April 30 » J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.
July 26 » Anglo-Afghan War: The Pashtun fakir Saidullah leads an army of more than 10,000 to begin a siege of the British garrison in the Malakand Agency of the North West Frontier Province of India.
September 1 » The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America.
September 10 » Lattimer massacre: A sheriff's posse kills 19 unarmed striking immigrant miners in Lattimer, Pennsylvania, United States.
December 9 » Activist Marguerite Durand founds the feminist daily newspaper La Fronde in Paris.
December 30 » The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.
Day of death January 23, 1959
The temperature on January 23, 1959 was between 1.8 °C and 8.7 °C and averaged 4.2 °C. There was 6.0 mm of rain during 5.5 hours. There was 5.4 hours of sunshine (63%). The partly clouded was. The average windspeed was 4 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the west-southwest. Source: KNMI
January 29 » The first Melodifestivalen is held in Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden.
February 20 » The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
June 5 » The first government of Singapore is sworn in.
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.
August 17 » Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.
December 13 » Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hans Weening, "Family tree Weening", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-weening/I1760.php : accessed October 10, 2026), "Sjouke Bergsma (1897-1959)".
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