August 21, 1959

August 21, 1959, was a Friday. It was 64 years, 7 months, and 29 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Leo.

What happened on this date?

Notable events that occurred on August 21, 1959:

Hawaii becomes the 50th U.S. state.

Top song: August 21, 1959

The best-selling single on August 21, 1959 was "A Big Hunk o' Love" by Elvis Presley.

The Billboard Hot 100 on August 21, 1959

The top five songs from the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

A Big Hunk O' Love - Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires
There Goes My Baby - The Drifters
My Heart Is An Open Book - Carl Dobkins, Jr.
Lavender-Blue - Sammy Turner
Lonely Boy - Paul Anka

Play the top singles from 1959
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1959. Take a trip back to the days of The Platters, Frankie Avalon, The Fleetwoods and Johnny Horton.

Top movie

The top movie on this day was "North by Northwest".

Facts

This date occurred 23,618 days ago. Approximately 787 months have passed. It was the 233rd day of 1959, in week 34. The decade was the fifties. People who were born on August 21, 1959, are now 64 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 262 seasons of weather have come and gone since then.

Take me back to August 21, 1959

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is August 21, 1959, and it's a Friday. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Leo. Many people have "that Friday feeling" and are looking forward to the weekend.

The summer of 1959 is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. In music, the song "A Big Hunk o' Love" by Elvis Presley is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and the movie North by Northwest is at the top of the box office.

Harold Macmillan is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On television, people are watching popular shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Danny Thomas Show", "Fury", and "Have Gun - Will Travel". In fashion, women are sporting chemise dresses, sheaths, sack dresses and straight-cut suits. Short boxy jackets and shift dresses are also beginning to become popular. Meanwhile, a lot of men are sporting a "Teddy Boy" style that involves leather jackets, greased-back hair, extremely narrow trousers and velvet-collared jackets. Men are also wearing formal suits as daywear.

Tailfins on cars are extremely popular at the moment. The design looks futuristic, almost like a rocket or the twin rudders on the back of an airplane. It's 1959, so radio stations and jukeboxes are playing hit songs from artists such as Johnny Horton, Bobby Darin, Lloyd Price, Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, The Browns, The Fleetwoods and Wilbert Harrison. If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Clark Gable would be still alive.

Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Colonel Bleep", "Captain Pugwash", "The Rifleman", and "Felix the Cat". Children are playing with toys such as Spinning Tops, Tiny Tears (doll), Metal House robots, and Fisher Price Little People.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on August 21, 1959.

Steel strike of 1959
Between July and November of 1959, members of the United Steelworkers of America went on strike.
Trouble is brewing in Vietnam
By this time, communist forces in North Vietnam had committed themselves to invading South Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh trail was established and expanded and guerrilla warfare attacks were being carried out against the US-backed Diệm government in the south. It was during this time that the United States started to slowly escalate its involvement in the conflict.
Barbie is introduced
The first Barbie toy doll was introduced in March 1959. The doll came in both blonde and brunette colors. It also had a modest sideways glance.
Phonebooth stuffing has become a fad
In 1959, a new fad swept across South Africa, the United States, Canada, and Britain. This fad was called "phonebooth stuffing". As the name suggests, it involved trying to fit as many people into a telephone booth as possible.
Movies from 1959
The most popular movies in 1959 were Ben-Hur, The Shaggy Dog, Operation Petticoat, Some Like It Hot, Pillow Talk, Imitation of Life, "Suddenly, Last Summer", Rio Bravo and The Nun's Story.
1959 in music
The radio stations in 1959 were dominated by artists such as Johnny Horton, Bobby Darin, Lloyd Price, Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, The Browns, The Fleetwoods and Wilbert Harrison.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was named Time Person of the Year in 1959.
Tailfins on cars
Tailfins on cars were a popular style around this time. The design looked futuristic, almost like the twin rudders on the back of an airplane.
Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses
Panty raids were a popular college prank at the time. Large groups of male students would "raid" the living quarters of their female counterparts and then steal their underwear as proof that the raid had been successful. These raids took place during a time when colleges had curfews and men were forbidden from entering female dormitories.
Greasers
A youth subculture called "greasers" emerged during the 1950s and early 1960s. The style included greased-back hairstyles, work pants, and denim or leather jackets.
The Jukebox
The jukebox was at the height of its popularity. Teenagers and young adults would often hang out at local restaurants and diners and listen to the latest songs.
Men are getting "DA haircuts"
The "DA haircut" was extremely popular among men. The cut consisted of a combed-back hairstyle that was parted down the middle at the back. "DA" stood for "Duck's Ass," which is what many people liked to call the style.
Sock hops
Sock hops were informal dance events for teenagers. The name originated from the fact that many of these dances required participants to remove their shoes. This is because sock hops were often held in high school gymnasiums, and the organizers didn't want scuff marks on the floors.
Capitalism vs Communism
The ideological clash between capitalism and communism heated up during the 1950s. It was during this period that a "Cold War" started between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the US, there were fears that Soviet spies had infiltrated all parts of society, including Hollywood.
The economy is booming
The world was recovering from World War II. Many countries witnessed an economic boom during this decade. Unemployment was low, consumerism increased, mortgages were cheap, and governments started to invest in infrastructure such as highways. For many, this was the "golden age" of the economy.
Rotary phones
Almost everyone had rotary phones in the 1950s. However, the heavier metal dial components were being phased out and replaced with plastic.
More and more people are buying television sets
More and more households were buying TV sets. In 1950, 20% of homes had a television. By the end of the decade, that figure had risen to 90%.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on August 21, 1959.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around August 21, 1959.

