Title: 1959 Content: 1959 (MCMLIX) was . == Events == * Fidel Castro becomes the President of Cuba. * Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th states of the United States. * February 3- American musicians, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash on their way to a concert, an event that would be known as The Day the Music Died. * March 9 – the first Barbie dolls are issued. * October-The 1959 Mexico hurricane hits western Mexico. Storm kills over 1,800 people. == Births == * January 5 – Clancy Brown, American actor * January 22 – Linda Blair, actress * January 30 – Irina Pudova, Yakut ballerina * March 6 – Tom Arnold, American comedian * April 15 – Emma Thompson, British actor * April 20 – Clint Howard, American actor * May 3 – Ben Elton, British comedian and writer * June 19 – Christian Wulff, German politician * June 20 – Chris Williams, African-American actor * June 29 - Gary Rydstrom, American sound designer * July 22 - Lon Bender, American sound editor * July 29 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor * October 10 – Maya Lin, American architect * October 31 – Neal Stephenson – science fiction writer * November 14 – Paul McGann, British actor * December 31 – Val Kilmer, American actor * R. A. Salvatore, science-fiction and fantasy writer == Deaths == * February 3 — Buddy Holly, singer and guitarist, Ritchie Valens, singer and guitarist, Jiles Perry “The Big Bopper” Richardson Jr. disc jockey and singer * February 4 – Una O'Connor, actress * February 5 – Gwili Andre, actress * February 28 – Maxwell Anderson, playwright, movie writer * March 3 – Lou Costello, comedian and actor, half of Abbott and Costello comedy team * March 26 – Raymond Chandler, American novelist. * June 16 – George Reeves, actor * June 18 – Ethel Barrymore, actress * June 23 – Boris Vian, French novelist * September 18 - Harvey Glatman, American serial killer (executed by gas chamber; b. 1927) * October 14 – Errol Flynn, actor * November 20 – Sylvia Lopez, European actress * November 25 – Gérard Philipe, French actor == Movies released == * Anatomy of a Murder * Auntie Mame * Ben-Hur * Darby O'Gill and the Little People * Diary of Anne Frank * Imitation of Life * North by Northwest * The Nun's Story * Pillow Talk * Rio Bravo * The Shaggy Dog * Some Like It Hot * Sleeping Beauty == Series == * The Gumby Show – Gumby is premiered The Zoops, Even Stevens, The Glob, Chicken Feed, Hidden Valley, The Groobee, The Witty Witch and Hot Rod Granny. == New books == * Advertisement for Myself – Norman Mailer * Advise and Consent – Allen Drury * The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz – Mordecai Richler * The Children of Gebelaawi – Naguib Mahfouz * Children of the Wolf – Alfred Duggan * Dear and Glorious Physician – Taylor Caldwell * The Defeat of the Spanish Armada – Garett Mattingly * The Elements of Style – William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White * Exodus – Leon Uris * Goldfinger – Ian Fleming * Goodbye, Columbus – Philip Roth * The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson * Hawaii – James A. Michener * Henderson the Rain King – Saul Bellow * The Magic Christian – Terry Southern * Mountolive – Lawrence Durrell * Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris – Paul Gallico * Naked Lunch – William S. Burroughs * Poor No More – Robert Ruark * Psycho – Robert Bloch * Rape of the Fair Country – Alexander Cordell * Sink the Bismarck! aka The Last Nine Days of the Bismark – C.S. Forester * The Sirens of Titan – Kurt Vonnegut * Starship Troopers – Robert Heinlein * The Tin Drum – Günter Grass * The Ugly American – William J. Lederer and Eugene L. Burdick == Hit songs == * "A Fool Such As I" – Elvis Presley * "All For The Love Of A Girl" – Johnny Horton * "(All of A Sudden) My Heart Sings" – Paul Anka * "Among My Souvenirs" – Connie Francis * "Apron Strings" – Cliff Richard * "The Battle Of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton * "Beyond The Sea" – Bobby Darin * "The Big Hurt" – Toni Fisher * "Billy Bayou" – Jim Reeves * "Ciao, Ciao Bambina" – Dalida * "Come Softly To Me" – The Fleetwoods * "Crackin' Up" – Bo Diddley * "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" – Buddy Holly * "Dream Lover" – Bobby Darin * "El Paso" – Marty Robbins * "First Name Initial" – Annette * "Forty Miles Of Bad Road" – Duane Eddy * "Heartaches By The Number" – Guy Mitchell * "He'll Have To Go" – Jim Reeves * "High Hopes" – Frank Sinatra * "I'm Blue Again" – Patsy Cline * "I'm Sorry" – Bo Diddley * "I Only Have Eyes For You" – The Flamingos * "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – Buddy Holly * "It's All In The Game" – Tommy Edwards * "It's Just A Matter Of Time" – Brook Benton * "It's Only The Good Times" – Tommy Edwards * "Kansas City" – Wilbert Harrison * "Kissin' Time" – Bobby Rydell * "La Bamba" – Ritchie Valens * "Lipstick On Your Collar" – Connie Francis * "Lonely Boy" – Paul Anka * "Lonesome Town" – Ricky Nelson * "Love Potion Number Nine" – The Clovers * "M.T.A" – The Kingston Trio * "Mack The Knife" – Bobby Darin * "Mr. Blue" – The Fleetwoods * "Misty" – Johnny Mathis * "My Heart Is An Open Book" – Carl Dobkins, Jr. * "Non Dimenticar" – Nat King Cole * "Peggy Sue Got Married" – Buddy Holly * "Personality" – Lloyd Price * "Pillow Talk" – Doris Day * "Poison Ivy" – The Coasters * "Poor Jenny" – The Everly Brothers * "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" – Paul Anka * "Raining In My Heart" – Buddy Holly * "Roberta" – Frankie Ford * "Rockin' Mother" – Frankie Laine * "Rocks And Gravel" – Frankie Laine * "Rummy Polka" – Matys Brothers * "Running Bear" – Johnny Preston * "Say Man" – Bo Diddley * "Say Man, Back Again" – Bo Diddley * "Sea Cruise" – Frankie Ford * "Since I Don't Have You" – The Skyliners * "Sleepwalk" – Santo & Johnny * "Small World" – Johnny Mathis * "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" – The Platters * "Stagger Lee" – Lloyd Price * "Sweet Nothin's" – Brenda Lee * "Take A Message To Mary" – The Everly Brothers * "Tall Oak Tree" – Dorsey Burnette * "A Teenager In Love" – Dion & the Belmonts * "There Goes My Baby" – The Drifters * "'Til I Kissed Youe" – The Everly Brothers * "Till There Was You" – Anita Bryant * "True Love, True Love" / "Dance With Me" – The Drifters * "The Twist" – Hank Ballard * "Venus" – Frankie Avalon * "What A Difference A Day Makes" – Dinah Washington * "What'd I Say" – Ray Charles * "Where the Boys Are" – Connie Francis * "Why" – Frankie Avalon * "A Worried Man" – The Kingston Trio