Memory Lane

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
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