1959 in Cuba

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2015)

List of events

←

1959
in
Cuba

→

Decades:

Incumbents

President:
- until January 1: Fulgencio Batista
- January 1-January 2: Anselmo Alliegro y Milá
- January 2-January 3: Carlos Manuel Piedra
- January 3-July 18: Manuel Urrutia Lleó
- starting July 18: Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Prime Minister:
- until January 1: Gonzalo Güell
- January 1-February 13: José Miró Cardona
- February 13-February 16: vacant
- starting February 16: Fidel Castro

January 1 - President Fulgencio Batista fled to the Dominican Republic as the forces of Fidel Castro closed in. Before leaving, Batista named Judge Carlos Manuel Piedra as provisional president. Piedra ordered a cease-fire moments after taking office.^[1] At 10:00 pm, the ships F.M. Robinson, Jack W. Wilke and the Peterson were directed to sail to Cuba to evacuate Americans if necessary.^[2]
January 2 - As Castro's rebel forces rolled into Havana, the 32-year-old leader named Dr. Manuel Urrutia Lleo as President of Cuba.^[3]
January 7 - Cuba's new government announced the first executions of former officials of Fulgencio Batista. Ten officers were executed at Santiago including Col. Arcadio Casillas, who oversaw Santiago.^[4] The same day, the United States recognized the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.^[5]
January 8 - Fidel Castro was greeted by cheering crowds as he made a triumphant entry into Havana.^[6]
January 12 - In the largest mass execution of former officials since Castro's victory, Cuban communists shot 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista over a seven-hour period, then buried them in a mass grave.^[7]

^ "Batista Flees Cuba; Govt. Calls Ceasefire", Oakland Tribune, January 1, 1959, p1
^ "U.S. Warships in Standby Off Cuba", Oakland Tribune, January 2, 1959, p1
^ "Tanks Battle Batista Men In Downtown Havana", Oakland Tribune, January 2, 1959, p1
^ "10 Officers of Batista Army Slain ", Oakland Tribune, January 7, 1959, p1
^ p155
^ "Throngs Hail Castro Entry", Oakland Tribune, January 8, 1959, p1
^ "Cuba Rebels Shoot 71 at Mass Grave", Oakland Tribune, January 12, 1959, p1

Years in Cuba (1741–present)

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

v t e 1959 in North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands