Review: January – March, 1959
FIDEL CASTRO IN POWER: Havana, January 2 – After the dramatic and unexpected overthrow of the Cuban dictator Batista, who has fled the country with his family and associates, thousands of bearded revolutionaries marched through the streets of Havana today ahead of the expected arrival of their leader, Fidel Castro, amid wild expressions of joy on the part of men, women and children. DE GAULLE BECOMES FRENCH PRESIDENT: Paris, January 8 – General Charles de Gaulle was sworn in this morning as the first president of the Fifth French Republic. Later, Michel Debre, an avid nationalist and a follower of de Gaulle for many years, was sworn in as prime minister. END OF OKA SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS: The government yesterday announced a new series of measures to modernize the national economy. This includes the adoption, as of April 1, of the metric system of measurement (instead of the current Ottoman measurement system based on the «oka»). MAKARIOS: Nicosia, March 27 – Church bells are to ring continuously and Greek flags will be flown on March 1 when Archbishop Makarios returns from exile to Cyprus.
