MAY 20, 1959

WEDNESDAY
1959 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1959
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $2,583,736 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.98
Median Home Price$11,450.00
Gas Price Avg$0.31
Bread Price Avg$0.21
Movie Ticket Avg$0.67
First Class Stamp$0.04
Milk Price Avg$0.97
Top Movies From 1959
Show screen release and event cards
1 Ben-Hur
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Ben-Hur
2 Sleeping Beauty
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Sleeping Beauty
3 Some Like It Hot
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Some Like It Hot
4 Pillow Talk
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Pillow Talk
5 Imitation of Life
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Imitation of Life
6 Suddenly, Last Summer
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Suddenly, Last Summer
7 Operation Petticoat
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Operation Petticoat
8 North by Northwest
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North by Northwest
9 Rio Bravo
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Rio Bravo
10 Anatomy of a Murder
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Anatomy of a Murder
The Diary of Anne Frank
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The Diary of Anne Frank
Al Capone
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Al Capone
The Hanging Tree
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The Hanging Tree
Compulsion
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Compulsion
The Buccaneer
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The Buccaneer
The Giant Behemoth
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The Giant Behemoth
Separate Tables
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Separate Tables
Bell, Book and Candle
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Bell, Book and Candle
Some Came Running
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Some Came Running
The Last Hurrah
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The Last Hurrah
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
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The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Auntie Mame
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Auntie Mame
The Geisha Boy
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The Geisha Boy
The Naked Maja
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The Naked Maja

May 20, 1959 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· May 20, 1959
Perry Mason poster
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Perry Mason
Bonanza poster
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Bonanza
The Twilight Zone poster
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The Twilight Zone
The Rifleman poster
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The Rifleman
Lassie poster
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Lassie
Tony Awards poster
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Tony Awards
Wagon Train poster
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Wagon Train
Black Saddle poster
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Black Saddle
Johnny Staccato poster
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Johnny Staccato

Exact-date daily brief

May 20, 1959

On May 20, 1959, a significant labor milestone was reached as 1,500 employees returned to their positions at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This event signaled a recovery from a series of contentious labor disputes that had affected ope...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1959

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Integrated Circuit Production
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Integrated Circuit Production
2 Weather Satellite Launch
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Weather Satellite Launch
3 Computer Mouse Concept
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Computer Mouse Concept
4 Artificial Intelligence Language (LISP)
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Artificial Intelligence Language (LISP)
5 Commercial Laser Prototype
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Commercial Laser Prototype
6 Jet Turbofan Engine
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Jet Turbofan Engine
7 Automatic Dishwasher
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Automatic Dishwasher
8 Medical CAT Scan Concept
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Medical CAT Scan Concept
9 Digital Watch Prototype
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Digital Watch Prototype
10 Satellite Communication Relay
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Satellite Communication Relay

