Events

January

Boeing 707 of American Airlines at Basle - April 1976

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 ...

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 ...

: Fulgencio Batista flees

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.

when the forces of

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

advance. *

January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empi ...

- Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of Earth's

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, and was also the first

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

to be placed in

heliocentric orbit A heliocentric orbit (also called circumsolar orbit) is an orbit around the barycenter of the Solar System, which is usually located within or very near the surface of the Sun. All planets, comets, and asteroids in the Solar System, and the Sun i ...

. *

January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...

** The three southernmost atolls of the

Maldive Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

(

Addu Atoll Addu Atoll, also known as Seenu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, located 40 km north of Addu Atoll, extend the Maldives into the Southern Hemisphere. Addu Atoll is located 540 k ...

Huvadhu Atoll Huvadhu, Suvadive, Suvaidu or Suvadiva is the atoll with most islands in the world. The atoll is located in the Indian Ocean. It is south of the Suvadiva Channel in the Republic of Maldives with a total area of 3152 km2, of which 38.5 ...

and

Fuvahmulah Fuvahmulah (Dhivehi: ފުވައްމުލައް) is an island (atoll) in the Maldives. It is under Maldives’ administrative divisions of Gnaviyani Atoll or Nyaviyani Atoll. The inhabitants speak a distinctive form of the Dhivehi language, known as ...

island)

declare independence "Declare Independence" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic singer Björk. The track was released as the third single from her sixth full-length studio album, '' Volta''. The single was released on 1 January 2008. Björk's dedication of ...

. **

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

is admitted as the 49th U.S. state. *

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...

** In

, rebel troops led by

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

and

Camilo Cienfuegos Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (; 6 February 1932 – 28 October 1959) was a Cuban revolutionary born in Havana. Along with Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro, he was a member of the 1956 ''Granma (yacht), Granma'' ...

enter the city of

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.

. **

Léopoldville riots The Léopoldville riots were an outbreak of civil disorder in Léopoldville (modern-day Kinshasa) in the Belgian Congo which took place in January 1959 and which were an important moment for the Congolese independence movement. The rioting occurre ...

: At least 49 people are killed during clashes between the police and participants of a meeting of the

ABAKO The Alliance of Bakongo (french: Alliance des Bakongo, or ABAKO) was a Congolese political party, founded by Edmond Nzeza Nlandu, but headed by Joseph Kasa-Vubu, which emerged in the late 1950s as vocal opponent of Belgian colonial rule in what ...

Party in Léopoldville in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. *

January 6 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...

arrives in Havana. ** The

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

is inaugurated. *

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

– The United States recognizes the new

n government of

. *

January 8 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – Emperor Huai of Jin, Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Emperor Hui of Jin, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying. * 871 – Æthelred I, King of Wessex, Æthel ...

–

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

is inaugurated as the first president of the French Fifth Republic. *

January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...

– The

Vega de Tera disaster The Vega de Tera disaster, (also known as the Ribadelago disaster 'Catástrofe de Ribadelago'' was a flood that occurred on the early morning of January 9, 1959 in the Province of Zamora, Spain. The flood was caused by the failure of a dam, ...

in Spain nearly destroy the town of

Ribadelago Ribadelago is a village located in province of Zamora, Spain. It is in the Galende municipality. It was partially destroyed in 1959 due to a Vega de Tera disaster, dam failure in Vega de Tera reservoir, which caused 144 deaths. References

...

and kills 144 residents. *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...

– The Soviet government recognizes the new Castro government. *

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhamma ...

– The

Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scuba ...

is founded in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. *

January 12 Events Pre-1600 * 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire. *1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned s ...

** The

Caves of Nerja The Caves of Nerja ( es, Cueva de Nerja) are a series of caverns close to the town of Nerja in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Stretching for almost , the caverns are one of Spain's major tourist attractions. Concerts are regularly held in one of ...

are discovered in Spain. **

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

is founded by

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...

Cuban communists Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

execute 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista. *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...

**The

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

conducts its first census after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. *

January 21 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Co ...

– The

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

is established. *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...

–

Knox Mine disaster Knox may refer to: Places United States * Fort Knox, a United States Army post in Kentucky ** United States Bullion Depository, a high security storage facility commonly called Fort Knox * Fort Knox (Maine), a fort located on the Penobscot River i ...

: Water breaches the River Slope Mine in Port Griffith, Pennsylvania near Pittston, Pennsylvania; 12 miners are killed. *

January 25 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate. * 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...

** The

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

begins service. **

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

announces that the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

will be convened in Rome. *

January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler o ...

–

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

releases his 16th animated film, '' Sleeping Beauty'' in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. It is Disney's first animated film to be shown in

70mm 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...

and modern 6-track stereophonic sound. Also on the program is Disney's new live-action short subject ''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

'', which uses the music of

Ferde Grofé Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé (March 27, 1892 April 3, 1972) (pronounced FUR-dee GROW-fay) was an American composer, arrangement, arranger, pianist and instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement tone poem, ...

's ''

Grand Canyon Suite The ''Grand Canyon Suite'' is a suite for orchestra by Ferde Grofé, composed between 1929 and 1931. It was initially titled ''Five Pictures of the Grand Canyon''. It consists of five movements, each an evocation in tone of a particular scene t ...

''. ''Grand Canyon'' wins an Oscar for Best Documentary Short. *

January 30 Events Pre-1600 *1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. *1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 *1607 – An estimated ...

– Danish passenger/cargo ship , returning to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

after its maiden voyage to

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

, strikes an iceberg and sinks off the Greenland coast with the loss of all 95 on board.

February

February 17: Technical drawing of Vanguard 2 ">Vanguard_2.html" ;"title="February 17: Technical drawing of Vanguard 2">February 17: Technical drawing of Vanguard 2 * February 2 – Nine ski hikers mysteriously perish in the northern Ural Mountains in the Dyatlov Pass incident and are all found dead a few weeks later. * February 3 ** A chartered plane transporting musicians

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, Ritchie Valens and

The Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of wh ...

with pilot Roger Peterson goes down in foggy conditions near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all four on board. The tragedy is later termed "

The Day the Music Died On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson. The event later became ...

", popularized in Don McLean's

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

song " American Pie". **

American Airlines Flight 320 American Airlines Flight 320 was a scheduled flight between Chicago Midway International Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport. On February 3, 1959, the Lockheed L-188 Electra performing the flight crashed into the East River during its d ...

, a Lockheed L-188 Electra from Chicago crashes into the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...

on approach to New York City's LaGuardia Airport, killing 65 of the 73 people on board. *

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...

– At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a

Titan intercontinental ballistic missile Titan was a family of United States expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. The Titan I and Titan II were part of the US Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fleet until 1987. The space launch vehicle versions contribute ...

is accomplished. *

February 9 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland. * 1539 – The first recorded race is hel ...

–

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

set trade relations (not diplomatic ones). *

February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. *1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. *1462 – The ...

– TAT-2,

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

's second transatlantic telephone cable goes into operation. *

February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Kar ...

becomes Premier of

. ** A blizzard causes a massive power outage in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. *

February 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau. * 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...

– Vanguard 2, the first

weather satellite A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or ge ...

, is launched to measure

cloud cover Cloud cover (also known as cloudiness, cloudage, or cloud amount) refers to the fraction of the sky obscured by clouds on average when observed from a particular location. Okta is the usual unit for measurement of the cloud cover. The cloud co ...

for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. *

February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. * 1268 &ndas ...

Jesús Sosa Blanco Jesús Sosa Blanco (1907/08 – February 18, 1959) was a colonel in the Cuban army under Fulgencio Batista. After Fidel Castro came to power on February 16, 1959, Sosa was arrested and charged with having committed 108 murders for Batista. H ...

, a colonel in the Cuban army of Fulgencio Batista, is executed in

after being convicted of committing 108 murders for Batista. ** Women in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

vote for the first time. *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...

– The United Kingdom decides to grant independence to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. *

February 20 Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. *1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...

– The Canadian Government cancels the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow

interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...

project. *

February 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. * 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdina ...

– Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500 at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

March

March 1 Events Pre-1600 *509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor ...

** The , , and are stricken from the United States Naval Vessel Register. **

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Makarios returns to

from exile. *

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 ...

– Recording sessions for the album ''

Kind of Blue ''Kind of Blue'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded on March 2 and April 22, 1959, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City, and released on August 17 of that year by Co ...

'' by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

take place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. *

March 3 Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan. * 1575 &nd ...

– Lunar probe '' Pioneer 4'' becomes the first American object to escape dominance by Earth's gravity. * March 8 – The

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

make their last television appearance, in ''

The Incredible Jewel Robbery "The Incredible Jewel Robbery" was an episode of ''General Electric Theater'', broadcast by CBS on March 8, 1959. It was the first appearance of the three Marx Brothers together in the same scene since ''A Night in Casablanca'' in 1946. They had p ...

'', part of

General Electric Theatre ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

. *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. * 1226 – ...

–

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

's Barbie doll debuts in the United States. * March 10 – The Tibetan uprising erupts in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

when Chinese officials attempt to arrest the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

. * March 11 ** '' A Raisin in the Sun'' by Lorraine Hansberry opens on Broadway. ** The Eurovision Song Contest 1959, staged in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

, is won for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

by "

'n Beetje "n Beetje" (; "A little bit"), spelled in full as "Een beetje", is a song written in Dutch by Willy van Hemert, composed by Dick Schallies and performed by Teddy Scholten as the ' entry and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. The song ...

