1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. [edit] Events of 1958 [edit] January [edit] February - May 1
- May 9 – Actor-singer Paul Robeson, whose passport has been reinstated, sings in a sold-out one-man recital at Carnegie Hall. The recital is such a success that Robeson gives another one at Carnegie Hall a few days later. But after these two concerts, Robeson is seldom seen in public in the United States again. His Carnegie Hall concerts are later released on records and on CD.
- May 10 – Interviewed in the Chave d'Ouro café, when asked about his rival António de Oliveira Salazar, Humberto Delgado utters one of the most famous comments in Portuguese political history: "Obviamente, demito-o! (Obviously, I'll sack him!)".
- May 12 – A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada.
- May 13
- May 15 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
- May 18 – An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
- May 20 – Fulgencio Batista's government launches a counteroffensive against Castro's rebels.
- May 21 – United Kingdom Postmaster General Ernest Marples announces that from December, Subscriber Trunk Dialling will be introduced in the Bristol area. [1]
- May 23 – Explorer 1 ceases transmission.
- May 30 – The bodies of unidentified soldiers killed in action during World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
[edit] August [edit] September [edit] October [edit] November [edit] December - December 1
- December 5
- December 6 – The 3rd launch of a Thor-Able rocket, carrying Pioneer 2, is unsuccessful due to a 3rd stage ignition failure.
- December 9 – The right-wing John Birch Society is founded in the USA by Robert Welch, a retired candy manufacturer.
- December 14 – The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first ever to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility.
- December 19 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower broadcasts a message from a Project SCORE satellite.
- December 21 – General Charles de Gaulle is elected president of France with 78.5% of the votes.
- December 24 – A BOAC Bristol Britannia (312 G-AOVD) crashes near Winkton, England during a test flight.
- December 25 – Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker (the George Balanchine version) is shown on prime-time television in color for the first time, as an episode of the CBS anthology series Playhouse 90.
- December 28 – The Baltimore Colts beat The New York Giants 23–17 in overtime to win The NFL Championship.
- December 29 – Rebel troops under Che Guevara begin to invade Santa Clara, Cuba. Fulgencio Batista resigns two days later, on the night of the 31st.
- December 31 – As the year draws to a close, tallies reveal that, for the first time, total passengers carried by air exceeds total passengers carried by sea in transatlantic service.
[edit] Undated [edit] Ongoing [edit] Births [edit] January - January 1 – Grandmaster Flash, African-American hip-hop/rap DJ
- January 2 – Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Russian pianist
- January 4 – Matt Frewer, Canadian/American actor (Max Headroom)
- January 9 – Mehmet Ali Ağca, Turkish militant, would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II
- January 11 – Vicki Peterson, American rock musician
- January 13 – Ricardo Acuña, Chilean tennis player
- January 15 – Boris Tadić, Serbian president
- January 20 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor, martial artist and reality show participant
- January 24 – Jools Holland, British musician
- January 25 – Dinah Manoff, American Tony-winning actress
- January 26 – Ellen DeGeneres, American actress and comedian
- January 27 – Kadri Mälk, Estonian artist and jewelry designer
[edit] February - February 1 – Ryo Horikawa, Japanese voice actor
- February 4 – Tomasz Pacyński, Polish writer (d. 2005)
- February 8 – Sherri Martel, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
- February 11
- February 13 – Pernilla August, Swedish actress
- February 14
- February 16 – Ice-T, African-American singer, songwriter, and actor
- February 21
- February 25 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player
- February 26 – Susan Helms, American astronaut
- February 28 – Natalya Estemirova, Russian activist (d. 2009)
- March 1 – Nik Kershaw, English singer
- March 3 – Miranda Richardson, English actress
- March 5 – Andy Gibb, English-born singer (d. 1988)
- March 7 – Rik Mayall, English comedian and actor
- March 8 – Gary Numan, British singer
- March 10
- March 13 – Linda Robson, English actress
- March 14 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco
- March 18 – Kayo Hatta, American film director (d. 2005)
- March 20 – Holly Hunter, American actress
- March 21 – Gary Oldman, English actor
- March 25 – James McDaniel, American actor
- March 26 – Todd Joseph Miles Holden, American-born social scientist, author, basketball coach
- March 28
- April 3 – Alec Baldwin, American actor (30 Rock)
