Americans that year
1959 figure178 million Americans
as of July 1, 1959 (U.S. Census Bureau)
US Census Bureau
Includes service members overseas.
US Census Bureau, 1959 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Born in 1959
America in 1959
In 1959, about 178 million people lived in the United States, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president.
A dollar from 1959 buys what $11.58 buys today, by consumer prices.
The Born Story shows the world on the day you were born — enter a birthday to see the weather, prices, and headlines of that day.
How many people lived in the U.S. in 1959?
How much did things cost in 1959?
A dollar then
1959 average$11.58 today
By consumer prices, 1959 average vs. Sept. 2026 (BLS CPI-U).
| First-class stampall of 1959 | 4¢ |
BLS · USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863
Prices in the table are as charged then, not adjusted for inflation.
BLS, 1959 · Source (opens in a new tab)
USPS Historian — Rates for Domestic Letters Since 1863, 1959 · Source (opens in a new tab)
How long were people expected to live in 1959?
Life expectancy at birth
1959 figure69.9 years
U.S. life expectancy at birth, 1959 (NCHS)
CDC/NCHS
All races, both sexes. A snapshot of that year’s death rates, not a forecast for any one person.
CDC/NCHS, 1959 · Source (opens in a new tab)
Who was president in 1959?
In the White House
1959Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President of the United States
US House Office of the Historian
US House Office of the Historian, 1959 · Source (opens in a new tab)
A birthday poster from 1959
Someone born in 1959 gets a poster of their own day: the weather where they were born, the Moon that night, and what the world looked like, with every fact sourced.
Make one for a 1959 birthdaySee the day you were born in 1959
The weather that day, the Moon that night, and your hometown, each with its source.