1958

Events in 1958 70

• 1871 – 1958 Georges Rouault (1871-1958) Died 13 February 1958, aged 86 The French painter and printmaker combined Fauvist color with themes of religious suffering, becoming known for stained-glass-like depictions of clowns, judges, and Christ. He was a central figure in 20th-century religious art.
• 1872 – 1958 Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) Died 26 August 1958, aged 85 The English composer drew on folk song and Tudor music to create works including "The Lark Ascending" and nine symphonies. He is regarded as one of the leading British composers of the 20th century.
• 1873 – 1958 W. C. Handy (1873-1958) Died 28 March 1958, aged 84 Known as the "Father of the Blues," Handy was a composer and bandleader who helped popularize the blues through published works such as "St. Louis Blues." He was one of the first African American musicians to achieve widespread commercial success.
• 1876 – 1958 Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) Died 9 October 1958, aged 82 Born Eugenio Pacelli, he served as pope from 1939 through the Second World War and the early Cold War. His wartime conduct, particularly regarding the Holocaust, remains a subject of historical debate.
• 1880 – 1958 Marie Stopes (1880-1958) Died 2 October 1958, aged 77 Stopes was a British author and campaigner who opened Britain's first birth-control clinic in 1921 and wrote the influential "Married Love." Her work reshaped public attitudes toward contraception, though her later advocacy of eugenics remains controversial.
• 1885 – 1958 Sacha Guitry (1885-1958) Died 24 July 1958, aged 73 Guitry was a prolific French actor, playwright, and filmmaker who wrote well over a hundred plays and directed numerous films. He was a dominant figure of French theater and early cinema for decades.
• 1891 – 1958 Ronald Colman (1891-1958) English actor with a celebrated voice, star of Lost Horizon, A Tale of Two Cities and A Double Life.
• 1896 – 1958 Imre Nagy (1896-1958) Died 16 June 1958, aged 62 Nagy served as Prime Minister of Hungary during the 1956 uprising against Soviet control, for which he was later secretly tried and executed. His death made him a martyr for Hungarian independence and was publicly acknowledged only after the fall of communism.
• 1900 – 1958 Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) Died 15 December 1958, aged 58 The Austrian-born theoretical physicist formulated the Pauli exclusion principle, a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, for which he won the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics. He also predicted the existence of the neutrino.
• 1903 – 1958 Big Bill Broonzy Blues singer and guitarist A founding figure of Chicago blues in the 1930s who later brought folk blues to Europe and inspired the British blues boom.
• 1905 – 1958 Robert Donat (1905-1958) Died 9 June 1958, aged 53 The English actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps." Chronic asthma limited his career and contributed to his early death.
• 1909 – 1958 Mike Todd (1909-1958) Died 22 March 1958, aged 48 The film producer won the Academy Award for Best Picture for "Around the World in 80 Days" and was married to actress Elizabeth Taylor. He died when his private plane crashed in New Mexico.
• 1914 – 1958 Tyrone Power (1914-1958) Died 15 November 1958, aged 44 Power was one of Hollywood's leading matinee idols of the 1930s and 1940s, starring in films such as "The Mark of Zorro" and "Witness for the Prosecution." He suffered a fatal heart attack while filming a swordfighting scene in Spain.
• 1920 – 1958 Rosalind Franklin X-ray crystallographer whose data was pivotal to discovering the structure of DNA Rosalind Elsie Franklin (1920-1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose diffraction images of DNA, most famously "Photo 51", provided critical evidence for the double-helix structure published by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953. Beyond DNA, she made lasting contributions to the understanding of coal and carbon structures and to the molecular structure of viruses, including tobacco mosaic virus and poliovirus. Her data was used by Watson and Crick without her knowledge or consent, and for decades her role in the DNA discovery was underappreciated. She died of ovarian cancer at 37, four years before the 1962 Nobel Prize was awarded to Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins for the work her data underpinned.
• 1935 – 1958 King Faisal II (1935-1958) Died 14 July 1958, aged 23 The last King of Iraq, Faisal II was killed along with much of the royal family when army officers overthrew the monarchy in the 14 July Revolution. His death ended the Hashemite dynasty's rule in Iraq.
