Government
Alaska becomes the 49th state of the Union
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1959 in United States of America
Explore 111 historical events and records for United States of America in 1959.
Historical records for United States of America in 1959
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 111 unique records.
111Unique records
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33Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
14Places on this page
January
Rawhide
Receives his major break as Rowdy Yates in the CBS western television series Rawhide.
Rawhide Premiere
Debuts on American television as Rowdy Yates when Rawhide begins its CBS run.
SNAP-3 Nuclear Power Demonstration
McCone joined AEC officials in demonstrating the SNAP-3 radioisotope power technology to President Eisenhower at the White House.
Geneva Test Ban Verification
McCone explained AEC concerns that proposed improvements in detecting underground nuclear tests remained theoretical and required experimental validation.
Chairman of the Cabinet Committee
Appointed Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on price stability for economic growth
26th of July Movement
Biographical accounts state that after Castro's January 1959 victory, Sturgis held security and intelligence-related responsibilities before later breaking with the new government.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
CIA-related assassination records become part of later investigations.
Post-Revolution Cuban Role
After Castro's victory, Sturgis held security-related responsibilities in Cuba before his political break with the new government.
February
Death of Ritchie Valens
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) are killed when a plane Buddy Holly had chartered from Mason City, Iowa, to Fargo, North Dakota crashes in a corn field
Birth of John McEnroe
Birth of John McEnroe
Russian Language Test
Oswald took a Marine foreign-language qualification test in Russian on February 25, 1959, and received poor ratings in all tested areas.
March
Private First Class Rank Restored
Lee was promoted again to private first class effective March 1, 1959, after having previously been reduced in rank.
Hawaii Admission Act Signed
Signs the act providing for Hawaii's admission as a state.
Albert Schweitzer College Application
Lee applied to Albert Schweitzer College in Switzerland for the spring 1960 term, listing philosophy, psychology, ideology, and writing among his interests.
Marine GED Testing
Marine educational testing gave Lee an overall satisfactory rating, with his strongest scores in English composition and physical sciences.
April
Underground Test Detection Concerns
McCone raised concerns about verifying underground nuclear explosions and supported further experiments to improve detection methods before relying on a comprehensive test ban.
Project Mercury Astronaut Selection
NASA introduces Carpenter as one of the seven military test pilots selected for Project Mercury.
Project Mercury Astronaut Selection
NASA introduces Cooper as one of the original seven astronauts selected for Project Mercury flight training.
Project Mercury Astronaut Selection
NASA presents Grissom as one of the original seven astronauts chosen to train for Project Mercury missions.
Project Mercury Astronaut Selection
NASA presents Shepard as one of the seven pilots selected for Project Mercury, America's first human spaceflight programme.
Project Mercury Astronaut Selection
NASA names Slayton among the seven original astronauts selected for Project Mercury.
Health of John Foster Dulles
Resigns due to ill health, evidence of bone metastasis after developing colon cancer
Resignation of John Foster Dulles
Resigns due to ill health, evidence of bone metastasis after developing colon cancer
Saint Lawrence Seaway Opens
The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens to navigation, completing a major United States-Canadian infrastructure project backed by Eisenhower.
May
Death of John Foster Dulles
Death of John Foster Dules
Death of John Foster Dulles
Death of John Foster Dulles
Burial
Interred at Arlington National Cemetery
June
Education
Bob Dylan graduates Hibbing HS in Minnesota
Senate Test Ban Testimony
McCone testified before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee about the Geneva nuclear test negotiations and the technical problems of verification.
Saint Lawrence Seaway Dedication
Joins Queen Elizabeth II in formally opening the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Asian Technical Assistance Missions
The IAEA sends preliminary assistance missions to Asian Member States to assess nuclear science, training and equipment needs.
July
Death of Chester Ovnand
Killed with Dale Buis in the Bien Hoa attack
Death of Dale Buis
Killed in an attack often counted among the first US combat deaths in Vietnam
Steel Strike
McDonald leads a nationwide steel strike over work rules and employment security.
Government
July 22-August 5, visits the Soviet Union & Poland
August
Havana Visit
HSCA records showed that Jack Ruby entered Cuba on August 8, 1959, during a period when his friend Lewis McWillie was working in Havana gambling operations.
Hawaii Becomes Fiftieth State
Hawaii formally enters the Union as the fiftieth state during Eisenhower's presidency.
Hardship Discharge Board Recommendation
A Marine hardship board recommended approval of Lee's request for early active-duty release because of his mother's claimed dependency.
Havana Visit
Ruby visited Havana in 1959 at the invitation of Lewis McWillie, who supervised gambling activities at the Tropicana Hotel; Ruby later described the trip as recreational.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.