NEWS: 1959

As 1959 begins, it's clear and 26 degrees F at Baltimore's official weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport. The wind is from the southeast at 6 miles an hour.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro and his revolutionary army overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban dictator, who then flees to the Dominican Republic.

1959 into 1960 is declared World Refugee Year by the United Nations.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy; snow flurries (a trace of snow) changing to rain showers from mid-morning onward; heavy rain in the evening; breezy from late afternoon to mid-evening; High temp. 47 degrees F, Low temp. 24 degrees F, Precipitation: 1.19 inches (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

Luna 1 (also known as Mechta, E-1 No. 4, and First Lunar Rover), launched by the Soviet Union, becomes the first manmade object to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to reach heliocentric orbit. A malfunction in the ground-based control system causes an error in the upper stage rocket's burn time, and the spacecraft misses the Moon by more than three times the Moon's radius. It flies past the Moon and goes into heliocentric orbit.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy with light rain, becoming clear; breezy at times from midday onward; High temp. 47 degrees F; Low temp. 30 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.02 inch.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation to make Alaska the 49th U.S. state.

The island of Addu in the Maldives declares independence.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy, then clear; High temp. 49 degrees F; Low temp. 24 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

Luna 1, a spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union on January 2, 1959, runs out of battery power when it is 371,000 miles from Earth, making it impossible to track its flight further. The batteries were designed for a minimum of 40 hours but last for 62. The spacecraft misses the Moon, its intended target.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear; windy (25 mph at 3:00 and 4:00 PM); High temp. 22 degrees F; Low temp. 11 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then becoming clear; breezy/windy from mid-morning to mid-afternoon (21 mph at 2:00 PM); High temp. 41 degrees F; Low temp. 29 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

Total precipitation for Baltimore during January 1959 is 2.39 inches, including melted ice and snow, below the normal of 3.08 inches.  The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during January 1959 is 42.5 degrees F, below the normal of 43.2 degrees.  The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during January 1959 is 21.4 degrees F, below the normal of 25.4 degrees.  A total of 2.1 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station during January 1959, below the normal of 6.4 inches.

Rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson die when the small airplane they are aboard crashes near Clear Lake, Iowa. Buddy Holly dies at age 22 and was born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas.  Ritchie Valens dies at age 17 and was born on May 13, 1941 in Pacoma, Los Angeles, California. The Big Bopper dies at age 28 and was born Jiles Perry Richardson on October 24, 1930 in Sabine Pass, Port Arthur, Texas.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy; light rain late in the evening; High temp. 40 degrees F; Low temp. 11 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.05 inch.

Fidel Castro becomes premier of Cuba after Fulgencio Batista is overthrown.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then clear; High temp. 46 degrees F; Low temp. 21 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

The first Daytona 500 auto race, now known as the 1959 Inaugural Daytona 500, is held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is won by Michael McDowell, driving a Ford.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear, then mostly cloudy; breezy in the early afternoon; High temp. 51 degrees F; Low temp. 19 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then clear; breezy in the afternoon; High temp. 55 degrees F; Low temp. 27 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during February 1959 is 1.82 inches, including melted snow and ice, below the normal amount of 2.90 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during February 1959 is 46.6 degrees F, above the normal of 46.4 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during February 1949 is 24.8 degrees F, below the normal of 26.9 degrees. A trace of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport during February 1959, well below the normal amount of 7.5 inches.

Baltimore's mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., a Democrat in his third term in office, is defeated in the Democratic primary election by J. Harold Grady, 57.35 percent to 39.03 percent (while 3.61 percent of the vote was split among three ofhter candidates).

Baltimore weather: Clear, then becoming cloudy ;light rain in the evening; breezy/windy from late morning onward (23 mph at 3:00 PM); High temp. 55 degrees F; Low temp. 25 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.03 inch.

Mattel's Barbie doll, created by Ruth Handler, makes its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York, NY.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then cloudy; breezy in the afternoon; High temp. 57 degrees F; Low temp. 32 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

"A Raisin In The Sun," a drama by Lorraine Hansberry, makes its debut at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York, NY. (It will later be nominated for four Tony Awards.)