• 1936 – 1958 Duncan Edwards (1936-1958) Died 21 February 1958, aged 21 Edwards was a Manchester United and England midfielder widely regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation. He died from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster two weeks earlier.
• 1957 – 1958 Botvinnik loses and regains title vs Smyslov First use of rematch right Smyslov defeated Botvinnik for the title in 1957, but Botvinnik exercised his right to a rematch and won it back in 1958 — the first of three times he would use this rule.
• 1957 – 1958 Harris & Meehan: The Vipers Skiffle Group London jazz-skiffle scene Jet Harris and Tony Meehan, both rooted in London's jazz-skiffle scene, played together in the Vipers Skiffle Group on Parlophone Records before joining forces with Marvin and Welch.
• 1957 – 1958 Marvin & Welch: The Railroaders / Five Chesternuts Newcastle skiffle roots Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, both inspired by American rock and roll, played together in Newcastle-based skiffle groups The Railroaders and the Five Chesternuts before moving to London.
• 1958 Become "The Drifters" — Cliff Richard's band The four musicians came together as "The Drifters", the backing band for rising star Cliff Richard — first rehearsing at the Webb family home in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Cliff and Hank first met at a Soho tailor's shop where Cliff was being fitted for a stage jacket.
• 1958 – 1990 Core trio: Marvin, Welch & Bennett Through line-up changes Despite numerous changes to the bass position over the decades, Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and (from 1961) Brian Bennett formed the stable core of The Shadows throughout their classic era — the trio most associated with the band's identity.
• 1958 – 1962 Great Leap Forward — the worst man-made famine in history Mao's industrialisation campaign kills 15–55 million Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward (1958–62) aimed to rapidly transform China from an agrarian into a socialist industrial society through forced collectivisation and backyard steel production. The catastrophic mismanagement of agriculture, combined with officials falsifying harvest figures, caused a famine that killed between 15 and 55 million people — the deadliest famine in human history.
• 1958 – present Legacy: the first backing band to become stars The Shadows are widely credited as the first backing band in popular music history to achieve major stardom in their own right — a template followed by countless backing musicians-turned-stars in the decades since, and a permanent fixture in the story of British rock and roll.
• 1958 – present McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Twin-engined, two-seat, everywhere Big, fast and twin-engined, the Phantom II flew with the US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force at once. 5,195 were built, and it fought from Vietnam to the Middle East.
• 1958 NASA founded NASA founded NASA began operations on 1 October 1958, created by Congress in response to Sputnik and built around the existing NACA aeronautics laboratories. It was deliberately civilian, to separate spaceflight from the missile programme. Within eleven years it had landed men on the Moon.
• 1958 – 2024 Rickey Henderson (1958-2024) Died 20 December 2024, aged 65 American baseball player who holds the records for career stolen bases and runs scored.
• 1958 – 1978 The Miracles American soul vocal group Detroit group led by Smokey Robinson, Motown's first million-sellers and among the label's finest songwriters.
• 1958 – present The O'Jays American soul vocal group Eddie Levert and Walter Williams' group, stars of Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International — Back Stabbers, Love Train, For the Love of Money.
• 1958 – present The Shadows British instrumental rock group, London 1958 The Shadows are a British instrumental rock group formed in London in 1958, originally as Cliff Richard's backing band. With hits including "Apache", "FBI" and "Wonderful Land", they became the third most successful act in UK chart history behind only Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard himself, and were pioneers of the four-piece guitar-bass-drums rock format.
• 1958 European Economic Community established Treaty of Rome enters into force The Treaty of Rome took effect, creating the European Economic Community among Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The EEC removed trade barriers and established a common market, laying the institutional groundwork for the later European Union.
• 1958 LEGO brick patented Interlocking stud-and-tube design filed in Denmark Danish toymaker Ole Kirk Christiansen patented the modern LEGO brick's interlocking stud-and-tube coupling system. The design made bricks from different sets compatible and became the foundation of the LEGO Group's toy business.
• 1958 Explorer 1 launched First United States satellite reaches orbit Explorer 1 became the first artificial satellite launched by the United States, lifting off atop a Juno I rocket from Cape Canaveral. Instruments aboard detected the Van Allen radiation belts, a major early discovery of the Space Age.
• 1958 United Arab Republic formed Egypt and Syria unite under Nasser Egypt and Syria merged to form the United Arab Republic under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the high-water mark of pan-Arab nationalism. Syria withdrew from the union in 1961, though Egypt retained the name until 1971.
• 1958 Munich air disaster Crash kills members of Manchester United football team A charter flight carrying the Manchester United football team crashed on takeoff from Munich-Riem Airport after a failed refuelling stop, killing 23 of the 44 people aboard. Eight of the dead were United players, including several of the celebrated "Busby Babes".
• 1958 – 2014 Rik Mayall (1958-2014) Died 9 June 2014, aged 56 Rik Mayall, the English comedian and actor known for "The Young Ones" and "Bottom," died suddenly at his home in England. He was a central figure of the alternative comedy movement that reshaped British television in the 1980s. His anarchic performing style influenced a generation of comedians.
• 1958 Vanguard 1 launched Oldest satellite still in orbit The United States launched the Vanguard 1 satellite to study Earth's shape and upper atmosphere. It remains the oldest artificial satellite still in orbit.
• 1958 Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier Consolidates power as head of government and party Nikita Khrushchev added the position of Chairman of the Council of Ministers to his role as Communist Party First Secretary, consolidating his control over the Soviet Union. He held both posts until his ouster in 1964.
• 1958 Chuck Berry releases Johnny B. Goode The rock and roll guitar song The opening riff became the template for rock guitar.
• 1958 – 2023 Benjamin Zephaniah British Poet & Writer British writer, poet and activist of Jamaican heritage who became one of the most widely recognised poets in Britain. Known for his dub poetry and energetic performance style, he brought poetry to audiences far beyond the literary establishment. He declined an OBE in 2003, citing the British Empire's legacy of slavery and colonialism. He was also a prominent vegan, martial arts practitioner and campaigner for social justice.
• 1958 Expo 58 opens in Brussels First major postwar World's Fair Brussels hosted the first major World's Fair since the Second World War, drawing over 40 million visitors. The Atomium, built for the exposition as a model of an iron crystal, became a lasting landmark of the city.
• 1958 F4H Phantom II first flight McDonnell Aircraft, St. Louis The twin-engined, two-seat Phantom II flies for the first time. Designed for the US Navy, it is soon adopted by the Marine Corps and Air Force as well.
• 1958 – 2019 Marie Fredriksson (1958-2019) Died 9 December 2019, aged 61 Marie Fredriksson was a Swedish singer and one half of the pop duo Roxette, known worldwide for hits including "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart". She continued recording and performing for years after a 2002 brain tumor diagnosis. She died in Djursholm, Sweden.
• 1958 Billie Holiday releases Lady in Satin With strings Her ravaged voice with Ray Ellis' orchestra.
• 1958 – 2026 Ali Larijani (1958-2026) Died 17 March 2026, aged 67 Senior Iranian official for several decades who became de facto leader of the country after Ali Khamenei's death, until he too was killed in US-Israeli strikes weeks later.
• 1958 – 2016 Prince Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist American musician from Minneapolis who blended funk, rock, pop and soul, played almost every instrument on his records and fought the music industry for control of his work.
• 1958 1958 FIFA World Cup The Rise of Pelé A 17-year-old Pelé announced himself to the world as Brazil won their first title. Winner: Brazil.
• 1958 Alaska Statehood Act signed Clears way for 49th U.S. state President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act, authorizing Alaska's admission as the 49th U.S. state. Alaska formally joined the Union on January 3, 1959.
• 1958 14 July Revolution in Iraq Coup overthrows the Hashemite monarchy Army officers led by Abd al-Karim Qasim overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq in a violent coup, killing King Faisal II and much of the royal family. The revolution ended British-backed rule and established Iraq as a republic.
• 1958 US Marines land in Lebanon First test of the Eisenhower Doctrine President Eisenhower ordered U.S. Marines into Lebanon at the request of President Camille Chamoun, invoking the Eisenhower Doctrine amid fears of pro-Nasser unrest. It was the first application of the doctrine, and the troops withdrew by October without major combat.
