What Day of the Week

1959 Calendar

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•  February 8, 1959 – New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Earth Pig in Chinese astrology.
•  February 22, 1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
•  April 8, 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
•  April 9, 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States’ first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the “Mercury Seven”.
•  June 26, 1959 – The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America’s Great Lakes to ocean-going ships.
•  July 21, 1959 – Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
•  August 3, 1959 – Portugal’s state police force PIDE fires upon striking workers in Bissau, Portuguese Guinea, killing over 50 people.
•  September 23, 1959 – The MS Princess of Tasmania, Australia’s first passenger roll-on/roll-off diesel ferry, makes her maiden voyage across Bass Strait.
•  November 1, 1959 – Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante wears a protective mask for the first time in an NHL game.
•  November 2, 1959 – The first section of the M1 motorway, the first inter-urban motorway in the United Kingdom, is opened between the present junctions 5 and 18, along with the M10 motorway and M45 motorway

•  February 8, 1959 – Damir Maričić, Croatian footballer
•  February 26, 1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball player
•  April 10, 1959 – Brian Setzer, American musician (Stray Cats)
•  April 22, 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
•  June 19, 1959 – Mark DeBarge, American singer, songwriter and trumpeter
•  July 23, 1959 – Nancy Savoca, American filmmaker
•  October 1, 1959 – Youssou N'Dour, Senegalese singer
•  October 15, 1959 – Sarah, Duchess of York
•  November 20, 1959 – Sean Young, American actress
•  December 25, 1959 – Michael P. Anderson, astronaut (d. 2003)