politician
* February 9 – Cyrille Regis, English footballer (died 2018)
* February 10 – Ricardo Gareca, Argentine footballer and manager
*
February 11 – Regina Maršíková, Czechoslovakian tennis player
* February 13 – Pernilla August, Swedish actress
* February 16
** Ice-T, American rapper, songwriter, and actor
** Andriy Bal, Ukrainian football player and coach (died 2014)
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
*452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
*1440 – The Pru ...
** Jack Coleman (actor), Jack Coleman, American actor and screenwriter
** Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer
* February 26
** María Casal, Spanish actress
** Susan Helms, American astronaut
* February 27 – Maggie Hassan, U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
*
February 28 – Natalya Estemirova, Russian activist (died 2009)
March
* March 3 – Miranda Richardson, English actress
* March 4 – Patricia Heaton, American actress
* March 5 – Andy Gibb, English singer, songwriter, performer, and teen idol (died 1988)
* March 7 – Rik Mayall, English comedian and actor (died 2014)
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– Gary Numan, British singer
* March 10
** Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
** Frankie Ruiz, Puerto Rican singer (died 1998)
* March 14
** Bruno Dumont, French film director and screenwriter
** Albert II, Prince of Monaco
* March 20 – Holly Hunter, American actress
* March 21 – Gary Oldman, English actor and filmmaker
* March 24 – Roland Koch, German politician
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
** Elio de Angelis, Italian racing driver (died 1986)
** Hala Fouad, Egyptian actress (died 1993)
*
March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
– Jessica Soho, Philippine television celebrity and reporter
* March 28
** Bart Conner, American gymnast
** Curt Hennig, American professional wrestler (died 2003)
* March 30
** Lucy Turnbull, Lord Mayor of Sydney, wife of Malcolm Turnbull
** Maurice LaMarche, Canadian voice actor and comedian
* March 31 – Dietmar Bartsch, German politician
April
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
– Alec Baldwin, American actor
* April 4
** Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer (d. 1990)
** Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thai billionaire businessman (d. 2018)
* April 10 – Yefim Bronfman, Russian-born pianist
* April 11
** Hussniya Jabara, Israeli Arab politician
** Luc Luycx, Belgian coin designer
* April 12 – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian athlete
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
– Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor
* April 15 – Benjamin Zephaniah, British writer and musician
* April 21
** Andie MacDowell, American actress
** Yoshito Usui, Japanese manga artist (Crayon Shin-chan) (d. 2009)
* April 24 – Susan Tsvangirai, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (d. 2009)
* April 25 – Luis Guillermo Solís, President of Costa Rica
* April 26 – Giancarlo Esposito, Italian-American actor
* April 29
** Sergey Goryunov, Russian football coach and former Soviet player
** Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
May
* May 4 – Keith Haring, American artist (died 1990)
* May 10
** Rick Santorum, American politician
** Ellen Ochoa, American astronaut, first Hispanic woman to go into space
* May 12 – Dries van Noten, Belgian designer
* May 20 – Jane Wiedlin, American musician and actress
* May 23 – Drew Carey, American comedian and actor
* May 25 – Paul Weller, English singer-songwriter
* May 26 – Margaret Colin, American actress
* May 27 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer and songwriter
* May 29
** Annette Bening, American actress
** Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist (died 2011)
* May 30 – Marie Fredriksson, Swedish rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (died 2019)
June
* June 1 – Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Mongolian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Mongolia
* June 2 – Lex Luger, former American professional wrestler
* June 3 – Margot Käßmann, Lutheran theologian, German bishop
* June 5 – Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, Comoroan businessman and politician, President of Comoros 2006-2011
* June 7 – Prince (musician), Prince, African-American musician (died 2016)
* June 14 – Eric Heiden, American speed skater with five Olympic gold medals
