1959 Tasmanian state election
Robert Cosgrove had retired as Premier of Tasmania, and had been replaced by Eric Reece on 26 August 1958.


1959 Tasmanian state election, Results
The Labor Party won the most seats in the newly expanded House of Assembly, but not enough to govern in a majority as two seats were won by Independents. The 1959 election was the last occasion in which an ungrouped independent (Bill Wedd) won a seat in Tasmania.


1959 Tasmanian state election, Results
Former Labor Treasurer Dr Reg Turnbull won two quotas in his own right as an independent in Bass, representing 5.64% of the statewide result.


1959 Tasmanian state election, Results
Tasmanian state election, 2 May 1959House of Assembly << 1956–1964 >>


1959 Taça de Portugal Final
The 1959 Taça de Portugal Final was the final match of the 1958–59 Taça de Portugal, the 19th season of the Taça de Portugal, the premier Portuguese football cup competition organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The match was played on 19 July 1959 at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and opposed two Primeira Liga sides: Benfica and Porto. Benfica defeated Porto 1–0 to claim a tenth Taça de Portugal.


1959 Team Speedway Polish Championship
1959 Team Speedway Polish Championship season was the eleventh season and is used to determine the Team Polish Champion.


1959 Temple Owls football team
The 1959 Temple Owls football team was an American football team that represented Temple University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In its fourth and final season under head coach Peter P. Stevens, the team compiled a 0–9 record. The season was part of a 21-game losing streak that began on November 2, 1957, and ended on September 24, 1960. The team played its home games at Temple Stadium in Philadelphia.


1959 Temple Owls football team
Stevens resigned as Temple's head football coach on December 31, 1959. He had been associated with Temple football for 17 years, first as a player, then as an assistant coach for nine years, and finally as head coach from 1956 to 1959.


1959 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1959 Tennessee Volunteers (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bowden Wyatt, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of five wins, four losses and one tie (5–4–1 overall, 3–4–1 in the SEC).


1959 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 1959 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Aggies were led by head coach Jim Myers in his second season and finished with a record of three wins and seven losses (3–7 overall, 0–6 in the SWC).


1959 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1959 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. On New Year's Day 1960, Texas lost to top-ranked Syracuse in the Cotton Bowl Classic, 23–14.


1959 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 1959 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as an independent during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their ninth season under head coach DeWitt Weaver, the Red Raiders compiled a 4–6 record and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 158 to 139. The team's statistical leaders included Ken Talkington with 603 passing yards, Carl Gatlin with 211 rushing yards, and Bake Turner with 444 receiving yards. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium.


1959 Texas Western Miners football team
The 1959 Texas Western Miners football team was an American football team that represented Texas Western College (now known as University of Texas at El Paso) as a member of the Border Conference during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In its third season under head coach Ben Collins, the team compiled a 3–7 record (2–3 against Border Conference opponents), finished fifth in the conference, and was outscored by a total of 191 to 163.


1959 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 1959 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. Eddie Teague served as head coach for the third season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


1959 Tibetan uprising
The 1959 Tibetan uprising or the 1959 Tibetan rebellion (Chinese: 1959年藏区骚乱) began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement was reached in 1951. The initial uprising occurred amid general Chinese-Tibetan tensions and in a context of confusion, as Tibetan protestors feared that the Chinese government might arrest the 14th Dalai Lama. The protests were also fuelled by anti-Chinese sentiment and separatism.


1959 Tibetan uprising
At first, the uprising consisted of mostly peaceful protests, but clashes quickly erupted and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) eventually used force to put down the protestors, some of whom had captured arms. The last stages of the uprising included heavy fighting, with high civilian and military losses. The 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa, while the city was fully retaken by Chinese security forces on 23 March 1959. Thousands were killed during the 1959 uprising, although the exact number is disputed.


1959 Tibetan uprising
Earlier in 1956, armed conflict between Tibetan guerillas and the PLA started in the Kham and Amdo regions, which had been subjected to socialist reform. The guerrilla warfare later spread to other areas of Tibet and lasted through 1962. Some regard the Xunhua Incident in 1958 as a precursor of the Tibetan uprising.


1959 Tibetan uprising
The annual 10 March anniversary of the uprising is observed by exiled Tibetans as Tibetan Uprising Day and Women's Uprising Day. On 19 January 2009, The PRC-controlled legislature in the Tibetan Autonomous Region chose 28 March as the national anniversary of Serfs Emancipation Day. According to Warren W. Smith, this move was a "counter-propaganda" celebration following the 10 March 2008 unrest in Tibet.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
In 1951, an agreement between the People's Republic of China and representatives of the Dalai Lama was put into effect. Socialist reforms such as redistribution of land were delayed in Tibet proper. However, eastern Kham and Amdo (western Sichuan and Qinghai provinces in the Chinese administrative hierarchy) were outside the administration of the Tibetan government in Lhasa, and were thus treated more like other Chinese provinces, with land redistribution implemented in full. The Khampas and nomads of Amdo traditionally owned their own land. Armed resistance broke out in Amdo and eastern Kham in June 1956.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
Prior to the PLA invasion, relations between Lhasa and the Khampa chieftains had deteriorated, although the Khampa remained spiritually loyal to the Dalai Lama throughout. Because of these strained relations, the Khampa had actually assisted the Chinese in their initial invasion, before becoming the guerrilla resistance they are now known for. Pandatsang Rapga, a pro Kuomintang and pro Republic of China revolutionary Khampa leader, offered the governor of Chamdo, Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, some Khampa fighters in exchange for the Tibetan government recognizing the independence of Kham. Ngabo refused the offer. After the defeat of the Tibetan Army in Chamdo, Rapga started mediating in negotiations between the PLA and Tibetan rebels.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
Rapga and Topgay engaged in negotiations with the Chinese during their assault on Chamdo. Khampas either defected to the Chinese PLA forces or did not fight at all. The PLA attack succeeded.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
By 1957, Kham was in chaos. Resistance fighters' attacks and People's Liberation Army reprisals against Khampa resistance fighters such as the Chushi Gangdruk became increasingly brutal. Kham's monastic networks came to be used by guerilla forces to relay messages and hide rebels. Punitive strikes were carried out by the Chinese government against Tibetan villages and monasteries. Tibetan exiles assert that threats to bomb the Potala Palace and the Dalai Lama were made by Chinese military commanders in an attempt to intimidate the guerrilla forces into submission.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
Lhasa continued to abide by the seventeen-point agreement and sent a delegation to Kham to quell the rebellion. After speaking with the rebel leaders, the delegation instead joined the rebellion. Kham leaders contacted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but the CIA under President Dwight D. Eisenhower insisted it required an official request from Lhasa to support the rebels. Lhasa did not act. Eventually the CIA began to provide covert support for the rebellion without word from Lhasa. By then the rebellion had spread to Lhasa which had filled with refugees from Amdo and Kham. Opposition to the Chinese presence in Tibet grew within the city of Lhasa.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
In mid-February 1959 the CCP Central Committee's Administrative Office circulated the Xinhua News Agency internal report on how "the revolts in the Tibetan region have gathered pace and developed into a nearly full-scale rebellion." in a "situation report" for top CCP leaders.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
"The more chaotic [the situation] in Tibet becomes the better; for it will help train our troops and toughen the masses. Furthermore, [the chaos] will provide a sufficient reason to crush the rebellion and carry out reforms in the future." – Mao Zedong


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
The next day, the Chinese leader saw a report from the PLA General Staff’s Operations Department describing rebellions by Tibetans in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai. He again stressed that "rebellions like these are extremely favorable for us because they will benefit us in helping to train our troops, train the people, and provide a sufficient reason to crush the rebellion and carry out comprehensive reforms in the future."


