What Happened in December 1959

Historical Events

Dec 1 12 nations sign treaty for scientific peaceful use of Antarctica

Billy Cannon

Dec 1 25th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Cannon, LSU (HB)

Dec 1 The 1st color photograph of Earth received from outer space
Dec 2 Malpasset dam collapses destroying French Riviera town of Frejus
Dec 3 State of emergency in Cyprus ends
Dec 5 Future Pakistan cricket captain Intikhab Alam bowls Australian opener Colin McDonald with his first ball in Test cricket in drawn 3rd Test in Karachi
Dec 7 "Saratoga" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 80 performances
Dec 8 Baseball's new Continental League awards its 6th franchise to Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 8 Dom Mintoff demands independence for Malta

Eisenhower Catches a Game

Dec 8 President Eisenhower watches Pakistan v Aust Test Cricket at Karachi

34th US President and WWII General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Poet Quasimodo Nobel Prize

Dec 10 Novel Prize for Literature awarded to Sicilian writer Salvatore Quasimodo for his lyrical poetry

Nobel for Antiproton Discovery

Dec 11 Emilio G. Segrè and Owen Chamberlain awarded Nobel Prize for Physics for discovery of the antiproton, a sub-atomic antiparticle

Physicist and Nobel Laureate Emilio G. Segrè

Yankees Trade Three for Three

Dec 11 NY Yankees trade Marv Thronberry, Don Larsen, Hank Bauer and Norm Seibern for Roger Maris, Kent Hadley and Joe Deaestri

Dec 12 Jack Brabham finishes 4th in season-ending US Grand Prix at Sebring to become first Australian F1 World Drivers Championship winner; takes title by 4 points from Briton Tony Brooks
Dec 12 UN Committee on Peaceful Use of Outer Space is established
Dec 13 Archbishop Makarios elected 1st president of Cyprus, receiving two thirds of the vote
Dec 14 Archbishop Makarios proclaimed president of Cyprus
Dec 14 Joe B. Jordan in F-104C starfighter sets world altitude record, 31,513m
Dec 14 The album "Time Out" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet is released, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and becomes the first jazz album to sell a million copies.

Di Stéfano's Second Win

Dec 15 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stéfano wins his second award for best football player in Europe ahead of teammate Raymond Kopa and Juventus' Welsh utility John Charles

Football Player and Coach Alfredo Di Stéfano

Let It Be Me

Dec 15 Everly Brothers record "Let It Be Me", an English translation of Gilbert Bécaud's French song "Je t'appartiens"; reaches No. 7 on the charts

Dec 16 Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
Dec 17 "On The Beach" is 1st film to premiere on both sides of Iron Curtain

Baugh 1st Titans' Coach

Dec 18 Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of NY Titans (AFL)

American Football Player and Coach Sammy Baugh

Dec 19 1st Liberty Bowl game-Penn State beats Alabama 7-0
Dec 20 Indian cricket spin bowler Jasubhai Patel takes 9-69 in Australia's 1st innings 219 in 2nd Test at Kanpur
Dec 21 10th largest snowfall in NYC history (13.7")
Dec 21 Citizens of Deerfield Ill block building of interracial housing

Tom Landry Joins Cowboys

Dec 21 Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988)

Dec 22 Baseball's new Continental League awards its 7thfranchise to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
Dec 22 NY Ranger goalie Marcel Paille wears a customized mask
Dec 25 A synagogue in Cologne Germany desecrated with swatstikas

Bishop Wojtyla's Outdoor Mass

Dec 25 Bishop Karol Wojtyla (future Pope John Paul II) celebrates outdoor Mass at midnight of Christmas morning to demonstrate the need for a Catholic church in the community of Nowa Huta

Dec 25 Sony brings transistor TV 8-301 to the market
Dec 27 National Football League Championship, Memorial Stadium, Baltimore: Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants, 31-16; Colts score 24 straight points in 4th quarter
Dec 29 Saul Levitt's "Andersonville Trial" premieres in NYC
Dec 30 George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub commissioned

1959 History

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Billy Childish [Steven John Hamper], English painter, poet, writer, singer and guitarist (Pop Rivets; Three Milkshakes), born in Chatham, England
Dec 1 Rick Leventhal, American broadcast journalist
Dec 1 Wally Lewis, Australian rugby league five eighth, coach and broadcaster (34 Tests; Queensland 38 games; RL "Immortal"), born in Brisbane, Australia
Dec 2 Greg Barton, American kayaker (Olympics gold K-1 1,000, K-2 1,000 1988), born in Jackson, Michigan
Dec 2 Gywneth Strong, English actress (Cassandra-Only Fools and Horses), born in London
Dec 3 Eamonn Holmes, Northern Irish TV presenter
Dec 3 Kathy Jordan, American tennis player (7 Grand Slam doubles titles; Australian Open 1983 runner-up), born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Dec 4 Paul McGrath, Irish soccer defender (83 caps Rep of Ireland; Aston Villa, Manchester United), born in London, England
Dec 5 Connie Needham Newton, American actress (Eight is Enough, Fame), born in Anaheim, California
Dec 5 Nikki Gianulias, American ten-pin bowler (LPBT Rookie of Year 1979), born in Vallejo, California
Dec 5 Shirley Furlong, American golfer (ANA Inspiration runner-up 1990), born in San Antonio, Texas