* June 15 – Wade Boggs, American baseball player
* June 17 – Jello Biafra, American punk musician and activist (Dead Kennedys)
* June 18 – Peter Altmaier, German jurist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany
* June 19 – Sergei Makarov (ice hockey), Sergei Makarov, Russian ice-hockey player and coach
* June 22
** Rocío Banquells, Mexican pop singer and actress
** Bruce Campbell, American actor, producer, writer and director
* June 24 – Tommy Lister Jr., American actor and professional wrestler (died 2020)
* June 25 – Serik Akhmetov, 8th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
* June 27 – Magnus Lindberg (Finnish composer), Magnus Lindberg, Finnish composer
* June 29 – Rosa Mota, Portuguese long-distance runner
* June 30
** Karl Friesen, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
** Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish conductor and composer
** Irina Vorobieva, Russian pair skater
** Vasil Yakusha, Belarusian rower
July
* July 1 – Tom Magee, Canadian world champion powerlifter and strongman competitor
* July 2
** Pavan Malhotra, Indian actor
** Rainer Hasler, Liechtensteiner footballer (died 2014)
* July 3 – Didier Mouron, Swiss artist
* July 5
** Bill Watterson, American cartoonist (Calvin and Hobbes)
** Kyoko Terase, Japanese voice actress
* July 6 – Jennifer Saunders, British comedian and actress
* July 7 – Michala Petri, Danish recorder player
* July 8
** Kevin Bacon, American actor
** Neetu Singh, Indian actress
* July 10 – Fiona Shaw, Irish actress
* July 12 – Valery Kipelov, Russian music artist and composer
* July 13 – Arun Pandian, Indian film actor, director, producer and politician
* July 14 – Jujie Luan, Chinese-Canadian fencer
* July 15 – Jörg Kachelmann, Swiss presenter, journalist and entrepreneur in the meteorological field
* July 16 – Michael Flatley, Irish-born dancer
* July 17 – Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong second wave filmmaker
* July 19
** Azumah Nelson, Ghanaian boxer
** Jonathan Lee (musician), Jonathan Lee, Taiwanese musician
* July 20 – Bala Garba Jahumpa, Gambian politician
* July 22 – Tatsunori Hara, Japanese professional-baseball coach and player
* July 27
** Margarethe Schreinemakers, German television presenter
** Christopher Dean, British ice dancer and Olympian
* July 28 – Terry Fox, Canadian athlete and cancer activist (died 1981)
* July 30 – Kate Bush, English singer-songwriter
* July 31 – Mark Cuban, American entrepreneur and basketball team owner
August
* August 1
** María Ignacia Benítez, Chilean politician (died 2019)
** Adrian Dunbar, Irish actor and director
* August 2 – Shō Hayami, Japanese voice actor and singer
* August 3 – Lambert Wilson, French actor
* August 5 – Andriy Fedetskyi, Ukrainian football player (died 2018)
* August 7
** Bruce Dickinson, English musician (Iron Maiden)
** Russell Baze, Canadian/American champion jockey
* August 10 – Rami Hamdallah, Palestine politician
* August 16
** Angela Bassett, African-American actress
** Madonna, American-born singer, songwriter, and actress
* August 17 – Belinda Carlisle, American singer
* August 18
** Reg E. Cathey, African-American actor (died 2018)
** Madeleine Stowe, American actress
* August 19 – Brendan Nelson, Australian politician
* August 22 – Colm Feore, American-born Canadian actor
* August 24 – Steve Guttenberg, American actor
* August 25 – Tim Burton, American film director
* August 27
** Normand Brathwaite, African-Canadian comedian and television and radio host
**Kathy Hochul, American politician, Governor of New York
* August 29
** Michael Jackson, African-American singer, songwriter and dancer (died 2009)
** Lenny Henry, English comedian and actor
* August 31 – Julie Brown, American actress
September
* September 2 – Zdravko Krivokapić, Montenegrin politician, Prime Minister of Montenegro
* September 6 – Jeff Foxworthy, American comedian, actor and author
* September 10
** Chris Columbus (filmmaker), Chris Columbus, American film director/writer/producer
** Siobhan Fahey, Irish singer (Bananarama, Shakespears Sister)
* September 11 – Julia Nickson-Soul, Singapore actress
* September 13 – Paweł Przytocki, Polish conductor
* September 16 – Jennifer Tilly, Canadian/American actress
* September 17 – Janez Janša, 2-Time Prime Minister of Slovenia
* September 18 – Rachid Taha, Algerian singer and activist (died 2018)
* September 19 – Lita Ford, British musician
* September 21 – Bruno Fitoussi, French poker player
* September 22
** Andrea Bocelli, Italian tenor
** Joan Jett, American rock musician
* September 24
** Kevin Sorbo, American actor
** Eamonn Healy, Irish chemist
* September 27
** Shaun Cassidy, American actor, producer and screenwriter
** Irvine Welsh, Scottish writer
* September 29
** Eduardo Cunha, Brazilian politician, former President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
** Tom Buhrow, German journalist and intendant of the WDR
October
* October 3 – Chen Yanyin, Chinese sculptor
* October 5 – Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist and science communicator
* October 8 – Ursula von der Leyen, German politician, President of the European Commission
* October 10 – Tanya Tucker, American singer
* October 13 – Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist (died 2018)
* October 14 – Peter Kloeppel, German television journalist
* October 16
** Noel Cleal, Australian rugby league player
** Tim Robbins, American actor and film director
* October 17 – Alan Jackson, American country singer and songwriter
* October 20
** Mark King (musician), Mark King, English pop-rock guitarist and singer (Level 42)
** Viggo Mortensen, Danish-American actor
* October 25 – Kornelia Ender, German swimmer
* October 26 – Pascale Ogier, French actress (died 1984)
* October 27 – Simon Le Bon, English rock singer
* October 28 – Raúl Pellegrin, Chilean revolutionary, leader of Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (died 1988)
* October 29
** Blažej Baláž, Slovak painter
** Stefan Dennis, Australian actor & singer
* October 31 – Jeannie Longo, French cyclist
November
* November 5 – Robert Patrick, American actor
* November 7 – Dmitry Kozak, Russian politician and deputy Prime Minister of Russia
* November 10 – Vicky Rosti, Finnish singer, former Eurovision contestant
* November 12
** Megan Mullally, American actress, singer and media personality
** Hiromi Iwasaki, Japanese singer
* November 14 – Sergio Goyri, Mexican actor
* November 16
** Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Kyrgyzstan
** Marg Helgenberger, American actress
** Boris Krivokapić, Serbian academic
* November 17 – Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress and singer
* November 18
** Laura Miller, American politician
** Oscar Nunez, Cuban-American actor and comedian
* November 18 – Daniel Brailovsky, Argentine-born Israeli footballer and manager
* November 22
** Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
** Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, Sultan of Johor
* November 25 – Alice Cohen, American singer and fine artist
* November 27 – Tetsuya Komuro, Japanese music producer and songwriter
* November 30 – Juliette Bergmann, Dutch bodybuilder
December
* December 1
** Charlene Tilton, American actress
** Javier Aguirre, Mexican football player and manager
* December 2 – Mina Asami, Japanese actress
* December 6 – Nick Park, English filmmaker and animator
* December 10
** Cornelia Funke, German author
** Annelore Zinke, East German gymnast
* December 11 – Nikki Sixx, American rock musician
* December 12
** Monica Attard, Australian journalist
** Lucie Guay, Canadian canoer
** Dag Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian musician
** Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
* December 14 – François Zocchetto, French politician
* December 15 – Alfredo Ormando, Italian writer (died 1998)
* December 16 – Katie Leigh, American voice actress
* December 18 – Julia Wolfe, American composer
* December 25
** Dimi Mint Abba, Mauritanian musician and singer (died 2011)
** Rickey Henderson, African-American baseball player
** Alannah Myles, Canadian singer-songwriter
* December 26 – Mieko Harada, Japanese actress
* December 29 – Lakhdar Belloumi, Algerian football player
* December 31 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
Deaths
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Edward Weston, American photographer (born 1886)
*
January 3 – Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (born 1877)
*
January 4 – Archie Alexander, American designer and governor (born 1888)
* January 7
** Margaret Anglin, Canadian stage actress (born 1876)
** Petru Groza, Romanian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Romania and head of the State (born 1884)
* January 8
** Mary Colter, American architect (born 1869)
** Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (born 1883)
* January 9 – Karl Reinhardt (philologist), Karl Reinhardt, German philologist. (born 1886)