1959 Tibetan uprising, Armed resistance in east Tibet
The PLA used Hui soldiers, who formerly had served under Ma Bufang to crush the Tibetan revolt in Amdo. Hui cavalry were stationed in Southern Kham. The situation in all of Tibet became increasingly tense, as a growing number of Tibetans began to support the Khampa uprising, while the regional government in Lhasa neither wanted to back a rebellion nor publicly oppose it. In this unstable situation, the Chinese generals resident in Lhasa was summoned back to mainland China, leaving the inexperienced PLA commander Tan Guansen in charge.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
According to historian Tsering Shakya, the Chinese government was pressuring the Dalai Lama to attend the National People's Congress in April 1959, in order to repair China's image in relation to ethnic minorities after the Khampa rebellion. On 7 February 1959, a significant day on the Tibetan calendar, the Dalai Lama attended a religious dance, after which the acting representative in Tibet, Tan Guansan, offered the Dalai Lama a chance to see a performance from a dance troupe native to Lhasa at the Norbulingka to celebrate the Dalai Lama's completion of his lharampa geshe degree.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
According to the Dalai Lama's memoirs, the invitation came from Chinese General Chiang Chin-wu, who proposed that the performance be held at the Chinese military headquarters; the Dalai Lama states that he agreed. However, tibetologist Sam van Schaik stated that the Dalai Lama was the one who proposed that the dance should take place in the military headquarters as the Norbulingka was too small. Both parties did not yet agree on a date, and the Dalai Lama seemed to put the event "out of his mind", focusing instead on his ongoing examinations for his Geshe degree as well as the Monlam Prayer Festival.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
Besides Tan and the Dalai Lama, nobody was seemingly informed of the plans for the dance. As a result, planned performance date was only finalized 5 or 3 days beforehand when Tan reminded the Dalai Lama of the dance who suggested 10 March. The decision was seemingly concluded on a whim. Neither the Kashag nor the Dalai Lama's bodyguards were informed of the Dalai Lama's plans until Chinese officials briefed them on 9 March, one day before the performance was scheduled, and insisted that they would handle the Dalai Lama's security.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
The Dalai Lama's memoirs state that on 9 March the Chinese told his chief bodyguard that they wanted the Dalai Lama's excursion to watch the production conducted "in absolute secrecy" and without any armed Tibetan bodyguards, which "all seemed strange requests and there was much discussion" amongst the Dalai Lama's advisors. Some members of the Kashag were alarmed and concerned that the Dalai Lama might be abducted, recalling a prophecy that told that the Dalai Lama should not exit his palace.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
According to historian Tsering Shakya, some Tibetan government officials feared that plans were being laid for a Chinese abduction of the Dalai Lama, and spread word to that effect amongst the inhabitants of Lhasa. On 10 March, several thousand Tibetans surrounded the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent him from leaving or being removed. The huge crowd had gathered in response to a rumor that the Chinese were planning to arrest the Dalai Lama when he went to a cultural performance at the PLA's headquarters.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
This marked the beginning of the uprising in Lhasa, though Chinese forces had skirmished with guerrillas outside the city in December of the previous year. Although CCP officials insisted that the "reactionary upper stratum" in Lhasa was responsible for the rumor, there is no way to identify the precise source. At first, the violence was directed at Tibetan officials perceived not to have protected the Dalai Lama or to be pro-Chinese; attacks on Chinese started later.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
One of the first casualties of mob was a senior lama, Pagbalha Soinam Gyamco, who worked with the PRC as a member of the Preparatory Committee of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, who was killed and his body dragged by a horse in front of the crowd for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
On 12 March, protesters appeared in the streets of Lhasa declaring Tibet's independence. Barricades went up on the streets of Lhasa, and Chinese and Tibetan rebel forces began to fortify positions within and around Lhasa in preparation for conflict. A petition of support for the armed rebels outside the city was taken up, and an appeal for assistance was made to the Indian consul. Chinese and Tibetan troops continued moving into position over the next several days, with Chinese artillery pieces being deployed within range of the Dalai Lama's summer palace, the Norbulingka.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
On 12 March thousands of women gathered in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa on the ground called Dri-bu-Yul-Khai Thang. The leader of this nonviolent demonstration was Pamo Kusang. This demonstration, now known as Women's Uprising Day, started the Tibetan women's movement for independence. On 14 March at the same location thousands of women assembled in a protest led by "Gurteng Kunsang, a member of the aristocratic Kundeling family and mother of six who was later arrested by the Chinese and executed by firing squad."


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
On 15 March, preparations for the Dalai Lama's evacuation from the city were set in motion, with Tibetan troops being employed to secure an escape route from Lhasa. On 17 March, two artillery shells landed near the Dalai Lama's palace, triggering his flight into exile. The Dalai Lama secretly left the palace the following night and slipped out of Lhasa with his family and a small number of officials. The Chinese had not strongly guarded the Potala, as they did not believe it likely that the Dalai Lama would try to flee.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
Rumours about the Dalai Lama's disappearance began to spread rapidly on the next day, though most still believed that he was in the palace. Meanwhile, the situation in the city became increasingly tense, as protestors had seized a number of machine guns. On 20 March, the Chinese army responded by shelling the Norbulingka to disperse the crowd, and placed its troops at a barricade that divided the city into a northern and southern part in the following night.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
The battle began early on the following day, and even though the Tibetan rebels were outnumbered and poorly armed, the street fighting proved to be "bloody". The last Tibetan resistance was centered on the Jokhang, where Khampa refugees had set up machine guns, while a large number of Tibetans circumambulated the temple in reverence. The PLA started to attack the Jokhang on 23 March, and a hard-fought, three hours-long battle with many casualties on both sides ensued. The Chinese eventually managed to break through using a tank, whereupon they raised the flag of China on the temple, ending the uprising.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Lhasa Rebellion
Two British writers, Stuart and Roma Gelder, visited the Chensel Phodrang palace in the Norbulingka in 1962 and "found its contents meticulously preserved".


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
Pandatsang Rapga, a pro-Kuomintang and pro-Republic of China revolutionary Khampa leader, was instrumental in the revolt against the Communists. The Kuomintang had a history of using Khampa fighters to oppose both the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government, and battle the Communist Red Army.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
Rapga continued to cooperate with the ROC Kuomintang government after it fled to Taiwan; they provided training to Khampa rebels against the Communist PLA forces.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
The Republic of China on Taiwan disputed with America whether Tibet would be independent, since the ROC claimed Tibet as part of its territory. Rapga agreed to a plan in which the revolt against the Communists would include anti feudalism, land reform, a modern government, and to give power to the people.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
The Republic of China continued to claim Tibet as an integral part of its territory in accordance with its constitution, contrary to the claims of the Dalai Lama's Central Tibetan Administration which claimed Tibetan independence.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
After the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion, Chiang Kai-shek announced in his Letter to Tibetan Friends (Chinese: 告西藏同胞書; pinyin: Gào Xīzàng Tóngbāo Shū) that the ROC's policy would be to help the Tibetan diaspora overthrow the People's Republic of China's rule in Tibet. The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission sent secret agents to India to disseminate pro-Kuomintang (KMT) and anti-Communist propaganda among Tibetan exiles. From 1971 to 1978, the MTAC also recruited ethnic Tibetan children from India and Nepal to study in Taiwan, with the expectation that they would work for a ROC government that returned to the mainland.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Republic of China's involvement and its position on Tibetan independence
In 1994, the veterans' association for the Tibetan guerrilla group Chushi Gangdruk met with the MTAC and agreed to the KMT's One China Principle. In response, the Dalai Lama's Central Tibetan Administration forbade all exiled Tibetans from contact with the MTAC. Tibetans in Taiwan, who are mostly of Kham origin, support the Republic of China's position that Tibet is part of the ROC, and are against both the Tibetan exile community in India who live under the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGE) and the Communists in mainland China. The Taiwanese Tibetans are considered traitors by the TGE for their position.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Casualties
Colin Mackerras states, "There was a major rebellion against Chinese rule in Tibet in March 1959, which was put down with the cost of much bloodshed and lasting bitterness on the part of the Tibetans." The Tibetan government-in-exile reports variously, 85,000, 86,000, and 87,000 deaths for Tibetans during the rebellion, attributed to "secret Chinese documents captured by guerrillas". Tibetologist Tom Grunfeld said "the veracity of such a claim is difficult to verify."


1959 Tibetan uprising, Casualties
Warren W. Smith, a writer with Radio Free Asia, writes that the "secret documents" came from a 1960 PLA report captured by guerrillas in 1966, with the figures first published by the TGIE in India in 1990. Smith states that the documents said that 87,000 "enemies were eliminated", but he does not take "eliminated" to mean "killed", as the TGIE does.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Casualties
A Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE) official surnamed Samdup released a report for Asia Watch after three fact-finding missions from 1979 to 1981, stating that a speech by premier Zhou Enlai, published in Beijing Review in 1980, confirmed the 87,000 figure. Demographer Yan Hao could find no reference to any such figure in the published speech, and concluded, "If these TGIE sources are not reluctant to fabricate Chinese sources in open publications, how can they expect people to believe in their citations of so-called Chinese secret internal documents and speeches that are never available in originals to independent researchers?"


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
Lhasa's three major monasteries—Sera, Ganden, and Drepung—were seriously damaged by shelling, with Sera and Drepung being damaged nearly beyond repair. According to the TGIE, members of the Dalai Lama's bodyguard remaining in Lhasa were disarmed and publicly executed, along with Tibetans found to be harbouring weapons in their homes. Thousands of Tibetan monks were executed or arrested, and monasteries and temples around the city were looted or destroyed.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
After the 12 March Women's Uprising demonstration, many of the women involved were imprisoned, including the leader of the demonstration, Pamo Kusang. "Some of them were tortured, died in prison, or were executed." Known as Women's Uprising Day, this demonstration started the Tibetan women's movement for independence.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
The CIA officer, Bruce Walker, who oversaw the operations of CIA-trained Tibetan agents, was troubled by the hostility from the Tibetans towards his agents: "the radio teams were experiencing major resistance from the population inside Tibet." The CIA trained Tibetans from 1957 to 1972, in the United States, and parachuted them back into Tibet to organise rebellions against the PLA. In one incident, one agent was immediately reported by his own brother and all three agents in the team were arrested. They were not mistreated. After less than a month of propaganda sessions, they were escorted to the Indian border and released.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
In April 1959, the 19-year-old Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama, the second ranking spiritual leader in Tibet, residing in Shigatse, called on Tibetans to support the Chinese government. However, after a tour through Tibet, he wrote a document in May 1962 known as the 70,000 Character Petition addressed to Zhou Enlai criticizing Chinese abuses in Tibet, and met with Zhou to discuss it. The outlined petition dealt with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan people both during and after the PRC's invasion of Tibet and the sufferings of the people in The Great Leap Forward.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
In this document, he criticized the suppression that the Chinese authorities had conducted in retaliation for the 1959 Tibetan uprising. But in October 1962, the PRC authorities dealing with the population criticized the petition. Chairman Mao  called the petition "... a poisoned arrow shot at the Party by reactionary feudal overlords." In 1967 the Panchen Lama was formally arrested and imprisoned until his release in 1977.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
Buddhist monk Palden Gyatso was arrested in June 1959 by Chinese officials for demonstrating during the March uprising. He spent the following 33 years in Chinese prisons and laogai or "reform through labor" camps, the longest term of any Tibetan political prisoner. "He was forced to participate in barbarous re-education classes and He was tortured by various methods, which included being beaten with a club ridden with nails, shocked by an electric probe, which scarred his tongue and caused his teeth to fall out, whipped while being forced to pull an iron plow, and starved." leading to irreversible physical damage. Released in 1992, he escaped to Dharamsala in India, home of the Tibetan government in exile and became an internationally acclaimed activist for the Tibetan independence cause.


