← 1958 1957 1956 1959 in the United States → 1960 1961 1962
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	History of the United States (1945–1964) Timeline of the history of the United States (1950-1970) List of years in the United States

Events from the year1959 in the United States. With the admittance ofAlaska andHawaii, this is the last year in which states are added to the union.

• President:Dwight D. Eisenhower (R-Kansas/Pennsylvania)
• Vice President:Richard Nixon (R-California)
• Chief Justice:Earl Warren (California)
• Speaker of the House of Representatives:Sam Rayburn (D-Texas)
• Senate Majority Leader:Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas)
• Congress:85th (until January 3),86th (starting January 3)

• January 2 —CBS Radio ends four soap operas:Backstage Wife,Our Gal Sunday,The Road of Life andThis is Nora Drake.
• January 3 —Alaska is admitted as the 49thU.S. state (seeHistory of Alaska).
• January 7 — The United States recognizes the newCuban government ofFidel Castro.
• January 12 – TheMotown record label is founded as Tamla byBerry Gordy inDetroit.
• January 22 —Knox Mine Disaster: Water breaches the River Slope Mine nearPittston City inPort Griffith, Pennsylvania; 12 miners are killed.
• January 29 —Walt Disney releases his 16th animated film,Sleeping Beauty, inBeverly Hills. It is the final fairy tale adaptation released by Disney during his lifetime and the last the studio will produce until 1989'sThe Little Mermaid; also Disney's first animated film to be shown in70mm and modern6-track stereophonic sound. Also on the program is Disney's new "pictorial interpretation"Grand Canyon, which uses the music ofFerde Grofé'sGrand Canyon Suite.Grand Canyon wins anAcademy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
• February 3
  • A chartered plane transporting musiciansBuddy Holly,Ritchie Valens andThe Big Bopper crashes in foggy conditions nearClear Lake, Iowa, killing all four occupants on board, including pilot Roger Peterson. The tragedy is later termed "The Day the Music Died", popularized inDon McLean's 1971 song "American Pie". Future country starWaylon Jennings was scheduled to be on the plane, but gave up his seat to The Big Bopper.
  • American Airlines Flight 320, aLockheed L-188 Electra from Chicago crashes into theEast River on approach to New York City'sLaGuardia Airport, killing 65 of the 73 people on board.
• February 6 — AtCape Canaveral,Florida, the first successful test firing of aTitan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
• February 13 —TAT-2,AT&T's secondtransatlantic telephone cable, goes into operation.
• February 17 — TheVanguard IIweather satellite is launched to measurecloud cover for theUnited States Navy.
• February 22 —Lee Petty wins the firstDaytona 500.
• March 1 —USS Tuscaloosa,USS New Orleans,USS Tennessee andUSS West Virginia are stricken from theNaval Vessel Register.
• March 3 — Lunar probePioneer 4 becomes the first American object to escape dominance by Earth's gravity.
• March 11 —A Raisin in the Sun byLorraine Hansberry opens onBroadway inNew York City.
• March 18 — U.S. PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill allowing forHawaiian statehood.
• March 31 — The firstBusch Gardens amusement park, inTampa, Florida, is dedicated and opens its gates.

• April 6 — The31st Academy Awards ceremony, hosted byJerry Lewis,Mort Sahl,Tony Randall,Bob Hope,David Niven andLaurence Olivier, is held atPantages Theatre inHollywood.Vincente Minnelli'sGigi wins a record nine awards, includingBest Motion Picture andBest Director for Minnelli. The film's clean sweep of all nine of its nominations will not be tied again until1988, and will not be broken until2004.Gigi is also equalled in nominations byStanley Kramer'sThe Defiant Ones.
• April 9 —NASA announces its selection of the "Mercury Seven", seven military pilots to become the first U.S. astronauts.
• April 25 — TheSaint Lawrence Seaway linking the North AmericanGreat Lakes and theAtlantic Ocean officially opens toshipping.
• May 8 — The firstLittle Caesars pizza restaurant is opened byMike Ilitch and his wifeMarian inGarden City, Michigan.
• May 21 —Gypsy: A Musical Fable, starringEthel Merman in her last new musical, opens onBroadway and runs for 702 performances.
• May 28 —Jupiter AM-18 rocket launches two primates,Miss Baker and Miss Able, into space fromCape Canaveral along with living microorganisms and plant seeds. Successful recovery makes them the first living beings to return safely to Earth after space flight.
• June 8 —USS Barbero and theUnited States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail viaMissile Mail.
• June 9 — TheUSSGeorge Washington is launched atGroton, Connecticut, as the first submarine to carryballistic missiles (December 30 — commissioned).
• June 14 – AtDisneyland inAnaheim, California, new rides are opened in theTomorrowland area:
  • TheDisneyland Monorail, the world's first regularly operating passenger-carryingmonorail (Alweg system), dedicated by U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon.^[1]
  • TheMatterhorn Bobsleds, the world's first tubularsteel roller coaster.^[2]
• June 23 — ConvictedManhattan Project spyKlaus Fuchs is released after nine years in a British prison and allowed to emigrate toDresden,East Germany (where he resumes a scientific career).
• June 25 — A KH-1Corona satellite, believed to be the first operational spy satellite, is launched as science mission 'Discoverer 4' fromVandenberg Air Force Base, California, aboard aThor-Agena rocket.
• June 26
  • QueenElizabeth II (as monarch of Canada) and U.S. PresidentDwight Eisenhower open theSaint Lawrence Seaway.
  • Darby O'Gill and the Little People, a film based onHerminie T. Kavanagh's short stories, is released in the U.S. byWalt Disney, two days after its world premiere inIreland.

