highlights

1959

President:  Dwight D. Eisenhower
Vice President:  Richard Milhouse Nixon

COST OF LIVING IN 1959

NEWS OF 1959

1. 45 million households in America have tv sets
2. There are 492tv stations, 156 AM radio stations and 537 FM stations ‘On the Air’
3. After a two-year guerrilla campaign, Fidel Castro overthrows the Cuban Dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and the USA acknowledges it when Cuba honors international agreements.
4. January 3, 1959 President Eisenhower proclaims Alaska the 49^thState of the Union (purchased from Russia in 1867 and a US Territory since 1912)
5. The “Peace Time” Draft is extended until June 1, 1963.
6. The Dalai Lama flees Tibet to India.
7. The St. Lawrence Seaway is opened by Queen Elizabeth and President Eisenhower.
8. Since 1945the USA has admitted 750,000 refugees and 5 million with regulation immigration visas.
9. Richard Nixon makes first visit to Moscow.
10. August 21, 1959 President Eisenhower proclaims Hawaii to be the 50^th  Since 1903 the Islanders have petitioned the USA for statehood (17 times).
11. A 12 Nation treaty sets Antarctica aside as a scientific preserve.
12. US Military closes the gates to Guantanamo off the eastern end of Cuba.  The USA has a “Lease in Perpetuity”since 1903.  We pay $4,085.00 per year on the lease.  (Castro has never cashed any of the checks.)
13. American Airlines inaugurates the First regularly scheduled transcontinental jet passenger service from Los Angeles to New York City.  The Boeing 707 cuts 2hours 7 minutes off the 1954 propeller-plane flight of 6 hours, 10
14. Quantas inaugurates the first regularly scheduled “Round the World”jet passenger service (Excluding the continental USA)
15. The first “Walk for Charity” takes place in Wiltshire England and raises $56.00 for “The World Refugee Fund.”
16. Thailand outlaw’s opium and closes approximately900 licensed smoking dens.
17. The Luna 1 is the first spacecraft to break free of the Earth’s gravitational pull.
18. NASA introduces the first 7 astronauts:  Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.
19. Louis Leakey finds a fossil dating 600,000to 1 million years old.
20. Lady Chatterly’s Lover is banned by the U.S. Postmaster General
21. Time magazine votes Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Man of the Year.

People born in 1959

1. Bryan Adams (Canadian Singer)
2. Hugh Laurie (Actor) Dr. House
3. John McEnroe (Tennis)
4. Kevin Spacey (Actor)
5. Lawrence Taylor (Football player)
6. Marie Osmond (singer)
7. Natassja Kinski (Actress)
8. Paula Poundstone (Comedienne)
9. Rosanna Arquette (Actress)
10. Rupert Everett (Actor) “Shakespeare in Love”
11. Val Kilmer (Actor) Played Jim Morrison, and was Batman Forever

People who Passed Away in 1959

1. Henry Brittain (1874August 1959) Ship-builder, who in his youth invented the Ice Cream cone.  When selling Ice creams at the 1898 World’s Fair Henry noticed the sweet pancakes in the booth next door were curling into cones, grabbed one and the rest is history.
2. Walter Williams (11/14/1842 – 12/19/1959) Last survivor of the Civil War dies at the age of 117.  Eisenhower orders all flags to be flown half-mast to honor ALL Civil War veterans.
3. Frank Lloyd Wright (6/8/1869 – 4/9/1959)Architect known for “Prairie Homes” that conform to the terrain.
4. Raymond Chandler (7/23/1888 – 3/26/1959) Journalist and author.  Wrote “The Big Sleep,” – “The Lady in the Lake” – “Double Indemnity”
5. Mack Gordon (6/21/1904 – 3/1/1959) lyricist who wrote “Chattanooga Choo Choo”
6. Billie Holiday (4/7/1915 – 7/17/1959)Singer, first appeared at age 15 where Benny Goodman hired her, she also sang with Count Basie and The Artie Shaw bands.
7. Buddy Holly (9/7/1936 – 2/3/1959) Singer (too many Songs to list)
8. P. Richardson (10/24/1930 – 2/3/1959) Big Bopper “Chantilly Lace”
9. Ritchie Vallens (5/13/1941 – 2/3/1959)Singer “La Bamba” “Donna”
10. Ethel Barrymore (8/15/1879 – 6/18/1959)Actress, one of the “famous Barrymores”
11. Lou Costello (3/6/1908 – 3/3/1959) comic “Who’s on First”with Bud Abbott
12. Cecil B DeMille (8/12/1881 – 1/21/1959)Director “Cleopatra” “The 10 Commandments”
13. Errol Flynn (6/20/1901 – 10/14/1959) Actor “Captain Blood” and “Robin Hood”
14. Edmund Gwenn (9/26/1877 – 9/6/1959) Actor, most famous for playing the Santa Claus in “miracle on 34^thStreet (1947)
15. Geroge Reeves (4/6/1914-6/16/1959)Actor portrayed Superman was also in “Gone with the Wind”

