January 1 » New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
July 25 » Spanish-American War: The American invasion of Spanish-held Puerto Rico begins, as United States Army troops under General Nelson A. Miles land and secure the port at Guánica.
August 23 » The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London.
September 10 » Empress Elisabeth of Austria is assassinated by Luigi Lucheni.
September 21 » Empress Dowager Cixi seizes power and ends the Hundred Days' Reform in China.
November 3 » France withdraws its troops from Fashoda (now in Sudan), ending the Fashoda Incident.
Day of death October 16, 1959
The temperature on October 16, 1959 was between 5.3 °C and 20.0 °C and averaged 11.9 °C. There was 9.0 hours of sunshine (84%). The average windspeed was 4 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the south east. Source: KNMI
February 11 » The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South is created as a protectorate of the United Kingdom.
February 22 » Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
May 30 » The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-General Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham.
June 5 » The first government of Singapore is sworn in.
September 12 » Bonanza premieres, the first regularly scheduled TV program presented in color.
November 15 » The murders of the Clutter Family in Holcomb, Kansas were discovered, inspiring Truman Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Peeters Mathieu, "FutureHistory", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-riske/I5121.php : accessed February 8, 2026), "Alfons de Meirleir (1898-1959)".
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