January 4, 1959 (Sunday)
- At 0259 GMT, the Luna 1 satellite became the first man-made object to pass the moon on its way to solar orbit as the first artificial planet. President Eisenhower congratulated Soviet scientist on achieving "a great stride forward in man's advance into the infinite reaches of outer space", while House leader John W. McCormack commented that "it is time America awoke to its peril".
- Riots broke out in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in the Congo after police broke up a meeting of the independence group ABAKO. After two days, 47 people, all Congolese, had been killed and 379 Africans and Europeans had been injured.
Read more about this topic: January 1959
Famous quotes containing the word january:
“I have never been disappointed when I asked in a humble and sincere way for God’s help. I pray often. I think I pray more often since January 12th.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)