" sung by Teddy Scholten (music by Dick Schallies, lyrics by Willy van Hemert). * March 17 – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama escapes

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and arrives in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. * March 18 – American President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

signs the Hawaii Admission Act, granting statehood to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. * March 19 – Two other islands join Addu in the United Suvadive Republic (abolished September

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

), in the Maldives Islands. * March 26 – Tenor saxophonist John Coltrane holds initial recording sessions for the album ''

Giant Steps ''Giant Steps'' is the fifth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane as leader. It was released in February 1960 on Atlantic Records. This was his first album as leader for Atlantic Records, with which he had signed a new contract the previou ...

'' with

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and com ...

and

Lex Humphries Lex Humphries (August 22, 1936 – July 11, 1994) was an American jazz drummer. He worked with two musicians known for mixing world music with jazz: Sun Ra and Yusef Lateef. As a member of Sun Ra's "Arkestra" he appeared in the film '' Space Is ...

. *

March 28 Events Pre-1600 * AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate. * 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...

– The Kashag, the government of

, is abolished by an order signed by Chinese premier

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, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...

. The

is replaced in China by the Panchen Lama. *

March 31 Events Pre-1600 * 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. *1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at V� ...

** The

is granted asylum in

. ** The original

Busch Gardens Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously B ...

amusement park opens in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, U.S.

April

* April 6 – The

31st Academy Awards The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959, to honor the best films of 1958. The show's producer, Jerry Wald, started cutting numbers from the show to make sure it ran on time. He cut too much material and the ceremony ended 20 ...

ceremony is held. *

April 8 Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. *1139 – Ro ...

– The

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...

(IADB) is established. *

April 9 Events Pre-1600 * 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum. * 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, s ...

–

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

announces its selection of seven military pilots to become the first U.S.

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

s (later known as the '' Mercury Seven''). *

April 10 Events Pre-1600 * 428 – Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople. * 837 – Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles). * 1407 ...

– Crown Prince

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. Bo ...

of Japan marries Shōda Michiko, the first commoner to marry into the

Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

. *

April 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil. * 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. * 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern ...

– Recording sessions for the influential

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

album ''

'' by

take place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. * April 25 – The

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...

linking the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

and the Atlantic Ocean officially opens to shipping. *

April 27 Events Pre-1600 * 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''. * 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...

–

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2, ...

elects

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1956 to 1966 and C ...

Chairman of the People's Republic of China The president of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the president of China, is the head of state and the second-highest political office of the People's Republic of China. The presidency is constitutionally a largely ceremonial off ...

, as a successor of

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

May

* May **

Import tariffs A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and poli ...

are lifted in the United Kingdom. ** The first Ten Tors event is held on Dartmoor in England. * May 2 –

1959 FA Cup Final The 1959 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Luton Town at Wembley. Forest won 2–1, with goals from Roy Dwight and Tommy Wilson just four minutes apart. Dave Pacey scored Luton's consolation goal. Forest were playing in their ...

: Nottingham Forest defeats Luton Town 2–1 at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. * May 4 – Tenor saxophonist John Coltrane begins two days of principal recording sessions for his

album ''

''. * May 7 – English scientist and novelist C. P. Snow delivers an influential Rede Lecture on '' The Two Cultures'', concerning a perceived breakdown of communication between the

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

s and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

, in the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(U.K.) *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

– The first

Little Caesars Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. (doing business as Little Caesars) is an American multi-national pizza chain. Based on 2020 statistics, Little Caesars is the third-largest pizza chain by total sales in the United States, behind Pizza Hut and Do ...

pizza restaurant is opened, in

. *

May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. *1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1364 ...

– The

Triton Fountain Fontana del Tritone (''Triton Fountain'') is a seventeenth-century fountain in Rome, by the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Commissioned by his patron, Pope Urban VIII, the fountain is located in the Piazza Barberini, near the entrance to ...

is inaugurated in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. *

May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 4 ...

– The

National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire The National Liberation Committee of Ivory Coast (french: Comité National de Libération de la Côte d'Ivoire, CNLCI) was an Ivorian opposition group, with its political origins in the Party of the African Rally (PRA). CNLCI was founded in Con ...

is launched in

Conakry, Guinea Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its ...

. * May 21 – '' Gypsy: A Musical Fable'', starring Ethel Merman in her last new musical, opens on Broadway and runs for 702 performances *

May 24 Events Pre-1600 * 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom. * 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. * 1276 – Magnus La ...

– British Empire Day is renamed

Commonwealth Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch a ...

. * May 28 – Jupiter AM-18 rocket launches two primates,

Miss Baker Miss Baker (1957 – November 29, 1984) was a squirrel monkey who in 1959 became, along with female rhesus macaque Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States who safely returned. Previous animal flights Previous ...

and Miss Able, into space from

Cape Canaveral , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type =Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...

in the United States along with living microorganisms and plant seeds. Successful recovery makes them the first living beings to return safely to Earth after space flight.

June

June 3 Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Philippikos Ba ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

becomes a self-governing crown colony of Britain with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister. **

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

beats

Stade Reims Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2018. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Aug ...

2–0 at

Neckarstadion Mercedes-Benz Arena () is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and home to German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Before 1993 it was called Neckarstadion (), named after the nearby river Neckar and between 1993 and July ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

and wins the

1958–59 European Cup The 1958–59 European Cup was the fourth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid for the fourth time in a row, who beat Reims 2–0 in the final at Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, on ...

(football). *

June 5 Events Pre-1600 *1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights. *1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...

– A new government of the State of Singapore is sworn in by Sir William Goode. Two former ministers are re-elected to the Legislative Assembly. *

June 8 Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces ...

– The USS ''Barbero'' and

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

attempt the delivery of mail via

Missile Mail Rocket mail is the delivery of mail by rocket or missile. The rocket lands by deploying an internal parachute upon arrival. It has been attempted by various organizations in many different countries, with varying levels of success. It has nev ...

. * June 9 – The USS ''George Washington'' is launched as the first submarine to carry

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

s. * June 14 - A 3-front invasion of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

by exile forces backed by

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

attempt to overthrow

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

. * June 18 – The film ''

The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached #1 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Hulme wrote the book based partly upon the experiences of her friend, Marie Louise Habets of ...

'', based on the best-selling novel, is released.

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

stars as the title character; she later says that this is her favorite film role. The film is a box-office hit, and is nominated for several Oscars. *

June 23 Events Pre-1600 * 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. * 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. * 1280 – The Spanish Re ...

** Seán Lemass becomes the third

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. ** Convicted

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

spy

Klaus Fuchs Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs (29 December 1911 – 28 January 1988) was a German theoretical physicist and atomic spy who supplied information from the American, British and Canadian Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union during and shortly aft ...

is released after only nine years in a British prison and allowed to emigrate to

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

where he resumes a scientific career. * June 25 – A KH-1 ''Corona'', believed to be the first operational reconnaissance satellite, is launched as science mission "

Discoverer 4 Discoverer 4, also known as Corona 9001, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 25 Jun 1959 at 22:47:45 GMT, the first of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, and the first satellite to be equip ...

" from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Thor-Agena rocket. * June 26 **

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

( Queen of Canada) and United States President

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

open the

. ** ''

Darby O'Gill and the Little People ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence Ed ...

'', a film based on H. T. Kavanagh's short stories, is released in the U.S. by

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

two days after a world premiere in Ireland. *

June 30 Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus (763), Battle of Anc ...

– Twenty-one students are killed and more than a hundred injured when an American North American

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

jet crashes into Miamori Elementary School on the island of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. The pilot ejected before the plane struck the school.

July

Plaque marking the discovery of Australopithecus in Tanzania

July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...

– Australia's longest running children's TV series, ''

Mr. Squiggle ''Mr. Squiggle'' (originally also known as ''Mr. Squiggle and Friends'') is an Australian children's television series, and the name of the title character from that ABC show. The show was presented on television in many formats, between its in ...

'', first airs on

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. * July 2 – Prince Albert of Belgium marries Italian

Donna Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

Paola Ruffo di Calabria Paola (born Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria;AlthougThe Belgian Monarchy websiteattributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to marriage, Burke's Peerage 1973, The Descendants of Louis XIII 1999, ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'' 200 ...

. *

July 4 Events Pre-1600 * 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaim ...

– With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

debuts in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. * July 7 – At 14:28 UT

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

occults the star

Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Re ...

. The rare event (which will next occur on October 1, 2044) is used to determine the diameter of Venus and the structure of Venus' atmosphere. *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

– Wing Commander

Michael Beetham Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham, (17 May 1923 – 24 October 2015) was a Second World War bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s. As Chief of the Air Staff during th ...

flying a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...

sets a record of 11 hours 27 minutes for a non-stop

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

flight. *

July 14 Events Pre-1600 * 982 – King Otto II and his Frankish army are defeated by the Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy. * 1223 – Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II. * 1420 ...

– Groups of

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

and

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

militias rebel in Kirkuk, Iraq against the central government. * July 15 – A strike occurs against the United States'

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

industry. * July 17 – The first skull of ''

Australopithecus ''Australopithecus'' (, ; ) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genus ''Homo'' (which includes modern humans) emerged within ''Australopithecus'', as sister to e.g. ''Australopi ...

