1959 in the United Kingdom
| 1959 in the United Kingdom |
| Other years |
| 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 |
| Constituent countries of the United Kingdom |
| Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales |
| Popular culture |
Events from the year 1959 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister – Harold Macmillan (Conservative)
- Parliament
Events
- 15 January – Tyne Tees Television, the ITV franchise for North East England, goes on air.
- 22 January – racing driver Mike Hawthorn is killed after his Jaguar 3.4-litre car collides with a tree on the A3 near Guildford.
- 29 January – dense fog brings chaos to Britain.[1]
- 19 February – the United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence.
- 23 February – Prime Minister Harold Macmillan holds talks with the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev on a visit to the USSR.[2]
- 7 March – independence movement leader Kanyama Chiume, wanted in the British territory of Nyasaland, flees to London and goes into hiding.[3]
- 10 March – comedy film Carlton-Browne of the F.O. released.
- 30 March – 20,000 demonstrators attend a CND rally in Trafalgar Square.
- 1 April – the official name of the administrative county of Hampshire is changed from "County of Southampton" to "County of Hampshire".
- 2 April – United Dairies merges with Cow & Gate to form Unigate Dairies.[4]
- 22 April – ballerina Margot Fonteyn is released from prison in Panama having been suspected of involvement in a planned coup against the government of President Ernesto de la Guardia.[5]
- 30 April – Icelandic gunboat fires on British trawlers in the first of the "Cod Wars" over fishing rights.
- May – first Ten Tors event held on Dartmoor.
- 2 May
- The Chapelcross nuclear power station in Scotland opens.[6]
- Nottingham Forest beat Luton Town 2–1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.[7]
- 7 May – scientist and novelist C. P. Snow delivers an influential Rede Lecture on The Two Cultures, concerning a perceived breakdown of communication between the sciences and humanities, in the Senate House, University of Cambridge. It is subsequently published as The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.
- 24 May – British Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day.
- 28 May – Mermaid Theatre opens in the City of London.
- June – import tariffs lifted in the United Kingdom.
- 1 June – first showing on BBC Television of Juke Box Jury chaired by David Jacobs.[8]
- 3 June – Singapore is granted self-governing status.
- 11 June – Christopher Cockerell's invention the hovercraft officially launched.[9]
- 22 June – Harrods enters talks with Debenhams over a possible £34,000,000 merger.
- 23 June – Klaus Fuchs released from Wakefield prison having served over nine years for giving British nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.[6]
- July – Cliff Richard and The Drifters release a recording of the song "Living Doll" written by Lionel Bart.
- 28 July – UK postcodes are introduced for the first time, as an experiment, in the city of Norwich.[10]
- 29 July
- Mental Health Act becomes law, modernising the care of mental disorder.
- Obscene Publications Act becomes law.
- Legitimacy Act becomes law, permitting the legitimisation of a child, one of whose parents was married to a third person at the time of their birth, by subsequent marriage of the parents.
- 4 August – Barclays become the first bank to install a computer.[11]
- 24 August – House of Fraser wins the bidding war for Harrods in a £37,000,000 deal.[12]
- 26 August – BMC launches the Mini, a two-door, 10-foot-long mini-car with an 848cc four-cylinder transverse engine and a top speed of 70 mph, designed to carry the driver and three passengers and their luggage in comfort. Its designer is Alec Issigonis, who also designed the Morris Minor.[6]
- 31 August – Harold Macmillan and US president Dwight Eisenhower make a joint television broadcast from Downing Street.[13]
- 18 September – Auchengeich mining disaster: 47 miners die as the result of an underground fire at Auchengeich Colliery, Lanarkshire, Scotland.[14]
- 7 October – Southend Pier is damaged in a fire.[15]
- 8 October – The General election is held resulting in a record third successive Conservative victory.[16] Harold Macmillan, running under the slogan "Life's better with the Conservatives, Don't let Labour ruin it", increases the Conservative majority to 100 seats.[17] The Labour Party contested their first general election under the leadership of Hugh Gaitskell.[18] Among the new members of parliament is Margaret Thatcher, representing Finchley in North London.[19]
- 12 October – large-scale diamond robbery in London.