1959 Tibetan uprising, Aftermath
Chinese authorities have interpreted the uprising as a revolt of the Tibetan elite against Communist reforms that were improving the lot of Tibetan serfs. Tibetan and third party sources, on the other hand, have usually interpreted it as a popular uprising against the alien Chinese presence. Historian Tsering Shakya has argued that it was a popular revolt against both the Chinese and the Lhasa government, which was perceived as failing to protect the authority and safety of the Dalai Lama from the Chinese.


1959 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The 1959 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 69th staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887.


1959 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
On 23 August 1959, Thurles Sarsfields won the championship after a 3-12 to 2-06 defeat of Kilruane MacDonaghs in the final at Thurles Sportsfield. It was their 22nd championship title overall and their fifth title in succession.


1959 Titleholders Championship
The 1959 Titleholders Championship was contested from March 12–15 at Augusta Country Club. It was the 20th edition of the Titleholders Championship.


1959 Toledo Rockets football team
The 1959 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented Toledo University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their third and final season under head coach Harry Larche, the Rockets compiled a 2–6–1 record (0–6 against MAC opponents), finished in seventh place in the MAC, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 200 to 123.


1959 Toledo Rockets football team
The team's statistical leaders included Dennis Wilkie with 723 passing yards, Occie Burt with 437 rushing yards, and Bob Smith with 455 receiving yards.


1959 Torneo Godó
The 1959 Torneo Godó was the seventh edition of the Torneo Godó annual tennis tournament played on clay courts in Barcelona, Spain and it took place from 1–7 June 1959. Neale Fraser won the singles title.


1959 Torneo Godó, Champions, Men's Doubles
Roy Emerson /  Neale Fraser defeated  Luis Ayala /  Rod Laver 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 13–11


1959 Torneo di Viareggio
The 1959 winners of the Torneo di Viareggio (in English, the Viareggio Tournament, officially the Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament Coppa Carnevale), the annual youth football tournament held in Viareggio, Tuscany, are listed below.


1959 Torneo di Viareggio, Format
The 8 teams are organized in knockout rounds. The round of 8 are played in two-legs, while the rest of the rounds are single tie.


1959 Toronto Argonauts season
The 1959 Toronto Argonauts finished in fourth place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a 4–10 record and failed to make the playoffs.


1959 Toronto Argonauts season, Preseason
The Argonauts hosted an interleague exhibition game on August 5 against the NFL's Chicago Cardinals in the inaugural game at the new Exhibition Stadium. The game was the first to involve an NFL team played in Toronto. It was also the first NFL-CFL interleague exhibition match held since the establishment of the Canadian Football League in 1958. The Argos lost 55–26.


1959 Tour de France
The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 18 July. The race featured 120 riders, of which 65 finished. The Tour included 22 stages over 4,358 km (2,708 mi).


1959 Tour de France
The race was won by Spanish cyclist Federico Bahamontes, who also won the mountains classification. The points classification was won by French sprinter André Darrigade. The Belgian team became the winner of the team classification.


1959 Tour de France
Although the French national team had the favourites, the race was contested between Anglade, in a French regional team, and Bahamontes, in the Spanish national team. After the French national team refused to help Anglade, Bahamontes won the race. It was the first win by a Spanish cyclist.


1959 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The French team included Jacques Anquetil, Louison Bobet, Raphael Géminiani and Roger Riviere, who were all considered possible Tour winners. This also posed a problem, as they did all want to be team captain, and refused to work for each other.


1959 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The Spanish team was headed by Federico Bahamontes, who in previous years did not care for flat stages and time trials, and only tried to win the mountains classification. In the 1959 season, Bahamontes had Fausto Coppi as manager, and Coppi convinced Bahamontes to focus on the general classification.


1959 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The defending champion Charly Gaul was again placed in a mixed team of Luxembourgian and Dutch cyclists, and expected little support. The Italian team did not include Vito Favero and Gastone Nencini, who had performed well in the 1958 Tour. Their team captain was Ercole Baldini, winner of the 1958 Giro d'Italia, but he was not expected to be able to compete against Gaul, Bahamontes and Anquetil.


1959 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
Of the cyclists in the French regional teams, Henri Anglade was the most notable. He was included in the Centre-Midi team.


1959 Tour de France, Pre-race favourites
The cyclists were represented by agents, who negotiated for the prices in post-tour criteriums. There were two major agents: Daniel Dousset, who represented Anquetil, Rivière and Bahamontes, and Piel Poulidor, who represented Anglade. This made it more important for Anquetil to help Bahamontes than Anglade.


1959 Tour de France, Route and stages
The 1959 Tour de France started on 25 June in Mulhouse, and had two rest days, in Bayonne and Saint-Étienne. The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,770 m (9,090 ft) at the summit of the Col de l'Iseran mountain pass on stage 18.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
During the Tour, a package of strychnine, addressed to one of the teams, was intercepted by the Tour doctor.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
Like in the previous years, Darrigade won the first stage. In the third stage, a group of 13 cyclists escaped, none of them considered favourites for the overall victory. The favourites let them escape, knowing that they would win enough time back in the mountains, and the group won more than 10 minutes on the rest. Robert Cazala from the French national team became the new leader.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
Anglade was riding well in the first stages. Because of an escape in stage 7, he gained a few minutes on the top favourites. In the ninth stage, the Belgian cyclists broke away, and the French team followed them. Cazala was not able to follow them, and he lost the lead. Eddy Pauwels became the new leaderPauwels lost the lead in the tenth stage, and regional Michel Vermeulin became the new leader.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
After stage 12, Anglade was in fifth place in the general classification, the first of the favourites for the overall victory. In the thirteenth stage, Anglade attacked and won the stage. He jumped to second place in the general classification.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
The French team director then concentrated the strategy on beating Anglade, because he thought Anglade was the main threat. The fifteenth stage was an individual mountain time trial, won by Spaniard Bahamontes. Bahamontes climbed to the second place in the general classification, only 4 seconds behind Jos Hoevenaers, the last man from the escaped group in stage 3 to stay high in the general classification. Eddy Pauwels was in third place, while Anglade was still in fourth place, only 43 seconds behind Hoevenaers.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
In the sixteenth stage, Pauwels was in the escaped group, and won enough time to take over the lead in the general classification. In the seventeenth stage, Bahamontes and Gaul escaped. Gaul won the stage, but Bahamontes took the leading position.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
The eighteenth stage would determine the outcome of the race. Bahamontes was leading, but his teammates had used a lot of energy the day before. The French national team was expected to attack. In the eighteenth stage, Gaul was the first one to attack, and reached the top of the Galibier first, but later the other riders got back to him. On the way down from the Iseran, Bahamontes and Gaul were left behind, and Anquetil and Rivière were expected to increase their efforts, such that Bahamontes and Gaul would not be able to get back to them.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
Anquetil and Rivière did not want to assist each other and did nothing, so Bahamontes and Gaul were able to get back. Anquetil and Rivière then were left behind. On the last climb, Anglade attacked. Baldini and Gaul could follow, but Bahamontes could not, and at some moment was five minutes behind. This made Anglade the virtual race leader, which was against the wishes of the national team. Anquetil and Rivière then reached Bahamontes, and helped him to get back to Anglade.


1959 Tour de France, Race overview
The only risk for Bahamontes left was the time trial in stage 21. At the start, Bahamontes was leading by 5'40". In the time trial, Anglade won 1'39" back on Bahamontes, but that was not enough. When the Tour ended in the Parc des Princes velodrome in Paris, the French crowd booed the French national team, because they did not allow Anglade the victory.


1959 Tour de France, Classification leadership and awards
The time that each cyclist required to finish each stage was recorded, and these times were added together for the general classification. If a cyclist had received a time bonus, it was subtracted from this total; all time penalties were added to this total. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey.


1959 Tour de France, Classification leadership and awards
The points classification was calculated differently than in the years before. The winner of a stage received 100 points,down to 1 point for the 25th cyclist. André Darrigade took the lead by winning the first stage, and remained the leader for the rest of the race.


1959 Tour de France, Classification leadership and awards
The mountains classification was calculated by adding the points given to cyclists for reaching the highest point in a climb first.