• July 8 —Charles Ovnand andDale R. Buis become the first Americans killed in action inVietnam.
• July 15 —Steel strike of 1959: Labor union strike in the U.S. steel industry.
• July 21 —Grove Press, Inc. v. Christenberry decided, affirming that copies ofLady Chatterley's Lover may be distributed in the U.S. under theFirst Amendment.^[3]
• July 24
  • At the opening of the American National Exhibition inMoscow, U.S. Vice PresidentRichard Nixon and USSR PremierNikita Khrushchev have a "kitchen debate."
  • With the admission ofAlaska as the 49thU.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-starflag of the United States debuts inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.
• August 7
  • Explorers program: Launch ofExplorer 6 satellite from the Atlantic Missile Range inCape Canaveral,Florida.
  • TheRoseburg blast in Oregon, caused when a truck carrying explosives catches fire, kills 14 and causes $12 million worth of damage.
• August 17
  • The1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake in southwest Montana kills 28.
  • Miles Davis' influentialjazz albumKind of Blue is released.
• August 21 —Hawaii is admitted as the 50th and lastU.S. state (seeHistory of Hawaii).
• August 22 —American Football League founded byLamar Hunt^[4]
• August 28–September 7 — The1959 Pan American Games are held inChicago.^[5]
• September 15-28 —Premier of the Soviet UnionNikita Khrushchev and his wife tour the U.S. at the invitation of President Eisenhower.
• September 16 — TheXerox 914, the first plain paper copier, is introduced to the public.
• September 17 — ThehypersonicNorth American X-15 research aircraft, piloted byScott Crossfield, makes its first powered flight atEdwards Air Force Base, California.

• October 2 —Rod Serling's classic anthology seriesThe Twilight Zone premieres onCBS.
• October 8 —The Los Angeles Dodgers defeatthe Chicago White Sox, 4 games to 2, to win their 2nd World Series Title in baseball.
• October 13 — Launch ofExplorer 7 satellite.
• October 21 — TheSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum of modern art (designed byFrank Lloyd Wright, who died April 9) opens to the public inNew York City.
• November 15 — The brutalClutter family murders are committed inHolcomb, Kansas.^[6]
• November 18 —MGM's widescreen, multimillion-dollar,Technicolor version ofBen-Hur, starringCharlton Heston, is released and becomes the studio's greatest hit up to this time. It is critically acclaimed and eventually wins 11Academy Awards — a record held until 1998 (when 1997'sTitanic becomes the first film to equal it).
• November 22 —Boston Patriots founded by William H. Sullivan^[7]
• November 25 — Nick Van Til and Ernie Strack open the firstStrack & Van Til grocery store inHighland, Lake County, Indiana.
• November — TheMOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductorfield-effect transistor), also known as the MOStransistor, is invented byMohamed Atalla andDawon Kahng atBell Labs.^[8]
• December 1 —Cold War:Antarctic Treaty — 12 countries, including the United States and theSoviet Union, sign a landmarktreaty, which sets asideAntarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on thatcontinent (the firstarms control agreement established during the Cold War).
• December 13 — Three years after its first telecast,MGM'sThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film) is shown on television for the second time, but gains a larger viewing audience than its first television outing, spurring CBS to make it an annual tradition.