- April 4 – Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer (d. 1990)
- April 10
- April 11 – Luc Luycx, Belgian coin designer
- April 12 – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian athlete
- April 15
- April 21 – Andie MacDowell, American actress
- April 24 – Brian Paddick, British former deputy assistant commissioner and most senior openly gay police officer
- April 25 – Fish, Scottish singer
- April 28 – Hal Sutton, American golfer
- April 29 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
- May 4 – Keith Haring, American artist
- May 10 – Rick Santorum, Former U.S. Senator
- May 11 – Christian Brando, American actor and eldest child of Marlon Brando (d. 2008)
- May 12
- May 15 – Ron Simmons, American professional wrestler
- May 18 – Toyah Willcox, English actress & singer
- May 21 – Tom Feeney, American Republican politician from the state of Florida
- May 23
- May 25 – Paul Weller, English singer-songwriter
- May 27 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer and songwriter
- May 29 – Annette Bening, American actress
- May 30 – Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer-songwriter
- June 2 – Lex Luger, American professional wrestler
- June 3 – Margot Käßmann, Lutheran theologian, German bishop
- June 7 – Prince, Multiracial American musician
- June 8 – Keenen Ivory Wayans, African-American comedian, actor, and director
- June 12 – Rebecca Holden, American actress, singer, and entertainer
- June 15 – Wade Boggs, American baseball player
- June 17 – Jello Biafra, American punk musician and activist (Dead Kennedys)
- June 20 – Chuck Wagner, American actor
- June 22 – Bruce Campbell, American actor, producer, writer and director
- June 24 – Curt Fraser, American ice hockey coach
- June 27 – Magnus Lindberg, Finnish composer
- June 28 – Félix Gray, French singer and songwriter
- June 29 – Jeff Coopwood, American actor, broadcaster and singer
- June 29 – Rosa Mota, Portuguese long-distance runner
- June 30 – Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish conductor and composer
- July 2 – Thomas Bickerton, American Methodist bishop
- July 5 – William Watterson, American cartoonist (Calvin and Hobbes)
- July 6 – Jennifer Saunders, British comedian
- July 7 – Michala Petri, Danish recorder player
- July 8 – Kevin Bacon, American actor
- July 8 – Pauline Quirke, British actress
- July 15 – Mac Thornberry, American politician
- July 15 – Austin Hayes, Irish footballer (d. 1986)
- July 16 – Michael Flatley, Irish-born dancer
- July 20 – Billy Mays, American infomercial salesperson (d. 2009)
- July 22 – Tatsunori Hara, Japanese professional-baseball coach and player
- July 28 – Terry Fox, Canadian athlete and cancer activist (d. 1981)
- July 30 – Kate Bush, British singer and songwriter
- July 31 – Mark Cuban, American entrepreneur and basketball team owner
[edit] August - August 1 – Adrian Dunbar, Irish actor and director
- August 7
- August 10 – Don Swayze, American actor
- August 15 – Victor Shenderovich, Russian writer
- August 16
- August 17 – Belinda Carlisle, American singer
- August 19 – Anthony Muñoz, American football player
- August 20 – Nicholas Bell, English actor based in Australia
- August 22 – Colm Feore, American-born actor
- August 24 – Steve Guttenberg, American actor
- August 25 – Tim Burton, American film director
- August 27 – Normand Brathwaite, African-Canadian comedian and television and radio host
- August 29 – Lenny Henry, British comedian
- August 29 – Michael Jackson, African-American singer, songwriter and dancer (d. 2009)
[edit] September [edit] October [edit] November - November 2 – Willie McGee, African-American baseball player
- November 8 – Jeff Speakman, American actor and martial artst
- November 10 – Vicky Rosti, Finnish singer, former Eurovision contestant
- November 16
- November 18 – Laura Miller, Mayor of Dallas, Texas
- November 19 – Michael Wilbon, American sportswriter
- November 21 – David Reivers , Jamaican actor
- November 22 – Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
- November 27 – Tetsuya Komuro, Japanese music producer and song writer
- November 28 – Dave Righetti, American baseball player
- November 29 – Kim Delaney, American actress
- November 30 – Juliette Bergmann, Dutch bodybuilder
[edit] December - December 1 – Charlene Tilton, American actress
- December 5 – Dynamite Kid, English professional wrestler
- December 6 – Nick Park, English filmmaker and animator
- December 10 – Cornelia Funke, German author
- December 11
- December 13 – Lynn-Holly Johnson, American ice skater and actress
- December 21 – Kevin Blackwell, English football manager
- December 25 – Hanford Dixon, American football player
- December 25 – Rickey Henderson, African-American baseball player
- December 29 – Lakhdar Belloumi, Algerian football player
- December 31 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
[edit] Deaths [edit] January–June - January 1
- January 7 – Margaret Anglin, stage actress (b. 1876)