1959 Tour de France, Classification leadership and awards
The team classification was calculated as the sum of the daily team classifications, and the daily team classification was calculated by adding the times in the stage result of the best three cyclists per team. It was won by the Belgian team.


1959 Tour de France, Classification leadership and awards
In addition, there was a combativity award given after each stage to the cyclist considered most combative. The decision was made by a jury composed of journalists who gave points. The cyclist with the most points from votes in all stages led the combativity classification. Gérard Saint won this classification, and was given overall the super-combativity award. The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given to the first rider to pass the memorial to Tour founder Henri Desgrange near the summit of the Col du Galibier on stage 18. This prize was won by Charly Gaul.


1959 Tour de Romandie
The 1959 Tour de Romandie was the 13th edition of the Tour de Romandie cycle race and was held from 7 May to 10 May 1959. The race started and finished in Fribourg. The race was won by Kurt Gimmi.


1959 Tour de Suisse
The 1959 Tour de Suisse was the 23rd edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 12 June to 18 June 1959. The race started and finished in Zürich. The race was won by Hans Junkermann.


1959 Tour of Flanders
The 43rd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic was held on Sunday, 30 March 1959. Belgian Rik Van Looy won the race in a three-man sprint with Frans Schoubben and Gilbert Desmet. 58 of 143 riders finished.


1959 Tour of Flanders, Route
The race started in Ghent and finished in Wetteren – covering 242 km. The course featured five categorized climbs:


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident
The Transair Douglas Dakota accident was an aircraft accident that occurred on 19 August 1959, when a Douglas Dakota operated by British airline Transair on a non-scheduled flight from Barcelona Airport in Spain to London-Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom crashed in Spain. The aircraft, which was carrying 29 students home to England, had been chartered by the National Union of Students to conduct regular weekly flights between Gatwick and Barcelona. It was the first accident suffered by a Transair aircraft following the airline's formation in 1947.


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Accident
The aircraft, registered G-AMZD, had arrived early on the day of the accident at Barcelona from Gatwick with a party of students on board, and was scheduled to return to London with another group of students who were returning home from a holiday in Majorca. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR); however, 19 minutes after departure from Barcelona, while climbing to its cruising altitude, the Dakota entered cloud and struck Turó de l'Home, a mountain north east of Barcelona. At the time of the accident the aircraft was 10 nautical miles (19 km) away from its intended flight path. Locals reported that at the time of the crash it was misty in the area.


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Accident
An official at a nearby weather station raised the alarm upon observing the crash. Upon arrival, the Spanish Civil Guard found the wreckage of the aircraft had been burnt out by a post-impact fire. All 29 passengers and three crew were killed.


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Probable cause
Following an investigation of the accident, a report from the Spanish Director-General of Civil Aviation stated:


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Probable cause
From an examination of the evidence it can be concluded that the accident was caused through infringement of the regulations and instructions in force for flight over national territory, or of the international standards which are in force in Spain.


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Probable cause
The Director-General also stated that the evidence did not indicate that Spanish Air Traffic Control personnel were responsible for the crash through their actions in any way. In addition, there was no evidence found that any defects in aids to navigation contributed to the accident. Accordingly, the British Air Ministry, also investigating the crash, resolved to close the case without allocating responsibility.


1959 Transair Douglas Dakota accident, Probable cause
It was concluded that the pilot should not have entered cloud without advising air traffic control that he required an instrument flight clearance; it was presumed that the pilot was unaware that Turó de l'Home, 1,712 metres (5,617 ft) in height, was in the path of the aircraft at the time the Dakota entered the clouds.


1959 Tulane Green Wave football team
The 1959 Tulane Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Tulane University during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. In their sixth year under head coach Andy Pilney, the team compiled a 3–6–1 record.


1959 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
The 1959 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Bobby Dodds, the Golden Hurricane compiled a 5–5 record (2–2 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents), and finished in third place in the conference. The team's statistical leaders included Jerry Keeling with 752 passing yards, Bob Brumble with 599 rushing yards, and Buddy Kelly with 270 receiving yards.


1959 Tunisian general election
General elections were held in Tunisia on 8 November 1959 to elect a President and Chamber of Deputies, following the promulgation of a new constitution on 1 June. They were also the first elections held since the proclamation of a republic in 1957.


1959 Tunisian general election
In the presidential election, incumbent Habib Bourguiba, who had become president upon the republic's proclamation, was the only candidate to obtain the endorsement of 30 political figures, as required by the constitution. He was thus unopposed for a full five-year term. In the parliamentary elections, Bourguiba's Neo Destour won all 90 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, with only the Tunisian Communist Party running against them in Tunis and Gafsa. Voter turnout was 91.7%.


1959 Tunisian general election
This would be the last even nominally contested election held in Tunisia until 1981. In 1963, a year before the Chamber's term ran out, the Neo Destour was declared the only legally permitted party, though Tunisia had effectively been a one-party state since independence.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash
The 1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash occurred on 17 February 1959, near London Gatwick Airport to a Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount Type 793 (registration TC-SEV) on an international charter flight from Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, to London Heathrow Airport United Kingdom, carrying the Turkish prime minister and a party of government officials. The Viscount crashed in a wood 3 miles (4.8 km) from the threshold of Gatwick runway during its final approach to land in extensive fog. Five of the eight crew and nine of the 16 passengers died in the crash. The prime minister was among the ten survivors.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Flight
Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, accompanied by a Turkish delegation, was on his way to the British capital to sign the London Agreement on the Cyprus issue with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis, which gave the three sides the right to intervene in Cyprus in case peace was broken by any of the parties.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Flight
The special flight departed from Ankara Esenboğa International Airport bound for London Heathrow Airport via Istanbul Atatürk International Airport (IATA: IST, ICAO: LTBA) and Rome Ciampino Airport (IATA: CIA, ICAO: LIRA). The aircraft left its last stopover, Rome, at 13:02 hrs and called London Airways at 15:56 hrs over Abbeville, just before leaving French airspace. TC-SEV was cleared by air traffic control to the Epsom Radio Range station, the holding fix for London Airport. Over Epsom range at 16:21 hrs, the Turkish Airlines captain was instructed by the London Airport Commandant to divert to Gatwick due to poor visibility at Heathrow.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
TC-SEV, cruising at 6,000 feet (1,800 m), left Epsom at 16:27 hrs for Mayfield, East Sussex, the holding point for Gatwick. The airport's approach control informed the pilot that it would be positioned by radar for an ILS approach to the easterly Runway 09.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
The latest actual weather conditions observed at Gatwick Airport were surface wind calm, visibility 1,800 yards (1,600 m), mist, no low cloud, and shallow ground fog patches of only 1 foot (0.30 m) to 5 feet (1.5 m) in depth.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
The weather reported to the aircraft was "surface wind calm, visibility one decimal one nautical miles, mist, three oktas at eight hundred feet, the QFE one zero three six", which was acknowledged by the pilot.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
At 16:34 hrs, the pilot was instructed to descend to a holding pattern at 4,000 feet (1,200 m) on reaching Mayfield NDB and to steer a course of 280 degrees and then to continue to descend to 2,000 feet (610 m).


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
Turned on to the ILS approach path, TC-SEV overshot the centre line slightly. At 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) from touchdown, the aircraft affirmed that it could continue on the ILS. At 16:38 hrs, the captain was requested a change to tower frequency and this was acknowledged. It was the last communication with the aircraft.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
The aircraft was visible along the approach path centre line on the radar screen towards the runway until it disappeared about 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) from the threshold. It was assumed that the aircraft had crashed since no reply was received to radio calls to the aircraft.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
The aircraft had flown into the top of trees 390 feet (120 m) AMSL at the edge of Jordan's Wood east of the Newdigate-Rusper road on a heading parallel to the approach path to Runway 09 at Gatwick. The aircraft lost its wings and had its engines torn off as it descended at an angle of about 6 degrees from the horizontal 300 yards (270 m) through the woods, and touched the ground with its wheels.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
After rising again slightly the main part of the wreckage landed upside down with trees embedded in the mangled fuselage about 100 yards (91 m) further on, after which it caught fire. The rear part of the fuselage came to rest upside down and remained untouched by fire. Shortly after, an explosion occurred in the main fuselage.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
The accident site was located 2.8 nautical miles (5.2 km) from the runway threshold and 550 feet (170 m) to the north of the approach path centre line.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Accident
This was the first air disaster in which Turkish Airlines was involved.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Rescue operations
Gatwick Airport alerted the local fire and rescue services, and soon it was confirmed that the aircraft had crashed in the area in which it had disappeared from the radar screen.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Rescue operations
Peter Weller, a gardener at the Newdigate Chaffold farm, and his two colleagues noticed the crash. He asked one of his friends to ride on a bike to the next police station to report the accident. He and his other friend rushed to the scene and tried to rescue the victims. Shortly after 17:00 hrs another local resident, Margaret Bailey, who was a trained nurse, and her husband Tony were at the crash site.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Rescue operations
The resulting fire was put out by three divisions of Surrey Fire Brigade, despite thick fog.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Turkish prime minister's survival
The survivors were screaming as they tried to leave the wreckage. Turkish Premier Adnan Menderes, who was seated at a left window seat in the rear passenger cabin, survived the crash with only light scratches to his face, hanging in an upside-down position with his foot stuck in the floor. He was helped by Rıfat Kadıoğlu, who freed his foot and unbuckled his safety belt. He was then taken out of the wreckage by Kadıoğlu and Şefik Fenmen. Another survivor, Melih Esenbel, joined the group outside. Menderes sat in shock witnessing his company burn.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Turkish prime minister's survival
While Tony Bailey was engaged in helping the other victims, his wife took Menderes and two other survivors by car to her farmhouse 200 yards (180 m) away and gave first aid. Menderes was transferred to The London Clinic 90 minutes later. He signed the London Agreement on 19 February 1959, in the hospital. He returned home on 26 February 1959, and was welcomed by his archrival İsmet İnönü and a huge crowd.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Turkish prime minister's survival
Other casualties were treated at hospitals in East Grinstead, Redhill and Dorking. The bodies of the victims were transferred to Turkey and buried on 22 February 1959. A memorial to the victims is located in the Turkish Airforce plot at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Crash investigation
the evidence was insufficient to establish the cause of the accident. There was no indication however that this can be associated either with a technical failure of the aircraft or with a failure of the ground services.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Crash investigation
An aftercast of the probable weather conditions on the approach to Gatwick from 10 miles (16 km) west to the threshold of Runway 09 was surface wind calm or light westerly and the ground almost entirely covered with fog from the western limit of the area under consideration to about 2.5 miles (4.0 km)-3 miles (4.8 km) from the threshold of runway.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Crash investigation
The top of the fog was about 650 feet (200 m) to 700 feet (210 m) and the visibility within it varied from about 30 yards (27 m) to 200 yards (180 m) possible with few transient isolated breaks. From the eastern edge of the fog belt to Gatwick, there was mist and haze with visibility 1,500 yards (1,400 m)-2,000 yards (1,800 m) and little or no low cloud.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Aircraft
The aircraft, a Vickers Viscount Type 793 with four Rolls-Royce Dart 510 turboprop engines, was built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and completed in 1958 with serial number 429.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Aircraft
A United Kingdom Certificate of Airworthiness was issued on 25 July 1958, valid for one year, and a Certificate of Validation for the same period was issued by the Civil Aviation Department of the Turkish Ministry of Communications. The aircraft was registered in the name of Turkish Airlines Incorporated.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Aircraft
The airframe had a total flight time of 548 hours and the engines had each run approximately 615 hours since manufacture. The Turkish authorities certified after examining the appropriate records and log books in Turkey that the maintenance had been properly carried out. Examination of the translated extracts from these documents showed no record of any defect, which might have affected the accident. It was noted that no inspections of the ILS equipment in the aircraft had been carried out.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Aircraft
At the time of the accident, the weight of the aircraft was below the permissible maximum for landing. It was not possible to check the trim but there was no reason to believe that it was not within the prescribed limits.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Crew and passengers
The eight crew consisted of three pilots, one navigator, one mechanic and three flight attendants, of whom five lost their lives.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Crew and passengers
There were officially sixteen passengers on board, of which nine died at the accident. However, the list of names that appeared in the news included a total of seventeen passengers.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, TC-SEV replica
Turkish Airlines restored a Viscount 794D, manufacturer serial number 430, registration TC-SEL, which served as a VIP aircraft for the Turkish Air Force before being withdrawn from use in 1990. After changing the call sign to TC-SEV and repainting the livery to the original red-and-white striped pajamas design, the airframe was put on display in the Military Aviation Museum in Yeşilköy, Istanbul.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Film and television
The air crash in Gatwick was the subject for a documentary television film featuring the replica Viscount 794D.


1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, Film and television
A historical and romantic television series titled Hatırla Sevgili (Remember Darling) on the Turkish ATV channel also depicts the events around the accident and the survival of Menderes, again featuring the replica aircraft.


1959 Turkish National League
The 1959 Turkish National League was the first season of the professional nationwide league in Turkey, known as Süper Lig today. The first season consisted of 16 clubs split into two groups: the Kırmızı Grup (Red Group) and Beyaz Grup (White Group), the colours of the Turkish flag. The first season took place in the calendar year of 1959, instead of 1958–59, as the qualifying stages took place in 1958.


1959 Turkish National League, Overview
The top eight clubs from the 1958–59 Istanbul Football League and the top four clubs from the Ankara and İzmir leagues in the 1958–59 season took part in the league. These clubs were Adalet, Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Karagümrük, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, İstanbulspor, Vefa (from Istanbul), Ankaragücü, Ankara Demirspor, Gençlerbirliği, Hacettepe (from Ankara), Altay, Göztepe, İzmirspor, and Karşıyaka (from İzmir).


1959 Turkish National League, Overview
The final consisted of two legs and took place between the winners of each group. Galatasaray won the Red Group and Fenerbahçe won the White Group. Galatasaray won the first leg 1-0, but Fenerbahçe won the second leg 4-0, winning 4-1 on aggregate. The title was Fenerbahçe's first Süper Lig title and 10th Turkish championship title overall, qualifying them for the 1959–60 European Cup. Metin Oktay was top scorer with 11 goals. No clubs were relegated this season.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held from January 29 through February 2 in Rochester, New York under the joint sponsorship of the Genesee Figure Skating Club and the Rochester Junior Chamber of Commerce. The main competition rink was the Rochester Community War Memorial, while the compulsory figures competition and practices were held at the Ritter-Clark Rink. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – across three levels: senior, junior, and novice.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The event determined the U.S. team for the 1959 World Championships.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results
In all four divisions, the previous year's champions successfully defended their titles.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Men
David Jenkins won both the figures and the free skating portions, although he was closely pressed by Tim Brown in the first three figures. Jenkins's free skating was also of a very high standard.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ladies
Carol Heiss gave one of the best free skating performances of her career. Carol's sister Nancy Heiss took the silver medal, with Barbara Ann Roles placing third in her first season as a senior-level competitor.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Pairs
Nancy Ludington / Ron Ludington repeated as champions in an event where all six teams entered gave fine performances. Ron Ludington also competed in the dance division, where he won the bronze medal with Judy Ann Lamar.


1959 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ice dancing (Gold dance)
The title once again went to Andree Jacoby / Donald Jacoby, who had married since winning their first national championship the year before.


1959 U.S. National Championships (tennis)
The 1959 U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor grass courts at two locations in the United States. The men's and women's singles as well as the mixed doubles were played from September 4 through September 13 at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills in New York City, while the men's and women's doubles were held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts from August 16 though August 23, 1959. It was the 79th staging of the U.S. National Championships, and the fourth Grand Slam tennis event of the year. Neale Fraser and Maria Bueno won the singles titles.


1959 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's Singles
Neale Fraser (AUS) defeated  Alex Olmedo (USA) 6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4


1959 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's doubles
Neale Fraser (AUS) /  Roy Emerson (AUS) defeated  Alex Olmedo (USA) /  Earl Buchholz (USA) 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5


1959 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Women's doubles
Jeanne Arth (USA) /  Darlene Hard (USA) defeated  Maria Bueno (BRA) /  Sally Moore (USA) 6–2, 6–3


1959 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Mixed doubles
Margaret Osborne duPont (USA) /   Neale Fraser (AUS) defeated  Janet Hopps (USA) /  Bob Mark (AUS) 7–5, 13–15, 6–2


1959 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles
Neale Fraser defeated Alex Olmedo 6–3, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1959 U.S. National Championships.


1959 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Neale Fraser is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1959 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles
First-seeded Maria Bueno defeated Christine Truman 6–1, 6–4 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1959 U.S. National Championships.


1959 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles
This was notably the first grand slam that former world number 1 and 12 time grand slam champion Billie Jean King competed in.


1959 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Maria Bueno is the champion; others show in brackets the round in which they were eliminated.


1959 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1959 U.S. Open was the 59th U.S. Open, held June 11–14 at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. Billy Casper won the first of his two U.S. Open titles, a stroke ahead of runner-up Bob Rosburg on the West Course. It was the first of Casper's three major titles, which included the 1966 U.S. Open and the Masters in 1970.


1959 U.S. Open (golf)
This was the second of six U.S. Opens at Winged Foot's West Course; it previously hosted in 1929, then returned in 1974, 1984, 2006, and 2020. It also hosted the PGA Championship in 1997.


1959 U.S. Open (golf), Final round
Casper began the final round with a three-stroke lead over Ben Hogan, age 46, who struggled to a 76 and fell to 8th place. Rosburg made a run at Casper's lead when he holed out a bunker shot for birdie at 11 and made a 50-foot (15 m) putt for another birdie at 12 to draw even with Casper. A three-putt at the 13th meant Rosburg had to birdie the last to force a Monday playoff. His approach shot fell on the front of the green, 40 feet (12 m) short, and he two-putted to finish a stroke back. Casper's final round 74 was enough. The difference for Casper proved to be his putting; he needed only 114 putts over 72 holes with 31 one-putts and just  one three-putt.


1959 U.S. Open (golf), Final round
This U.S. Open was the first to be played over four days; thunderstorms and heavy rain delayed third round play on Saturday morning and the final round was postponed to Sunday. The final round at the U.S. Open was first scheduled for Sunday in 1965.


1959 U.S. Open (golf), Final round
Charlie Sifford, the pioneering African-American golfer, played in his first major championship, two years before the PGA of America allowed African-Americans to play on the PGA Tour; he finished in 32nd place.


