WHAT ALL HAPPENED APRIL TO AUGUST 1959
Find out what all happened April to August 1959

First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. (29. July 1959)

Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in Anaheim, California. (14. June 1959)

A rare June hurricane strikes Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35. (20. June 1959)

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

Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Yellowstone earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana. (17. August 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 Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank. (8. April 1959)

A group of Dominican exiles depart from Cuba and land in the Dominican Republic with the intent of overthrowing the totalitarian government of Rafael Trujillo. All but four are killed or executed. (14. June 1959)

Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the "Mercury Seven". (9. April 1959)

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

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

Iakovos is enthroned as Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America. (1. April 1959)

The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping. (25. April 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)

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)

The Party of the African Federation holds its constitutive conference. (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)

United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day (21. August 1959)

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