Friendship International Airport (renamed Baltimore-Washington International Aiirport in 1973) gets one inch (exactly) of snow, the greatest snowfall in one day at the airport in 1959.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then clearing, then becoming cloudy; snow (one inch) in the late evening; breezy in the evening; High temp. 41 degrees F; Low temp. 30 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.17 inch (liquid).  One inch of snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, becoming partly cloudy; High temp. 59 degrees F; Low temp. 39 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during March 1959 is 2.72 inches, including melted snow and ice, below the normal amount of 4.01 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during March 1959 is 53.6 degrees F, below the normal of 54.8 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during March 1959 is 31.4 degrees F, below the normal of 33.9 degrees. A total of one inch of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport during March 1959, below the normal amount of 2.8 inches.

Robert "Bob" Fries is born.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy, then clear; breezy/windy in late afternoon and evening (25 mph at 8:00 PM); High temp. 69 degrees F; Low temp. 39 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The high temperature in Baltimore reaches 89 degrees F, the highest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any April 9th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather: Clear to mostly cloudy, becoming cloudy; a thunderstorm in the early evening; showers later in the evening; breezy/windy from mid-morning to evening (23 mph at 3:00 PM); High temp. 89 degrees F; Low temp. 65 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.36 inch.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy; rain in the aftenoon and evening, mixed with some snow (0.4 inch); breezy/windy (23 mph at noon, 1:00 PM, and 4:00 PM); High temp. 49 degrees F; Low temp. 33 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.48 inch (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy; breezy at times; High temp. 76 degrees F; Low temp. 47 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Total precipitation for Baltimore during April 1959 is 3.44 inches.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during April 1959 is 3.44 inches, above the normal amount of 3.39 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during April 1959 is 67.8 degrees F, above the normal of 66.5 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during April 1959 is 45.3 degrees F, above the normal of 43.6 degrees.

Prince Edward County, Virginia, is ordered by two courts to desegregate its public schools. The county refuses to do so, and instead it closes its public schools for 5 years. (The schools re-open on September 8, 1964.)

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, becoming clear; a light rain shower in the early morning; breezy/windy at times (21 mph at 6:00 PM); High temp. 70 degrees F; Low temp. 47 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.01 inch.

J. Harold Grady, a Democrat, is elected Mayor of Baltimore. He defeats his Republican challenger, Theodore McKeldin, 68.06 percent to 31.94 percent. McKeldin had been Mayor of Baltimore from 1943 to 1947.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy to mostly cloudy; breezy from late morning to early afternoon; High temp. 74 degrees F; Low temp. 45 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

A Capital Airlines passenger plane crashes in Chase, Maryland, killing all 31 people on board. The plane had taken off from New York City en route to Atlanta. While flying over Maryland at about 14,000 feet, the plane encounters severe turbulence from nearby thunderstorms at 4:13 PM. The pilots lose control of the plane and it begins a steep descent. The downward speed of the aircraft exceeds its "never exceed speed", and the stabilizers and right wing rip away from the plane, followed by disintegration of the left wing and part of the fuselage. The remainer of the fuselage crashes into the ground.

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy; a thunderstorm with heavy rain in late afternoon and early evening (25-mph wind gust at 5:00 PM); breezy from late morning until early evening; High temp. 91 degrees F; Low temp. 61 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.66 inch.

J. Harold Grady, a Democrat, takes office as mayor of Baltimore. He succeeds Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., a 3-term mayor who lost the Democratic primary election to Grady.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy to mostly cloudy; breezy/windy until evening (21 mph at 2:00 and 3:00 PM); High temp. 63 degrees F; Low temp. 42 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Nearly 5,000 Japanese-Americans have their U.S. citizenships restored after renouncing them during World War II.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy to cloudy; breezy at times; High temp. 87 degrees F; Low temp. 68 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

A rhesus monkey named Able and a squirrel monkey named Baker are placed in the nose cone of a Jupiter missile and launched by the U.S. Army for a suborbital flight. They ride to an altitude of 360 miles and cover a distance of 1,699 miles down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Both monkeys experience weightlessness for about 9 minutes, and both survive the flight, becoming the first primates to do so.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy; High temp. 90 degrees F; Low temp. 66 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Mostly cloudy, then cloudy; a heavy thundershower in mid-afternoon; breezy at times; High temp. 82 degrees F; Low temp. 64 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.56 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during May 1959 is 2.82 inches, below the normal amount of 3.85 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during May 1959 is 78.0 degrees F, above the normal of 75.5 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during May 1959 is 56.5 degrees F, above the normal of 53.3 degrees.

Hoyt Wilhem of the Orioles, while pitching in Chicago's Comiskey Park, is attacked by a swarm of gnats that are finally shooed away by fireworks.  The Orioles win the game, 3-2.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy; heavy rain from mid-afteroon to early evening; breezy/windy from late morning onward (21 mph at 8:00 PM); High temp. 70 degrees F; Low temp. 64 degrees F; Precipitation: 2.37 inches.

Pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm of the Orioles raises his season record to 9-0 as he defeats Kansas City, 3-0.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy; breezy at times until late afternoon; High temp. 84 degrees F; Low temp. 64 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Rocky Colavito of the Cleveland Indians hits four home runs in one game against the Orioles at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.  He almost hits a fifth one, but the long fly ball is caught near the fence.  He is only the eighth batter (up to this point) in Major League history to hit 4 home runs in one game. He is helped by winds blowing toward the outfield fence at 7 to 10 miles per hour. The Indians win, 11-8.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then partly cloudy; High temp. 92 degrees F; Low temp. 68 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 48 degrees F, the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any June 18th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy to cloudy, then clear; High temp. 70 degrees F; Low temp. 48 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The high temperature in Baltimore reaches 100 degrees F, a tie for the highest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any June 30th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871. This high temperature ties the 100 degrees F that was recorded in Baltimore on June 30, 1945.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then partly cloudy, then cloudy; a thunderstorm in late evening; High temp. 100 degrees F; Low temp. 70 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.35 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during June 1959 is 3.68 inches, below the normal amount of 3.98 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during June 1959 is 84.6 degrees F, above the normal of 84.4 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during June 1959 is 62.6 degrees F, equal to the normal of 62.6 degrees.

The 49-star U.S. flag is officially unfurled, recognizing statehood for Alaska. The U.S. officially has a 49-star flag for just one year, until July 4, 1960, when a 50-star flag is unfurled.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in the afternoon and evneing; High temp. 86 degrees F, Low temp. 60 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

In the first of two Major League Baseball All Star Games played in 1959, the National League defeats the American League 5-4. Eddie Mathews of the Milwaukee Braves hits a home run for the National League. Gus Triandos of the Orioles hits a two-run double and Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers hits a home run for the American League.The game is played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA, and the attendance is 35,277. (See August 3, 1959 for the second All Star Game played this year.)

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then clear most of the day; then partly cloudy; breezy in mid-to-late morning; High temp. 85 degrees F, Low temp. 61 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green debuts for the Boston Red Sox. He becomes the first African-American to play for the Red Sox, who are the last pre-expansion Major League Baseball team to integrate.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy; breezy at times in the evening, High temp. 88 degrees F, Low temp. 71 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants has 4 hits in 4 at-bats in his major-leage debut. His hits include two triples in a 7-2 win against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy; breezy in early evening; High temp. 91 degrees F; Low temp. 74 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then cloudy, then partly cloudy; a thunderstorm with heavy rain in the middle to late afternoon; High temp. 86 degrees F; Low temp. 72 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.42 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during July 1959 is 6.00 inches, above the normal amount of 4.48 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during July 1959 is 85.5 degrees F, below the normal of 88.8 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during July 1959 is 67.9 degrees F, above the normal of 67.7 degrees.

Bill Bruton of the Milwaukee Braves hits two triples in a game, both with the bases loaded, to lead the Braves to an 11-5 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a doubleheader.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then a few clouds, then clear; breezy until mid-afternoon; High temp. 78 degrees F; Low temp. 61 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

In the second Major League Baseball All Star Game of 1959, the American League defeats the National League 5-3. Yogi Berra, Rocky Colavito, and Frank Malzone all hit home runs for the American League; Frank Robinson and Jim Gilliam hit home runs for the National League. The game is played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California, and the attendance is 55,105. (The first MLB All Star Game of 1959 was played on July 7.)

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 55 degrees F, the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any August 3rd (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy; breezy in late afternoon; High temp. 82 degrees F; Low temp. 55 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

The first meeting of a new U.S. professional football league, to be named the American Football League about a week later, is held. Charter memberships are given to Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in late afternoon and early evening; High temp. 93 degrees F; Low temp. 70 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order making Hawaii the 50th U.S. state.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then becoming cloudy; breezy in late afternoion; High temp. 94 degrees F; Low temp. 68 degrees F.; Precipitation: None.

A new professional U.S. football league is officially named the American Football League. (This league proves to be much more successful than any of the three previous leagues also called American Football League. This league begins play on September 9, 1960.)

Baltimore weather: Clear, becoming cloudy; a thunderstorm in the early evening; breezy from late morning onward; High temp. 94 degrees F; Low temp. 75 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.44 inch.

Baltimore weather: Mostly cloudy to partly cloudy, then cloudy; light rain shower in mid-morning, then a heavier shower in late afternoon and a shower in early evening; breezy/windy at times (24 mph at 4:00 PM); High temp. 82 degrees F; Low temp. 71 degrees F.; Precipitation: 0.22 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during August 1959 is 4.39 inches, above the normal amount of 4.09 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during August 1959 is 86.3 degrees F, below the normal of 86.5 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during August 1959 is 68.5 degrees F, above the normal of 65.8 degrees.

Elvis Presley first meets his future wife, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, when he is stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. (They were married from 1967 to 1973.)

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy at times in the morning and afternoon; High temp. 77 degrees F; Low temp. 50 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles lose to the Detroit Tigers in Baltimore, 2-1.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly cloudy, then clear, then cloudy; breezy at times until evening; High temp. 82 degrees F; Low temp. 56 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

In their final home game of 1959, the Orioles lose to the Detroit Tigers, 3-1.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then cloudy; light rian late in the evening; breezy/windy most of the day; High temp. 67 degrees F; Low temp. 50 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.04 inch.

The Orioles have the day off.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy, then cloudy; a light rain shower after midnight; High temp. 63 degrees F; Low temp. 45 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.01 inch.

In Washington, D.C.,, the Senators defeat the Orioles, 5-3.

Baltimore weather: Partly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy from late morning to evening; High temp. 67 degrees F; Low temp. 43 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles win against the Senators, 5-3 (same score as the previous day, but the teams are swapped).

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 42 degrees F, the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any September 19th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then becoming cloudy in the evening; breezy at times in the morning; High temp. 66 degrees F; Low temp. 42 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles lose to the Senators, 5-0.

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 42 degrees F, a tie for the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any September 20th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871. This low temperature ties the 42 degrees F that was recorded in Baltimore on September 20, 1956.

Baltimore weather: Mostly cloudy to cloudy, becoming clear; breezy at times in the afternoon; High temp. 74 degrees F; Low temp. 42 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles have the day off.

Baltimore weather: Clear; breezy at times in the afternoon and evening; High temp. 82 degrees F; Low temp. 51 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

In Boston, the Orioles lose to the Red Sox, 4-3.

Baltimore weather: Clear; becoming partly cloudy in the evening, then clear; breezy at times; High temp. 87 degrees F; Low temp. 57 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles lose again to the Red Sox, this time by a score of 4-0.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy, then clear; breezy in mid-evening; High temp. 90 degrees F; Low temp. 61 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Orioles have the day off.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then clear, then mostly cloudy, then clear; High temp. 91 degrees F; Low temp. 56 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Yankees defeat the Orioles 5-2 in New York.

Baltimore weather: Clear; breezy from mid-morning to early evening; High temp. 81 degrees F; Low temp. 64 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

At New York, the Orioles defeat the Yankees, 7-2.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then clear, then mostly cloudy; light rain; breezy in late evening; High temp. 75 degrees F; Low temp. 64 degrees F; Precipitation: Trace.