1959 U.S. Open (golf), Final round
Amateur Jack Nicklaus, 19, played in his third straight U.S. Open but missed the cut for the second time with two rounds of 77. He would place second the following year in 1960 to Arnold Palmer and win the first of his four titles in 1962 in a playoff over Palmer. After 1959, Nicklaus made 25 consecutive cuts at the U.S. Open, through 1984, also at Winged Foot.


1959 U.S. Women's Open
The 1959 U.S. Women's Open was the 14th U.S. Women's Open, held June 25–27 at Churchill Valley Country Club in Blackridge, Pennsylvania, a suburb east of Pittsburgh. It was the seventh edition conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).


1959 U.S. Women's Open
Defending champion Mickey Wright won the second of her four U.S. Women's Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up Louise Suggs, a two-time champion. Suggs led after 36 holes, but a third round 75 pushed her four strokes back. Wright, age 24, putted well in the final round and was two-under after fifteen holes, but bogeyed the final three. She was the first of seven to successfully defend the championship, last accomplished by Karrie Webb in 2001. It was the third of 13 major championships for Wright.


1959 U.S. Women's Open
This was the third major in three years at Churchill Valley, which hosted the LPGA Championship in 1957 and 1958. The club closed in 2013.


1959 UC Davis Aggies football team
The 1959 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis in the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. UC Davis competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The UC Davis sports teams were commonly called the “Cal Aggies” from 1924 until the mid 1970s.


1959 UC Davis Aggies football team
The Aggies were led by fourth-year head coach Will Lotter, in the first year of his third tenure as coach. They played home games at Aggie Field. The Aggies finished the season with a record of one win and eight losses (1–8, 0–5 FWC). They were outscored by their opponents 64–197 for the 1959 season.


1959 UC Davis Aggies football team, NFL Draft
No UC Davis Aggies players were selected in the 1960 NFL Draft.


1959 UC Riverside Highlanders football team
The 1959 UC Riverside Highlanders football team represented UC Riverside during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. The Highlanders competed as an independent in 1959.


1959 UC Riverside Highlanders football team
UC Riverside was led by first-year head coach Jim Whitley. They played home games at UCR Athletic Field in Riverside, California. The Highlanders finished the season with a record of five wins and two losses (5–2). Overall, the team outscored its opponents 125–75 for the season.


1959 UC Riverside Highlanders football team, Team players in the NFL
No UC Riverside players were selected in the 1960 NFL Draft.


1959 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team
The 1959 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team represented University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season.


1959 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team
UCSB competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by fourth-year head coach Ed Cody, and played home games at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, California. They finished the season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4, 2–3 CCAA).


1959 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team, Team players in the NFL
No UC Santa Barbara Gaucho players were selected in the 1960 NFL Draft.


1959 UCI Road World Championships
The 1959 UCI Road World Championships took place on 16 August 1959 in Zandvoort, Netherlands.


1959 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
The men's road race at the 1959 UCI Road World Championships was the 26th edition of the event. The race took place on Sunday 14 August 1959 in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. The race was won by André Darrigade of France.


1959 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 1959 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands from 8 to 13 August 1959. Eight events were contested, 6 for men (3 for professionals, 3 for amateurs) and 2 for women.


1959 UCLA Bruins football team
The 1959 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their second year under head coach William F. Barnes, the Bruins compiled a 5–4–1 record (3–1 conference) and finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Athletic Association of Western Universities.


1959 UCLA Bruins football team
UCLA's offensive leaders in 1959 were quarterback Billy Kilmer with 702 passing yards each, Ray Smith with 417 rushing yards, and Marv Luster with 366 receiving yards.


1959 UEFA European Under-18 Championship
The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1959 Final Tournament was held in Bulgaria.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 33rd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
Mile Bush Pride was voted Greyhound of the Year after becoming only the second greyhound, after Trev's Perfection to win the Triple Crown which consisted of the English Greyhound Derby, Scottish Greyhound Derby and Welsh Greyhound Derby. Trained by Jack Harvey for owner Noel Purvis, a shipping magnate, the brindle greyhound also won the Pall Mall, Select Stakes and Cesarewitch in 1959.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Irish Greyhound Derby champion Colonel Perry moved kennels from John Bassett to Tom Baldwin and finished a disappointing fourth in the final of the Gold Collar behind Dunstown Warrior. After his English Greyhound Derby success, Mile Bush Pride ran out an eleven and a quarter winner of the Welsh Derby, in 28.80 seconds, eclipsing the previous track record by over five lengths. Mile Bush Pride then achieved the Triple Crown by winning the Scottish Derby in 29.41, beating the defending champion Just Fame by eight lengths.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
During 1959 Pigalle Wonder won the Anglo-Irish International, the Wood Lane Stakes and successfully defended his Edinburgh Cup title.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Charlie Birch became the new Racing Manager at White City and the Oaks moved to sister track Harringay Stadium. At the pre-Derby final luncheon at the Dorchester Hotel, Mrs Frances Chandler called for two changes to the sport. First the standardisation of starting traps and secondly the setting up of a greyhound national stud. The National Greyhound Racing Society considered changing the tote deductions at all National Greyhound Racing Club affiliated tracks. The current deduction stands at 16%, of which 10% goes to the government.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
It was announced at the London veterinary conference that a vaccine had been found to counteract canine hepatitis. Now both distemper and hepatitis can be controlled.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Ireland
A new track in Ireland opened in the form of Lifford, which was a former schooling track. The venue just south of the Northern Irish border in County Donegal was opened by James Magee. His sons Cathal and Sheamus would help run the track for many years. A track bookmakers strike over the cost of admissions to their staff resulted in racing being halted at many Irish venues.


1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Ireland
One of the most prominent sires of all time, The Grand Champion died aged 9½. He had sired many champions including Mile Bush Pride and Palms Printer.


1959 UMass Redmen football team
The 1959 UMass Redmen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1959 NCAA College Division football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Charlie O'Rourke and played its home games at Alumni Field in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 1959 season was O'Rourke's last as coach of the Minutemen. UMass finished the season with a record of 3–5–1 overall and 2–2 in conference play.


1959 USAC Championship Car season
The 1959 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Daytona Beach, Florida on April 4 and concluding in Sacramento, California on October 25. There were also three non-championship events. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Rodger Ward. In this tragic season 7 fatal accidents occurred. During the pre-season, Marshall Teague was fatally injured in a crash at Daytona. He was 37 years old. In the first race of the season at Daytona, 34-year-old George Amick was killed in an accident on the last lap.


1959 USAC Championship Car season
In the second race of the season at Trenton,  Dick Linder was killed; he was 36 years old. The third race of the season, the Indy 500, had two fatalities. On May 2, Jerry Unser (26 years old) was killed in a practice accident, and on May 19 death Bob Cortner (32 years old) was also killed in a practice accident. On July 19 at Mechanicsburg in the Indianapolis Sweepstakes non-championship race Van Johnson was killed in an accident; he was 32 years old. On August 30, 32-year-old Ed Elisian was killed at the Milwaukee Mile. The year 1959 could be considered one of the most tragic seasons in American open-wheel car history.


1959 USAC Championship Car season, Final points standings
Note: At the Milwaukee 200 started with the car #16 Jim Rathmann, after 29 lap the relieved driver A. J. Foyt led the car the remaining 171 lap and finished 4, so the car completed the 200 lap. The points for this place was 240 points, Jim Rathmann received 34.8 points and A. J. Foyt received 205.2 points; because the method: (the points for the finish place) / (number the lap when completed the car) * (number the lap when completed the driver).


1959 USAC Road Racing Championship
The 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship season was the second season of the USAC Road Racing Championship. It began March 8, 1959, and ended October 18, 1959, after eleven races. The series was contested for sports cars at eight rounds, and Formula Libre at three rounds. Augie Pabst won the season championship.


1959 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet
The 1959 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet was an international track and field competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. The second in a series of meetings between the nations, it was held on July 18–19 in Philadelphia, United States, and finished with Soviet Union beating the United States 175 to 167. The meet marked an unusual head-to-head for the nations during the Cold War. The men's 10,000 meters drew attention as the American competitor Bob Soth collapsed in the heat mid-race – an event which was filmed and presented in the Soviet documentary Sport, Sport, Sport (Russian: Спорт, спорт, спорт).


1959 USC Trojans football team
The 1959 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their third year under head coach Don Clark, the Trojans compiled an 8–2 record (3–1 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for the Athletic Association of Western Universities championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 195 to 90. Total attendance for all 10 games was 453,865.


1959 USC Trojans football team
Ben Charles led the team in passing with 20 of 46 passes completed for 843 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Jerry Traynham led the team in rushing with 123 carries for 583 yards and two touchdowns. Luther Hayes was the leading receiver with nine catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.


1959 USC Trojans football team
This was the first season for the five-team AAWU, following the dissolution of the Pacific Coast Conference in the spring. It comprised the four teams from state of California and Washington in Seattle. The other four teams from the north (Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State, and Idaho) were independent for several seasons.


1959 USSR Chess Championship
The 1959 Soviet Chess Championship was the 26th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 9 January to 11 February 1959 in Tbilisi. The tournament was won by Tigran Petrosian. The final were preceded by semifinals events at Baku, Moscow, Rostov and Tashkent.