*
January 13
** Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer (born 1880)
** Edna Purviance, American actress (born 1895)
* January 16 – Aubrey Mather, English actor (born 1885)
* January 19 – Cândido Rondon, Brazilian military officer (born 1865)
* January 20 – Ataúlfo Argenta, Spanish conductor and pianist (born 1913)
*
January 27 – Prince Oskar of Prussia (born 1888)
* January 30
** Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (born 1878)
** Ernst Heinkel, German aircraft designer and manufacturer (born 1888)
February
*
February 1 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1881)
*
February 6 – Manchester United footballers killed in
Munich air disaster
** Geoff Bent (born 1932)
** Roger Byrne (born 1929)
** Eddie Colman (born 1936)
** Mark Jones (footballer, born 1933), Mark Jones (born 1933)
** David Pegg (born 1935)
** Frank Swift (born 1913)
** Tommy Taylor (born 1932)
** Liam Whelan, Liam "Billy" Whelan (born 1935)
* February 7 – Walter Kingsford, English actor (born 1882)
* February 10 – Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete (born 1899)
*
February 11 – Ernest Jones, Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst (born 1879)
* February 13
** Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragette (born 1880)
** Georges Rouault, French painter (born 1871)
** Helen Twelvetrees, American actress (born 1908)
*
February 14 – Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (1922–1958), Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (born 1922)
* February 16 – Situ Qiao, Chinese painter (born 1902)
*
February 17 – Marguerite Snow, American actress (born 1889)
* February 20 – Thurston Hall, American actor (born 1882)
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
*452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
*1440 – The Pru ...
** Henryk Arctowski, Polish scientist and explorer (born 1871)
**
Duncan Edwards English footballer, died from injuries sustained in the
Munich air disaster (born 1936)
* February 27 – Harry Cohn, American film producer (born 1891)
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
– Giacomo Balla, Italian painter (born 1871)
* March 6 – Anton Reinthaller, Austrian right wing politician (born 1895)
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– Brian Swift (cricketer), Brian Swift, Australian cricketer, car accident (born 1937)
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
– Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (born 1891)
* March 12 – Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (born 1878)
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
– Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (born 1877)
* March 21 – Cyril M. Kornbluth, American writer (born 1923)
* March 22 (in plane crash)
** Mike Todd, American film producer (born 1909)
** Art Cohn, American screenwriter (born 1909)
* March 23
** Charlotte Walker (actress), Charlotte Walker, American actress (born 1876)
** Florian Znaniecki, Polish philosopher and sociologist (born 1882)
* March 24
** Herbert Fields, American librettist and screenwriter (born 1897)
** Alexandros Hatzikyriakos, Greek admiral and politician (born 1874)
*
March 25
**Adegoke Adelabu, Nigerian politician (born 1915)
** Tom Brown (trombonist), Tom Brown, American musician (born 1888)
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
– Phil Mead, English cricketer (born 1887)
* March 28
** W. C. Handy, African-American blues composer (born 1873)
** Chuck Klein, American baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (born 1904)
April
* April 2
** Willie Maley, Scottish football player and manager (born 1868)
** Jōsei Toda, Japanese educator and activist (born 1900)
* April 4 – María Luisa Sepúlveda, Chilean composer (born 1898)
* April 5 – Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria (born 1884)
* April 8
** Alcibíades Arosemena, Panamanian politician, 15th President of Panama (born 1883)
** George Jean Nathan, American drama critic (born 1882)
** Frank Eaton, American Deputy Marshal (born 1860)
** Frank Kingdon-Ward, English botanist and explorer (born 1885)
* April 15 – Estelle Taylor, American actress (born 1894)
* April 16 – Rosalind Franklin, English crystallographer (born 1920)
*
April 17
Events Pre-1600
*1080 – Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
*1349 – The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan ...