NEW AND IMPROVED in 1959

1. Metrecal drink (first diet drink supplement)
2. Frosty O’s  
3. Coca-Cola introduces “Fanta”
4. The Ford Falcon is introduced.
5. The Chevy Corvair is Introduced (the first US rear-engine produced car)
6. The Studebaker Lark is introduced
7. The Chrysler Valiant is also introduced.
8. Japan manufactures 79,000 cars (mostly Toyotas and Datsun’s, this is compared to 110 cars that were manufactured in 1947)
9. The Barbie doll makes her debut at the New York Toy Fair.
10. Hugh C. McDonald produces 500 master foils of lips, eyes, chins and hairlines and the first “Identikits” are introduced and results in an arrest in the first month of use.
11. The first Hovercraft is experimented on the English Channel by Christopher Cockerell … it is a success.
12. 94%of the US telephones are now dial operated (not needing an operator to dial for them) but only 15 million Americans can dial long distance calls without an operator.
13. The Xerox 914is introduced.  The first production-line photo copier can make 6 copies a minute.
14. Ski-Doo snowmobiles are introduced.
15. New Toys that made it out for Christmas time:  Chatty Cathy, Troll Dolls, Roller Derby Skateboards, The Game of Life and Risk.

NEW WORDS WE WERE INTRODUCED TO

1. Go karts
2. Valet parking
3. Bubble bug (Helicopter)
4. Identikits
5. Designer “ready to wear” outfits from Pierre Cardin
6. The Bikini

NEWCOMERS IN BOX OFFICE STARS

1. Sandra Dee
2. James Garner
3. Lee Remick
4. John Saxon
5. Sidney Poitier
6. Ernie Kovacs
7. Carolyn Jones

OSCARS – 1959

• Best Picture Ben Hur
• Best Actor   Charlton Heston in Ben Hur
• Best Supporting Actor   Hugh Griffith in Ben Hur
• Best Actress Simone Signoret in “Room at the Top”
• Best Supporting Actress Shelly Winters in “The Diary of Anne Frank”
• Best Song High Hopes (from “A Hole in the Head”)

Movies We Were Going To See in 1959

1. Anatomy of a Murder
2. Ben-Hur   (top money grossing movie of 1959)
3. Darby O’Gill and the Little People
4. Devil’s Deciple
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth
6. North by Northwest
7. The Mouse that Roared
8. Operation Petticoat
9. Pillow Talk
10. Rio Bravo
11. Porgy & Bess
12. Disney’s Sleeping Beauty
13. Some Like it hot.

The Emmy Awards of 1959

• Best Dramatic Series Playhouse 90 (CBS)
• Best Musical/Variety show The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (NBC)
• Best Comedy Show the Jack Benny Show (CBS)
• Best Actor in Dramatic Series Raymond Burr in Perry Mason (CBS)
• Best Actress in Dramatic Series Loretta Young-The Loretta Young Show NB
• Best Actor in Comedy Series Jack Benny in The Jack Benny Show (CBS)
• Best Actress in Comedy Series Jane Wyatt in Father Knows Best (CBS-NBC