Satoru Iwata (1959-2015)

Dec 6 Japanese video game designer, President and CEO of Nintendo (Nintendo DS and Wii), born in Sapporo, Hokkaido

Dec 7 Saleem Yousuf, Pakistani cricket wicket-keeper (32 Tests, 5 x 50, 104 dismissals; Karachi, Sindh), born in Karachi, Pakistan
Dec 8 Jim Yong Kim, South Korean-American physician, anthropologist and President of the World Bank, born in Seoul, South Korea
Dec 8 Marty Raybon, American singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South), born in Sanford, Florida
Dec 8 Paul Rutherford, British rock vocalist (Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"), born in Liverpool, England
Dec 10 Burke Moses, American actor (Sean Baxter-As the World Turns), born in New York City
Dec 10 Mark Aguirre, American NBA forward (Detroit Pistons), born in Chicago, Illinois
Dec 11 Lisa Gastineau, American reality show star, born in Rockland County, New York
Dec 11 Tina Gayle, American cowboy cheerleader and actress (Kathy-Chips), born in Frankfurt
Dec 12 Belouis Some [Neville Keighley], British new wave and pop singer (Some People; Round and Round), born in England
Dec 12 Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Indian cricketer (big-hitting Indian opener), born in Madras, India
Dec 12 Scott D. Vangen, American astronaut, born in Granite Falls, Minnesota
Dec 13 Boris Zhukov [Jim Harrell], American professional wrestler, born in Roanoke, Virginia
Dec 13 John Whitaker, American actor (Family Affair, Snowball Expr), born in Van Nuys, California
Dec 13 Marianne Gravatte, American model and Playboy playmate (Oct, 1982, 1983 Playmate of the Year), born in Hollywood, California
Dec 14 Bob Paris, Canadian-American bodybuilder and gay rights advocate, born in Columbus, Indiana
Dec 14 Franco [Iglesias], Cuban Latin pop singer ("Toda la Vida"; "María"), born in Cuba
Dec 14 Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer (WBC welterweight champion 1987), born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Dec 15 Greg Matthews, Australian cricket all-rounder (33 Tests, 61 wickets, 4 x 100s; NSW CA), born in Newcastle, Australia
Dec 15 Heidi Bohay, American actress (Megan-Hotel), born in Somerset, New Jersey
Dec 15 Rashid Khan, Pakistani cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 8 wickets, BB 3/129), and China National team coach, born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Dec 16 Alison La Placa, NJ, actress (Duet, Catherine-John Larroquette Show)
Dec 16 Stephen Irvine, Scottish rock drummer (Lloyd Cole & The Commotions), born in Scotland
Dec 17 Bob Stinson, American rock guitarist (The Replacements - "Pleased To Meet Me"), born in Waconia, Minnesota (d. 1995)
Dec 17 Gregg Araki, American filmmaker (Kaboom), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 17 Hattie Hayridge, British comedian and actress (Red Dwarf, 1989-92 - "Holly"), born in Middlesex, England
Dec 17 Tammie Green, American golfer (du Maurier Classic 1989), born in Somerset Ohio
Dec 19 Edward Metgod, Dutch soccer goalkeeper (1 cap; HFC Haarlem 329 games, Sparta Rotterdam 224 games), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 20 Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Prime Minister of Poland, born in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland

Florence Griffith Joyner (1959-1998)

Dec 21 American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay 1988; WR 100m: 10.49; 200m: 21.34 1988), born in Los Angeles, California

Dec 22 Bernd Schuster, German footballer, born in Augsburg, Germany
Dec 23 Geoff Willis, British engineer, born in Southampton, United Kingdom
Dec 24 Anil Kapoor, Indian producer and actor (Slumdog Millionaire, Taal, Maulana Jutt, Tezaab, Beta), born in Bombay, India
Dec 24 Keith Deller, British darts player (BDO World Champion 1983), born in Ipswich, England

Lee Daniels (64 years old)