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From May 20, 1959

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Workers Return Amid Union Strike Resolutions. Impact: The striking carpenters finally returning to work means that in an alternate timeline, NASA's launch schedules got derailed, leading to a world where humans never made it to the moon. Instead, they became professional picketers. Fact: Did you know that picketing can actually serve as a form of exercise? Just imagine all those carpenters getting their daily steps in while advocating for fair wages!.
  • Headline: Guterma's Trial Shift Denied. Impact: Guterma's failed bid for a trial shift inadvertently set off a chain reaction that led to the creation of reality TV courtroom shows, where viewers could vote on verdicts. Thank you, Guterma. Fact: Did you know that court decisions can actually be more entertaining than some sitcoms? You never know when someone will throw a chair!.
  • Headline: Connecticut House Passes Critical Budget Bill. Impact: The narrow passage of this budget bill led to a series of increasingly ridiculous budget proposals, culminating in the infamous β€˜Taco Tuesday Fund’ that still haunts Congress. Fact: Did you know that the average budget proposal in Congress is approximately 5% policy and 95% political theater? Grab your popcorn!.
  • Headline: Three Geneva Parleys; Speeches Matched by Private Talks With Gromyko and West's Huddles. Impact: The diplomatic talks in Geneva were so close to progress that they inspired a whole genre of cold war spy thrillers, making James Bond a household name and leading to a global proliferation of martini recipes. Fact: Did you know that in some alternate universe, they actually made a musical about the Geneva talks? Spoiler: it flopped harder than a lead balloon.
  • Headline: Professor Wins Harvard Prize. Impact: Professor Fainsod winning a Harvard prize led to a domino effect of academic competition, resulting in a future where professors were judged solely by their ability to juggle while lecturing. Fact: Did you know that Harvard has awarded prizes for everything from poetry to physics? Just imagine the trophy room!.
  • Headline: Vincent Sheean Gets Passport to Peiping; U. S. LETS WRITER VISIT RED CHINA. Impact: Sheean's passport to Communist China opened the floodgates for American writers, leading to a bizarre 80s trend where every author had a book titled 'My Time in Red China'β€”none of which were remotely accurate. Fact: Did you know that the U.S. once had a passport system so strict it could make a bouncer at an exclusive club look like a free-for-all?.
  • Headline: Cairo to Try Alleged Reds. Impact: The trial of alleged Reds in Cairo sparked a global series of 'witch hunts' that somehow led to a rise in hipster cafes, where everyone pretends to be anti-establishment while sipping overpriced lattes. Fact: Did you know that being accused of communism is basically like being unfollowed on social media? Both can feel like the end of the world!.
  • Headline: WIDER BENEFITS URGED; State-Federal Panel Advises Compensation Coverage. Impact: The push for wider benefits created such a convoluted web of compensation laws that in the future, even getting a paper cut in the office comes with a 12-page benefits application. Fact: Did you know that the only thing more complicated than a government benefits form is assembling IKEA furniture without instructions?.
  • Headline: TRUCK INSURANCE WILL RISE TODAY; Most Liability Rates Here Go Up 23.1% -- Increase in State Averages 16.1. Impact: The truck insurance rate hike led to a nationwide shortage of truck drivers, who all decided to take up careers in interpretive dance instead, resulting in traffic chaos and a startling rise in complaint letters. Fact: Did you know that before insurance rates go up, there’s often a hidden meeting where they all laugh maniacally? No, reallyβ€”it's a thing!.
  • Headline: Algerian Charges U. S. Blocks Shipments of Arms to Rebels; ALGERIAN ASSERTS U. S. BLOCKS ARMS. Impact: Algerian rebels blaming the U.S. for blocking arms shipments led to a decade of conspiracy theories that suggested the U.S. was secretly running a global hide-and-seek championship. Fact: Did you know that the term 'conspiracy theory' was almost replaced by 'creative storytelling' in the 70s? Alas, the paperwork just got too complicated!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1959
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,940

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1959, it would be worth $3,433,940 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1959
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1959, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

Rank #3
MO
Philip Morris
Price in 1959
$0.00
Stored value
$23,651,341

Philip Morris - If you invested $1,000 in 1959, it would be worth $23,651,341 today (23651.3x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Flash #105
The Flash #105
$2,000
Showcase #22
Showcase #22
$50
Adventure Comics #260
Adventure Comics #260
$500
Journey into Mystery #53
Journey into Mystery #53
$8,000
Tales to Astonish #1
Tales to Astonish #1
$475
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Barbie Doll
Barbie Doll
$150.00
Chatty Cathy Doll
Chatty Cathy Doll
$425.00
View-Master
View-Master
$40.00
Colorforms
Colorforms
$250.00
Etch A Sketch
Etch A Sketch
$75.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1959 Topps Mickey Mantle #10
1959 Topps Mickey Mantle #10
$500,000
1959 Barbie Number 1 Card
1959 Barbie Number 1 Card
$83,000
1959 Fleer Ted Williams #5 Ted’s Idol β€˜Babe Ruth’
1959 Fleer Ted Williams #5 Ted’s Idol β€˜Babe Ruth’
$350
1959 Swedish Rekord Journal Wayne Gretzky
1959 Swedish Rekord Journal Wayne Gretzky
$75,000
1959 Bazooka Baseball Card #4 Willie Mays
1959 Bazooka Baseball Card #4 Willie Mays
$250,000