1959 in the United Kingdom
UK-related events during the year of 1959
Events from the year 1959 in the United Kingdom
Incumbents
Events
Poster introduced in April First Morris Mini -Minor off the production line, 8 May, ready for public launch in August. 2 May
7 May – Scientist and novelist C. P. Snow delivers an influential Rede Lecture on The Two Cultures Senate House, University of Cambridge . It is subsequently published as The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution .
24 May – British Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day .
28 May – The Mermaid Theatre opens in the City of London .
May – The first Ten Tors event is held on Dartmoor .
June – Import tariffs are lifted in the United Kingdom.
1 June – The first episode of Juke Box Jury David Jacobs .[ 10]
3 June – Singapore is granted self-governing status.
11 June – Christopher Cockerell 's invention of the hovercraft is officially launched.[ 11] SR.N1 craft crosses the English Channel from Calais to Dover in just over 2 hours.
22 June – Harrods enters talks with Debenhams over a possible £34,000,000 merger.
23 June – Klaus Fuchs is released from Wakefield prison having served over nine years for giving British nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union and moves to East Germany.[ 8]
9 July – Wing Commander Michael Beetham flying a Royal Air Force Vickers Valiant sets a record of 11 hours 27 minutes for a non-stop London–Cape Town flight.[ 12]
10 July – Cliff Richard and The Drifters release the song "Living Doll " (written by Lionel Bart ) as a single.
28 July – UK postcodes are introduced for the first time, albeit as an experiment, in the city of Norwich .[ 13]
29 July
The Mental Health Act becomes law, modernising the care of mental disorders.
The Obscene Publications Act becomes law.
The Legitimacy Act becomes law, permitting the legitimisation of a child, one of whose parents was married to a third person at the time of their birth, by subsequent marriage of the parents.
4 August – Barclays become the first bank to install a computer.[ 14]
24 August – House of Fraser wins the bidding war for Harrods in a £37,000,000 deal.[ 15]
26 August – BMC launches the Mini to showrooms, a two-door, 10-foot-long car with an 848cc four-cylinder transverse engine and a top speed of 70mph, designed to carry the driver and three passengers and their luggage in comfort. The designer is Alec Issigonis who also designed the Morris Minor . It will remain in production until the year 2000 and be replaced with a BMW-made version a year later.[ 8]
31 August – Harold Macmillan and US President Dwight Eisenhower make a joint television broadcast from Downing Street .[ 16]
18 September – Auchengeich mining disaster : 47 miners die as the result of an underground fire at Auchengeich Colliery, Lanarkshire , Scotland .[ 17]
7 October – Southend Pier is damaged in a fire.[ 18]
8 October – The 1959 General Election is held resulting in a record third successive Conservative victory.[ 19] Harold Macmillan , running under the slogan "Life's better with the Conservatives, Don't let Labour ruin it", increases the Conservative majority in Parliament to 100 seats.[ 20] Labour Party contest their first (and only) General Election under the leadership of Hugh Gaitskell .[ 21] Members of Parliament entering the Commons for the first time are future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who will represent Finchley in North London for 33 years and future leader of the Liberal Party Jeremy Thorpe .[ 22]
12 October – A large-scale diamond robbery takes place in London .
21 October – Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi is arrested in Nyeri , Kenya .
30 October – Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club opens in the Soho district of London.
2 November – The first section of the M1 motorway is opened[ 8] Watford and Rugby . It is set to be extended over the next few years, southwards to Edgware and northwards to Leeds .
5 November – Philip John Noel-Baker wins the Nobel Peace Prize .[ 23]
11 November – London Transport introduces the production AEC Routemaster double-decker bus into public service.
14 November – The nuclear Dounreay Fast Reactor in Scotland achieves criticality.[ 24]
17 November – Prestwick and Renfrew Airport in Scotland become the first airports in the UK with duty-free shops.[ 25]
20 November – Britain becomes a founder member of the European Free Trade Association .
December – Health enthusiast Dr. Barbara Moore walks from Edinburgh to London.
6 December – Aberdeen trawler George Robb runs aground at Duncansby Head in Scotland in a severe gale with the loss of all 12 crew.[ 26]
8 December – Broughty Ferry life-boat Mona capsizes on service to North Carr Lightship in Scotland, all eight life-boat crew are lost.
28 December – Associated-Rediffusion first airs the children's television series Ivor the Engine Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin 's Smallfilms in stop motion animation using cardboard cut-outs.
Undated
Publications
Births
4 January – John Batchelor , racing driver, businessman and political activist (died 2010)
5 January – David Eastwood , English historian and academic
7 January – Angela Smith , British Labour Co-operative politician and MP for Basildon
12 January – Simon Tolkien , novelist
16 January – Sade Adu , Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter and record producer
24 January – Jim Moir (Vic Reeves), English comedian and artist
29 January – Frank Key , writer (died 2019)
30 January – Alex Hyde-White , English actor
3 February – Lol Tolhurst , cofounder and drummer/keyboardist of rock band The Cure
4 February – John Wraw , Anglican prelate (died 2017)
6 February – Martyn Quayle , politician (died 2016)
7 February – Mick McCarthy , football player and manager
11 February – Deborah Meaden , businesswoman
15 February
17 February – Dave Courtney , gangster, author and actor (died 2023)
18 February
23 February – Richard Dodds , British field hockey player
27 February – Simon Critchley , British philosopher
1 March – Nick Griffin , British politician, chairman of the British National Party (BNP)
9 March – Mark Carwardine , British zoologist
15 March – Ben Okri , Nigerian-born poet and novelist
19 March – Terry Hall , British singer (died 2022)
20 March
21 March – Colin Jones , Welsh boxer
29 March – Richard Cousins , English businessman (died 2017)
30 March – Andrew Bailey , English banker
4 April – Gordon Dunne , Northern Irish politician (died 2021)
5 April – Ian Pearson , British Labour politician and MP for Dudley South
7 April – Nigel Walker , footballer (died 2014)
9 April – Bernard Jenkin , politician
11 April – John Myers , radio executive (died 2019)
14 April – Ali Brownlee , radio sports broadcaster (died 2016)
15 April – Emma Thompson , English actress, comedian and screenwriter[ 33]
16 April
17 April
19 April – Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton , disability rights campaigner
21 April – Robert Smith , gothic rock singer-songwriter (The Cure )
24 April – Paula Yates , television presenter (died 2000)[ 36]
25 April – Adrian Sanders , British Liberal Democrat politician and MP for Torbay
27 April – Sheena Easton , Scottish singer[ 37]
3 May – Ben Elton , English comedian and writer[ 38]
4 May – Dick Bradsell , bartender (died 2016)
5 May – Ian McCulloch , English rock singer-songwriter (Echo & the Bunnymen )
8 May – Kevin McCloud , television presenter
12 May
13 May – Peter Longbottom , cyclist (died 1998)
15 May – Andrew Eldritch , né Taylor, English gothic rock singer-songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy )
16 May – Tracy Hyde , English actress and model
17 May – Richard Barrons , English general
18 May
20 May
22 May
23 May – Bob Mortimer , English comedian and actor
24 May – Sharon Peacock , microbiologist
25 May – Julian Clary , comedian
27 May – Gerard Kelly , Scottish actor (died 2010)
28 May
29 May
30 May – David Thomas , cricketer (died 2012)
1 June
6 June – Lindsay Posner , English theatre director and manager
11 June – Hugh Laurie , English actor, comedian and writer[ 41]
19 June
21 June – John Baron , English Conservative politician and MP for Billericay
24 June – Andy McCluskey , musician and songwriter (OMD )
26 June – Lucy Kellaway , English columnist at the Financial Times
27 June – Clint Boon , English rock keyboardist (Inspiral Carpets ) and DJ
28 June – Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton , English Labour politician and educationalist
29 June – Richard Vranch , English comedian, actor and television panel show participant
30 June – Jane Gregory , Olympic equestrian (died 2011)
3 July
4 July – Jan Brittin , cricketer (died 2017)
8 July – Pauline Quirke , actress
9 July – Clive Stafford Smith , civil rights activist
11 July – Steve Whatley , actor and television presenter (died 2005)