- 21 October – Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi is arrested in Nyeri, Kenya.
- 30 October – Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club opens in the Soho district of London.
- 2 November – the first section of the M1 motorway is opened[6] between Watford and Rugby. It is set to be extended over the next few years, southwards to Edgware and northwards to Leeds.
- 5 November – Philip John Noel-Baker wins the Nobel Peace Prize.[20]
- 11 November – London Transport introduces the production AEC Routemaster double-decker bus into public service.
- 14 November – the nuclear Dounreay Fast Reactor in Scotland achieves criticality.[21]
- 17 November – Prestwick and Renfrew Airports become the first in the UK with duty-free shops.[22]
- 20 November – Britain becomes a founder member of the European Free Trade Association.
- December – health enthusiast Dr. Barbara Moore walks from Edinburgh to London.
- 6 December – Aberdeen trawler George Robb runs aground at Duncansby Head in Scotland in a severe gale with the loss of all 12 crew.[23]
- 8 December – Broughty Ferry life-boat Mona capsizes on service to North Carr Lightship in Scotland: all eight lifeboat crew are lost.
- 28 December – Associated-Rediffusion first airs the children's television series Ivor the Engine, made by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms in stop motion animation using cardboard cut-outs.
Undated
- London County Council completes first portion of Alton Estate in Roehampton, southwest London, considered a model of post-war public housing.[24]
- "Aluminium War": concluding the first hostile takeover of a public company in the UK, Tube Investments (under its chairman Ivan Stedeford), allied with Reynolds Metals of the United States and advised by Siegmund Warburg of S. G. Warburg & Co., secure control of British Aluminium.[25]
- The iconic Bush TR82 transistor radio, by Ogle Design, is launched.
- North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board's Sloy-Awe Hydro-Electric Power Scheme becomes fully operational.
- Car ownership in Britain now exceeds 30% of households.[26]
- Economic growth for the year is a very strong 7.2% while the Retail Price Index shows a zero percentage change over the year.[27]
- Noise Abatement Society established.
- Approximate date – Ballads and Blues folk club founded by Ewan MacColl and others in a London pub in Soho as part of the second British folk revival.[28]
Publications
- Agatha Christie's novel Cat Among the Pigeons.
- Ian Fleming's novel Goldfinger.
- Colin MacInnes' novel Absolute Beginners.
- Spike Milligan's collection Silly Verse for Kids.
- Iona and Peter Opie's study The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren.
- Mervyn Peake's novel Titus Alone, last completed of the Gormenghast series.
- Alan Sillitoe's story The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
- Keith Waterhouse's novel Billy Liar.