– Rita Montaner, Cuban singer, pianist and actress (born 1900)
* April 18 – Maurice Gamelin, French general (born 1872)
* April 19 – Billy Meredith, Welsh footballer (born 1874)
May
* May 2 – Henry Cornelius, South African-born director (born 1913)
* May 3 – Frank Foster (cricketer), Frank Foster, English cricketer (born 1889)
* May 5 – James Branch Cabell, American writer (born 1879)
* May 7
** Joan Comorera, Spanish politician (born 1894)
** Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian composer, organist and choir conductor (born 1880)
* May 9 – Koshirō Oikawa, Japanese admiral (born 1883)
* May 18 – Jacob Fichman, Israeli poet and essayist (born 1881)
* May 19
** Ronald Colman, English actor (born 1891)
** Marie Pujmanová, Czechoslovak poet and novelist (born 1893)
** Jadunath Sarkar, Indian historian (born 1870)
* May 20 – Frédéric François-Marsal, 59th Prime Minister of France (born 1874)
* May 22 – Richmond Palmer, Sir Richmond Palmer, British lawyer and colonial administrator (born 1877)
* May 26 – Constantin Cantacuzino (aviator), Constantin Cantacuzino, Romanian aviator (born 1905)
* May 29 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1881)
June
* June 2
** Townsend Cromwell, American oceanographer (plane crash) (born 1922)
** Bell M. Shimada, American fisheries scientist (plane crash) (born 1922)
* June 6
** Lloyd Hughes (actor), Lloyd Hughes, American actor (born 1897)
** Virginia Pearson, American actress (born 1886)
* June 8 – Nicola da Gesturi, Italian Roman Catholic priest and blessed (born 1882)
* June 9 – Robert Donat, English actor (born 1905)
* June 13 – Edwin Keppel Bennett, British writer (born 1887)
* June 16
** Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician, 44th Prime Minister of Hungary (executed) (born
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
)
** Nereu Ramos, Brazilian politician, 20th President of Brazil (born 1888)
* June 20 – Kurt Alder, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)
* June 21
** Herbert Brenon, American film director (born 1880)
** Robert L. Ghormley, American admiral (born 1883)
* June 24 – George Orton, Canadian athlete (born 1876)
* June 25 – Alfred Noyes, English poet (born 1880)
* June 27 – Vytautas Augustauskas, Soviet educator (born 1904)
July
* July 2 – Martha Boswell, American singer (born 1905)
* July 3 – Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, English politician, 4th Governor-General of New Zealand (born 1867)
* July 5 – Patriarch Vikentije II, Serbian Patriarch, Vikentije II (born 1890)
* July 9 – James H. Flatley, American naval aviator and admiral (born 1906)
* July 14 (killed during ''coup d'état''):
** King
Faisal II of Iraq
Faisal II ( ar, الملك فيصل الثاني ''el-Melik Faysal es-Sânî'') (2 May 1935 – 14 July 1958) was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regici ...
(born 1935; assassinated)
** 'Abd al-Ilah, Prince of Iraq (born 1913; assassinated)
** Ibrahim Hashem, Jordanian lawyer and politician, 3-time Prime Minister of Jordan (born 1888)
* July 15 – Nuri al-Said, Iraqi politician, 7th Prime Minister of Iraq (born 1888)
* July 18 – Henri Farman, French aviator and aircraft company founder (born 1874)
* July 20 – Franklin Pangborn, American actor (born 1889)
* July 24 – Mabel Ballin, American actress (born 1887)
* July 25 – Harry Warner, American studio executive (born 1881)
* July 26 – Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr., American Korean War fighter ace and test pilot (born 1928)
* July 27 – Claire Lee Chennault, American aviator and general, leader of the Flying Tigers (born 1893)
* July 30 – William A. Glassford, American admiral (born 1886)
August
* August 1 – Albert E. Smith (producer), Albert E. Smith, English-born American stage magician, film director and producer (born 1875)
* August 2 – Michele Navarra, Italian Sicilian Mafia boss (born 1905)
* August 3 – Peter Collins (racing driver), Peter Collins, British Formula 1 driver (born 1931)
* August 4 – Mario Zanin (bishop), Mario Zanin, Italian Roman Catholic prelate and monsignor (born 1890)
* August 8 – Barbara Bennett, American actress (born 1906)
* August 9 – Felipe Boero, Argentine composer (born 1884)
* August 12 – Augustus Owsley Stanley, American politician, Governor of Kentucky (born 1867)
* August 14 – Frédéric Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (born 1900)
* August 16
** José Domingues dos Santos, Portuguese politician, 89th Prime Minister of Portugal (born 1885)
** Paul Panzer, German actor (born 1872)
* August 18 – Bonar Colleano, American actor (born 1924)
* August 21