• 1958 – 1981 Terry Fox (1958-1981) Died 28 June 1981, aged 22 Canadian athlete and cancer research campaigner Terry Fox died in New Westminster, British Columbia, on 28 June 1981. He had run 5,373 kilometers across Canada on a prosthetic leg in his Marathon of Hope before cancer forced him to stop in 1980. The annual Terry Fox Run held in his memory has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research.
• 1958 Second Taiwan Strait Crisis begins China bombards Quemoy and Matsu The People's Republic of China began an intense artillery bombardment of the Taiwan-held islands of Quemoy and Matsu. The United States moved naval forces into the strait to support Taiwan, and the crisis eased by the end of the year without a wider war.
• 1958 First integrated circuit demonstrated Jack Kilby unveils working microchip Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments demonstrated the first working integrated circuit, combining multiple electronic components on a single piece of semiconductor material. The invention became the foundation of modern electronics and earned Kilby a share of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• 1958 – present Andrea Bocelli Tenor World-renowned blind tenor who brought classical music to the top of international pop charts.
• 1958 First air-to-air missile kills Taiwan Strait Taiwanese F-86s armed with AIM-9 Sidewinders shoot down Chinese MiG-17s — the first kills by guided air-to-air missiles in combat.
• 1958 Guinea gains independence First French sub-Saharan colony to break away Guinea became the first French colony in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence, after voters rejected membership in the new French Community under a referendum led by Sekou Toure. France withdrew aid abruptly in response, and Toure became the country's first president.
• 1958 Fifth French Republic established New constitution ends the Fourth Republic A new constitution drafted under Charles de Gaulle was promulgated, ending the unstable Fourth Republic and creating the Fifth French Republic with a strengthened presidency. De Gaulle was elected the Republic's first president later that year.
• 1958 First transatlantic jet passenger service BOAC Comet 4 flies London to New York British Overseas Airways Corporation began the first scheduled transatlantic jet passenger service, flying a de Havilland Comet 4 between London and New York. It narrowly beat Pan Am's Boeing 707 service, which began three weeks later, ushering in the jet age for commercial aviation.
• 1958 Pasternak forced to decline Nobel Prize Soviet pressure follows Doctor Zhivago award Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel "Doctor Zhivago," but Soviet authorities pressured him into declining it under threat of expulsion from the country. His son accepted the prize on his behalf in 1989.
• 1958 Pope John XXIII elected Succeeds Pius XII after conclave Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected pope following the death of Pius XII, taking the name John XXIII. He would go on to convene the Second Vatican Council in 1962.
• 1958 Pope John XXIII crowned Angelo Roncalli, elected pope on 28 October, is crowned in Rome. He would go on to call the Second Vatican Council.
• 1958 US midterm elections of 1958 Democrats make large gains in both the Senate and the House during a recession, strengthening their hold on Congress.
• 1958 Military coup in Sudan General Ibrahim Abboud leads a bloodless coup, ousting the government of Prime Minister Abdallah Khalil less than three years after independence.
• 1958 Tom Dooley reaches number one The Kingston Trio take the old murder ballad to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, launching the American folk revival.
• 1958 Khrushchev issues the Berlin Ultimatum The Soviet leader demands that the Western powers leave West Berlin within six months and turn it into a demilitarised free city, opening the Berlin Crisis.
• 1958 Chad, Gabon, Congo and Mauritania become autonomous republics Four French colonies become self-governing republics within the new French Community, a step towards full independence in 1960.
• 1958 First subscriber trunk dialling call in Britain Queen Elizabeth II calls Edinburgh from Bristol, the first UK long-distance call dialled without an operator.
• 1958 Project SCORE launched The first communications satellite is launched and broadcasts a Christmas message recorded by President Eisenhower.
• 1958 Charles de Gaulle elected President of France An electoral college elects de Gaulle as the first president of the Fifth Republic with about 78 percent of the vote.
• 1958 Battle of Santa Clara Che Guevaras rebels capture Santa Clara and derail an armoured train, prompting Batista to flee Cuba on 1 January 1959.
• 1958 The Greatest Game Ever Played The Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime for the NFL title. Watched by millions on television, it helped make pro football a national sport.