1959

Overview

1959 was a common year in the Gregorian calendar that began on Thursday.

Events

### January

* January 1:
+ During the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara's rebel units occupied the city of Santa Clara, and dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country.
+ The current chemical nomenclature was established at the IUPAC World Congress.
* January 2:
+ The Cuban Rebel Army entered Havana.
+ Manuel Urrutia was appointed president.
+ The USSR launched the first automatic interplanetary station "Luna-1", which became the world's first space probe and the first artificial satellite of the Sun.
* January 3: Alaska became the 49th state in the United States.
* January 4:
+ A general was arrested in Cuba, who was the head of the junta that took power from Batista.
+ The interplanetary station "Luna-1" reached a distance of 5-6 thousand km from the lunar surface.
* January 8: Charles de Gaulle was declared president of the French Fifth Republic, and Michel Debrey became Prime Minister. Fidel Castro arrived in Havana.
* January 10: The Soviet Union recognized the Revolutionary Government of Cuba.

### Rebellion in Tibet

* March 17: A rebellion against Chinese rule began in Tibet, and Dalai Lama left Lha.

References

Note: This article synthesizes information from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the events that occurred in 1959.