'' is discovered by

Louis Leakey Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (7 August 1903 – 1 October 1972) was a Kenyan-British palaeoanthropologist and archaeologist whose work was important in demonstrating that humans evolved in Africa, particularly through discoveries made at Olduvai ...

and his wife Mary in the

Olduvai Gorge The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropology, paleoanthropological localities in the world; the many sites exposed by the gorge have proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human ev ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. *

July 22 Events Pre-1600 * 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids. *1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of J ...

– A

Kumamoto University , abbreviated to ''Kumadai'' (熊大), is a Japanese national university located in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture in the Kyushu region of Japan. It was established on May 31, 1949, at which time the following institutions were subsumed into it; ...

medical research group studying

Minamata disease Minamata disease is a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning. Signs and symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cas ...

concludes that it is caused by

mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

. * July 24 ** At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, United States Vice President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and USSR Premier

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 ...

engage in the " Kitchen Debate". ** In

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Akiko Kojima is a Japanese model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1959, making her the first Japanese and Asian woman to win the title. Biography Kojima was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan when she bested four other finalists from Nor ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

is crowned

Miss Universe 1959 Miss Universe 1959, the 8th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 24 July 1959 at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States. 34 contestants competed and in the end Akiko Kojima of Japan won the competition, becoming the ...

. *

July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...

– The

SR.N1 The Saunders-Roe SR.N1 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 1) was the first practical hovercraft. The concept has its origins in the work of British engineer and inventor Christopher Cockerell, who succeeded in convincing figures within the services and in ...

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

crosses the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

from

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

in just over 2 hours, on the 50th anniversary of

Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of th ...

's first crossing by

heavier-than-air An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. C ...

craft.

August

* August 4 –

Martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

is declared in

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. * August 7 ** Explorer program: The United States launches '' Explorer 6'' from the Atlantic Missile Range in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. ** United States: The Roseburg, Oregon blast kills 14 and causes $12 million worth of damage. * August 8 – A flood in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

kills 2,000. *

August 14 Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...

– '' Explorer 6'' sends the first picture of Earth from orbit. * August 15 –

gains independence. * August 17 ** The

1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (also known as the 1959 Yellowstone earthquake) occurred in the western United States on August 17 at 11:37 pm (MST) in southwestern Montana. The earthquake measured 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale, caused a hug ...

in southwest Montana kills 28. **

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

releases

album ''

''. *

August 19 Events Pre-1600 *295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later know ...

– The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) is established. *

August 21 Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...

–

is admitted as the 50th U.S. state. * August 21 - Canal 13 (Chilean TV channel) is launched in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

* August 26 – The original

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

Phan Quang Dan Phan may refer to: * Phan (surname), a Vietnamese family name * Phan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand * Phan River, Bình Thuận Province, Vietnam * Phan (tray) Phan ( th, พาน, ) is an artistically decorated tray with pedestal. It ...

was elected to the National Assembly despite

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

being bussed in to vote for President Ngo Dinh Diem's candidate. * August 31 –

Beijing Workers' Stadium The Workers' Stadium (), often called Gongti, Gong Ti or Kung T'i, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Chaoyang District of north-eastern Beijing, China. It was mostly used for association football matches. The stadium was built in 1959 and was l ...

, known well for sports venues in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, officially opened.

September

* September 12 – "

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

" premieres, first regularly scheduled TV aired in color. * September 14 – ''

Luna 2 ''Luna 2'' ( rus, Луна 2}), originally named the Second Soviet Cosmic Rocket and nicknamed Lunik 2 in contemporaneous media, was the sixth of the Soviet Union's Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon, E-1 No.7. It was the first spac ...

'' becomes the first man-made object to crash on the

. *

September 15 Events Pre-1600 * 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes. *1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by ...

–

September 28 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII. * 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...

– USSR Premier

and his wife tour the United States, at the invitation of U.S. President

Dwight David Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. *

September 16 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. *1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers. 1601–1900 * 1620 – A determined band of 35 relig ...

– The

Xerox 914 The Xerox 914 was the first successful commercial plain paper copier. Introduced in 1959 by the Haloid/Xerox company. It revolutionized the document-copying industry. The culmination of inventor Chester Carlson's work on the xerographic process ...

, the first plain paper copier, is introduced to the public. *

September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". * 1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empi ...

**The first ''Navy Navigation Satellite System''

Transit 1A The Transit system, also known as NAVSAT or NNSS (for ''Navy Navigation Satellite System''), was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The radio navigation system was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to provide accura ...

is launched but fails to reach orbit. **The

hypersonic In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that exceeds 5 times the speed of sound, often stated as starting at speeds of Mach 5 and above. The precise Mach number at which a craft can be said to be flying at hypersonic speed varies, since in ...

North American X-15 The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft. It was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed an ...

research vehicle, piloted by Scott Crossfield, makes its first powered flight at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...

, California. *

September 23 Events Pre-1600 * 38 – Drusilla, Caligula's sister who died in June, with whom the emperor is said to have an incestuous relationship, is deified. * 1122 – Pope Callixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V agree to the Concordat ...

– The MS ''

Princess of Tasmania MS ''Princess of Tasmania'' was an Australian-built roll-on/roll-off passenger ship. She was built by the State Dockyard in Newcastle, New South Wales for the Australian National Line. Laid down on 15 November 1957, she was launched on 15 December ...

'', (Australia's first passenger RO/RO

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

ferry), makes its maiden voyage across the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

. *

September 25 Events Pre-1600 * 275 – For the last time, the Roman Senate chooses an emperor; they elect 75-year-old Marcus Claudius Tacitus. * 762 – Led by Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, the Hasanid branch of the Alids begins the Alid Revolt a ...

–

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

's prime minister

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

is assassinated. * September 26 **

Typhoon Vera Typhoon Vera, also known as the , was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country as a Category 5 equivalent storm. Th ...

hits central

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

, Japan, as a 160 mph Category 5 storm, killing an estimated 5,098, injuring another 38,921, and leaving 1,533,000 homeless. Most of the victims and damage are centered in the

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

area. ** First large unit action of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

takes place, when two companies of the ARVN's 23rd Division are ambushed by a well-organized Viet Cong force of several hundred, identified as the "2nd Liberation Battalion". *

September 30 Events Pre-1600 * 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time. * 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture their b ...

–

leader

meets

in Beijing.

October

* October 1 – The

10th anniversary of the People's Republic of China The 10th anniversary celebrations of founding of the People's Republic of China were held on 1 October 1959. The main event was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. A grand banquet with many international dignitaries had been organized on the pre ...

is celebrated with pomp across the country. *

October 2 Events Pre-1600 * 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. * 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...

–

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

's classic anthology series ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' premieres on CBS. * October 7 – The

U.S.S.R. The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

probe '' Luna 3'' sends back the first ever photos of the far side of the Moon. * October 12 – At the national

APRA APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

Congress in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, a group of leftist radicals is expelled from the party; they later form

APRA Rebelde APRA Rebelde was a splinter group of the Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National s ...

. * October 13 – The United States launches ''

Explorer 7 Explorer 7 was a NASA satellite launched on 13 October 1959, at 15:30:04 GMT, by a Juno II launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to an orbit of and inclination of 50.27°. It was designed to measure solar X-ray and Ly ...

''. * October 16 – Founding of the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

club. * October 21 – In New York City, the

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

(designed by

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

) opens to the public. * October 29 – First appearance of

Astérix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

the Gaul. * October 31 – Riots break out in the

November

November 1 Events Pre-1600 * 365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. * 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, ...

– In

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

politician

Dominique Mbonyumutwa Dominique Mbonyumutwa (January 1921 – 26 July 1986) was a Rwandan politician who served as the interim first President of Rwanda for a period of nine months in 1961, during a transitional phase between the overthrow of the Rwandan monarchy in ...

is beaten up by

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

forces, leading to a period of violence known as the

wind of destruction The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of Destruction ( rw, muyaga), was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to 1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in R ...

. * November 2 – At a ceremony near

Toddington Toddington could be *Toddington, Bedfordshire **Toddington services, M1 motorway *Toddington, Gloucestershire **Toddington railway station Toddington railway station serves the village of Toddington in Gloucestershire, England. Since 1984 it h ...

, British Minister of Transport Ernest Marples opens the first section of the M1 Motorway, between

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

and

Crick Crick may refer to: Places * Crick, Monmouthshire, Wales * Crick, Northamptonshire, England * Crick Road, Oxford, England People with the name * Crick (surname) Other uses * Crick, the cricket from ''Beat Bugs'' * Francis Crick Institute ...

, along with two spur motorways, the M45 and M10. Three decades of large scale motorway construction follow, leading to the rapid expansion of the UK motorway network. *

November 12 Events Pre-1600 * 954 – The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom. *1028 – Future Byzantine empress Zoe takes the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros. * 13 ...

– The

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

religious epic '' The Miracle'', very loosely based on the 1911 stage pantomime '' Das Mirakel'', is released. It is a critical and financial bomb. *

November 15 Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. *1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morg ...

– The Clutter family of

Holcomb, Kansas Holcomb is a city in Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,245. History Holcomb took its name from a local hog farmer. The city was a station and shipping point on the Atchison, Topeka a ...

is brutally murdered, inspiring

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

's ''

In Cold Blood ''In Cold Blood'' is a non-fiction novel by American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966. It details the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote learned of the qua ...

