1959
Castro takes Havana
After two years of guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra, twenty-six-year-old Che Guevara and thirty-two-year-old Fidel Castro rolled into Havana in army jeeps.
Dalai Lama flees Tibet
After a Tibetan uprising in Lhasa, the twenty-three-year-old Dalai Lama disguised himself as a soldier and slipped out of his palace at night.
Alaska and then Hawaii join the Union
Alaska was admitted as the forty-ninth state in January, Hawaii as the fiftieth in August.
Buddy Holly dies in plane crash
After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, twenty-two-year-old Buddy Holly, seventeen-year-old Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper climbed into a small plane…
Alaska joins the Union
Alaska became the forty-ninth state of the United States, a vast, largely empty, resource-rich territory that had been purchased from Russia in 1867…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1959?
Saeculum lists 5 events from 1959. The most significant is Castro takes Havana: After two years of guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra, twenty-six-year-old Che Guevara and thirty-two-year-old Fidel Castro rolled into Havana in army jeeps.
What era was 1959 part of?
1959 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1959?
The events from 1959 span North America and South Asia.