1959 United Kingdom general election
The 1959 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 8 October 1959. It marked a third consecutive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, now led by Harold Macmillan. For the second time in a row, the Conservatives increased their overall majority in Parliament, this time to a landslide majority of 100 seats, having gained 20 seats for a return of 365. The Labour Party, led by Hugh Gaitskell, lost 19 seats and returned 258. The Liberal Party, led by Jo Grimond, again returned only six MPs to the House of Commons, but managed to increase its overall share of the vote to 5.9%, compared to just 2.7% four years earlier.


1959 United Kingdom general election
The Conservatives won the largest number of votes in Scotland, but narrowly failed to win the most seats in that country. They have not made either achievement ever since. Both Jeremy Thorpe, a future Liberal leader, and Margaret Thatcher, a future Conservative leader and eventually Prime Minister, first entered the House of Commons after this election.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Background
After the Suez Crisis in 1956, Anthony Eden, the Conservative Prime Minister, became unpopular. He resigned early in 1957, and was succeeded by Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan. At that point, the Labour Party, whose leader Hugh Gaitskell had succeeded Clement Attlee after the 1955 general election, enjoyed large leads in opinion polls over the Conservative Party, and it looked as if Labour would win.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Background
The Liberal Party also had a new leader, Jo Grimond, so all three parties contested the election with a new leader at the helm.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Background
However, the Conservatives enjoyed an upturn in fortunes as the economy improved under Macmillan's leadership, and his personal approval ratings remained high. By September 1958, the Conservatives had moved ahead of Labour in the opinion polls.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Campaign
All the three main parties had changed leadership since the previous election. The Conservatives fought under the slogan "Life is better with the Conservatives, don't let Labour ruin it" and were boosted by a pre-election economic boom. Macmillan very effectively "summed up" the mood of the British public when he said that most of the people had "never had it so good". Macmillan was very popular, and was described as a politician of the centre ground; in the 1930s he had represented a constituency in northern England (Stockton-on-Tees), which had experienced large-scale unemployment and poverty.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Campaign
The first week of polling put the Conservatives ahead of Labour by over 5%, but this narrowed as the campaign continued. The Labour Party fought a generally effective campaign, with television broadcasts masterminded by Tony Benn under the umbrella of their manifesto entitled Britain Belongs to You, which accused the Conservatives of complacency over the growing gap between rich and poor. Hugh Gaitskell made a mistake in declaring that a Labour government would not raise taxes if it came to power—even though the Labour manifesto contained pledges to increase spending; especially to increase pensions. This led some voters to doubt Labour's spending plans, and is usually cited as a key reason for their defeat.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
Early on during election night, it became clear that the Conservative Party had been returned to government with an increased majority. However, there were swings to Labour in parts of north-west England, and in Scotland; where Labour had overtaken the Conservatives as the largest single party in terms of seats, despite winning a slightly smaller share of the vote, thanks to overturning narrow majorities in several constituencies.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
James Callaghan believed that the Conservatives increased their majority in part because working-class Labour voters were still angry at the party for opposing the Suez conflict. For the fourth general election in a row, the Conservatives increased their number of seats, despite experiencing a slight decrease in their share of the vote. For Labour, the result was disappointing; despite appearing more united than they had in recent years under Gaitskell's leadership, the party suffered a third consecutive defeat. Future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was elected to the House of Commons for the first time as the MP for Finchley, where she would represent until her retirement from politics 33 years later at the 1992 general election.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
While the Liberal Party earned more than twice as many votes compared to the previous general election, this was largely the result of them nominating nearly double the number of candidates that they did four years prior; their average number of votes-per-candidate only slightly improved. Future party leader Jeremy Thorpe was elected to Parliament for the first time, as the MP for North Devon.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
The Daily Mirror, despite being a staunch supporter of the Labour Party, wished Macmillan "good luck" on its front page following his election victory.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
The BBC's election coverage, presented by Richard Dimbleby, was shown on BBC Parliament on 9 October 2009 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the election and again on 9 October 2019 to mark the sixtieth anniversary.


1959 United Kingdom general election, Results
The 1959 general election was the first election to be covered by commercial television in the United Kingdom. The ITV network provided election night coverage from the studios of Independent Television News (ITN) in London, with ITV given permission by the Independent Television Authority to use all of the ITV companies on air in 1959 for election links to the main studio in London. Ian Trethowan was the presenter for the ITV coverage.


1959 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
The 1959 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 8 October with 12 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom.


1959 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
The election took place towards the end of the IRA border campaign, which had seen the IRA launch a series of attacks and bombings against Northern Irish police and infrastructure. The launch of the campaign had in part been encouraged by the results of the last UK general election in Northern Ireland, which had seen Sinn Féin gain 2 seats, and receive nearly a quarter of the vote.


1959 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results
The Ulster Unionists won all the seats in region. This was a net gain from the result at the previous election, although they held all seats in the region before the 1959 election was called: in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Philip Clarke was unseated by petition and Robert Grosvenor was declared elected to the seat; in Mid Ulster, George Forrest had been elected in a by-election as an Independent Unionist, but subsequently joined the Ulster Unionists.


1959 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results
In the election as a whole, the Conservative Party, which included the Ulster Unionists, led by Harold Macmillan as Prime Minister, continued in a majority government.


1959 United Nations Security Council election
The 1959 United Nations Security Council election was held between 12 October and 12 December during the fourteenth session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected three members through consultation of the president, as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 1960.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
The Security Council had 11 seats, filled by five permanent members and six non-permanent members before 1967. Each year, half of the non-permanent members were elected for two-year terms. A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result
At this time, the United Nations had 81 member states (for a timeline of UN membership, see Enlargement of the United Nations). There were five candidacies for three seats. At the meeting on 12 October 1959, the President of the United Nations General Assembly proposed granting seats to Ecuador, and Ceylon, a motion that was approved by the assembly. Further discussion of the candidacies of Turkey and Poland was moved to another day.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 1
The first thirteen rounds of balloting were held on 12 October 1959 at the 825th plenary meeting of the General Assembly. Ecuador, and Ceylon were elected in the first round, leaving only the WOEG seat vacant. As Poland and Turkey were the states with the highest number of votes contesting the Asian seat, in accordance with the rules, consecutive rounds of restricted voting would commence. In these rounds, only the two states that have attained the highest number of votes in the previous round (Poland and Turkey) could be voted on, any other votes would be considered invalid. After the thirteen rounds of voting failed to provide an election outcome, the meeting rose.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 2
The next twelve rounds of balloting were held on 13 October 1959 at the 826th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 3
The next six rounds of balloting were held on 19 October 1959 at the 827th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 4
The next six rounds of balloting were held on 3 November 1959 at the 830th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 5
The next six rounds of balloting were held on 17 November 1959 at the 835th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 6
The next six rounds of balloting were held on 1 December 1959 at the 839th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.


1959 United Nations Security Council election, Result, Day 7
The final round of balloting was held on 12 December 1959 at the 845th plenary meeting of the General Assembly. During this round, the General Assembly was able to endorse an agreement. President stated that “Poland will at this time be the only candidate for election as non-permanent member of the Security Council and, if elected, will serve in that capacity during the year 1960. As an integral part of the agreement reached, Poland will withdraw from the Council on 31 December 1960. This would mean that… Turkey would be the only candidate to fill the vacancy thus created on the Council and to serve as non-permanent member during the year 1961.” Therefore, Polan received 71 votes.


1959 United States Grand Prix
The 1959 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on December 12, 1959, at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. It was the last of 9 races in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and the 8th and final in the 1959 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the second United States Grand Prix (ninth including the American Grand Prize races from 1908–16), and the only occasion the race was held at the home of the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance sports car race, the Sebring International Raceway in Florida. The race was held over 42 laps of the 8.36-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 351 kilometres.


1959 United States Grand Prix
The race was won by New Zealander Bruce McLaren driving a Cooper T51 for the works Cooper team, the first win for a New Zealand-born driver. McLaren won by six-tenths of a second over French driver Maurice Trintignant driving a Rob Walker Racing Team-entered Cooper T51. British driver Tony Brooks finished third in his Ferrari Dino 246. Championship points leader Australian Jack Brabham ran out of fuel on the last lap and pushed his Cooper T51 across the line to finish fourth. Brooks' third-place finish clinched the title for Brabham. It was the first of three world championships for Brabham, and the first for an Australian, for Cooper, and for a rear-engined car.


1959 United States Grand Prix
McLaren's win at 22 years, 3 months and 12 days saw him became the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner, a record that would stand for over 40 years. However, he was not the youngest to win a World Championship race. That record was held by American driver Troy Ruttman who had won the 1952 Indianapolis 500 when aged 22 years, 2 months and 19 days. The Indianapolis 500 was included as a round of the World Championship between 1950 and 1960, but it was not considered a Grand Prix.


