Born in 1959
Turns 67 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1959
1959 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from £21.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from £21.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from £21.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from £21.50
Front Page: United Kingdom edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1959 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev debated political systems beside a model kitchen at an exhibition in Moscow. NASA’s Little Joe 6 tested Mercury spacecraft hardware, while a plane crash near Clear Lake killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson.
What happened in 1959?
Nixon and Khrushchev argue over the good life
At the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev debated capitalism and communism around a model kitchen.
Little Joe 6 rehearses a safer route to orbit
Little Joe 6 launched from Wallops Island in October 1959 as part of NASA’s early Mercury testing programme.
Nottingham Forest lift the FA Cup
Nottingham Forest won the 1959 FA Cup Final at Wembley, beating Luton Town 2–1 in a match settled by goals from Roy Dwight and Tommy Wilson.
Alex Olmedo takes the Wimbledon men’s title
Alex Olmedo won the Wimbledon men’s singles title in 1959, defeating Australia’s Rod Laver in the final.
Firsts and new ideas
A satellite sends home a picture of Earth
Explorer 6 transmitted the first photograph of Earth taken by a satellite, a crude view of Pacific clouds.
Number ones and music in 1959
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
The Sound of Music opens on Broadway
The Sound of Music opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959.
The first Grammy Awards are held
The first Grammy Awards were presented on May 4, 1959, with Henry Mancini winning Album of the Year.
Prices and everyday money in 1959
United Kingdom figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly earnings per person in the United Kingdom (Bank of England series) | £8 19s 2d per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (October average) | 8d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (October average) | 1s 2d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (October observation) | 6½d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1959 turns 67 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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