In Bonn, Dr. Heinrich Luebke is elected president of West Germany. Spain officially joins the Western European trading community. In Jerusalem, Premier David Ben Gurion resigns from office because of the crisis over arms sales. Fidel Castro seizes power in Havana and becomes president of Cuba. In Washington D.C., U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower declares that Catholicism should not be a factor when campaigning for the presidency. The United States launches the world´s first Atomic merchant ship. The USS Savannah was launched from Camden, New Jersey.

In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Chicago White Sox in the sixth game to win the World Series. The Baltimore Colts win the National Football League title 31-16 over the New York giants. Montreal defeats Toronto to capture hockey´s Stanley Cup. In tennis, Maria Bueno and Alex Olmedo win the singles titles at Wimbledon. Roger Ward emerges victorious in the Indy 500. A horse named Tommy Lee" wins Kentucky Derby. The Boston Celtics win over Minneapolis in the National Basketball Association Championships.

Back in 1959, the popular songs of that time were: "A Big Hunk O´ Love" performed by Elvis Presley; "Come Softly to Me" performed by Fleetwood´s; "Dream Lover" sung by Bobby Darin as well as "Lonely Boy" by Paul Anka.  Also topping the musical charts that year were: "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin; "Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price; "There Goes My Baby" by The Drifters; and the ever popular "Venus" by Frankie Avalon. "Heartaches By the Number" by Guy Mitchell. "Sleep Walk" by Santo & Johnny. "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton. "The Three Bells" by The Browns. "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters.

Barbie, Chatty Cathy, Troll Dolls, Roller Derby Skateboard, Game of Life, & Risk

The first Barbie doll debuts. Created by Ruth Handler, Mattel agreed to back Handler´s efforts; and the Barbie doll debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. Girls clamored for the doll, and Barbie set a new sales record for Mattel its first year on the market (351,000 dolls, at $3 each). The first Barbie doll sported a ponytail hairstyle, black and white zebra-striped bathing suit, open-toed shoes, sunglasses and earrings. A line of fashions and accessories was also available. Buyers at the industry’s annual Toy Fair in New York were not impressed, but little girls certainly were and the Barbie doll took retailers by storm. Mattel was so swamped with orders that it took several years for supply to catch up with demand.

Chatty Cathy was created by © Mattel in 1959. The Chatty-Cathy doll featured a pull-string at the back of her neck that activated a built-in 3-inch vinyl turntable/record in her tummy that recited 11 classic phrases at random including "Will you play with me?" and "Tell me a story." The original Chatty Cathy sported a blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a blue satin hair ribbon, two-toned blue party dress, eyelet shorty blouse, dark blue velveteen shoes, panties, petticoat and socks. The doll also came with an eight-page story-book, shoe horn, wrist tag, warranty and a numbered certificate of authority. Costing less than $20, Chatty Cathy came in a variety of skin tones (such as an African American model), hair colors (blonde, brunette and redhead), eye colors (blue and brown) and models like Charmin' Chatty, Chatty Baby, Singin' Chatty and Tiny Chatty Baby. Later versions of Chatty Cathy spoke 18 phrases. Vocal artist June Foray provided the original prototype for Cathy Chatty's voice [circa 1959].

The Troll® Doll was originally known as the "Dammit" doll in honor of its creator, Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam. In 1959, Dam could not afford to buy his young daughter a birthday present and instead carved for her a doll inspired by the legendary trolls which were believed to live in the Nordic forests and would bring luck to any humans who could catch them. Dam´s daughter took to the doll and dressed it up and showed it to local villagers. The doll attracted the eye of a Danish toy store owner and soon Dam was selling versions of the doll all over the world, selling more than a million of them in the United States.

The "Game Of Life" was geared toward the graduate and others about to embark on new adventures, this upbeat, practical guide is based on the classic Hasbro ® game, invented in 1959. Thoughts, questions, advice, axioms, and anecdotes draw from the board game´s spaces, such as Rent Apartment, Pay Day, and Mid-Life. (Pay Day advice: "The trick" is to treat your pay day not as a barometer of your success.



RISK ® By Parker Brothers. The box contains the gameboard, 44 RISK cards, 12 secret mission cards, 6 sets of military miniatures (infantry, cavalry, artillery), 5 battle dice. In this classic game of military strategy, lead your armies as they sweep across vast continents to launch daring attacks against your enemies. But keep an eye on your flanks: Your opponents are fighting to capture your troops and claim your territories. Reinforce your armies, then attack with a roll of the dice. Capture all 42 territories, and you dominate the globe!

The first commercial product, "Roller Derby Skateboard" ®, went on sale in 1959, and an estimated 50 million boards were sold by 1965. They had clay wheels and sidewalk surfing began to take root. Bill and Mark Richards invented the first skateboard in 1958. The Richards´ sold the boards at their Val Surf Shop for $8.00 a piece.

Best Movie: "Ben Hur" - Directed by William Wyler

Best Actor: Charlton Heston - "Ben Hur"

Best Actress: Simone Signoret - "Room at the Top"