Births
January – February
- 5 January – David Eastwood, English historian and academic
- 7 January – Angela Smith, British Labour Co-operative politician and MP for Basildon
- 16 January – Sade Adu, Nigerian-born British singer, composer, songwriter and record producer
- 30 January – Alex Hyde-White, English actor
- 3 February – Lol Tolhurst, cofounder and drummer/keyboardist of rock band The Cure
- 18 February – Jayne Atkinson, English-born actress
- 23 February – Richard Dodds, British field hockey player
- 27 February – Simon Critchley, British philosopher
March – April
- 1 March – Nick Griffin, British politician, chairman of the British National Party (BNP)
- 9 March – Mark Carwardine, British zoologist
- 15 March – Ben Okri, Nigerian-born poet and novelist
- 20 March
- Steve McFadden, British actor
- Peter Truscott, Baron Truscott, Labour politician and peer[29]
- 21 March – Colin Jones, Welsh boxer
- 30 March – Andrew Bailey, English banker
- 5 April – Ian Pearson, British Labour politician and MP for Dudley South
- 15 April – Emma Thompson, English actress, comedian and screenwriter
- 16 April – Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player
- 17 April
- Sean Bean, actor
- Peter Doig, British painter
- 21 April – Robert Smith, British musician (The Cure)
- 25 April – Adrian Sanders, British Liberal Democrat politician and MP for Torbay
- 27 April – Sheena Easton, Scottish singer
May – June
- 3 May – Ben Elton, English comedian and writer
- 5 May – Ian McCulloch, English rock singer-songwriter (Echo & the Bunnymen)
- 12 May
- Mark Davies, Roman Catholic bishop of Shrewsbury
- Deborah Warner, stage director and producer
- 15 May – Andrew Eldritch, né Taylor, English gothic rock singer-songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy)
- 16 May – Tracy Hyde, English actress and model
- 17 May
- Richard Barrons, English general
- Paul Whitehouse, Welsh comedian and actor
- 18 May – Rupert Soames, businessman
- 22 May
- Graham Fellows, English comedy performer
- Morrissey, English alternative rock singer-songwriter
- 29 May
- Rupert Everett, English actor
- Adrian Paul, English-born actor
- Tessa Tennant, English green investment campaigner (died 2018)
- 1 June
- Martin Brundle, English Formula One motor racing driver
- John Pullinger, English statistician and librarian
- Peter Skinner, English Labour politician and MEP for South East England
- 6 June – Lindsay Posner, English theatre director and manager
- 11 June – Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian and writer
- 19 June – Sophie Grigson, English cookery writer and celebrity chef
- 21 June – John Baron, English Conservative politician and MP for Billericay
- 26 June – Lucy Kellaway, English columnist at the Financial Times and teacher
- 27 June – Clint Boon, English rock keyboardist (Inspiral Carpets) and DJ
- 28 June – Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, English Labour politician and educationalist
- 29 June – Richard Vranch, English comedian, actor and television panel show participant
July – August
- 3 July
- Julie Burchill, journalist
- Graham Roberts, footballer and manager
- 13 July – Richard Leman, field hockey player
- 18 July – Jonathan Dove, operatic composer
- 31 July – Kim Newman, journalist, film critic and fiction writer
- 1 August – Joe Elliott, rock singer (Def Leppard)
- 5 August – Pete Burns, pop singer (died 2016)
- 20 August – Andrew Pelling, Conservative politician and MP for Croydon Central
- 24 August – Meg Munn, Labour Co-operative politician and MP for Sheffield Heeley
- 27 August – Jeanette Winterson, novelist
September – October
- 18 September
- Ian Arkwright, English footballer
- Lucy Birley, model, photographer and socialite (died 2018)
- 23 September – Karen Pierce, British diplomat
- 7 October – Simon Cowell, English music producer and television talent show judge
- 10 October
- Mark Johnston, Scottish-born racehorse trainer
- Kirsty MacColl, British singer and songwriter (died 2000)
- 15 October
- Sarah, Duchess of York
- Tibor Fischer, British novelist and short story writer
- 16 October
- Gary Kemp, English pop artist (Spandau Ballet)
- John Whittingdale, British Conservative politician and MP for Maldon and Chelmsford East
- 20 October – Niamh Cusack, Irish-born actress
- 21 October – Cleveland Watkiss, jazz vocalist
November – December
- 1 November – Susanna Clarke, British writer
- 2 November
- Kevin Ashman, English quiz player
- Peter Mullan, Scottish actor
- 9 November
- Andy Kershaw, British music broadcaster
- Frances O'Grady, British trades union leader
- 14 November – Paul McGann, British actor
- 18 November – Jimmy Quinn, Irish footballer and football manager
- 25 November – Charles Kennedy, Scottish Liberal Democrat politician (died 2015)
- 26 November – Dai Davies Welsh politician and independent MP[30]
- 30 November – Lorraine Kelly, British presenter and journalist
- 2 December – Gwyneth Strong, British actress
- 6 December – Stephen Hepburn, British Labour MP for Jarrow
- 10 December – Kevin Ash, journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 11 December – Phil Woolas, disgraced Labour MP[31]
