December 1959 calendar
Learn the most interesting events and historical facts that happened in December 1959.
The US president was Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican), the UK Prime Minister was Harold Macmillan (Conservative), Pope John XXIII was leading the Catholic Church.
But much more happened on December 1959: find out below
Historical Events
Which were the important events of December 1959?
Events
- 01 Dec 1959 25th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Cannon, LSU (HB).
- 02 Dec 1959 Malpasset dam collapses destroying French Riviera town of Frejus.
- 03 Dec 1959 State of emergency on Cyprus ends.
- 04 Dec 1959 A monkey returns to Earth safely, after being launched 55 miles high into outer space by the United States space program.
- 05 Dec 1959 Intikhab Alam bowls Colin McDonald with first ball in Tests.
- 07 Dec 1959 Saratoga opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 80 performances
- 08 Dec 1959 Dom Mintoff demands independence for Malta.
- 13 Dec 1959 Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus.
- 14 Dec 1959 J B Jordan in F-104C sets world altitude record, 31,513 metres.
- 15 Dec 1959 Everly Brothers record Let It Be Me
- 16 Dec 1959 Snow falling in Lowarai Pass, West Pakistan, kills 48.
- 17 Dec 1959 On The Beach, is 1st film to premiere on both sides of Iron Curtain
- 18 Dec 1959 Sammy Baugh named first coach of New York Titans (AFL).
- 20 Dec 1959 Jasu Patel takes 9-69, India versus Australia at Kanpur.
- 21 Dec 1959 10th largest snowfall in NYC history (13.7)
- 22 Dec 1959 Continental League awards its last franchise to Dallas-Fort Worth.
- 25 Dec 1959 A synagogue in Cologne Germany desecrated with swatstikas
- 27 Dec 1959 Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 31-16 in NFL championship game
- 29 Dec 1959 Physicist Richard Feynman gives a speech entitled ''There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom'', which is regarded as the birth of nanotechnology; the Lisbon Metro begins operation.
- 30 Dec 1959 George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub commissioned
Famous Birthday
![Patricia Clarkson]()
- See more
Famous Deaths
- See more
Music charts
Which were the top hits in December 1959?
Unlimited, ad-free streaming of over a million songs, 30 day Free Trial
Top #5 songs in the USA
- Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife
- Guy Mitchell - Heartaches By The Number
- Frankie Avalon - Why
- Della Reese - Don't You Know
- The Fleetwoods - Mr. Blue
Top #5 songs in the UK
- Adam Faith - What Do You Want?
- Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife
- Emile Ford & The Checkmates - What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?
- Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Travellin' Light
- Neil Sedaka - Oh Carol
Movies
Which were the most popular Movies released in that month?
Books
Which were the most popular books released in December 1959?
The Amazing Results Of Positive Thinking
By: Norman Vincent Peale
"This is a resultbook ....It tells the story of how dynamic change principles were applied to people's lives."
The Cave
By: Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren's sixth novel, The Cave (1959), tells the story about a young man who is trapped in a cave in Johntown, Tennessee.
Gentlemen, Scholars And Scoundrels
By: Horace Knowles
Gentlemen, Scholars, and Scoundrels: The Treasury of Harper's Magazine from 1850 to The, by Knowles. Ed.
The Ugly American
By: William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick
This multi-million-copy bestseller is the one that gave rise to the term "tragic American blunders abroad". The episode that gives the book its name is Homer Atkins. He's a simple and plain-spoken man who was sent by the U.S.
The Devil'S Advocate
By: Morris L. West
The Vatican sends a terminally ill English priest to Italy to investigate the story of a local hero, reputed miracle worker, and to inquire into his life.