** Stevan Hristić, Yugoslav composer (born 1885)
** Kurt Neumann (director), Kurt Neumann, German film director (born 1908)
* August 22 – Roger Martin du Gard, French writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1881)
* August 24
** Paul Henry (painter), Paul Henry, Northern Irish artist (born 1876)
** J. G. Strijdom, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (born 1893)
* August 26 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (born 1872)
* August 27 – Ernest Lawrence, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901)
* August 29 – Marjorie Flack, American artist, illustrator and writer (born 1897)
September
* September 3 – Giffard Le Quesne Martel, Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel, British army general (born 1889)
* September 11
** Hans Grundig, German artist (born 1901)
** Robert W. Service, Scottish-born Canadian poet (born 1874)
* September 16 – Alma Bennett, American actress (born 1904)
* September 23
** Alfred Piccaver, British-born American operatic tenor (born 1884)
** Walter Friedrich Otto, German classical philologist (born 1874)
* September 25 – John B. Watson, American psychologist (born 1878)
* September 27 – Adolfo Salazar, Spanish historian, composer and diplomat (born 1890)
* September 30 – Estate Tatanashvili, Soviet general (born 1902)
October
* October 9 – Pope Pius XII (born 1876)
* October 11 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (born 1876)
* October 14 – Douglas Mawson, Sir Douglas Mawson, Australian geologist and polar explorer (born 1882)
* October 15 – Jack Norton, American actor (born 1882)
* October 16 – Michalis Souyioul, Greek composer (born 1906)
* October 17
** Celso Benigno Luigi Costantini, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and eminence (born 1876)
** Charlie Townsend, English cricketer (born 1876)
** Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (born
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
)
* October 24 – G. E. Moore, British philosopher of (''Principia Ethica'') (born 1873)
* October 26 – Herbert A. Bartholomew, American farmer and politician (born 1871)
* October 29 – Zoë Akins, American playwright, poet and author (born 1886)
November
* November 4 – Sam Zimbalist, American film producer (born 1904)
* November 8 – C. Ganesha Iyer, Ceylon Tamil philologist (born 1878)
* November 11 – André Bazin, French film critic and theorist (born 1918)
* November 15 – Tyrone Power, American actor (born 1914).
* November 16 – Samuel Hopkins Adams, American writer (born 1871)
* November 19 – Vittorio Ambrosio, Italian general (born 1879)
* November 24
** Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, English politician and diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (born 1864)
* November 27
** Artur Rodziński, Polish conductor (born 1892)
** Georgi Damyanov, Bulgarian Communist political, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly and head of the State (born 1892)
* November 30 – Oscar C. Badger II, American admiral (born 1890)
December
* December 1 – Boots Mallory, American actress (born 1913)
* December 4 – José María Caro Rodríguez, Chilean Roman Catholic cardinal and eminence (born 1866)
* December 5
** Willie Applegarth, British Olympic athlete (born 1890)
** Patras Bokhari, Pakistani humorist (born 1898)
* December 8 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (born 1888)
* December 11 – Alberto Meschi, Italian anarchist (born 1879)
* December 12
** Slobodan Jovanović, Serbian intellectual and politician (born 1869)
** Milutin Milanković, Yugoslav mathematician, astronomer, climatologist and geophysicist, (born 1879)
** Albert Walsh, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (born 1900)
* December 13 – Tim Moore (comedian), Tim Moore, American comedian (born 1887)
* December 15 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1900)
* December 21
** Lion Feuchtwanger, German novelist and playwright (born 1884)
** H. B. Warner, English actor (born 1876)
* December 27 – Mustafa Merlika-Kruja, 16th Prime Minister of Albania (born 1887)
* December 29 – Doris Humphrey, American dancer and choreographer (born 1895)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov, Ilya Mikhailovich Frank, and Igor Yevgenyevich Tamm
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Frederick Sanger
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – George Wells Beadle, Edward Lawrie Tatum, and Joshua Lederberg
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Boris Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich Pasternak
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Georges Pire
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1958
1958,