''. * November 16 – ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, premiered on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. * November 18 –

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

releases the widescreen Technicolor version of ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'', starring

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

. The film goes on to win record number of

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s. *

November 19 Events Pre-1600 * 461 – Libius Severus is declared emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The real power is in the hands of the ''magister militum'' Ricimer. * 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battle o ...

– '' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' is first broadcast. The cartoon was shown on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

at 5:30 each afternoon and was originally called ''Rocky and His Friends'', although Bullwinkle soon became more popular than Rocky. *

November 20 Events Pre-1600 * 284 – Diocletian is chosen as Roman emperor. * 762 – During the An Shi Rebellion, the Tang dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptures Luoyang from the rebels. *1194 – Palermo is conquered by Henry ...

– The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. * The

MOSFET The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of field-effect transistor (FET), most commonly fabricated by the controlled oxidation of silicon. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which d ...

(metal-oxide-semiconductor

field-effect transistor The field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor that uses an electric field to control the flow of current in a semiconductor. FETs (JFETs or MOSFETs) are devices with three terminals: ''source'', ''gate'', and ''drain''. FETs contro ...

), also known as the MOS

transistor upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch e ...

, was invented by

Mohamed Atalla Mohamed M. Atalla ( ar, محمد عطاالله; August 4, 1924 – December 30, 2009) was an Egyptian-American engineer, physicist, cryptographer, inventor and entrepreneur. He was a semiconductor pioneer who made important contributions to ...

and Dawon Kahng at

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...

. It revolutionized the

electronics industry The electronics industry is the economic sector that produces electronic devices. It emerged in the 20th century and is today one of the largest global industries. Contemporary society uses a vast array of electronic devices built-in automated or ...

, and became the fundamental building block of the Digital Revolution. The MOSFET went on to become the most widely manufactured device in history.

December

* December 1 –

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

– Antarctic Treaty: 12 countries, including the United States and the

, sign a landmark treaty that sets aside

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the

continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

(the first

arms control Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through the u ...

agreement established during the Cold War). *

December 2 Events Pre-1600 * 1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon. *1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900 *1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...

–

Malpasset Dam The Malpasset Dam was an arch dam (convex surface facing upstream) on the Reyran River, north of Fréjus on the French Riviera. It collapsed on 2 December 1959, killing 423 people in the resulting flood. The breach was caused by a tectonic fault ...

in southern France collapses and water flows over the town of

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north of ...

, killing 412. * December 8 – The '' Mona'', a lifeboat based at Broughty Ferry in Scotland, capsizes during a rescue attempt, with the loss of 8 lives. * December 11 –

Charles Robberts Swart Charles Robberts Swart (5 December 1894 – 16 July 1982), nicknamed ''Blackie'', was a South African politician who served as the last governor-general of the Union of South Africa from 1959 to 1961 and the first state president of the Republ ...

is appointed the 11th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. * December 14 –

Makarios III Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...

is selected the first

president of Cyprus The president of Cyprus, officially the president of the Republic of Cyprus, is the head of state and the head of government of Cyprus. The office was created in 1960, after Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Currently, t ...

. * December 28 – After having been shot two years earlier, Ante Pavelić dies from his wounds in a Spanish hospital.

Date unknown

* The

completes construction. * Nylon tights, popularly called pantyhose or sheer tights, first sold on the open market as 'Panti-Legs' by Glen Raven Knitting Mills. * The

Workers World Party The Workers World Party (WWP) is a revolutionary Marxist–Leninist communist party founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Marcy and his followers split from the SWP in 1958 over a series of long-standi ...

is founded by

Sam Marcy Sam Ballan (1911 – February 1, 1998), known by his pen name Sam Marcy, was an American lawyer, writer, and Marxist-Leninist activist of the post-World War II era. He co-founded the Workers World Party in 1959 and served as its chairperson unt ...

. * The first known human with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

dies in the

Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

. * The current (as of 2006) design of the Japanese

10 yen coin The is one denomination of the Japanese yen. The obverse of the coin depicts the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in, a Buddhist temple in Uji, Kyoto prefecture, with the kanji for "Japan" and "Ten Yen". The reverse shows the numerals "10" and the date ...

is put into circulation. * The Caspian tiger becomes extinct in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. * The

Henney Kilowatt The Henney Kilowatt was an electric car introduced in the United States of America for the 1959 model year. The car used some body parts as made for the Renault Dauphine. An improved model was introduced in 1960 with a top speed of 60 miles an ho ...

goes on sale in the United States, becoming the first mass-produced

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...

in almost three decades. *

Erving Goffman Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born sociology, sociologist, Social psychology (sociology), social psychologist, and writer, considered by some "the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth ...

publishes his seminal study in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

, ''

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life ''The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life'' is a 1956 sociology, sociological book by Erving Goffman, in which the author uses the imagery of theatre in order to portray the importance of Social relation, human social interaction; this approac ...

''. * The iconic 1959

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

is introduced, with tailfin wars peaking that had begun in 1948. * Chevy El Camino is introduced.

Births

January

–

Azali Assoumani Azali Assoumani ( ar, غزالي عثماني; born 1 January 1959) is a Comorian politician and military officer who has served as President of the Comoros since April 2019. He was also president from 2002 to 2006 and 2016 to February 2019. He ...

, President of the Comoros *

–

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic s ...

, Canadian singer and actress (d.

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

) *

January 5 Events Pre-1600 *1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 *1675 – Battle of Turckh ...

–

Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...

, American actor and voice actor *

– Paul Hester, Australian musician (d.

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

) *

Rigoberta Menchú Rigoberta Menchú Tum (; born 9 January 1959) is a K'iche' Guatemalan human rights activist, feminist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the rights of Guatemala's Indigenous peoples during and after t ...

, Guatemalan recipient of the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

** Mark Martin, American NASCAR driver *

–

Rocky Lockridge Rick "Rocky" Lockridge (January 10, 1959 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional boxer. He is perhaps best known for having handed Roger Mayweather his first defeat—a first-round knockout in just 98 seconds—earning him the WBA a ...

, American boxer (d.

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) *

–

Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...

, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (

Roxette Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...

) *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...

–

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

, Nigerian-English singer *

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as a co-founder of the pop-rock band The Bangles. Hoffs founded The Bangles (originally called the Bangs) in 1981 with Debbi and Vicki Peterson. They re ...

, American rock vocalist ** Reiner M. Sowa, German Author ** Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer *

– Alex McLeish,

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

player *

–

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The film ...

, American actress *

January 24 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula. * 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt. *1438 – The Cou ...

– ** Kevin Magee, American basketball player (d.

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) **

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...

, English comedian *

January 26 Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. *1531 – The 6.4–7.1 1531 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. *1564 – ...

–

Bob Lazar Robert Scott Lazar (; born January 26, 1959) is an American conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed physicist who claims he was hired in the late 1980s to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology. This work supposedly occurred at a secret ...

, American physicist and conspiracy theorist **

Salvador Sánchez Salvador "Sal" Sánchez Narváez (January 26, 1959 – August 12, 1982) was a Mexican professional boxer born in the town of Santiago Tianguistenco, Estado de México. Sanchez was the WBC and ''The Ring featherweight champion from 1980 to 19 ...

, Mexican boxer (d.

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *

January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...

–

Keith Olbermann Keith Theodore Olbermann (; born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and r ...

, American news anchor and sportscaster *

–

Jody Watley Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and artist,USA Today (February 16, 1996), Best Bets: Albums Jody Watley Greatest Hits, "Few singers fired up the disco like Jody Watley who set trends ...

, African-American singer *

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 t ...

–

Kelly Lynch Kelly Ann Lynch (born January 31, 1959) is an American actress and model. Her notable film roles include '' Cocktail'', '' Road House'', ''Drugstore Cowboy'', ''Curly Sue''. and TV show roles in ''The L Word'' (2004–2005, 2009), and '' Magic Cit ...

, American model and actress

February

Retrato oficial del Presidente Mauricio Macri

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-W1220-0015, Joachim Kunz

February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...

– Wade Wilson (American football), Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (d.

) * February 2 ** Jari Tervo, Finnish author ** Hella von Sinnen, German TV-entertainer * February 3 – Tonga Fifita, UliUli Fifita, Tongan professional Wrestler aka(Haku/Meng) * February 4 ** Pamelyn Ferdin, American former child actress; animal rights activist ** Raquel Morell, Mexican actress ** Lawrence Taylor, American football player * February 5 ** Chris Close, Australian rugby league player ** Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American politician, 47th Governor of Michigan (2003–2011) *

** Pat Bullard, Canadian game show host, comedian and writer ** Ken Nelson (British record producer), Ken Nelson, English record producer * February 7 – Vladimír Havlík, Czech action artist * February 8 – Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina *

– Joachim Kunz, East German Olympic weightlifter * February 10 ** John Berry (administrator), John Berry, American government official ** Dennis Gentry, American football player *

Benur Pashayan, Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler (d.

