50 YEARS AGO - 1959
- Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash.
- First Barbie Doll produced.
- Alaska and Hawaii admitted to the Union as U.S. states.
- Cuban revolution; Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister of Cuba.
- Xerox manufactures the Xerox 914, the first plain paper copier.
- St. Lawrence Seaway opens, allowing ocean ships to reach Midwest (April 25).
- World Series LA Dodgers d. Chicago White Sox (4-2)
- NBA Championship Boston d. Minneapolis Lakers (4-0)
- The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences sponsors the first Grammy Award ceremony for music recorded in 1958. Frank Sinatra wins his first Grammy Award -- Best Album for Come Dance with Me.
- Rumors of cheating on quiz shows erupt into a national scandal.
- Movies Some Like It Hot, North by Northwest, Ben-Hur, Anatomy of a Murder, Room at the Top
Deaths
- Lou Costell
- Cecil B. De Mille
- Mel Ott
- Frank Lloyd Wright