In their final game of the 1959 season, the Orioles defeat the Yankees at New York, 3-1. Barry Shetrone goes 3-for-4 for the Orioles; Brooks Robinson goes 2-for-4. Billy O'Dell pitches a complete game for the Orioles, striking out 10 Yankee batters, and raises his season win-loss record to 10-12. The Orioles finish 74-80 in 1959, in sixth place in the American League (out of 10 teams).

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then clear; breezy in the afternoon and evening; High temp. 83 degrees F; Low temp. 66 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Braves 3-2 in the first game of a best-of-three playoff series.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then cloudy, then partly cloudy, then cloudy; a light rain shower in the late evening; breezy in late afternoon and early vening; High temp. 84 degrees F; Low temp. 66 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.04 inch.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Braves 6-5 in 12 innings, in the second and final game of a best-of-3 playoff series. The Dodgers go on to the World Series.

The final 1959 Major League Baseball standings are:

American League final standings

National League final standings

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, then mostly cloudy, then cloudy; rain showers from mid-morning to mid-afternoon; breezy/windy until evening (23 mph at 3:00 PM); High temp. 81 degrees F; Low temp. 71 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.27 inch.

Baltimore weather: Partly to mostly cloudy, then cloudy; light rain late in the evening; breezy/windy (30 mph at 11:00 PM); High temp. 80 degrees F; Low temp. 70 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.07 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during September 1959 is 0.82 of an inch, well below the normal amount of 4.44 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during September 1959 is 80.9 degrees F, above the normal of 79.7 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during September 1959 is 60.5 degrees F, above the normal of 58.8 degrees.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy, then cloudy; High temp. 57 degrees F; Low temp. 34 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy most of the day, then mostly cloudy to cloudy; light rain in the late morning; breezy in the afternoon and evening; High temp. 60 degrees F; Low temp. 51 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.04 inch.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during October 1959 is 4.16 inches, above the normal amount of 3.94 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during October 1958 is 68.3 degrees F, equal to the normal of 68.3 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during October 1959 is 50.5 degrees F, above the normal of 46.5 degrees.

The low temperature in Baltimore reaches 20 degrees F, the lowest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any November 18th (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather: Variably cloudy; breezy through early afternoon; High temp. 31 degrees F; Low temp. 20 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

Baltimore weather: Clear, then partly to mostly cloudy, then clear, then cloudy; breezy/windy much of the day (21 mph at 11:00 AM, noon, and 5:00 PM); High temp. 44 degrees F; Low temp. 23 degrees F; Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during November 1959 is 2.12 inches, below the normal amount of 3.13 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during November 1959 is 54.4 degrees F, below the normal of 57.3 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during November 1959 is 34.6 degrees F, below the normal of 36.5 degrees. No snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport during November 1959, below the normal amount of 0.1 of an inch.

Snow falls at Baltimore's weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport for the first time this snow season.

Baltimore weather: Mostly cloudy with snow flurries, then partly cloudy, then clear; High temp. 49 degrees F; Low temp. 30 degrees F; Precipitation: Trace (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

U.S. economic growth is positive during all of 1959, but the growth rate is considerably smaller in the second half of the year than in the first half.  The U.S. Gross National Product rises more than 4 percent in 1959.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy with light rain and a trace of snow, becoming clear; breezy in the afternoon; High temp. 40 degrees F; Low temp. 27 degrees F; Precipitation: 0.01 inch (liquid).  No snow on the ground.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during December 1959 is 3.57 inches, including melted snow and ice, below the normal amount of 3.71 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during December 1959 is 47.2 degrees F, below the normal of 47.5 degrees. The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during December 1959 is 30.7 degrees F, above the normal of 29.6 degrees. A total of 1.5 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at Friendship (now BWI) Airport during December 1959, below the normal amount of 2.5 inches.

Total precipitation for Baltimore in 1959 is 37.93 inches, which is 4.62 inches below the normal amount of 42.55 inches.