) * February 14 – Renée Fleming, American soprano *

– John McEnroe, American tennis player *

– Jayne Atkinson, English-born American film, theatre and television actress *

– Scott Brayton, American race car driver (d. 1996) * February 21 – Werner Schünemann, Brazilian actor and film director *

– Kyle MacLachlan, American actor * February 23 ** Clayton Anderson, American astronaut ** Ian Liddell-Grainger, British politician * February 25 – Renee M. Borges, Indian ecologist * February 26 – Rolando Blackman, Panamanian basketball player

March

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2009

– Nick Griffin, British politician * March 4 ** Rick Ardon, Australian news presenter ** Irina Strakhova, Russian race walker * March 5 ** Mike Byster, American mathematician, mental calculator and Mathematics education, math educator ** Vazgen Sargsyan, 8th Prime Minister of Armenia (d. 1999) * March 6 ** Tom Arnold (actor), Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian ** Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, Filipino businessman ** Lars Larson, American conservative talk show host * March 7 – Donna Murphy, American actress and singer * March 8 ** Lester Holt, American television journalist and news anchor ** Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor *

** Giovanni di Lorenzo, German-Italian journalist and talk show host ** Takaaki Kajita, Japanese nuclear physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics * March 10 – Mike Wallace (racing driver), Mike Wallace, American race car driver * March 11 **Nina Hartley, American pornographic actress and director ** Margus Oopkaup, Estonian actor ** Dejan Stojanović, Serbian-American poet, writer, essayist and businessman * March 13 ** Kathy Hilton, American actress and philanthropist ** Bruce Byron, English actor * March 15 ** Harold Baines, American baseball player ** Fabio Lanzoni, Italian fashion model and actor ** Eliot Teltscher, American tennis player * March 16 ** Flavor Flav, American rapper ** Gary Basaraba, Canadian-American actor ** Jens Stoltenberg, 27th Prime Minister of Norway * March 17 ** Danny Ainge, American basketball player, coach and baseball player ** Ken Lo, Hong Kong actor and member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team * March 18 ** Luc Besson, French film producer, writer and director ** Irene Cara, American singer and actress (d. 2022) * March 20 ** Sting (wrestler), Steve Borden, American wrestler ** Richard Drummie, English guitarist and composer (Go West (band), Go West) ** Steve McFadden, British actor * March 21 – Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese composer * March 22 – Matthew Modine, American actor * March 23 ** Kazue Ikura, Japanese voice actress ** Catherine Keener, American actress * March 27 – Jun'ichi Sugawara, Japanese voice actor *

– Laura Chinchilla, 49th President of Costa Rica * March 29 – Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer * March 30 – Andrew Bailey (banker), Andrew Bailey, Executive Director Banking and Chief Cashier at the Bank of England *

– Markus Hediger, Swiss writer and translator

April

* April 2 ** Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina ** Badou Ezzaki, Badou Zaki, Moroccan football player and manager * April 3 ** Tejumola Olaniyan, Nigerian academic (d.

) ** David Hyde Pierce, American actor * April 4 – Phil Morris (actor), Phil Morris, American actor *

- Nell Newman, American entrepreneur *

** Joy Viado, Filipino comedian and actress (d.

) ** Brian Setzer, American rock guitarist and singer **Mona Juul (Danish politician), Mona Juul, Norwegian diplomat and politician * April 11 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-born judge and television personality * April 14 – Steve Byrnes, American motorsports broadcaster (d. 2015) * April 15 ** Fruit Chan, Hong Kong film director ** Ray Neufeld, Canadian ice hockey player ** John Onoje, Sierra Leonean-born Moldovan activist ** Adriano Ruchini, Italian businessman ** Emma Thompson, English actress ** Thomas F. Wilson, American actor * April 16 ** David Feiss, American animator ** Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player * April 17 – Sean Bean, British actor * April 19 – Patricia Charbonneau, American actress * April 20 – Clint Howard, American actor and producer * April 21 – Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith, lead vocalist and guitarist of the British rock group The Cure *

** Terry Francona, American baseball player and manager ** Ryan Stiles, American-Canadian comedian * April 23 – Dan Frischman, American actor * April 24 – Paula Yates, British television presenter (d. 2000) * April 25 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (d.

) *April 26 – Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rican politician and lobbyist, Governor-designate *

– Sheena Easton, Scottish singer * April 30 – Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada

May

* May 2 – Alan Best (filmmaker), Alan Best, Canadian animation director and producer * May 3 ** Uma Bharti, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh ** Ben Elton, British comedian and writer * May 5 ** Peter Molyneux, British game programmer ** Steve Stevens, American guitarist ** Brian Williams, American news anchor ** Gary Dubin, American actor and voice actor (d.

) * May 9 ** Christian Bach, Argentine-Mexican actress and producer of telenovelas (d.

) ** János Áder, President of Hungary * May 10 – Victoria Rowell, American actress * May 12 ** Ving Rhames, African-American actor ** Ron Rubin (voice actor), Robin Rubin, Canadian voice actor * May 14 – Patrick Bruel, French singer * May 15 – Andrew Eldritch, British singer/songwriter * May 17 – Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach * May 20 ** Bronson Pinchot, American actor ** Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Hawaiian singer (d. 1997) * May 21 ** Brian Lenihan Jnr, Brian Lenihan, Irish politician (d. 2011) ** Loretta Lynch, American politician, 83rd United States Attorney General * May 22 ** David Blatt, Israeli-American professional basketball player and coach ** Morrissey, British singer * May 23 – Bob Mortimer, English comedian *

– Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish-born hockey player (d. 1985) * May 25 – Julian Clary, English comedian, actor and author * May 26 – Kevin Gage (actor), Kevin Gage, American actor * May 27 ** Katherine Lanpher, American journalist ** Donna Strickland, Canadian physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics * May 28 – Steve Strange, Welsh singer (Visage (band), Visage) (d. 2015) * May 29 ** Gretchen (singer), Gretchen, Brazilian singer, reality television personality, actress and businesswoman ** Rupert Everett, British actor * May 31 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian race car driver (d. 2014)

June

Klaus Iohannis at EPP Summit, March 2015, Brussels (cropped)

* June 7 – Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States *

– Bernard White (actor), Bernard White, Sri Lankan-born American actor, screenwriter and film director * June 10 ** Carlo Ancelotti, Italian football player and manager ** Phillip J. Roth, American film producer, director and screenwriter ** Eliot Spitzer, American politician and former List of Governors of New York, governor of New York * June 11 ** Hugh Laurie, British actor, comedian, and musician ** Magnum T. A., American professional wrestler * June 12 – John Linnell, American singer-songwriter, half of alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants * June 13 – Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania * June 14 – Marcus Miller, American bassist * June 15 – Eileen Davidson, American actress and author * June 16 – The Ultimate Warrior, American professional wrestler (d. 2014) * June 17 ** Ulrike Richter, German swimmer ** Kazuki Yao, Japanese voice actor * June 18 ** Sione Laumanuʻuli Luani, Tongan politician (d. 2010) ** Joe Ansolabehere, American television screenwriter and producer * June 19 – Christian Wulff, Federal President of Germany * June 21 ** Guerrinha, Brazilian basketball coach and basketball player ** Demetrio Román Isidoro, Mexican architect and politician ** Marcella Detroit, American soprano vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter ** Louis Febre, Mexican composer * June 22 ** Wayne Federman, American comedian, actor, and author ** Ed Viesturs, American mountaineer *

** Marc Larose, Seychellois sprinter ** Mariella Valentini, Italian actress ** Steve Joughin, Manx road racing cyclist * June 24 – Andy McCluskey, English musician and songwriter (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, OMD) * June 26 ** Mark McKinney, Canadian actor and comedian ** :es:Stef Burns, Stef Burns, American guitarist ** Suresh Gopi, Indian actor * June 27 ** Khadja Nin, Burundian singer and musician ** Pétur Pétursson, Icelandic footballer * June 28 – John Shelley (illustrator), John Shelley, British illustrator * June 29 – Gina Alajar, Filipino film and television actress and television director *

– Vincent D'Onofrio, American actor

July

Simple Minds - 2016330230109 2016-11-25 Night of the Proms - Sven - 1D X II - 1090 - AK8I5426 mod

Sanjay Dutt at Mumbai Airport, 2018 (cropped)

** Mohamed Lemine Ould Guig, Mauritanian academic and political figure ** Giovanni D'Aleo, Italian long-distance runner * July 2 – Indi Nadarajah, Malaysian actor and comedian * July 3 – Julie Burchill, British journalist *

** Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer ** Joe Pannunzio, American football executive and player and coach * July 5 ** María Concepción Navarrete, Mexican politician ** Marc Cohn, American singer-songwriter ** Akari Hibino, Japanese voice actress ** Pablo Helman, Argentine special effects artist * July 6 ** Richard Dacoury, French basketball player ** John Keeble, English pop and rock drummer * July 7 ** Billy Campbell, American actor ** Barbara Krause, German swimmer ** Ben Linder, American engineer (d. 1987) * July 8 ** Pauline Quirke, British actress ** Lori Hallier, Canadian actress ** Robert Knepper, American actor ** Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Swiss actor ** Mikhail Zingarevich, Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist *

** Jim Kerr, Scottish rock singer (Simple Minds) ** Kevin Nash, American professional wrestler * July 10 – Anjani, American singer-songwriter and pianist * July 11 ** Richie Sambora, American musician ** Suzanne Vega, American singer * July 12 ** King Tupou VI of Tonga ** Charlie Murphy (actor), Charlie Murphy, African-American actor and comedian (d. 2017) * July 13 – Fuziah Salleh, Malaysian politician *

** M. Manogaran, Malaysian politician ** Paul Haba, Guinean sprinter ** Susana Martinez, American politician, Governor of New Mexico * July 15 ** Vincent Lindon, French actor and filmmaker ** Patrick Timsit, French comedian, writer and film director * July 16 ** Bob Joles, American voice actor and musician ** Gary Anderson (placekicker), Gary Anderson, American football player ** Matthew Bronfman, American businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist * July 17 – Margaret Becker, American Christian singer * July 18 – Mel Purcell, American tennis player * July 19 – Juan J. Campanella, Argentinian filmmaker * July 20 – Giovanna Amati, Italian race car driver * July 21 – Gene Miles, Australian rugby league player *

– Nigel Findley, American game designer (d. 1995) *

** Anatoly Onoprienko, Ukrainian serial killer (d. 2013) ** Fyodor Cherenkov, Russian footballer and manager (d. 2014) * July 26 ** Rick Bragg, American journalist ** Kevin Spacey, American actor ** Richard Pearce (British actor), Richard Pearce, British voice artist * July 27 – Hugh Green (American football), Hugh Green, American football player * July 29 ** Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor ** Ruud Janssen, Dutch artist * July 30 − Abdullah of Pahang, current Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia * July 31 – Kim Newman, English fiction writer, journalist, and film critic

August

Rosanna Arquette - Monte-Carlo Television Festival

* August 1 – Joe Elliott, English singer; lead singer of Def Leppard * August 2 ** Johnny Kemp, Bahamian singer-songwriter (d. 2015) ** Victoria Jackson, American actress, comedian, and singer * August 3 ** John C. McGinley, American actor ** Koichi Tanaka, Japanese scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry * August 4 – Robbin Crosby, American rock guitarist (Ratt) (d. 2002) * August 5 – Pete Burns, English singer (Dead or Alive (band), Dead or Alive) (d.

) * August 6 – Rajendra Singh (environmentalist), Rajendra Singh, Indian water conservationist, Magsaysay Award (2001) * August 7 – Koenraad Elst, Belgian Indologist * August 10 – Rosanna Arquette, American actress * August 11 ** Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian singer (d. 2014) ** Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese investor * August 12 – Kerry Boustead, Australian rugby league player * August 13 – Danny Bonaduce, American actor and disc jockey *

** Marcia Gay Harden, American actress ** Magic Johnson, African-American basketball player * August 15 – Scott Altman, American astronaut * August 17 ** Chika Sakamoto, Japanese voice actress and singer ** Jonathan Franzen, American author ** David Koresh, American spiritualist, leader of the Branch Davidian religious cult (d. 1993) ** Brad Wellman, American baseball player * August 18 – Dorothy Bush Koch, American author and philanthropist *

– Anthony Sowell, convicted serial killer and rapist *

– Jim McMahon, American football player * August 25 – Sönke Wortmann, German film director * August 26 – Stan Van Gundy, American basketball coach * August 27 ** Juan Fernando Cobo, Colombian artist **Daniela Romo, Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess * August 28 – Arthur Holden, Canadian actor and writer * August 29 ** Jeff Adachi, American attorney (d.

) ** Rebecca De Mornay, American actress ** Chris Hadfield, Canadian retired astronaut ** Stephen Wolfram, British scientist * August 30 – Mark Jackson (Australian footballer), Mark Jackson, Australian rules footballer and actor * August 31 – Tony DeFranco, Canadian singer

September

* September 1 – Kenny Mayne, American sportscaster * September 2 – Guy Laliberté, Canadian Cirque du Soleil founder * September 4 ** Kevin Harrington (actor), Kevin Harrington, Australian actor ** Armin Kogler, Austrian ski jumper * September 6 – Gaetano Varcasia, Italian voice actor and theatre director (d. 2014) * September 7 – Pierre Nanterme, French business executive (d.

) * September 8 ** Daler Nazarov, Tajik composer, singer, and actor ** Saeko Shimazu, Japanese voice actress * September 11 – John Hawkes (actor), John Hawkes, American actor * September 12 – Sigmar Gabriel, German politician * September 13 ** Kathy Johnson, American artistic gymnast ** Chris Hansen, American journalist * September 14 ** Mary Crosby, American actress ** Morten Harket, Norwegian rock singer (A-ha) *

– Peter Keleghan, Canadian actor * September 18 ** Ian Bridge, Canadian footballer ** Sérgio Britto, Brazilian singer and keyboardist **Mark Romanek, American filmmaker *

** Jason Alexander, American actor and comedian ** Elizabeth Peña, American actress (d. 2014) * September 24 – Steve Whitmire, American puppeteer *

– Dantes Tsitsi, Nauruan politician * September 29 – Benjamin Sehene, Rwandan writer *

– Ettore Messina, Italian basketball coach

October

* October 1 – Youssou N'Dour, Senegalese singer *

– Lena Hades, Russian artist * October 3 ** Fred Couples, American golfer ** Greg Proops, American comedian ** Jack Wagner (actor), Jack Wagner, American actor * October 4 – Chris Lowe, British musician * October 7 ** Simon Cowell, English music producer and television talent show judge ** Lourdes Flores, Peruvian politician * October 8 ** Erik Gundersen, Danish motorcycle racer ** Carlos I. Noriega, Peruvian-American colonel and astronaut * October 9 – Boris Nemtsov, Russian politician (d. 2015) * October 10 ** Kirsty MacColl, British singer and songwriter (d. 2000) ** Julia Sweeney, American actress and comedian * October 13 – Marie Osmond, American singer * October 15 ** Emeril Lagasse, American chef and restaurant owner ** Sarah, Duchess of York, British royal and former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York * October 17 – Francisco Flores Pérez, President of El Salvador (d.

) * October 18 – Mauricio Funes, 44th President of El Salvador * October 20 - Hotman Paris Hutapea, Indonesian lawyer * October 21 – Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor * October 22 – Arto Salminen, Finnish writer (d.

) * October 23 ** "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer and parodist ** Sam Raimi, American producer, writer and director * October 25 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian rock singer (d. 2013) * October 26 ** François Chau, American actor ** Evo Morales, President of Bolivia * October 27 – Rick Carlisle, American basketball coach * October 29 – John Magufuli, 5th President of Tanzania (d. 2021) * October 31 – Neal Stephenson, American writer

November

– John Odey, Nigerian politician (d. 2018) * November 2 – Saïd Aouita, Moroccan athlete * November 3 – Timothy Patrick Murphy, American actor (d. 1988) * November 5 – Bryan Adams, Canadian singer and photographer * November 6 – Nobuo Tobita, Japanese voice actor * November 7 – Billy Gillispie, American basketball coach * November 8 – Selçuk Yula, Turkish football player and top scorer * November 9 – Tony Slattery, British comedian and actor * November 10 ** Linda Cohn, American sports reporter ** Mackenzie Phillips, American actress ** Mike McCarthy, American football coach * November 11 ** Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, Indian politician (d. 2018) ** Christian Schwarzenegger, Swiss legal scientist and professor * November 14 ** Deta Hedman, Jamaican-born English darts player ** Paul McGann, British actor ** Bryan Stevenson, American lawyer and social justice activist * November 16 – RaeAnn Kelsch, American politician (d. 2018) * November 17 – William R. Moses, American actor * November 18 ** Jimmy Quinn (footballer, born 1959), Jimmy Quinn, Northern Irish footballer and football manager ** Karla Faye Tucker, American convicted murderer (d. 1998) *

** Robert Barron (bishop), Robert Barron, American bishop, author, and theologian ** Jo Bonner, American U.S. Representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district ** Allison Janney, American actress *

– Sean Young, American actress * November 23 – Dominique Dunne, American actress (d.

) * November 24 – Akio Ōtsuka, Japanese voice actor and actor * November 25 – Charles Kennedy, British politician (d. 2015) * November 26 – Dai Davies (politician), Dai Davies Welsh politician and independent Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) * November 27 – Viktoria Mullova, Russian violinist * November 28 – Judd Nelson, American actor * November 29 ** Rahm Emanuel, American politician ** Platon Lebedev, Russian executive ** Neal Broten, American professional ice hockey player * November 30 ** George S. J. Faber, George Faber, British television producer ** Lorraine Kelly, British presenter and journalist

December

Satoru Iwata - Game Developers Conference 2011 - Day 2 (1)

* December 1 ** Billy Childish, English painter, writer and musician ** Wally Lewis, Australian rugby league player *

– Hans Kristian Amundsen, Norwegian newspaper editor and politician (d. 2018) * December 4 – Christa Luding-Rothenburger, German speed skater * December 5 – Yoshitomo Nara, Japanese artist * December 6 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese president of Nintendo (d. 2015) * December 8 – Yun Duk-min, Korean diplomat * December 9 ** Mario Cantone, American comedian, writer, and actor ** Karl Shuker, British zoologist, crypto-zoologist, and author * December 13 – Johnny Whitaker, American actor * December 14 – Evan Ziporyn, American composer * December 16 ** Alison LaPlaca, American actress ** Steve Mattsson, American writer * December 17 – Gregg Araki, American director * December 19 – Waise Lee, Hong Kong actor * December 20 – Stephen Chan Chi Wan, general manager of TVB * December 21 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American athlete (d. 1998) * December 22 – Bernd Schuster, German footballer and manager * December 24 – Keith Deller, English darts player * December 25 – Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut (d.

) * December 27 – Gerina Dunwich, American author * December 28 – Ana Torroja, Spanish singer * December 29 ** Marco Antonio Solís, Mexican singer ** Patricia Clarkson, American actress * December 30 – Tracey Ullman, British-American comedian and actress * December 31 ** Val Kilmer, American actor ** Baron Waqa, Nauruan politician and composer, 14th President of Nauru

Date unknown

*Greg Cox (writer), Greg Cox, American novelist *Tom Grummett, Canadian comics artist *Jacki Randall, American artist

Deaths

January

– William D. Francis, Australian botanist (b. 1889) *

– Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, novelist and translator (b. 1887) *

– José Enrique Pedreira, Puerto Rican composer (b. 1904) *

– Zhang Xi (PRC politician), Zhang Xi, Chinese politician (b. 1912) *

– Giuseppe Bottai, Italian Fascist journalist and politician (b. 1895) *

– Colin Gregory, Australian tennis player (b. 1903) * January 14 ** Eivind Berggrav, Norwegian Lutheran bishop and reverend (b. 1884) ** G. D. H. Cole, English political theorist, economist and historian (b. 1889) *

– Eduardo Braun-Menéndez, Argentine physiologist (b. 1903) * January 19 – Jennie Ross Cobb, American photographer (b. 1881) * January 20 – Roger Gray (actor), Roger Gray, American actor (b. 1881) *

** Cecil B. DeMille, American film director (b. 1881) ** Frances Gertrude McGill, Canadian forensic pathologist (b. 1882) ** Carl Switzer, American actor (b. 1927) *

** Elisabeth Moore, American tennis champion (b. 1876) ** Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929) *

– William Flannery, American director (b. 1898) *

** Margaret Elizabeth Egan, American librarian (b. 1905) ** MacGillivray Milne,

Captain (USN), Captain and the 27th Governor of American Samoa (b. 1882) * January 28 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (b. 1899)

February

Beatrix Jones Farrand cabinet card est 1890s-1910s

– Frank Shannon, Irish-born American actor (b. 1874) * February 3 – The Day the Music Died, Killed in the crash of a private plane: **

(J.P. Richardson), American rock singer (b. 1930) **

, American rock singer (b. 1936) ** Ritchie Valens, American rock singer (b. 1941) * February 3 ** Vincent Astor, American philanthropist (b. 1891) ** Herbert Greenwald, American real estate developer (b. 1915) ** Francesco De Robertis, Italian screenwriter, editor and director (b. 1902) ** Beulah Zachary, American television director and producer (Kukla, Fran and Ollie) (b. 1911) * February 4 ** Una O'Connor (actress), Una O'Connor, Irish actress (b. 1880) ** Robert Emerson (scientist), Robert Emerson, American scientist (b. 1903) * February 7 ** Nap Lajoie, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1874) ** D. F. Malan, South African politician, 4th Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1874) * February 11 – Marshall Teague (racing driver), Marshall Teague, American race car driver (b. 1921) * February 12 – George Antheil, American composer (b. 1900) * February 14 – Baby Dodds, American jazz musician (b. 1898) * February 15 ** Ralph Eastwood, British army officer (b. 1890) ** Owen Willans Richardson, Sir Owen Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879) *

– Luigi Emanueli, Italian engineer (b. 1883) *

– Gago Coutinho, Portuguese aviation pioneer (b. 1869) *

** Gregório Bondar, Russian-Brazilian agronomist (b. 1881) ** Laurence Housman, English playwright and writer (b. 1865) *

– Helen Parrish, American actress (b. 1924) * February 23 ** Pierre Frieden, Luxembourgish politician and writer, 18th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1892) ** Luis Palés Matos, Puerto Rican poet (b. 1898) * February 25 – Klawdziy Duzh-Dushewski, Soviet architect, diplomat and journalist (b. 1891) * February 26 ** Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, eldest grandchild of King Edward VII (b. 1891) ** Kōtoku Satō, Japanese general (b. 1893) ** Selig Suskin, Russian-born Israeli agronomist and early Zionist (b. 1873) * February 27 – Shigeyoshi Miwa, Japanese admiral (b. 1892) * February 28 ** Maxwell Anderson, American screenwriter (b. 1888) ** Beatrix Farrand, American gardener and architect (b. 1872)

March

– Mack Gordon, American composer and lyricist (b. 1904) *

** Zalman Ben-Ya'akov, Israel politician (b. 1897) ** Eric Blore, English actor (b. 1887) *

– Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906) * March 4 ** Adolphe Danziger De Castro, Israeli scholar (b. 1859) ** Maxie Long, American athlete (b. 1878) * March 6 ** Guido Brignone, Italian actor (b. 1886) ** Fred Stone, American actor (b. 1873) * March 7 – Ichirō Hatoyama, Japanese politician, 36th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1883) * March 15 ** Shalva Dadiani, Soviet novelist (b. 1874) ** Lester Young, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1909) * March 17 – Galaktion Tabidze, Georgian poet (b. 1891) * March 19 – Umberto Barbaro, Italian critic (b. 1902) * March 21 – Edwin Balmer, American science fiction and mystery writer (b. 1883) * March 23 – Dominick Trcka, Czechoslovak Roman Catholic priest and blessed (b. 1886) * March 24 – Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, Sudanese political figure and religious leader, Imam of the Ansar (Sudan), Ansar and 1st Prime Minister of Sudan (b. 1885) * March 25 – Billy Mayerl, British pianist and composer (b. 1902) * March 26 – Raymond Chandler, American-born novelist (b. 1888) * March 27 – Grant Withers, American actor (b. 1905) *

– Lyubov Golanchikova, Soviet pilot (b. 1889) * March 29 – Barthélemy Boganda, 1st Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1910) * March 30 – Reginald R. Belknap, United States Navy rear admiral (b. 1871)

April

* April 2 – Nicholas Charnetsky, Soviet Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox priest, bishop, martyr and blessed (b. 1884) * April 6 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Israeli professor and scholar of Islamic art (b. 1895) *

** Mario de Bernardi, Italian aviator (b. 1893) ** Marios Makrionitis, Greek Jesuit prelate and reverend (b. 1913) ** Jonathan Zenneck, German physicist and electrical engineer (b. 1871) *

–

, American architect (b. 1867) * April 12 – James Gleason, American actor, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1882) * April 13 – Dagmar Hansen, Danish singer (b. 1871) * April 15 – Leonard Beyers, South African army general (b. 1894) * April 16 – Ramón Armando Rodríguez, Venezuelan writer (b. 1895) * April 17 – Cecil Cunningham, American actress (b. 1888) * April 18 – Irving Cummings, American actor (b. 1888) * April 19 – Óscar Únzaga, Bolivian politician (assassinated) (b. 1916) * April 25 - Count Michael Mikhailovich of Torby (b. 1898) * April 28 ** Alabert Fogarasi, Hungarian philosopher and politician (b. 1891) ** María Guggiari Echeverría, Paraguayan Roman Catholic religious professed and venerable (b. 1925) * April 29 – Kenneth Anderson (British Army officer), Sir Kenneth Anderson, British general (b. 1891)

May

* May 3 – Troy Sanders (composer), Troy Sanders, American film score composer (b. 1901) * May 4 – William S. Pye, American admiral (b. 1880) * May 5 ** Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente, Georges Grente, French Roman Catholic cardinal and eminence (b. 1872) ** Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentine politician, recipient of the

(b. 1878) * May 6 – Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (b. 1881) *

** Renato Caccioppoli, Italian mathematician (b. 1904) ** Hector Choquette, Canadian politician (b. 1884) ** Ibrahim of Johor, Malaysian sultan (b. 1873) * May 11 – Marcella Albani, Italian actress (b. 1899) * May 14 – Sidney Bechet, American musician (b. 1897) * May 15 ** Joe Cook (actor), Joe Cook, American actor (b. 1890) ** Jeanne de Flandreysy, French author (b. 1874) *

– Elisha Scott, Irish footballer (b. 1894) * May 17 ** George Albert Smith (film pioneer), George Albert Smith, English film pioneer (b. 1864) ** Judite Teixeira, Portuguese writer (b. 1880) *

** Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Antarctic explorer (b. 1886) ** Enrique Guaita, Argentinian footballer (b. 1910) * May 20 – Alfred Schütz, Austrian sociologist (b. 1899) * May 22 – Henri Marchand (actor), Henri Marchand, French actor (b. 1898) *

– John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State (b. 1888) * May 29 – Ed Walsh, American baseball player (Chicago White Sox) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1881) * May 30 ** Hesperia (actress), Hesperia, Italian actress (b. 1885) ** Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz, Argentinian journalist (b. 1898) * May 31 – Ede Zathureczky, Hungarian violinist (b. 1903)

June

* June 1 – Sax Rohmer, English author (b. 1883) *

– Kinahan Cornwallis, Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, British diplomat (b. 1883) * June 4 – Charles Vidor, American director (b. 1900) *

– Pietro Canonica, Italian sculptor (b. 1869) * June 9 ** Sonnie Hale, English actor and director (b. 1902) ** Adolf Windaus, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876) * June 12 – Clyde E. Elliott, American director, producer and writer (b. 1885) * June 14 – Jerónimo Méndez, Chilean politician, former acting Presidents of Chile, President of the Republic (b. 1887) * June 15 – Kazimierz Bein, Polish ophthalmologist (b. 1872) * June 16 – George Reeves, American television actor (b. 1914) * June 18 **Ethel Barrymore, American stage and screen actress (b. 1879) ** Vincenzo Cardarelli, Italian poet (b. 1887) * June 20 – Hitoshi Ashida, Japanese politician, 34th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1887) * June 22 ** Félix Guignot, French physician (b. 1882) ** Bruce Harlan, American Olympic diver (b. 1926) *

