About the day » Thursday August 20, 1959Calender converter

• Maria Francina Kool, Culemborg (GL) († 2013)
• Brigitte Edel, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Deutschland († 2012)
• Monika Theresia Zimmermann, Thalgau, Oostenrijk
• Ingrid GOETHALS, Rabat (Maroc) († 1959)
• Karin Boekelaar, Haarlem, NH, Nederland († 1992)
• James George Seehusen († 2023)
• Leonora S.J. Haring
• Stientje Ruiter, Noordwolde, Bedum, Groningen, Nederland († 1960)
• Nicolaas Gerrit Lagerwij, Monster († 2015)
• Trijntje Lamberta Makkinga, Ommen,, Overijssel, Nederland († 1964)

• Cornelia Pieternella van Wetten (80), Cothen
• Christina Dorlas (75), Zeist, Utr, NL
• Arijan Cornelus van Osenbruggen (59), Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
• Axel Joakim* Ahlqvist (81), Fulltofta (M)
• Cornelia van Engelenburg (90), Veenendaal, Gelderland, Nederland
• Cornelis van Wamelen (77), Poortugaal
• Cornelia van Engelenburg (90), Veenendaal, Utrecht, Nederland
• Celesta Maria Lafarre (61), Bergen op Zoom
• Arie Jacobus VAN DER HOUWEN (55), Vlaardingen,Zuid-Holland,NEDERLAND
• Arnoldus Marcus Marinus Bels (77), Den Helder

• 1957 » Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player
• 1957 » Jim Calder, Scottish rugby player
• 1957 » Simon Donaldson, English mathematician and academic
• 1957 » Sorin Antohi, Romanian journalist and historian
• 1958 » David O. Russell, American director and screenwriter
• 1958 » John Stehr, American journalist
• 1958 » Nigel Dodds, Northern Irish lawyer and politician
• 1958 » Patricia Rozema, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1960 » Dom Duff, Breton singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer
• 1960 » Mark Langston, American baseball player

• 1939 » Agnes Giberne, Indian-English astronomer and author (b. 1845)
• 1942 » István Horthy, Hungarian admiral and pilot (b. 1904)
• 1943 » William Irvine, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Victoria (b. 1858)
• 1951 » İzzettin Çalışlar, Turkish general (b. 1882)
• 1961 » Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
• 1963 » Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer (b. 1879)
• 1965 » Jonathan Daniels, American seminarian and civil rights activist (b. 1939)
• 1971 » Rashid Minhas, Pakistani lieutenant and pilot (b. 1951)
• 1979 » Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (b. 1922)
• 1980 » Joe Dassin, American-French singer-songwriter (b. 1938)

1. Johannes
2. Jan
3. Cornelis
4. Peter
5. Hendrik
6. Willem
7. Robert
8. Gerrit
9. Pieter
10. Petrus
11. Ronald
12. Paul
13. David
14. Dirk
15. Adrianus
16. John

1. Maria
2. Johanna
3. Elisabeth
4. Anna
5. Cornelia
6. Wilhelmina
7. Catharina
8. Yvonne
9. Adriana
10. Hendrika
11. Ingrid
12. Margaretha
13. Petronella
14. Linda
15. Karin
16. Jacoba

• Koningin Juliana (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from September 4, 1948 till April 30, 1980 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from December 22, 1957 to May 19, 1959 the cabinet Beel II, with Dr. L.J.M. Beel (KVP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from May 19, 1959 to July 24, 1964 the cabinet De Quay, with Prof. dr. J.E. de Quay (KVP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 11.3 million citizens.
• January 4 » Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
• February 6 » Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.
• February 17 » Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
• July 7 » Venus occults the star Regulus. This rare event is used to determine the diameter of Venus and the structure of the Venusian atmosphere.
• July 21 » Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
• November 21 » American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC-AM radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal.

The temperature on August 20, 1959 was between 15.8 °C and 28.3 °C and averaged 22.6 °C. There was 12.0 hours of sunshine (83%). The average windspeed was 4 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east.