July 8
July 8
First Americans killed in South Vietnam
Maj. Dale R. Buis and Master Sgt. Chester M. Ovnand become the first Americans killed in the American phase of the Vietnam War when guerrillas strike a Military Assistance Advisory…
A Year In History: 1959
This Year in History:
1959
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
July 24
July 24
Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev have a “kitchen debate”
During the grand opening ceremony of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev engage in a heated debate about capitalism and communism…
August 7
August 7
The first U.S. satellite to photograph the Earth is launched
From the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the U.S. unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6 is launched into an orbit around the earth. The spacecraft, commonly known as the “Paddlewheel”…
August 21
August 21
Hawaii becomes 50th state
The modern United States receives its crowning star when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii (Native spelling: Hawai‘i) into the Union as the 50th state. The president…
September 14
September 14
Soviet probe reaches the moon
A Soviet rocket crashes into the moon’s surface, becoming the first man‑made object sent from earth to reach the lunar surface. The event gave the Soviets a short‑lived advantage in…
September 15
September 15
Khrushchev arrives in Washington
Nikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. During the next two weeks, Khrushchev’s visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous…
September 18
September 18
Serial killer Harvey Glatman is executed
Serial killer Harvey Glatman is executed in a California gas chamber for murdering three young women in Los Angeles. Resisting all appeals to save his life, Glatman even wrote to…
September 19
September 19
Khrushchev barred from visiting Disneyland
In one of the more surreal moments in the history of the Cold War, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev explodes with anger when he learns that he cannot visit Disneyland. The…
September 25
September 25
New York mobster Little Augie Pisano is murdered
Mob assassins shoot Anthony Carfano, known as Little Augie Pisano, to death in New York City on Meyer Lansky’s orders. Lansky, one of the few organized crime figures who managed…
September 25
September 25
Eisenhower and Khrushchev meet for talks
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev caps his trip to the United States with two days of meetings with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The two men came to general agreement on a…
October 21
October 21
Guggenheim Museum opens in New York City
On October 21, 1959, on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, thousands of people line up outside a bizarrely shaped white concrete building that resembled a giant upside‑down cupcake. It was…
November 1
November 1
Montreal’s Jacques Plante becomes first NHL goaltender to wear facemask
On November 1, 1959, the day after Halloween, Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens revolutionizes hockey by donning a facemask, the first NHL goaltender to do so in a regular‑season…
November 16
November 16
“The Sound of Music” premieres on Broadway
On November 16, 1959, The Sound of Music opens on Broadway, becoming a smash success from the first night. Did a young Austrian nun named Maria von Trapp really take…
November 25
November 25
The Birdman of Alcatraz asks a court to set him free
On November 25, 1959, four months after being released from 43 years of solitary confinement and transferred to the mainland from the penitentiary on Alcatraz island, Robert Stroud, the famous…
December 1
December 1
Antarctica made a military‑free continent
Twelve nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, sign the Antarctica Treaty, which bans military activity and weapons testing on that continent. It was the first arms control…
December 23
December 23
Chuck Berry is indicted on Mann Act charges in St. Louis, Missouri
On December 23, 1959, Chuck Berry is indicted in St. Louis, Missouri, on charges relating to his transportation of a 14‑year‑old girl across state lines for allegedly “immoral purposes.” “Never…