** Cesare Maria De Vecchi, Italian soldier (b. 1884) ** Maria Gorczyńska, Polish actress (b. 1899) ** Boris Vian, French writer, poet, singer, and musician (b. 1920) * June 25 ** Farajallah el-Helou, Lebanese militant (b. 1906) ** Charles Starkweather, American spree killer (b. 1938) * June 27 ** Elias, Duke of Parma (b. 1880) ** Giovanni Pastrone, Italian actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1883) *

– José Vasconcelos, Mexican politician, writer and philosopher (b. 1882)

July

* July 2 – Sergei Chetverikov, Russian biologist (b. 1880) * July 3 – Johan Bojer, Norwegian novelist and dramatist (b. 1872) * July 6 – George Grosz, German artist (b. 1893) * July 7 ** Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa, Spanish painter (b. 1871) ** Ernest Newman, English music critic (b. 1868) * July 11 – Charlie Parker (cricketer), Charlie Parker, English cricketer (b. 1882) *

– Grock, Swiss clown (b. 1880) * July 15 ** Ernest Bloch, Swiss-born American composer (b. 1880) ** Agostino Gemelli, Italian Franciscan friar and reverend (b. 1878) * July 17 – Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915) * July 20 – William D. Leahy, American admiral (b. 1875) *

** Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Chief Rabbi of Ireland, and later of Israel (b. 1888) ** King Mutara III of Rwanda (b. 1911) * July 26 – Manuel Altolaguirre, Spanish poet (b. 1905) * July 27 – Aleksandar Tsankov, 21st Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1879) * July 30 ** Heinie Conklin, American actor (b. 1886) ** María Natividad Venegas de la Torre, Mexican Roman Catholic nun and saint (b. 1868)

August

* August 2 – Mary Teresa Norton, American politician (b. 1875) * August 3 ** Herb Byrne, Australian rules footballer (b. 1887) ** Fernando Carpi, Italian tenor (b. 1876) * August 4 – Ioan Bălan, Romanian Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox prelate (b. 1880) * August 5 – Edgar A. Guest, English poet (b. 1881) * August 6 – Preston Sturges, American film director and writer (b. 1898) * August 8 ** Albert Namatjira, Australian Aboriginal artist (b. 1902) ** Luigi Sturzo, Italian Roman Catholic priest and politician (b. 1871) ** Henry St. George Tucker (bishop), Henry St. George Tucker, American Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal bishop and reverend (b. 1874) ** Luis Araquistáin, Spanish politician and writer (b. 1886) * August 9 ** Emil František Burian, Czechoslovak poet (b. 1904) ** Noboru Ishizaki, Japanese admiral (b. 1893) * August 15 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitarist (b. 1901) * August 16 **Benny Fields, American singer (b. 1894) ** William Halsey, Jr., American US Navy Fleet admiral (b. 1882) ** Wanda Landowska, Polish harpsichordist (b. 1879) ** José Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Brazilian military officer (b. 1885) *

– Claude Grahame-White, British aviation pioneer (b. 1879) * August 20 – Alexander Evreinov, Soviet Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox bishop and reverend (b. 1877) *

– Jacob Epstein, Sir Jacob Epstein, American-born British sculptor (b. 1880) * August 22 ** Marie Luise Droop, German writer, producer and director (b. 1890) ** Allan Aynesworth, English actor and producer (b. 1864) * August 28 ** Raphael Lemkin, international lawyer (b. 1900) ** Bohuslav Martinů, Czech composer (b. 1890)

September

* September 6 ** Edmund Gwenn, English actor (b. 1877) ** Kay Kendall, English actress (b. 1927) * September 7 – Maurice Duplessis, Premier of Quebec (b. 1890) * September 9 – Ramón Fonst, Cuban fencer (b. 1883) * September 11 – Paul Douglas (actor), Paul Douglas, American actor (b. 1907) * September 14 – Wayne Morris (American actor), Wayne Morris, American actor (b. 1914) * September 18 – Adolf Ziegler, German painter (b. 1892) * September 20 – Nikandr Chibisov, Russian commander (b. 1892) * September 22 ** Josef Matthias Hauer, Austrian composer and music theorist (b. 1883) ** Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, British field marshal (b. 1880) * September 24 – Wolfgang Paalen, German-Austrian-Mexican painter, sculptor and art philosopher (b. 1905) *

, 4th Prime Minister of Ceylon (b. 1899) ** Helen Broderick, American actress (b. 1891) *

** Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (b. 1901) ** Vinnie Richards, American tennis player (b. 1903) *

– Taylor Holmes, American actor (b. 1878)

October

* October 1 – Enrico De Nicola, Italian jurist, politician and journalist, 1st President of Italy (b. 1877) * October 6 – Bernard Berenson, American art historian (b. 1865) * October 7 – Mario Lanza, American tenor (b. 1921) * October 9 – Shirō Ishii, Japanese microbiologist and lieutenant general of Unit 731 (b. 1892) * October 11 – Bert Bell, 2nd commissioner of the National Football League (b. 1895) * October 12 ** Edward Keane (actor), Edward Keane, American actor (b. 1884) ** Arnolt Bronnen, Austrian playwright and director (b. 1895) * October 14 – Errol Flynn, Australian actor (b. 1909) * October 15 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalist leader (b. 1909) * October 16 ** Minor Hall, American jazz musician (b. 1897) ** George C. Marshall, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the

(b. 1880) * October 18 ** Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian athlete (b. 1898) ** Frederick J. Horne, American admiral (b. 1880) * October 19 – Ebrahim Hakimi, 29th Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1871) * October 20 – Werner Krauss, German actor (b. 1884) * October 22 – Joseph Cahill, Australian politician (b. 1891) * October 25 – Genevieve R. Cline, American jurist (b. 1879) * October 27 – Juan José Domenchina, Spanish poet (b. 1898) * October 28 ** Lili Árkayné Sztehló, Hungarian painter (b. 1897) **

, Cuban revolutionary (b. 1932)

November

** M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Tamil film actor and producer (b. 1910) ** Zhang Jinghui, Chinese general and politician, second and final Prime Minister of Manchukuo (b. 1871) * November 2 ** Michael Considine, Australian politician (b. 1885) ** Federico Tedeschini, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and eminence (b. 1873) * November 4 ** George (Karslidis) of Drama, George Karslidis, Greek Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox priest, elder and saint (b. 1901) ** Friedrich Waismann, Austrian mathematician, physicist and philosopher (b. 1896) * November 6 ** José P. Laurel, Filipino politician and judge, 3rd President of the Philippines (b. 1891) ** Ivan Leonidov, Russian architect (b. 1902) * November 7 ** Muhammad Mahabat Khan III, Nawab of Junagarh (b. 1900) ** Victor McLaglen, English actor and boxer (b. 1886) * November 8 – Frank S. Land, founder of the Order of DeMolay (b. 1890) * November 10 – Lupino Lane, British actor (b. 1892) *

– Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869) * November 17 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887) * November 18 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (b. 1899) *

– Joseph Charbonneau, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate and reverend (b. 1892) * November 21 ** Max Baer (boxer), Max Baer, American boxer and actor (b. 1909) ** Olav Meisdalshagen, Norwegian politician, Minister of Finance (Norway), Minister of Finance (b. 1903) * November 22 – Molla Mallory, American tennis champion (b. 1884) * November 24 ** Stepan Erzia, Russian sculptor (b. 1876) ** Ion Gigurtu, 42nd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1886) ** Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league player (b. 1883) * November 25 – Gérard Philipe, French actor (b. 1922) * November 29 – Hans Henny Jahnn, German playwright and novelist (b. 1894) * November 30 – Alfonso López Pumarejo, Colombian political figure, 2-time President of Colombia (b. 1886)

December

– Giuseppe Zucca, Italian screenwriter (b. 1887) * December 3 – Juozapas Skvireckas, Soviet Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox archbishop and reverend (b. 1873) * December 4 – Hubert Marischka, Austrian film director (b. 1882) * December 7 ** Charlie Hall (actor), Charlie Hall, English actor (b. 1899) ** Prince Kuni Asaakira (b. 1901) * December 9 – Donald MacDonald (actor), Donald MacDonald, American actor (b. 1898) * December 11 – Jim Bottomley, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1900) * December 12 ** Marcella Craft, American soprano (b. 1874) ** Russell Simpson (actor), Russell Simpson, American actor (b. 1880) * December 14 ** Edna Wallace Hopper, American stage actress (b. 1872) ** Stanley Spencer, British painter (b. 1891) * December 19 – Andrés Martínez Trueba, 31st President of Uruguay (b. 1884) * December 22 – Gilda Gray, Polish-born dancer and actress (b. 1901) * December 23 – Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, British politician (b. 1881) * December 24 – Edmund Goulding, American director (b. 1891) * December 28 – Ante Pavelić, Ante Pavelic, Croatian fascist leader and WWII war criminal (b. 1889) * December 29 – Juan José Morosoli, Uruguayan writer (b. 1899)

Unknown

* Al-Abbas ibn Ibrahim as-Samlali, Moroccan historian (b. 1877) * Elena Săcălici, Romanian artistic gymnast (b. 1935)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Emilio Gino Segrè, Owen Chamberlain * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Jaroslav Heyrovský * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Severo Ochoa, Arthur Kornberg * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Salvatore Quasimodo * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Philip Noel-Baker

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1959 1959,