• The Supremes girl group is founded as The Primettes inDetroit.
• Car tailfin design reaches its apex with such as theCadillac Eldorado,Chevrolet Impala second generation model,Dodge Silver Challenger andImperial Crown Sedan.
• TheHenney Kilowatt goes on sale in the U.S., becoming the first productionelectric car in almost three decades, but only 47 models will be sold in its 2-year production run.
• Nylonpantyhose (or sheer tights) are first sold on the open market as 'Panti-Legs' byGlen Raven Knitting Mills.^[9]
• Firstfemur ofArlington Springs Man is found onSanta Rosa Island, California, by Phil C. Orr. The remains are subsequently dated to 13,000 years BP, making them potentially the oldest known human remains in North America.

• Cold War (1947–1991)
• Space Race (1957–1975)
• Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968)

• January 1 –Andy Andrews, tennis player
• January 2 –Joe Bevilacqua, radio producer and dramatist
• January 5 –Clancy Brown, actor and voice actor
• January 9
  • Mark Martin, race car driver and coach
  • Otis Nixon, baseball player
• January 10 –Larry McReynolds, auto racing commentator
• January 15 –Kenny Easley, American football player (d. 2025)
• January 27 –Keith Olbermann, television sports and political commentator
• January 28 –Megan McDonald, children's author
• January 29 –Michael Sloane, actor, director and screenwriter

• February 1 –Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (died2019)
• February 4
  • Pamelyn Ferdin, actress and activist
  • Lawrence Taylor, American football player and sportscaster
• February 14 –Renée Fleming, soprano
• February 16 –John McEnroe, tennis player
• February 18 –James Metzger, businessman and philanthropist
• February 19 –Roger Goodell, businessman and football administrator
• February 22 –Kyle MacLachlan, actor

• March 6 –Lars Larson, conservative talk show host^[10]
• March 8
  • Lester Holt, journalist and news anchor
  • Kato Kaelin, witness in theO. J. Simpson murder case
• March 16 –Flavor Flav, rapper
• March 17
  • Christian Clemenson, actor
  • Danny Ainge, basketball player, coach and baseball player
• March 18 –Irene Cara, singer-songwriter and film actress (d.2022)
• March 20 –Sting, pro wrestler
• March 22 –Matthew Modine, actor
• March 31 –Arun Raha, executive director and chief economist for Washington state

• April 3 –David Hyde Pierce, actor
• April 13 –Kim Guadagno, firstLt. Governor of New Jersey
• April 15 –Thomas F. Wilson, actor, writer, musician, painter, voice-over artist, stand-up comedian and podcaster
• April 18 –Susan Faludi, feminist^[11]
• April 25 —Tony Phillips, baseball player (d.2016)

• May 5 –Brian Williams, television journalist
• May 8 –Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
• May 12
  • Dave Christian, ice hockey player
  • Ray Gillen, rock singer-songwriter (d.1993)
  • Ving Rhames, African-American actor
• May 17 –Jim Nantz, sportscaster
• May 19
  • Nicole Brown Simpson, second wife ofO. J. Simpson and murder victim (d.1994)
  • Jim Ward, voice actor
• May 21 –Loretta Lynch, 83rdU.S. Attorney General from 2015 to 2017.
• May 22 –David Blatt, Israeli-American professional basketball player and coach
• May 26 –Kevin Gage, actor^[12]
• May 25 –Jim Ardis, corporate executive and politician

• June 3
  • John Carlson, radio host
  • Sam Mills, American football player (d.2005)
• June 6 –Paul Germain, television screenwriter and producer
• June 7 –Mike Pence, 48thvice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021
• June 8 –C.T. Fletcher, powerlifter and bodybuilder
• June 9 –Miles O'Brien, television news anchor, pilot
• June 10
  • Anjani, singer-songwriter and pianist
  • Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York from 2007 to 2008
• June 11
  • Magnum T. A. (Terry Allen), wrestler
  • Stephen Sweeney, politician
• June 13 –Jim Irsay, businessman (d.2025)
• June 14 –Marcus Miller, African American jazz musician
• June 15 –Eileen Davidson, actress and author
• June 16 –The Ultimate Warrior, professional wrestler (died2014)
• June 27 –Jeff Miller, politician

• July 1 –Dale Midkiff, actor
• July 5 –Marc Cohn, singer-songwriter
• July 6 –Glenn Kessler, journalist
• July 7 –Ben Linder, engineer (d.1987)
• July 8 –Robert Knepper, actor
• July 9 –Kevin Nash, pro wrestler
• July 12 –Rolonda Watts, actress, producer, voiceover artist, novelist, motivational speaker, and television and radio talk show host
• July 14 –Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2019
• July 16 –Bob Joles, voice actor and musician
• July 21 –Terry Long, football player (d.2005)
• July 22 –Ed Tarver, lawyer (died2024)
• July 23 –Carl Phillips, poet
• July 26
  • Rick Bragg, journalist
  • Kevin Spacey, actor and director
• July 27 –Hugh Green, American football player
• July 28 –Mark Meadows, politician
• July 31 –Scott Pilarz, Jesuit priest and academic (died2021)