- January 8 – Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (b. 1883)
- January 11 – Edna Purviance, American actress (b. 1895)
- January 13 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film produer (b. 1880)
- January 16 – Aubrey Mather, English actor (b. 1885)
- January 19 – Cândido Rondon, Brazilian military officer (b. 1865)
- January 30 – Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (b. 1878)
- February 1 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
- February 2 – Walter Kingsford, English actor (b. 1881)
- February 4
- February 13
- February 17 – Marguerite Snow, American actress (b. 1889)
- February 20 – Thurston Hall, American actor (b. 1882)
- February 27 – Harry Cohn, American film producer (b. 1891)
- March 11 – Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (b. 1878)
- March 20 – Adegoke Adelabu, Nigerian politician (b. 1915) (car crash)
- March 21 – Cyril M. Kornbluth, American writer (b. 1923)
- March 22 (in plane crash)
- March 24 – Herbert Fields, American librettist and screenwriter (b. 1897)
- March 25 – Tom Brown, American musician (b. 1888)
- March 26 – Phil Mead, English cricketer (b. 1887)
- March 28 – W. C. Handy, African-American blues composer (b. 1873)
- April 8 – George Jean Nathan, American drama critic (b. 1882)
- April 15 – Estelle Taylor, American actress (b. 1894)
- April 16 – Rosalind Franklin, British crystallographer (b. 1920)
- April 19 – Billy Meredith, Welsh footballer (b. 1874)
- May 2 – Henry Cornelius, South African-born director (b. 1913)
- May 3 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (b. 1889)
- May 19 – Ronald Colman, English actor (b. 1891)
- May 26 – Constantin Cantacuzino, Romanian aviator (b. 1905)
- May 29 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
- June 6
- June 9 – Robert Donat, English actor (b. 1905)
- June 13 – Edwin Keppel Bennett, British writer (b. 1887)
- June 16
- June 20 – Kurt Alder, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- June 21 – Herbert Brenon, American film director (b. 1880)
- June 26 – George Orton, Canadian athlete (b. 1876)
- June 28 – Alfred Noyes, English poet (b. 1880)
[edit] July–December - July 2 – Martha Boswell, American singer (b. 1905)
- July 14 (killed during coup d'état):
- July 15 – Julia Lennon, English mother of John Lennon (b. 1914)
- July 18 – Henry Farman, pioneer French aviator and aircraft company founder (b. 1874)
- July 20 – Franklin Pangborn, American actor (b. 1889)
- July 24 – Mabel Ballin, American actress (b. 1887)
- July 27
- August 8 – Barbara Bennett, American actress (b. 1906)
- August 14
- August 16 – Paul Panzer, German actor (b. 1872)
- August 18 – Bonar Colleano, American actor (b. 1924)
- August 22 – Roger Martin du Gard, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
- August 24 – Paul Henry, Northern Irish artist (b. 1876)
- August 26 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (b. 1872)
- August 27 – Ernest Lawrence, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
- September 11
- September 16 – Alma Bennett, American actress (b. 1904)
- September 23 – Alfred Piccaver, British-American operatic tenor (b. 1884)
- October 9 – Pope Pius XII (b. 1876)
- October 17
- October 15 – Jack Norton, American actor (b. 1882)
- October 24 – G. E. Moore, British philosopher of (Principia Ethica) (b.
1873) - October 27 – Marshall Neilan, American actor and director (b. 1891)
- October 29 – Zoë Akins, American playwright, poet, and author (b. 1886)
- November 15
- November 19 – Vittorio Ambrosio, Italian general (b. 1879)
- November 21 – Mel Ott, American baseball player (b. 1909)
- November 24
- November 27 – Artur Rodziński, Polish conductor (b. 1892)
- December 1 – Boots Mallory, American actress (b. 1913)
- December 8 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player (b. 1888)
- December 13 – Tim Moore, American comedian (b. 1887)
- December 15 – Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
- December 21 – H.B. Warner, English actor (b. 1875)
- December 29 – Doris Humphrey, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1895)
[edit] Ship events [edit] Nobel Prizes [edit] Academy Awards - Best Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sam Spiegel
- Best Foreign Language Film: Mon Oncle,
 France - Best Documentary Feature: Albert Schweitzer, Jerome Hill
- Best Animated Feature: Birds Anonymous, Edward Selzer
- Best Director: David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai
- Best Actor: Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai
- Best Actress: Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve
- Best Supporting Actor: Red Buttons, Sayonara
- Best Supporting Actress: Miyoshi Umeki, Sayonara
- Best Original Screenplay: George Wells, Designing Woman
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Novel by Pierre Boulle; screenplay by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, The Bridge over the River Kwai
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