What Happened in 1959

1959:

• First Barbie Doll produced.

• Alaska and Hawaii admitted to the Union as U.S. States.

• The chartered plane transporting musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper goes down in an Iowa snowstorm, killing all four occupants on board. The tragedy is later termed "The Day the Music Died," popularized in Don McLean's song, "American Pie."
• Popular Movies
  

Ben Hur
Summer Place
Anatomy of a Murder
Gidget
North by Northwest
Pillow Talk
Some Like it Hot
On the Beach

• Cost of Living

Average yearly wages: $5010
Yearly inflation rate: 1.01%
Cost of a gallon of gas: 25 cents
Average cost of a new house: $12,500
Average cost of a new car: $2200
Movie ticket: $1.00