It is also known as the "
Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of
Pan-Africanism.
Avianca Flight 671 crashes and burns upon landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica killing 37, the worst air disaster in Jamaica's history and the first for Avianca.
February 29 – The 5.7 MwAgadir Earthquake shakes coastal
Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of
X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
April 12 – Eric Peugeot, the youngest son of the founder of the
Peugeot Corporation, is kidnapped in Paris. He is released on
April 15, in exchange for $300,000 in ransom.
April 19 –
April Revolution: South Korean students hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against President
Syngman Rhee, eventually leading him to resign from office.
Public demonstrations by democratic and left forces against Italian government support of the post-fascist
Italian Social Movement, are heavily suppressed by police.
July 4 – Following the admission of the State of Hawaii as the 50th state in August 1959, the new (and continuing) 50-star
flag of the United States is first officially flown over
Philadelphia.
The Mediterranean island of
Cyprus receives its independence from the United Kingdom.
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over
New Mexico at an altitude of about 102,800 feet (31,300 meters). Kittinger sets world records for: high-altitude jump;
free-fall by falling 16.0 miles (25.7
kilometers) before opening his parachute; first
space dive, and fastest speed attained by a human being without mechanical or chemical assistance, about 982 k.p.h (614 m.p.h.). Kittinger survives more or less uninjured. He is also the first man to make a solo crossing of the
Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon, and the first man fully to witness the spherical curvature of the
Earth. (
Felix Baumgartner breaks his space diving record in
2012.)
Cold War: Moscow, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to 10 years in prison for
espionage.
Sputnik program: The
Soviet Union launches the
satelliteSputnik 5, with the dogs
Belka and Strelka (the Russian for "Squirrel" and "Little Arrow"), 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. This satellite returns to Earth the next day and all animals are recovered safely.
Disgruntled railroad workers effectively halt operations of the
Pennsylvania Railroad in the United States, marking the first shutdown in the company's history (the event lasts two days).
September 22 –
Mali, the sole remaining member of the "Mali Federation" (following the withdrawal of
Senegal one month earlier), declares its full independence as the Republic of Mali.
December – The African and
Malagasy Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OAMCE – Organisation Africain et Malagache de Coopération Économique) is established.
December 2 – U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the use of $1.0 million for the relief and resettlement of
Cubanrefugees, who had been arriving in
Florida at the rate of about 1,000 per week.
December 8 – For the first time,
Mary Martin's Peter Pan is presented as a stand-alone 2-hour special on
NBC television in the United States, instead of as part of an anthology series. This version, rather than being presented live, is shown on
videotape, enabling NBC to repeat it as often as they wish without having to restage it. Although nearly all of the adult actors repeat their original
Broadway roles, all of the original children have, ironically, outgrown their roles and are replaced by new actors.
December 9 – French President
Charles de Gaulle's visit to
Algeria is bloodied by European and Muslim rioters, in Algeria's largest cities. These riots cause 127 deaths.
The U.S. Navy's Commander Leroy Heath (pilot) and Lieutenant Larry Monroe (bombardier/navigator) establish a world flight-altitude record of 91,450 feet (27,870 m), with
payload, in an
A-5 Vigilantebomber carrying 2,200 lb (1,000 kg), and better the previous world record by over four miles (6.4 km).
December 17 – Troops loyal to Emperor
Haile Selassie in
Ethiopia overcome the
coup that began on December 13, returning the reins to the Emperor upon his return from a trip to Brazil. The Emperor absolves his own son of any guilt.
^Osterbrock, D. E. (Sep 2002). "Walter Baade, Dynamical Astronomer at Goettingen, Hamburg, Mount Wilson, and Palomar Observatories". AAS/Division of Dynamical Astronomy Meeting #33. 33. Harvard Univ: 10.03.
Bibcode:
2002DDA....33.1003O.
It is also known as the "
Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of
Pan-Africanism.
Avianca Flight 671 crashes and burns upon landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica killing 37, the worst air disaster in Jamaica's history and the first for Avianca.
February 29 – The 5.7 MwAgadir Earthquake shakes coastal
Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of
X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
April 12 – Eric Peugeot, the youngest son of the founder of the
Peugeot Corporation, is kidnapped in Paris. He is released on
April 15, in exchange for $300,000 in ransom.
April 19 –
April Revolution: South Korean students hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against President
Syngman Rhee, eventually leading him to resign from office.
Public demonstrations by democratic and left forces against Italian government support of the post-fascist
Italian Social Movement, are heavily suppressed by police.
July 4 – Following the admission of the State of Hawaii as the 50th state in August 1959, the new (and continuing) 50-star
flag of the United States is first officially flown over
Philadelphia.
The Mediterranean island of
Cyprus receives its independence from the United Kingdom.
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over
New Mexico at an altitude of about 102,800 feet (31,300 meters). Kittinger sets world records for: high-altitude jump;
free-fall by falling 16.0 miles (25.7
kilometers) before opening his parachute; first
space dive, and fastest speed attained by a human being without mechanical or chemical assistance, about 982 k.p.h (614 m.p.h.). Kittinger survives more or less uninjured. He is also the first man to make a solo crossing of the
Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon, and the first man fully to witness the spherical curvature of the
Earth. (
Felix Baumgartner breaks his space diving record in
2012.)
Cold War: Moscow, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to 10 years in prison for
espionage.
Sputnik program: The
Soviet Union launches the
satelliteSputnik 5, with the dogs
Belka and Strelka (the Russian for "Squirrel" and "Little Arrow"), 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. This satellite returns to Earth the next day and all animals are recovered safely.
Disgruntled railroad workers effectively halt operations of the
Pennsylvania Railroad in the United States, marking the first shutdown in the company's history (the event lasts two days).
September 22 –
Mali, the sole remaining member of the "Mali Federation" (following the withdrawal of
Senegal one month earlier), declares its full independence as the Republic of Mali.
December – The African and
Malagasy Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OAMCE – Organisation Africain et Malagache de Coopération Économique) is established.
December 2 – U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the use of $1.0 million for the relief and resettlement of
Cubanrefugees, who had been arriving in
Florida at the rate of about 1,000 per week.
December 8 – For the first time,
Mary Martin's Peter Pan is presented as a stand-alone 2-hour special on
NBC television in the United States, instead of as part of an anthology series. This version, rather than being presented live, is shown on
videotape, enabling NBC to repeat it as often as they wish without having to restage it. Although nearly all of the adult actors repeat their original
Broadway roles, all of the original children have, ironically, outgrown their roles and are replaced by new actors.
December 9 – French President
Charles de Gaulle's visit to
Algeria is bloodied by European and Muslim rioters, in Algeria's largest cities. These riots cause 127 deaths.
The U.S. Navy's Commander Leroy Heath (pilot) and Lieutenant Larry Monroe (bombardier/navigator) establish a world flight-altitude record of 91,450 feet (27,870 m), with
payload, in an
A-5 Vigilantebomber carrying 2,200 lb (1,000 kg), and better the previous world record by over four miles (6.4 km).
December 17 – Troops loyal to Emperor
Haile Selassie in
Ethiopia overcome the
coup that began on December 13, returning the reins to the Emperor upon his return from a trip to Brazil. The Emperor absolves his own son of any guilt.
^Osterbrock, D. E. (Sep 2002). "Walter Baade, Dynamical Astronomer at Goettingen, Hamburg, Mount Wilson, and Palomar Observatories". AAS/Division of Dynamical Astronomy Meeting #33. 33. Harvard Univ: 10.03.
Bibcode:
2002DDA....33.1003O.