Week of January 1, 1959

Nelson Rockefeller is sworn-in as governor of New York, as is Edmund G. Brown

in California.

Cuba - The Batista dictatorship is

no more and Fidel Castro’s rebels

are in control of the Island. His men

have control of Havana, where

fighting leaves almost 50 dead.

American firms with investments in

Cuba are calm and believe their

holdings are safe. IT&T has about a

$30 million investment in the Cuban

Telephone Company… Hilton

International says the firm’s new

plush $24 million Havana Hilton had

suffered no damage and none was

expected… American & Foreign

Power Co., which as a $300 million stake in the Cuban Electric Co. believes

there is no damage to that property and they do not expect the property to be

nationalized.

Space Race - Russia fires a rocket towards the moon! Russia says the flight is

going smoothly.

Soviet Russian announces its 1 ½ ton cosmic rocket passed the moon on its

route toward an orbit around the sun.

Manuel Urrutia takes the oath of office as Cuba’s

provisional president and names rebel hero Fidel Castro as

head of the nation’s armed forces.

President Eisenhower signs the Proclamation of Alaska

Statehood and unfurls the new U.S. Flag with 49 stars,

which will become the official national emblem July 4.

President Eisenhower congratulates Soviet Russia on its

successful launching of a space rocket: “The successful

launching as announced by the Soviets of a vehicle designed to pass near the

moon represents a great stride forward in man’s advance into the infinite reaches

Week of January 1, 1959

of outer space. To the scientists and engineers assigned to the undertaking a full

measure of credit is due and we congratulate them on this achievement.”

The United States learned of the Soviet space rocket launching when a tracking

station picked up a radio signal “apparently from an unidentified space vehicle.”

No more lush casinos in Havana -

The Castro regime is apparently

shutting down the giant multi-million

dollar gambling industry that made

Havana the Las Vegas of the

Caribbean. Sledgehammers wielded

by jubilant rebels, smashed hundreds

of slot machines, dice, roulette,

blackjack and other gaming tables

and equipment in at least 6 of the

industry’s 13 plush Havana casinos.

Some of the joints were operated by U.S. racketeers, who believe they can re-

build. But bulletins (for months) from Castro’s military headquarters have

declared the vast gambling enterprises would be broken up once rebels took

over. Castro believes that gambling took away from, rather than contributed to,

the nation’s economy. They believe gambling destroyed the morale of Cubans. It

made Cuban’s poorer and Americans richer.

First interview - Fidel Castro tells the

Chicago Tribune’s Jules Dubois that restoring

peace in Cuba is his immediate goal. Castro

said it is necessary for him to consolidate the

military situation throughout the island. This

he is doing while en route to Havana. In each

city he visits - in all of them, he is being

wildly acclaimed. He makes certain that all

weapons held by Batista forces are delivered

unconditionally to his troops.

The revolutionary government dissolves congress and announces it will rule

Cuba by decree for at least 18 months when new elections are planned. The

government suspended all criminal courts, regarded as a symbol of the fallen

dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

Week of January 1, 1959

Controlling interest in the Chicago Daily News is sold to Field Enterprises. Field

is headed by Marshall Field Jr. and also publishes the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sports - Red Schoendienst , the second baseman of the

Milwaukee Braves, vows he will play baseball again despite

tuberculosis which has hospitalized him almost two months.

Entertainment - Marie Torre, television columnist for the New

York Herald tribune, begins a 10-day jail term for refusing to tell

a judge the source of an item about Judy Garland. The case

stemmed from a $1.393 suite filed by Ms. Garland against CBS, charging libel

and breach of contract.

Mike Wallace, who has been off the air for a few months, will be heard on Mutual

Radio’s “The World Today,’ a news round-up broadcast heard early evenings.

He’s still under contract to ABC, who gave him permission.

Actress Inger Stevens (24) is found unconscious in

her Gramercy Park (New York) with a partly empty

ammonia bottle nearby. Her condition is serious.

In Rome - Italian actress Sophia Loren and he

husband Carlo Ponti, are legally denounced for bigamy.

Ms Loren and Ponti were married in a proxy ceremony

in Ciudad, Juarez, Mexico on September 17, 1957.

Under Italian law, Ponti is still married to an Italian

woman. He obtained a Mexican divorce from his wife,

but such a divorces are not recognized by Italy. The

denunciation means that the couple could be arrested and tried on criminal

charges of bigamy if they return to Italy. They also could be tried in Absentia.

Alex Guinness becomes Sir Alex Guinness in a New Year’s

honors list announced by Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen

bestowed awards on more than 2000 persons.

In Havana - Errol Flynn, nursing a wound he called a scratch,

says he campaigned with rebel leader Fidel Castro in a real life

episode of his swashbuckling film career. Flynn told reporters

he had shared hardship and dangers with Castro’s forces since

Christmas Day, because “all my life I’ve wanted to see what

makes an idealist tick.” He said he found Castro “one of those men who come

along occasionally in human history and fight for ideals.”

Week of January 1, 1959

Leave It To Beaver - Beaver is talked into spending money on himself that was

supposed to be a gift.

Zorro - Knowing he can win the girl he loves by revealing his identity, Zorro

decides to call it quits.

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Danny Thomas

guests.

Playhouse 90 - “Face of a Hero” - Story of a

young prosecuting attorney who strives to

attain an impossible goal. Stars Jack

Lemmon, James Gregory, Rip Torn, Henry

Hull.

Jack Paar - Cliff Arquette and John Connell

guest.

Don’t miss Donna Reed on Wednesday night!