October 20, 1959

October 20, 1959, was a Tuesday. It was 65 years, 1 month, and 1 day ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Libra.

Top song: October 20, 1959

The best-selling single on October 20, 1959 was "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin.

The Billboard Hot 100 on October 20, 1959

The top five songs from the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin
Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Paul Anka
Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods
Teen Beat - Sandy Nelson
('til) I Kissed You - The Everly Brothers

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 "The FBI Story".

Facts

This date was 23,774 days ago. Approximately 792 months have passed. It was the 293rd day of 1959, in week 43. The decade was the fifties. People born on this day are currently 65 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 264 seasons of weather have come and gone since then.

Take me back to October 20, 1959

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

It is Tuesday, October 20, 1959. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Libra. The summer is long gone. Temperatures have become much cooler, and the evenings are beginning to get darker.

There is a fresh, earthy scent in the air, and fallen leaves have carpeted driveways, lawns, pathways, and sidewalks. Halloween 1959 is quickly approaching. In music, the song "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin is the best-selling record at the moment.

Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and the movie The FBI Story 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 "What's My Line?", "Fury", "Wagon Train", and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "The Gumby Show", "Heckle and Jeckle", "Tom Terrific", and "Noggin the Nog". Popular toys at the moment include Foto-Electric Baseball, BAS-KET Miniature Basketball, Colorforms, and Playpal dolls.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on October 20, 1959, will have the star sign Libra.
Zodiac Element: Air.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1959 was the year of the Pig (Yin Wood).
The Life Path Number for this date is 9.
Native American Zodiac: October 20, 1959 falls under the Raven.
Birthstone: A person during the month of October will have the birthstones Tourmaline and Opal.
Birth flower (October): The Marigold and the Cosmos.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on October 20, 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 October 20, 1959.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

Notable events that happened close to October 20, 1959.

October 9, 1959: Baseball: The Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Chicago White Sox by 4-2 to win the 1959 World Series.
This date: October 20, 1959
October 24, 1959: Wilt Chamberlain makes his NBA debut.
October 29, 1959: The comic strip series "The Adventures of Asterix" makes its debut.
November 2, 1959: The first part of the M1 motorway is opened in England.
November 7, 1959: Golf: The United States wins the 1959 Ryder Cup at the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California.
November 19, 1959: The first episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle is aired on ABC.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

TV series on October 20, 1959

People in October 1959 were watching the following TV series:

The Untouchables

The Twilight Zone

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

Bonanza

Rawhide

77 Sunset Strip

Casey Jones

Maverick

Perry Mason

Wagon Train

Have Gun - Will Travel

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

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 October 20, 1959

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

Dennis the Menace

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy

Snooper and Blabber

Noggin the Nog

Clutch Cargo

Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks

Felix the Cat

Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown

The Rifleman

The Huckleberry Hound Show

Popular toys and games in 1959

Toys and games that were popular in 1959:

Playpal dolls

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)

Were you born on October 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 October 20, 1965, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

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

Mickey Mantle

Baseball player Deceased
Born on October 20, 1931
He turned 28 on this day in 1959.

Tom Petty

Musician Deceased
Born on October 20, 1950
He turned 9 on this day in 1959.

Scott Hall

Wrestler Deceased
Born on October 20, 1958
He turned 1 on this day in 1959.

Viggo Mortensen

Actor
Born on October 20, 1958
He turned 1 on this day in 1959.

Kamala Harris

US Vice President
Born on October 20, 1964
She was born exactly 5 years after this date.

Snoop Dogg

Rapper
Born on October 20, 1971
He was born exactly 12 years after this date.

John Krasinski

Actor
Born on October 20, 1979
He was born exactly 20 years after this date.

Candice Swanepoel

Actor
Born on October 20, 1988
She was born exactly 29 years after this date.

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on October 20, 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 October 20, 1959 was most likely conceived around January 27, 1959.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on October 20, 1959 is close to July 12, 1960.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about October 20, 1959:

23,774 days have passed since this date.
3,396 weeks have passed.
2,054,073,600 seconds have passed since October 20, 1959.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,396,419,200 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,059,901,977,600 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 342,345,600 times.
You have taken approximately 176,650,330 steps. That's roughly 78,511 miles.
24,648,883 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1959?

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October 20, 1959

Top song: October 20, 1959

The Billboard Hot 100 on October 20, 1959

Top movie

Facts

Take me back to October 20, 1959

Zodiac

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