• August 4 –Robbin Crosby, rock guitarist (Ratt) (died2002)
• August 10 –Rosanna Arquette, actress
• August 13 –Danny Bonaduce, actor
• August 14
  • Marcia Gay Harden, actress
  • Magic Johnson, African American basketball player
• August 15 –Scott Altman, astronaut
• August 17
  • Jonathan Franzen, novelist
  • David Koresh, spiritual leader of theBranch Davidian religious cult (d.1993)
  • Brad Wellman, baseball player
• August 18 –Dorothy Bush Koch, author and philanthropist
• August 19 –Anthony Sowell, serial killer (died2021)
• August 21 –Jim McMahon, American football player
• August 26 –Stan Van Gundy, basketball coach
• August 29
  • Jeff Adachi, attorney (died2019)
  • Timothy Shriver, disability rights activist, film producer, educator and Chairman ofSpecial Olympics

• September 1
  • Keith Clearwater, golfer
  • Kenny Mayne, American football player and journalist
  • Joe Jusko, illustrator and painter
• September 10 –Michael Earl, puppeteer (died2015)
• September 11 –Robert Wrenn, golfer and sportscaster
• September 12 –Scott Brown, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 2010 to 2013
• September 13 –Chris Hansen, journalist
• September 14
  • Mary Crosby, actress
  • Haviland Morris, actress
• September 15
  • Mark Kirk, U.S. Senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017
  • Mike Reiss, television comedy writer
• September 18
  • Mark Romanek, filmmaker
  • Ryne Sandberg, baseball player (died2025)
• September 21 –Dave Coulier, actor and comedian
• September 22 –Saul Perlmutter, astrophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011
• September 23 –Jason Alexander, actor
• September 24 –Steve Whitmire, puppeteer
• September 28
  • Steve Hytner, actor
  • Laura Bruce, artist

• October 1 –Brian P. Cleary, humorist, author and poet
• October 3
  • Fred Couples, golfer
  • Greg Proops, comedian
  • Jack Wagner, actor
• October 5
  • Maya Lin, architect and sculptor, designed theVietnam Veterans Memorial andCivil Rights Memorial
  • Kelly Joe Phelps, singer-songwriter and guitarist (died2022)
  • David Shannon, writer and illustrator
• October 7 –Clayton Weishuhn, football player (died2022)^[13]
• October 8
  • Nick Bakay, actor, producer and screenwriter
  • Brad Byers, entertainer
  • Tim Flakoll, national education expert and politician
  • Mike Morgan, baseball player and coach
• October 13 –Marie Osmond, country pop singer
• October 17 –Richard Roeper, film critic
• October 23
  • Nancy Grace, television host^[14]
  • Sam Raimi, film producer, writer and director
  • Tommy Vigorito, American football player (died2025)^[15]
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic, singer, accordionist and parodist
• October 24
  • Mike Brewer, baseball player
  • Michelle Lujan Grisham, lawyer and politician
  • Dave Meltzer, journalist and historian
• October 25 –Collette Sunderman, voice director
• October 26 –Paul Farmer, anthropologist and physician (died2022)^[16]
• October 29 –Jesse Barfield, baseball player and sportscaster

• November 14 –Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and social justice activist
• November 16 –RaeAnn Kelsch, politician (died2018)
• November 17 –William R. Moses, actor
• November 19
  • Robert Barron, bishop, author and theologian
  • Jo Bonner, U.S. Representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district
  • Allison Janney, actress
• November 20
  • Raffi Hovannisian, American-born Armenian politician
  • James McGovern, lawyer and politician
  • Sean Young, actress

• December 2 –David Alward, 32ndPremier of New Brunswick (2010-2014)
• December 10 –Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington
• December 13 –Johnny Whitaker, actor
• December 15 –Betsy Arakawa, musician, wife ofGene Hackman (d.2025)
• December 21 –Florence Griffith Joyner, African American athlete (d.1998)
• December 24 –Lee Daniels, African American film director
• December 25 –Michael P. Anderson, astronaut (d.2003)
• December 31
  • Al Giordano, journalist and political activist (d.2023)
  • Val Kilmer, actor (d.2025)

• List of American films of 1959
• Timeline of United States history (1950–1969)

• Media related to1959 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons

• 1959 in the United States
• 1950s in the United States
• 1959 by country
• 1959 in North America
• Years of the 20th century in the United States

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