The world in
What happened in 1959?
21 events across 8 world regions, each with its sources.
Central & South America
Triumph of the Cuban RevolutionOn 1 January 1959, the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, achieving victory in the Cuban Revolution. The subsequent revolutionary government made Cuba the first socialist state in the Western Hemisphere and inspired left-wing revolutionary movements across Latin America.
Battle of Santa ClaraIn late December 1958, rebel forces under Che Guevara captured the city of Santa Clara during the Cuban Revolution, achieving a decisive victory. The battle prompted dictator Fulgencio Batista to flee Cuba within 12 hours, paving the way for Fidel Castro's overall triumph.
- Outbreak of the Escambray rebellion
In 1959, an armed rebellion broke out in the Escambray Mountains of Cuba, with several insurgent groups fighting against the government led by Fidel Castro. The conflict lasted until 1965, and the Cuban government termed the counterinsurgency operation the 'Struggle Against Bandits'.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Establishment of Galápagos National ParkEcuador formally established Galápagos National Park in 1959, its first national park. The park covers about 97% of the Galápagos Islands, with the remainder being inhabited areas; it opened to the public in 1968.
North America
- Peak Phase of the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968)
Between 1954 and 1968, the African American civil rights movement peaked, using nonviolent means to challenge racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Originating in the Reconstruction era and influenced by Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy, it involved mass protests and civil disobedience. This led to new federal protections, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Founding of York UniversityYork University was founded on March 26, 1959 in Toronto, Canada, and welcomed its first 76 students in September 1960. It later became Canada's third-largest university.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine / Public domain ↗
Signing of the U.S.-Japan Security TreatyOn September 8, 1951, the United States and Japan signed the Security Treaty in San Francisco, alongside the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. Imposed by the U.S. as a condition for ending the Occupation and restoring Japan's sovereignty, it established a long-lasting military alliance and allowed the U.S. to maintain forces in the Far East.
South Asia
Outbreak of the Vietnam WarIn 1955, armed conflict erupted between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), marking the start of the Vietnam War. This war was simultaneously a civil war, a Cold War proxy war, and a postcolonial independence conflict, with North Vietnam backed by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The fighting later spread to Laos and Cambodia, ending with all three countries under communist rule in 1975.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps. James K. F. Dung, SFC, Photographer Ronald L. Haeberle / Public domain ↗
Malayan EmergencyIn 1948, the British colonial government declared an emergency due to an armed struggle by the Malayan Communist Party. The guerrilla war against the independence-seeking Malayan National Liberation Army, with the involvement of Commonwealth forces, lasted until the lifting of the emergency in 1960.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Australian Government / Public domain ↗
Tribhuvan University foundedTribhuvan University was founded in 1959 in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. It is the oldest and largest public university in Nepal.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Founding of the University of the Western CapeIn 1959, the apartheid government of South Africa established the University of the Western Cape in Bellville as a university exclusively for Coloured students, under the Extension of University Education Act. It was one of several 'ethnic' universities founded during apartheid to enforce racial segregation in higher education. Over time, the institution evolved into an integrated, multiracial university.
Establishment of the Ngorongoro Conservation AreaIn 1959, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was established in the Arusha Region of northern Tanzania, covering an area of approximately 8,094 km². The area is named after the Ngorongoro Crater and is managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Jantjeerkamp at Dutch Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
- Rwandan Revolution
The Rwandan Revolution was a period of violence between Hutu and Tutsi from 1959 to 1961, transforming the country from a Tutsi monarchy to a Hutu-led republic and causing massive Tutsi displacement.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Europe
Cold WarAfter World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
Construction of "The Motherland Calls" statue commencesAround 1959, construction began on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Soviet Union, for the colossal war memorial "The Motherland Calls," primarily designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich. Intended to honor the fallen of the Battle of Stalingrad, it was completed in 1967 as the world's tallest statue at that time.
East Asia
- Great Leap Forward and the ensuing famine
At the Lushan Conference in 1959, Peng Dehuai's criticism of the Great Leap Forward led to the Anti-Rightist Campaign and worsened the nationwide famine.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Outbreak of the 1959 Lhasa uprisingOn 10 March 1959, armed conflict erupted in Lhasa, Tibet, fueled by fears that the 14th Dalai Lama would be arrested. Protests escalated from support for him to demands for independence before being suppressed by the People's Liberation Army. The Dalai Lama fled to India, leading to the establishment of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the abrogation of the Seventeen-Point Agreement.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗
North Africa
Algerian WarThe Algerian War was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, leading to Algeria's independence. Considered a major decolonization war, it involved guerrilla warfare and war crimes by both sides.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Madame Grinderche / Public domain ↗
Establishment of the Basilica of CandelariaThe Basilica of Candelaria is the first Marian shrine of the Canary Islands, located in Candelaria on Tenerife. It is a Roman Catholic minor basilica, situated about 20 km south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Xauxa (Håkan Svensson) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Oceania
Establishment of Blue Mountains National ParkIn 1959, Blue Mountains National Park was established in New South Wales, Australia. Located about 80 km west of Sydney, it covers nearly 270,000 hectares within the Blue Mountains region of the Great Dividing Range.
Around 1959
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Emergence of the Green Revolution
- Beginning of the Digital Revolution
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins