May 19th, 1959

What happened on this date?

Notable events that occurred on May 19th, 1959.

• The Ho Chi Minh Trail begins as communist forces in North Vietnam start their plans to invade South Vietnam.

Born on May 19th, 1959.

People who were born on this exact date.

• Nicole Brown Simpson: Ex-wife of O. J. Simpson.

Take me back to May 19th, 1959!

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is May 19th, 1959, and it's a Tuesday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Taurus. The summer of 1959 has finally arrived. The weather has warmed up, and the evenings are brighter than usual.

In music, the song "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and the movie Some Like It Hot 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 "You Bet Your Life", "Fury", "Perry Mason", and "77 Sunset Strip". 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 "Mighty Mouse Playhouse", "Heckle and Jeckle", "The Rifleman", and "Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown".

Children are playing with toys such as BAS-KET Miniature Basketball, Colorforms, Wooly Willy, and Metal House robots.

News topics, nostalgic fads, and pop culture events.

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on May 19th, 1959.

• 

  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 1958 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.

• 

  Poodle skirts are a thing.

  Women and young girls were wearing wide, unrestricted felt skirts called "poodle skirts." These were solid-colored skirts that had a design or a logo. In many cases, the design was an image of a poodle or a cat.

• 

  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%.

Facts.

Basic facts and information about this date:

• 64 years, 4 months, and 3 days have passed since May 19th, 1959.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 21 of 1959.
• Leap Year: 1959 was not a leap year.
• Age: People born on May 19th, 1959, are now 64 years old.
• Generation: People born in 1959 belong to the Baby Boomer generation.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on May 19th, 1959.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Around this time.

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around May 19th, 1959.

• May 2nd, 1959: Soccer: Nottingham Forest beat Luton Town 2-1 to win the 1959 FA Cup Final.
• May 12th, 1959: Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher are married a year after they started an extramarital affair.
• This date: May 19th, 1959
• June 3rd, 1959: Spanish club Real Madrid defeat French side Reims 2-0 in the 1959 European Cup Final.
• June 8th, 1959: Ray Charles releases his single "What'd I Say".
• June 16th, 1959: Actor George Reeves commits suicide at his home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles.

Horoscope, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Zodiac and birthstone information.

NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.

• Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 19th, 1959, will have the star sign Taurus.
• Zodiac Element: Earth.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1959 was the year of the Pig (Yin Wood).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 3.
• Native American Zodiac: May 19th, 1959 falls under the Beaver.
• Birthstone: A person during the month of May will have the birthstone Emerald.
• Birth flower (May): The Lily of the Valley and the Hawthorn.

Photos of 1950s fashion.

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

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.

Were you born on this date?

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 May 19th, 1965, instead.

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on May 19th, 1959 was most likely conceived around August 26th, 1958.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 19th, 1959 is close to February 9th, 1960.

How old was I?

Find out what your age was on May 19th, 1959, by entering your DOB below.
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Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about May 19th, 1959.

• 23,502 days have passed since this date.
• 3,357 weeks have passed.
• 2,030,572,800 seconds have passed since May 19th, 1959.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,369,001,600 times.
• Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,047,775,564,800 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 338,428,800 times.
• You have taken approximately 174,629,261 steps. That's roughly 77,613 miles!
• Since this date, 24,366,874 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!
• How many years ago was 1959?

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