January 1959 - January 12, 1959 (Monday)

January 12, 1959 (Monday)

• The Caves of Nerja were discovered in Spain by five boys who wanted to go hunting for bats. The cave, blocked by stalactites, had been sealed for more than 3,000 years and was a trove of Paleolithic artifacts.
• In the largest mass execution of former officials since Castro's victory, Cuban communists shot 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista over a seven hour period, then buried them in a mass grave.
• A Lufthansa jet crashed at Rio de Janeiro, killing 36.
• Born: Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter and Roxette guitarist; in Halmstad