December 31, 1959 New Year's Eve

December 31, 1959, was a Thursday. It was 64 years, 11 months, and 21 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.

Born on December 31, 1959

People who were born on this exact date:

Val Kilmer: Actor

Top song: December 31, 1959

The best-selling single on December 31, 1959 was "Why" by Frankie Avalon.

The Billboard Hot 100 on December 31, 1959

The top five songs from the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Why - Frankie Avalon
El Paso - Marty Robbins
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
It's Time To Cry - Paul Anka
Way Down Yonder In New Orleans - Freddie Cannon

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 "Solomon and Sheba".

Facts

New Year's Eve 1959 occurred 23,732 days ago. Approximately 791 months have passed. It was the 365th day of 1959, in week 53. The decade was the fifties. It was the last day of the year. People who were born on December 31, 1959, are now 64 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 264 seasons of weather have come and gone since then.

Take me back to December 31, 1959

Let's go back to the fifties.

The date is December 31, 1959, and it's a Thursday. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Capricorn. It's New Year's Eve, and everyone is wondering what the year 1960 will bring.

The fifties are drawing to a close, and a new decade awaits. In music, the song "Why" by Frankie Avalon is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and the movie Solomon and Sheba 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", "Gunsmoke", "Tonight Starring Jack Paar", and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". 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", "The Rifleman", "Clutch Cargo", and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". Children are playing with toys such as Foto-Electric Baseball, Tiny Tears (doll), the Frisbee, and the Hula Hoop.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on December 31, 1959, will have the star sign Capricorn.
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: December 31, 1959 falls under the Goose.
Birthstone: A person during the month of December will have the birthstones Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise.
Birth flower (December): The Narcissus and the Holly.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on December 31, 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.
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 December 31, 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 December 31, 1959.

December 1, 1959:
• American actor Mickey Rooney is asked to leave the set of "Tonight Starring Jack Paar" for being drunk.
• The final episode of the animated series "Crusader Rabbit" is aired on television.
December 27, 1959: NFL: The Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants by 31-16 to win the 1959 NFL Championship Game.
This date: December 31, 1959
January 2, 1960: US Senator John F. Kennedy announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
January 21, 1960: 435 miners are killed when a coal mine collapses in Holly Country, South Africa.
January 28, 1960: NFL: The Dallas Cowboys are established.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

Television shows in December 1959

In December 1959, TV audiences were watching the following 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.

Cartoons and children's TV shows in December 1959

If you were a kid on December 31, 1959, then you were probably watching the following cartoons and TV shows:

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends

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

Toys in 1959

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

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 December 31, 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 December 31, 1965, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on December 31.

Anthony Hopkins

Actor
Born on December 31, 1937
He turned 22 on this day in 1959.

Alex Ferguson

Soccer manager
Born on December 31, 1941
He turned 18 on this day in 1959.

John Denver

American singer Deceased
Born on December 31, 1943
He turned 16 on this day in 1959.

John Allen Muhammad

Convicted murderer Deceased
Born on December 31, 1960
He was born exactly one year after this date.

Psy

South Korean singer
Born on December 31, 1977
He was born exactly 18 years after this date.

Donald Trump Jr.

American businessman
Born on December 31, 1977
He was born exactly 18 years after this date.

Hunter Schafer

Actress
Born on December 31, 1998
She was born exactly 39 years after this date.

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on December 31:

New Year's Eve

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on December 31, 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 December 31, 1959 was most likely conceived around April 9, 1959.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on December 31, 1959 is close to September 22, 1960.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about December 31, 1959:

23,732 days have passed since this date.
3,390 weeks have passed.
2,050,444,800 seconds have passed since December 31, 1959.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,392,185,600 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,058,029,516,800 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 341,740,800 times.
You have taken approximately 176,338,253 steps. That's roughly 78,373 miles.
24,605,338 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1959?

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December 31, 1959 New Year's Eve

Born on December 31, 1959

Top song: December 31, 1959

The Billboard Hot 100 on December 31, 1959

Top movie

Facts

Take me back to December 31, 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

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