1959 United States Grand Prix
This was the last race until the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix that no former world champions were in the field. This was also the last race where a bonus point for fastest lap would be awarded until the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Background
For the first time since 1951, three drivers were in contention for the title going into the final race. A win would seal it for Brabham, or just finishing in front of Stirling Moss and Brooks. Moss needed to finish first or second and ahead of Brabham, while for Brooks winning would not necessarily be enough.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Russian-born Alec Ulmann's dream of an American Grand Prix was realized in December, 1959 when 19 entries, including six American drivers, arrived in Florida for the final World Championship event of the season. Originally scheduled as the year's opening round, the now season-concluding Sebring race saw the Championship down to Cooper versus Ferrari. Australian Jack Brabham led for Cooper with 31 points to 25.5 for Stirling Moss, also in a Cooper, and 23 for Ferrari driver Tony Brooks.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
The field featured works Coopers for Brabham and 22-year-old Bruce McLaren of New Zealand; blue Rob Walker-entered Coopers for Moss and Frenchman Maurice Trintignant; four Ferraris — three in Italian red for Englishmen Brooks and Cliff Allison, and German Wolfgang von Trips; one in American white and blue for Phil Hill; front-engined Lotuses for Innes Ireland and Alan Stacey; and, incomprehensibly for the European road-racing elite, the number 1 Kurtis-Offy midget of USAC National Champion Rodger Ward, the only American-built and American-driven entry.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Ward's car had an underpowered engine (1.7 liters to 2.5 for the F1 cars), separate gear-change levers for the two-speed gearbox and two-speed rear end, and an outboard handbrake. Ward explained how his participation in the race came about by saying, "Ullman called me up and invited me to race in the Grand Prix. He offered me some money, and I was in the habit of accepting money, so I told him I'd bring the midget."


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
The night before practice began, Cooper Team Manager John Cooper, and his drivers Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren, came across Ward at the hotel in Sebring. Ward, who had won the Indy 500 that year and would win it again in 1962, told the Cooper team members he was in Sebring to drive a dirt track car.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
"Sure. And have you guys got a surprise waiting for you! Why, on every turn I'll blow you right off the road!" Ward gushed.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
The Cooper team soon realized they could not explain things to Ward. He insisted, "I know what a Midget can do and I know it can take a corner faster than any of those sports cars you have in Europe. You might be faster on the straights, but when it comes to turns you just won't have a chance. Sebring's a lot of turns, isn't it?"


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Well, to the Europeans' amazement, Ward's car made it through the technical scrutineering, perhaps a tribute to his Indianapolis reputation, but during the first practice lap, Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham arrived at the first turn in their Coopers about the same time as Ward. The rear-engined cars sped through the turn, while Ward seemed to almost come to a stop. Afterward, Ward shook his head and said, "I've got to hand it to you. Those European buggies sure take corners fast!"


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Qualifying ended with Moss, Brabham and Brooks on the front row, but, overnight, American Harry Schell was given third position, next to Moss and Brabham. The 3:05.2 lap that got Schell on the front row apparently hadcome at the tail end of the session, and had gone unnoticed by almost everyone; his best time previously had been 3:11.2, good enough for 11th.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Protests ensued from nearly every other team, most vociferously Ferrari, whose man, Brooks, was displaced on the front row. The shouting match raged even as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was being sung, but when it was through, Schell started from third place.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
What had really happened with Schell did not come out until after the race. At Sebring, just beyond the MG bridge and before the esses was a sharp right turn that apparently led nowhere. Schell found, however, that it connected with the end of the Warehouse Straight, bypassing the entire straight and the Warehouse Hairpin. He had secretly cut across and come back on the course during a lull in the traffic – and cut six seconds off his time! It didn't help him in the race, however; he was eighth after the first lap and retired after only six.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Moss led the race from the start and built a gap of ten seconds over Brabham, but after only five laps he retired with a broken gearbox. Already out of the running for the title was Brooks, who had been bumped off the front row by Schell's qualifying ruse. Brooks was rammed from behind by teammate von Trips in the first turn, and pitted to examine the damage. The stop cost him two minutes, and proved to be unnecessary. Though he rejoined to drive a sensational race and finish third, he never had a realistic shot at Brabham.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Brabham took the lead from Moss while his teammate McLaren followed in second for most of the race. Midway through, with half the field out due to mechanical problems, Brabham slowed to allow McLaren to close up to him, and Trintignant's Rob Walker Cooper began taking huge bites off their lead, as his pit crew kept him informed of his position.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
As the last lap began, Trintignant was only four seconds behind the two leaders. On the long airport straight, two turns from the finish, Brabham's car began to sputter, and it rolled to a halt 400 yards from the line on the uphill front straight, out of gas. He had refused to follow Team Manager Cooper's exhortations to start the race on full tanks, hoping instead to find more speed from a lighter car. McLaren, surprised to see Brabham slowing, lifted his foot and slowed as well.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Brabham waved him on frantically, and McLaren resumed speed just soon enough to hold his lead through the last turn and cross the line less than a second ahead of Trintignant, who had set the race's fastest lap only three laps from the end. This would be the last Grand Prix in which Formula One awarded a point for the fastest lap until the 2019 Australian Grand Prix 60 years later.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Brabham was also passed by Brooks for third place, but the final three cars still running were several laps behind. The rules required that he finish without assistance, so he got out and pushed his car up the hill to finish fourth and earn his first World Driver's Championship, the first for an Australian driver. Cooper also claimed its first Constructor's Championship, the first for a rear-engined car.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Brooks' third place gave Ferrari second place in the Constructor's Championship; Innes Ireland was fifth, three laps down in his Lotus, and Wolfgang von Trips ended up sixth after his Ferrari's engine gave way with four laps to go. With his victory, McLaren became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at age 22 years, 104 days. In addition to his prize money, he also won several acres of land adjoining Sebring Lake.


1959 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Despite the exciting finish of the race and the championship, however, the United States Grand Prix at Sebring was a financial disaster. The crowd was half the size of that year's 12 Hours of Sebring sports car race, and after distributing the $15,000 purse, including a huge $6,000 winner's share, Alec Ulmann just about broke even. The next year, he would try again, on the opposite coast, in Riverside, California.


1959 United States House of Representatives elections
There were four elections to the United States House of Representatives in 1959, all during the 86th United States Congress. Three of them were special elections to fill vacancies, and the fourth was to fill a seat for the new state of Hawaii. There were no special elections to the 85th Congress in 1959.


1959 United States House of Representatives elections, Hawaii
In 1959, Hawaii became a state and elected one new member of the House, Democrat Daniel Inouye.


1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii
The 1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii were held July 28, 1959. Following the admission of Hawaii as the fiftieth State in the union, the state held two simultaneous elections to determine their first senators.


1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii
The elections were split between the Republican and Democratic parties. The new senators took office August 21. Oren Long was given seniority based on his service as Governor of Hawaii.


1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii, Class 1
This election was for the class 1 term expiring in 1965. It was won by Republican Hiram Fong.


1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii, Class 3
This election was for the Class 3 term expiring in 1963. It was won by Democrat Oren Long, who started an as-of-yet uninterrupted streak of Democratic victories in the Class 3 Senate seat in Hawaii.


1959 United States Senate elections in Hawaii, Class 3, General election, Results
Following Long's victory, Governor William F. Quinn appointed Tsukiyama to the Hawaii Supreme Court.


1959 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1959, in four states. Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi hold their gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, preceding the United States presidential election year. Hawaii held its first gubernatorial election on achieving statehood.


1959 Upper Voltan Territorial Assembly election
Territorial Assembly elections were held in the Republic of Upper Volta on 19 April 1959. The result was a victory for the African Democratic Rally, which won 62 of the 75 seats in the Assembly. Voter turnout was 46.9%.


1959 Upper Voltan constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of Upper Volta on 15 March 1959. Unlike almost all other French colonies in Africa (which were presidential republics), the new constitution would make the territory parliamentary republic with a unicameral National Assembly. It was approved by 80% of voters with a 68.7% turnout.


1959 Uruguayan Primera División, Overview
It was contested by 10 teams, and Peñarol won the championship.


1959 Uruguayan flood
In April 1959, Uruguay suffered floods (Spanish: Inundaciones de abril de 1959 en Uruguay) that were the most severe in the modern history of Uruguay.


1959 Uruguayan flood
Rainfall lasted from March 24 till April 23 and as a consequence the Río Negro suffered an overtopping. Waters passed over the Dam of Rincón del Bonete.


1959 Utah Redskins football team
The 1959 Utah Redskins football team represented the University of Utah during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. Home games were played on campus in Salt Lake City at Ute Stadium.


1959 Utah Redskins football team
Under second-year head coach Ray Nagel, the Redskins were 5–5 overall and 3–2 in the Skyline Conference (Skyline). They were led on the field by junior quarterback Terry Nofsinger and senior safety (& halfback) Larry Wilson, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


1959 Utah Redskins football team
Conference members New Mexico and Montana were not played in 1960, and the Redskins defeated both in-state rivals: BYU by twelve points and Utah State by fourteen.


1959 Utah Redskins football team
For the first of two consecutive seasons, Utah did not face longtime rival Colorado; they first played in 1903 and had met every year except two (1909, 1918). The series resumed in 1961 and 1962, then went on hiatus until 2011, when both schools joined the Pac-12 Conference.


1959 Utah Redskins football team, NFL draft
Utah had two players selected in the 1960 NFL Draft.


1959 Utah Redskins football team, NFL draft
Larry Wilson played thirteen NFL seasons and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, his first year of eligibility.