1959

Events

February

• February 11: The Treaty of Zurich is initialed, granting independence to Cyprus.
• February 19: The Treaty of London is signed granting independence to Cyprus.
• February 22: The British release all political prisoners in Cyprus.
• February 28: The Greek Parliament rejects by 170 to 117 the move to censure PM Constantine Karamanlis over his signing the Zurich and London agreements. ERE MPs applaud the result while Sophoklis Venizelos walks out of the chamber after he shouts "Long live Enosis!".

March

• March 13: EOKA general Georgios Grivas-Digenis declares the cessation of all hostilities against the British.

May

• May 7: PM Constantine Karamanlis pays an official visit to Turkey.

June

• June 4: Greece rejects a Soviet note urging that no missile bases be established on Greek soil.
• June 7: The first elafro music festival in Greece, organized by the National Institute of Radio (Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ραδιοφωνίας - EIR)
• June 28: PROPO includes a 13th game

September

• September 6: Andreas Papandreou returns to Greece after a long absence in the United States.

October

• October 7: Archbishop Makarios III and Georgios Grivas meet in Rhodes and sign a cooperation agreement.
• October 25: Greek Football A Division championship league is officially born
• October 28: The electricity plant of Ptolemaida begins its operations
• October 29: An Olympic Airways Douglas Aircraft Company DC-3 crashes near Athens. All 18 passengers and crew members perish.

November

• November 5: The last German war criminal being held in Greece is released from prison and deported to W. Germany.
• November 15: A strong earthquake (6.8 on the Richter scale) strikes Zakynthos and the surrounding area.
• November 17: The Democratic Union of Cyprus is founded as an alternative to Archbishop Makarios III.

December

• December 13: Archbishop Makarios III is elected first President of the Republic of Cyprus, receiving 66.29% of the vote against 32.92% of Ioannis Clerides
• December 14: US President Dwight D. Eisenhower visits Athens.
• December 21: The expedition of a permanent Greek force in Cyprus is decided. This force would come to be known as ELDYK.

Births

January

• January 1: Panagiotis Giannakis, basketball player and coach.
• January 24: Neocles Silikiotis, Cypriot politician

April

• April 29: Trond Sollied, former coach of Olympiakos

June

• June 17: Nikos Stavropoulos, basketball player.

Deaths

September

• September 10: Elena Venizelou, widow of Eleftherios Venizelos

October

• October 23: Giorgos Bouzianis, painter.