May 20, 1959

May 20, 1959, was a Wednesday. It was 65 years, 5 months, and 26 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Taurus.

Top song: May 20, 1959

The best-selling single on May 20, 1959 was "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison.

The Billboard Hot 100 on May 20, 1959

The top five songs from the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison
Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) - The Impalas
The Happy Organ - Dave "Baby" Cortez
Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
A Teenager In Love - Dion & The Belmonts

Play the top songs 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 "Some Like It Hot".

Facts

This date was 23,921 days ago. Approximately 797 months have passed. It was the 140th day of 1959, in week 21. The decade was the fifties. People born on this day are currently 65 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 266 seasons of weather have come and gone since then.

Take me back to May 20, 1959

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

It is Wednesday, May 20, 1959. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Taurus. It is "Hump Day", so many are beginning to think about the weekend ahead.

The summer of 1959 has finally arrived. The weather has warmed up, and the evenings are brighter than usual. The school year is nearly finished. 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. 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. On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "Fury", "Tonight Starring Jack Paar", "Have Gun - Will Travel", and "Perry Mason".

Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Looney Tunes", "Heckle and Jeckle", "Colonel Bleep", and "The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole". Popular toys at the moment include Spinning Tops, Tiny Tears (doll), Colorforms, and the Frisbee.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 20, 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 4.
Native American Zodiac: May 20, 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.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on May 20, 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 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.
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%.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on May 20, 1959.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

Notable events that happened close to May 20, 1959.

May 2, 1959: Soccer: Nottingham Forest beat Luton Town 2-1 to win the 1959 FA Cup Final.
May 12, 1959: Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher are married a year after they started an extramarital affair.
May 19, 1959: The Ho Chi Minh Trail begins as communist forces in North Vietnam start their plans to invade South Vietnam.
This date: May 20, 1959
June 3, 1959: Spanish club Real Madrid defeat French side Reims 2-0 in the 1959 European Cup Final.
June 8, 1959: Ray Charles releases his single "What'd I Say".
June 16, 1959: Actor George Reeves commits suicide at his home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

TV series on May 20, 1959

People in May 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.

Kids TV shows on May 20, 1959

Cartoons and TV shows that children and teenagers were watching on this day in 1959:

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

Popular toys and games in 1959

Toys and games that were popular in 1959:

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 May 20, 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 May 20, 1965, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on May 20.

David Proval

Actor
Born on May 20, 1942
He turned 17 on this day in 1959.

Cher

Singer
Born on May 20, 1946
She turned 13 on this day in 1959.

Busta Rhymes

Rapper
Born on May 20, 1972
He was born exactly 13 years after this date.

Angela Goethals

Actress
Born on May 20, 1977
He was born exactly 18 years after this date.

Iker Casillas

Spanish soccer player
Born on May 20, 1981
He was born exactly 22 years after this date.

Petr Cech

Czech soccer player
Born on May 20, 1982
He was born exactly 23 years after this date.

Jack Gleeson

Actor
Born on May 20, 1992
He was born exactly 33 years after this date.

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on May 20, 1959.

UK Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Irish Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera 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 May 20, 1959 was most likely conceived around August 27, 1958.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 20, 1959 is close to February 10, 1960.

Submit a comment

Have something to say about this date? Was it your birthday? Or perhaps you have a memory of it?

Your name

Write something about this date

All comments are moderated. Our system may automatically edit comments to correct misspellings and grammar. We may also remove or redact personal information.

How old was I?

Enter your date of birth below to find out how old you were on May 20, 1959.
This information is not transmitted to our server.

Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about May 20, 1959:

23,921 days have passed since this date.
3,417 weeks have passed.
2,066,778,000 seconds have passed since May 20, 1959.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,411,241,000 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,066,457,448,000 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 344,463,000 times.
You have taken approximately 177,742,908 steps. That's roughly 78,997 miles.
24,801,336 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1959?

Search

It looks like you have reached the end. Try searching for another date.

Random dates

Check out some of these random dates.

May 20, 1959

Top song: May 20, 1959

The Billboard Hot 100 on May 20, 1959

Top movie

Facts

Take me back to May 20, 1959

Zodiac

News, nostalgia, and fads

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

Poodle skirts are a thing

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