13 July – Richard Leman , field hockey player
15 July – Charles Farr , civil servant (died 2019)
16 July
18 July – Jonathan Dove , operatic composer
31 July – Kim Newman , journalist, film critic and fiction writer[ 42]
1 August
5 August – Pete Burns , pop singer (died 2016)
19 August – Russell Foster , neuroscientist
20 August – Andrew Pelling , Conservative politician and MP for Croydon Central 20 August - Anthony Wells , Brilliant bloke, good sense of humour, Nuclear Reactor Quality Inspector
5 September – Michael Lord-Castle , business person[ 43]
8 September – Judy Murray , tennis coach
11 September – Colin Butts , novelist and screenwriter (died 2018)
12 September
13 September – Andy Gray , Scottish actor (died 2021)
18 September
20 September – Kevin Stonehouse , footballer (died 2019)
21 September – Corinne Drewery , singer-songwriter and fashion designer
23 September
24 September – Drummie Zeb , reggae musician (died 2022)
28 September – Paul 'Trouble' Anderson , DJ (died 2018)
4 October – Chris Lowe , synth-pop singer-songwriter[ 44]
7 October – Simon Cowell , English music producer and television talent show judge
10 October
15 October
16 October
20 October – Niamh Cusack , Irish-born actress
21 October – Cleveland Watkiss , jazz vocalist
24 October – Ruth Perednik , English-Israeli psychologist and academic
27 October – Liz Howe , ecologist (died 2019)
1 November – Susanna Clarke , British writer
2 November
9 November
13 November – Caroline Goodall , actress
14 November – Paul McGann , British actor
18 November – Jimmy Quinn , Irish footballer and football manager
25 November
26 November – Dai Davies , Welsh politician and independent MP [ 46]
30 November – Lorraine Kelly , Scottish presenter and journalist
1 December – Billy Childish , English painter, writer and musician
2 December – Gwyneth Strong , British actress
5 December – Robbie France , drummer (died 2012)
6 December – Stephen Hepburn , British Labour MP for Jarrow
10 December – Kevin Ash , journalist and author (d. 2013)
11 December – Phil Woolas , disgraced Labour MP[ 47]
12 December – Jasper Conran , English designer
28 December – Andy McNab , British soldier turned novelist
29 November – Richard Borcherds , mathematician
30 December
Unknown dates
Deaths
14 January – G. D. H. Cole , political and economic theorist, historian and detective fiction writer (born 1889)
22 January – Mike Hawthorn , English race car driver (car crash) (born 1929)
15 February – Sir Owens Willans Richardson , British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1879)
20 February – Laurence Housman , playwright and writer (born 1865)
21 February – Kathleen Freeman , classical scholar (born 1897)
24 February – Arthur Young , actor (born 1898)
26 February – Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (Princess Arthur of Connaught), member of the royal family (born 1891)
25 April – Janet Philip , academic administrator (born 1876)
16 May – Elisha Scott , Northern Irish footballer (born 1894)
17 May – George Albert Smith , English film pioneer (born 1864)
11 June – Gordon Selwyn , educator and Anglican priest (born 1885)
11 July – Charlie Parker , English cricketer (born 1882)
5 August – Edgar A. Guest , English poet (born 1881)
19 August
6 September – Kay Kendall , English actress (born 1926) (leukaemia)
21 September – Agnes Nicholls , operatic soprano (born 1877)
25 September
15 November – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson , Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1869)
26 November – Albert Ketèlbey , pianist, conductor and composer (born 1875)
14 December – Stanley Spencer , painter (born 1891)
See also
References
^ "The Guardian" . The Guardian . 7 October 2003.^ "Death details" .^ "1959: Fog brings transport chaos" . BBC News . 29 January 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009 .^ "1959: Macmillan and Khrushchev talk peace" . BBC News . 23 February 1959. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ "1959: African activist flees to UK" . BBC News . 7 March 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009 .^ "Cow & Gate Limited". The Times ^ "1959: Dame Margot Fonteyn released from jail" . BBC News . 22 April 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009 .^ a b c d Penguin Pocket On This Day . Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0 ^ "FA Cup Final Results" . FA Cup Finals . Retrieved 27 November 2015 .^ "June anniversaries" . The BBC Story . BBC. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011 .^ "1959: Hovercraft marks new era in transport" . BBC News . 11 June 1959. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ "Records set by the RAF" . Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2012 .^ "Norwich to use postal codes – Experimenting in automation", The Times , 29 July 1959
^ "1959" . Those were the days . Wolverhampton: Express & Star . Retrieved 23 July 2014 .^ "1959: Harrods in £34m merger talks" . BBC News . 22 June 1959. Retrieved 2 July 2009 .^ "1959: Anglo-US TV debate makes history" . BBC News . 31 August 1959. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ "Community pays tribute to Auchengeich mining disaster victims" . Kirkintilloch Herald . 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2010 .^ "1959: Southend Pier fire traps hundreds" . BBC News . 7 October 1959. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ "1959: 'Supermac' leads Tories to victory" . BBC News . 9 October 1959. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ "1959 General election results summary" . UK Political Info . Retrieved 23 July 2014 .^ Rees, Nigel (1987). Sayings of the Century . London: Unwin Paperbacks. ISBN 0-04-440080-2 ^ "History of Baroness Margaret Thatcher" . GOV.UK . Retrieved 27 November 2015 .^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1959" . Retrieved 5 February 2008 .^ The Hutchinson Factfinder . Helicon. 1999. ISBN 1-85986-000-1 ^ "Chronology of Scottish History" . A Timeline of Scottish History . Rampant Scotland. Retrieved 23 July 2014 .^ "MFV George Robb (A406)" . WreckSite . 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2014 .^ Harwood, Elain (2003). England: a Guide to Post-War Listed Buildings (rev. ed.). London: Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-8818-2 ^ "Outsider who changed the City" . Management Today . 1 November 1998. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2010 .^ Lambert, Tim. "Britain Since 1948" . A World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved 23 July 2014 . ^ "Consumer Price Indices - RPI annual percentage change: 1948 to 2015" . Office for National Statistics . 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015 .^ Boyes, Georgina (1993). The Imagined Village: Culture, Ideology, and the English Folk Revival . Manchester University Press. p. 231. ISBN 0-7190-2914-7 ^ "Mr Peter Truscott (Hansard)" . api.parliament.uk .^ Rebecca Flint Marx (2013). "Emma Thompson" . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013 . ^ "Alison Ramsay MBE at the British Olympic Committee" . Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2007 .^ Film Review: Special . Visual Imagination Limited. 2005. p. 96.^ "Paula Yates" Archived 27 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine . The Telegraph (18 September 2000). Retrieved 3 October 2020.^ Chase's Calendar of Events 2020: The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months . Bernan Press. 2019. p. 245. ISBN 9781641433167 ^ "Ben Elton" . British Comedy Guide . Retrieved 13 November 2020 .^ Simpson, Mark (2004). Saint Morrissey . London: SAF Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 0-946719-65-9 ^ Brian McFarlane (29 May 1959). "Everett, Rupert (1959-) Biography" . BFI Screenonline . Retrieved 17 September 2022 . ^ Chase's Calendar of Events 2020: The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months . Bernan Press. 2019. p. 318. ISBN 9781641433167 ^ Newman, Kim (24 May 2011). "Biography" . The Kim Newman Web Site . Retrieved 4 August 2021 . ^ Andy Hopper (16 May 2001). "All-business airline promises new era" . Cambridge Network . Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Official Site, History Section" . Petshopboys.co.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2010 .^ "Charles Kennedy obituary" . the Guardian . 2 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2021 .^ Dod's Parliamentary Companion ISBN 978-0-905702-89-6 ^ "BBC News - Politics - Find Your MP - Oldham East & Saddleworth - Phillip Woolas" . 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
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