TV SHOWS WE WERE WATCHING

1. Adventures in Paradise
2. Bat Materson Starring Gene Berry
3. Bonanza Debuts September 12, 1959
4. Dennis the Menace Starring: Jay North and Herbert Anderson
5. Hawaiian Eye Starring Robert Conrad and Connie Francis
6. Laramie Starring John Smith and Robert Fuller
7. The many Loves of Dobie Gillis Starring Dwayne Hickman, Bob Denver
8. Rawhide Starring Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood & Sheb Wooley (1959-1965)
9. Riverboat Starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds
10. The Untouchables Starring Robert Stack
11. The Twilight Zone Starring Rod Serling (opening line) “There is a sixth dimension beyond that which is known to man.  It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.  It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition: between the pit of man’s fears and the sunlight of his knowledge.  It is the dimension of the imagination.  It is an area that we call … The Twilight Zone”

COMMERICALS WE REMEMBER

1. Jell-O Asian child trying to eat green jell-o with chopsticks
2. Choo Choo Charlie introduces Good & Plentys

MUSIC

New Recording Artists for 1959

1. Annette Funicello
2. Brook Benton
3. Chubby Checker
4. James Darren
5. Fabian
6. Isley Brothers
7. Jan & Dean
8. Cliff Richards (voted first British “teen” idol)
9. Bobby Rydell
10. Bobby Vee
11. Bobby Darin

The GRAMMY AWARDS

#1 Selling song of 1959

The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton (Top Billboards Pop & Country Charts)

Top selling Albums of 1959

The Sound of Music Original cast

The Kingston Trio at Large the Kingston Trio

Top songs we listened to in 1959

1. Mack the Knife Bobby Darin
2. Battle of New Orleans Johnny Horton
3. Venus Frankie Avalon
4. Stagger Lee Lloyd Price (Top R&B hit of 1959)
5. The Three Bells The Browns
6. Come Softly to me The Fleetwoods
7. Lonely Boy Paul Anka
8. Smoke Gets in your Eyes The Platters
9. Heartaches by the Number Guy Mitchell
10. Sleep Walk Santo & Johnny
11. Kansas City Wilbert Harrison
12. A Big Hunk of Love Elvis Presley
13. Blue The Fleetwoods
14. The Happy Organ Dave “Baby” Cortez
15. Personality Lloyd Price
16. Put your head on my shoulder Paul Anka
17. Charlie Brown The Coasters
18. Donna Ritchie Vallens
19. 16 Candles Crests
20. Sea of Love Phil Phillips

Other Songs We Were Grooving To In 1959

1. It’s just a matter of time Brook Benton
2. Pink Shoe Laces Dodie Stevens
3. Dream Lover Bobby Darin
4. Tiger Fabin
5. There goes my baby The Drifters
6. Poison Ivy The Coasters
7. Kookie, lend me your comb Connie Stevens
8. What’d I say? Ray Charles
9. La Bamba Ritchie Vallens
10. Deck of Cards Wink Martindale
11. El Paso Marty Robbins
12. High Hopes Frank Sinatra
13. Lonely Teardrops Jackie Wilson
14. Misty Johnny Mathis
15. Oh Carol Neil Sedaka (debut song)
16. Running Bear Johnny Preston
17. Sea Cruise Frankie Ford
18. Tell Paul Annette w/the Afterbeats
19. Turn me Loose Fabin
20. Alvin’s Harmonica Alvin and the Chipmunks

Music News

1. Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (Big Bopper) and Ritchie Vallens die in a plane crash outside Mason City Iowa on their way to North Dakota.
2. A British court awards Wladziu Valentino Liberace $22,400 in a libel case against
   “The London Daily Mirror”for implying that the 40 YR old was a “Homosexual”.
3. Chuck Berry brings a 14 YR. old Mexican girl up from Mexico to work in his St. Louis nightclub.  After being fired, she goes to police and he is charged with transporting a minor across state lines for “Immoral Purposes” … he goes to jail for 2
4. The dances “The Dog,” “The Shag” and “The Alligator”are banned on American Bandstand for being “too sexy”.
5. Neil Sedaka abandons his training as a concert pianist after “Stupid Cupid”goes top 10.  He follows it up with “Oh Carol”
6. Fans vote Jan and Dean as “The Most Significant New Group”
7. Joan Baez gains recognition after her appearance at the Newport Folk Festival.
8. Stereo “L.P.”s gain popularity and are up 20% in sales.
9. “Mail order” music clubs are introduced.
10. Berry Gordy borrows $800 to open Tamla Records and within a year incorporates as “Motown Records”