WHAT ALL HAPPENED MAY TO OCTOBER 1959
Find out what all happened May to October 1959

The Lincoln Memorial design on the U.S. penny goes into circulation. It replaces the "sheaves of wheat" design, and was minted until 2008. (7. August 1959)

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) is established. (8. September 1959)

Launch of the National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in Conakry, Guinea. (18. May 1959)

Iowa farmer and corn breeder Roswell Garst hosts Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. (23. September 1959)

The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first submarine to carry ballistic missiles. (9. June 1959)

Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany where he resumes a scientific career. (23. June 1959)

The 1st Grammy Awards are held. (4. May 1959)

The Soviet Union launches a large rocket, Lunik II, at the moon. (12. September 1959)

A United States Air Force F-100 Super Sabre from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, crashes into a nearby elementary school, killing 11 students plus six residents from the local neighborhood. (30. June 1959)

Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland due to security concerns. (19. September 1959)

Singapore was declared a self-governing state even though it was still a part of the British Empire. (3. June 1959)

The first successful photocopier, the Xerox 914, is introduced in a demonstration on live television from New York City. (16. September 1959)

Venus occults the star Regulus. This rare event is used to determine the diameter of Venus and the structure of the Venusian atmosphere. (7. July 1959)

Founding and first official meeting of the American Football League. (14. August 1959)

The USS Barbero and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail. (8. June 1959)

Specific values for the international yard, avoirdupois pound and derived units (e.g. inch, mile and ounce) are adopted after agreement between the U.S.A., the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. (1. July 1959)

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. (21. July 1959)

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released. (17. August 1959)

At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev have a "Kitchen Debate". (24. July 1959)

Portugal's state police force PIDE fires upon striking workers in Bissau, Portuguese Guinea, killing over 50 people. (3. August 1959)