Dec 24 American director ("Precious", "Empire"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dec 25 Chris Spice, Australian field hockey coach (Australian assistant Olympics women's gold 1996; World Cup gold 1994; swimming: British Performance Director Olympics 2016, 20), born in Brisbane, Australia
Dec 25 Michael P Anderson, Plattsburgh NY, major USAF/astronaut (STS 89)
Dec 25 Ton Lokhoff, Dutch soccer midfielder (3 caps; PSV, NAC) and manager (NAC Breda, Excelsior, VVV-Venlo), born in Breda, Netherlands
Dec 26 Koji Morimoto, Japanese anime director, born in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Dec 27 Andre Tippett, American NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, 1982-93, 5X Pro Bowl (New England Patriots), born in Birmingham, Alabama
Dec 27 Gerina Dunwich, American author
Dec 28 Ana Torroja, Spanish pop singer (Mecano), born in Madrid, Spain
Dec 28 Everson Walls, American football cornerback who won Super Bowl XXV NY Giants; 3 × First-team All-Pro; 4 × Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, born in Dallas, Texas
Dec 28 Phil Abrams, American actor, born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 29 Patricia Clarkson, American actress (House Of Cards; Pieces Of April; The Station Agent), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Dec 29 Paula Poundstone, American stand-up comedian (Emmy Awards), born in Huntsville, Alabama
Dec 29 Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (Kanashii Jiyū / Koi ga, Kiete Yuku), born in Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (d. 2004)
Dec 30 Alfie Anido, Filipino model and actor (Temptation Island), born in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines (d. 1981)
Dec 30 Josée Verner, French Canadian politician
Dec 30 Paul Milton Jackson Jr., American session and jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer, born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 30 Tracey Ullman, British actress (The Tracey Ullman Show) and singer ("They Don't Know"), born in Slough, England
Dec 31 Baron Waqa, Nauruan politician and musician, born in Boe District, Nauru
Dec 31 Bebe Neuwirth, American stage and screen actress (Chicago; Cheers & Fraser - "Lilith"; Damn Yankees), born in Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 31 Paul Westerberg, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Replacements), born in Edina, Minnesota
Dec 31 Phill Kline, American politician, born in Kansas City, Kansas

Val Kilmer (64 years old)

Dec 31 American actor (Top Secret; Top Gun; Willow), born in Los Angeles, California

Born in 1959

Famous Weddings

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Dec 21 Shah of Persia Mohammad Reza Pahlavi marries Farah Pahlavi Diba

John Madden

Dec 26 NFL coach John Madden (23) weds Virginia Fields

Famous Deaths

Dec 4 Rosetta Duncan, American vaudevillian (Duncan Sisters), actress (Topsy and Eva), and songwriter (Remeberin'). dies in an auto accident at 65
Dec 5 K. S. Duleepsinhji, English-Indian cricketer (12 Tests for England, 995 runs), dies at 54
Dec 6 Len Doyle, American actor (Harrington-Mr District Attorney), dies at 66
Dec 7 Charlie Hall, English comedic actor (Tit for Tat, A Chump at Oxford), dies at 60
Dec 9 Walter Compton, news anchor (DuMont Evening News), dies at 47
Dec 10 Charles Jones, West Indian cricket batsman (4 Tests), dies at 57
Dec 10 Henri Vidal, French actor (Fabiola), dies of a heart attack at 40

Jim Bottomley (1900-1959)

Dec 11 American Baseball HOF first baseman (MLB all-time single game RBI record [12] 1924; World Series 1926, 31; NL MVP & NL HR leader 1928; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 59

Dec 12 Russell Simpson, American actor (San Francisco, Abraham Lincoln), dies at 82
Dec 14 Lizzy Ansingh, Dutch painter (Cast Off), dies at 84
Dec 19 Walter Williams, claimed to be last survivor of Civil War, dies at 117
Dec 21 Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, restaurateur and ceramicist (b. 1883)
Dec 22 Gilda Gray [Marianna Michalska], Polish-American stage and screen actress (Piccadilly), and dancer (The Shimmy), dies of a heart attack at 58
Dec 23 Edward Frederick Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, viceroy of India and British ambassador to US (1940-46), dies at 78
Dec 23 Lester Lonergan Jr, American stage and screen actor (Guilty Bystander; The Growing Paynes), dies at 66
Dec 27 Alfonso Reyes, Mexican writer (Simpatías y diferencias) and diplomat (Higenia Cruel), dies at 70

Ante Pavelić (1889-1959)

Dec 28 Croatian leader of Nazi Germany puppet Independent State of Croatia, dies from wounds received in an attempted assassination two years earlier at 70

Dec 29 Robin Milford, English composer, commits suicide at 56
Dec 30 Maria Baers, Flemish social worker and founder of the Christian Workers' Women's Movement (KAV), dies at 76

On This Day