Date in year · 1959 · The 1950s
On November 2, 1959, quiz show scandals: Twenty-One game show contestant Charles Van Doren admits to a Congressional committee that he had been given questions and answers in advance. The year's #1 song was "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton. John Middendorf, Susan Faludi, Perry Haddock would arrive in the same year.
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Year
1959
1950s
Featured · November 2, 1959
From 1956 to 1958, numerous quiz shows airing on CBS and NBC, two of the three American TV networks at the time, were revealed to have prearranged outcomes, such as certain contestants winning after being given the answers before filming by producers. These shows had claimed to be objective and fair competitions, and often involved high-stakes money rewards. These revelations shocked the public, and led to numerous changes in television, which was a new and growing medium.
Around 1959
1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1959th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 959th year of the 2nd millennium, the 59th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1950s decade.
What happened
Secret collusion between contestants and producers
From 1956 to 1958, numerous quiz shows airing on CBS and NBC, two of the three American TV networks at the time, were revealed to have prearranged outcomes, such as certain contestants winning after being given the answers before filming by producers. These shows had claimed to be objective and fair competitions, and often involved high-stakes money rewards. These revelations shocked the public, and led to numerous changes in television, which was a new and growing medium.
First inter-urban motorway in the UK
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston Bypass, which later became part of the M6.
Elsewhere that year
The class of 1959
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