August 3, 1959: Pidjiguiti massacre: Over 50 people are killed in Bissau, Portuguese Guinea after Portugal's state police force opens fire on a crowd of striking workers.
August 14, 1959: The American Football League (AFL) is founded.
This date: August 21, 1959
August 26, 1959: The Mini (vehicle) is launched.
September 12, 1959: The first episode of the American Western television series "Bonanza" is aired on NBC.
September 14, 1959: Soviet probe Luna 2 becomes the first man-made object to reach the moon.
September 15, 1959: General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, visits the United States.
September 16, 1959: The first successful photocopier is introduced to the world.
September 19, 1959:
• Government authorities prevent Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev from visiting Disneyland in Los Angeles due to "security concerns".
• The first episode of the animated series "Snooper and Blabber" is aired.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on August 21, 1959, will have the star sign Leo.
Zodiac Element: Fire.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1959 was the year of the Pig (Yin Wood).
The Life Path Number for this date is 8.
Native American Zodiac: August 21, 1959 falls under the Salmon.
Birthstone: A person during the month of August will have the birthstone Peridot.
Birth flower (August): The Gladiolus and the Poppy.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

Television shows in August 1959

People in August 1959 were watching the following TV series:

Rawhide

77 Sunset Strip

Casey Jones

Maverick

Perry Mason

Wagon Train

Have Gun - Will Travel

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

Fury

Gunsmoke

The Danny Thomas Show

The Jack Benny Program

Cars in 1959

1959 saw the introduction of cars such as the Ford Falcon, the Chevrolet El Camino, the BMW 700, the Mini, the Buick Electra, and the Studebaker Lark.

Cartoons and children's TV shows in August 1959

Children and teenagers were watching the following cartoons and TV series:

Clutch Cargo

Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks

Felix the Cat

Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown

The Rifleman

The Huckleberry Hound Show

The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole

The Ruff and Reddy Show

Leave It to Beaver

Captain Pugwash

Colonel Bleep

Toys in 1959

If you were a child on this date, then you may have had some of the following toys:

Crater Critters

Fisher Price Little People

The Hula Hoop

Metal House robots

The Frisbee

Wooly Willy

Play-Doh

Matchbox toy cars

Colorforms

BAS-KET Miniature Basketball

Tiny Tears (doll)

Spinning Tops

Were you born on August 21, 1959?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1959.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out August 21, 1965, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on August 21.

Wilt Chamberlain

Basketball player Deceased
Born on August 21, 1936
He turned 23 on this day in 1959.

Kenny Rogers

Singer Deceased
Born on August 21, 1938
He turned 21 on this day in 1959.

Stretch

Rapper Deceased
Born on August 21, 1968
He was born exactly 9 years after this date.

Kiami Davael

Actress
Born on August 21, 1986
She was born exactly 27 years after this date.

Usain Bolt

Sprinter
Born on August 21, 1986
He was born exactly 27 years after this date.

Robert Lewandowski

Soccer player
Born on August 21, 1988
He was born exactly 29 years after this date.

Hayden Panettiere

Actress
Born on August 21, 1989
She was born exactly 30 years after this date.

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on August 21, 1959.

UK Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Irish Taoiseach

Seán Lemass was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

Note: These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

A baby that was born on August 21, 1959 was most likely conceived around November 28, 1958.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on August 21, 1959 is close to May 13, 1960.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about August 21, 1959:

23,618 days have passed since this date.
3,374 weeks have passed.
2,040,595,200 seconds have passed since August 21, 1959.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,380,694,400 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,052,947,123,200 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 340,099,200 times.
You have taken approximately 175,491,187 steps. That's roughly 77,996 miles.
24,487,142 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1959?

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August 21, 1959

What happened on this date?

Top song: August 21, 1959

The Billboard Hot 100 on August 21, 1959

Top movie

Facts

Take me back to August 21, 1959

News, nostalgia, and fads

Steel strike of 1959

Trouble is brewing in Vietnam

Barbie is introduced

Phonebooth stuffing has become a fad

Movies from 1959

1959 in music

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Tailfins on cars

Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses

Greasers

The Jukebox

Men are getting "DA haircuts"

Sock hops

Capitalism vs Communism

The economy is booming

Rotary phones

More and more people are buying television sets