- 12 December – Jasper Conran, English designer
- 28 December – Andy McNab, British soldier turned novelist
- 29 November – Richard Borcherds, mathematician
- 30 December – Tracey Ullman, English comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author
Unknown dates
- Dilly Braimoh, African-British television presenter and producer
- Amanda Craig, British novelist
- Edith Hall, classicist
- Mick Hume, British journalist and organiser of the Revolutionary Communist Party
- Mick Manning, British children's author and illustrator
- Jasper Morrison, English product and furniture designer
Deaths
- 14 January – G. D. H. Cole, political and economic theorist, historian and detective fiction writer (born 1889)
- 22 January – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (car crash) (born 1929)
- 15 February – Sir Owens Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1879)
- 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar (born 1897)
- 11 June – Gordon Selwyn, educator and Anglican priest (born 1885)
- 11 July – Charlie Parker, English cricketer (born 1882)
- 5 August – Edgar Guest, English poet (born 1881)
- 19 August
- Jacob Epstein, American-born British sculptor (born 1880)
- Claude Grahame-White, English aviator (born 1879)
- 6 September – Kay Kendall, English actress (born 1926) (leukaemia)
- 21 September – Agnes Nicholls, operatic soprano (born 1877)
- 25 September
- Gerard Hoffnung, German-born humorist (born 1925)
- Vera Laughton Mathews, naval officer (born 1888)
- 15 November – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1869)
- 26 November – Albert Ketèlbey, pianist, conductor and composer (born 1875)
- 14 December – Stanley Spencer, painter (born 1891)
External links
References
- "1959: Fog brings transport chaos". BBC News. 29 January 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- "1959: Macmillan and Khrushchev talk peace". BBC News. 23 February 1959. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- "1959: African activist flees to UK". BBC News. 7 March 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- "Cow & Gate Limited". The Times. 1 April 1959.
- "1959: Dame Margot Fonteyn released from jail". BBC News. 22 April 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- "FA Cup Final Results". FA Cup Finals. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- "June anniversaries". The BBC Story. BBC. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- "1959: Hovercraft marks new era in transport". BBC News. 11 June 1959. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- "Norwich to use postal codes – Experimenting in automation", The Times, 29 July 1959
- "1959". Those were the days. Wolverhampton: Express & Star. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- "1959: Harrods in £34m merger talks". BBC News. 22 June 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- "1959: Anglo-US TV debate makes history". BBC News. 31 August 1959. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- "Community pays tribute to Auchengeich mining disaster victims". Kirkintilloch Herald. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- "1959: Southend Pier fire traps hundreds". BBC News. 7 October 1959. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- "1959: 'Supermac' leads Tories to victory". BBC News. 9 October 1959. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- "1959 General election results summary". UK Political Info. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- Rees, Nigel (1987). Sayings of the Century. London: Unwin Paperbacks. ISBN 0-04-440080-2.
- "History of Baroness Margaret Thatcher". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- "The Nobel Peace Prize 1959". Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- The Hutchinson Factfinder. Helicon. 1999. ISBN 1-85986-000-1.
- "Chronology of Scottish History". A Timeline of Scottish History. Rampant Scotland. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- "MFV George Robb (A406)". WreckSite. 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- Harwood, Elain (2003). England: a Guide to Post-War Listed Buildings (rev. ed.). London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-8818-2.
- "Outsider who changed the City". Management Today. 1 November 1998. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- Lambert, Tim. "Britain Since 1948". A World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- "Consumer Price Indices - RPI annual percentage change: 1948 to 2015". Office for National Statistics. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Boyes, Georgina (1993). The Imagined Village: Culture, Ideology, and the English Folk Revival. Manchester University Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-7190-2914-7.
- "Mr Peter Truscott (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk.
- Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 2010. ISBN 978-0-905702-89-6.
- "BBC News - Politics - Find Your MP - Oldham East & Saddleworth - Phillip Woolas". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.