January 1959 - January 16, 1959 (Friday)

January 16, 1959 (Friday)

• John A. McCone, Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, demonstrated the compact radioisotope thermoelectric generator at the White House, placing the five-pound, Polonium-210 powered atomic generator on President Dwight D. Eisenhower's desk. According to McCone, the generator was 20 times more efficient than any prior model.
• Only one person, out 52 on board, survived the crash of an Aeorlineas Austral plane that had been carrying vacationers from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata. The plane exploded while attempting to land and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The loan surivor, Roberto Servente, was found on the beach four hours later. On board had been Argentine scientists Eduardo Braun Menendez and Jose Mezzadra.
• Born: Sade, Nigerian-born British singer; as Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan