UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
17 August 1968 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 17 August 1968 was a Saturday.
- Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
- “The Orange and the Green / Whiskey on a Sunday” by The Irish Rovers was No. 1 on David Kent's retrospective Australian chart. This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.
- Top Film of 1968
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1968 was 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1968 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 17 August 1968 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 17 August
- 1958 Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country.
- 1959 Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.
- 1970 Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
- 1977 The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
- 1978 Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
Famous people born on 17 August
- Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer (born 1943)
- Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter (born 1994)
- Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist (born 1960)
- Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation (born 1944)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1968 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1968 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 31 January – The Australian-administered United Nations trust territory of Nauru became independent, in accordance with the provisions of the Nauru Independence Act 1967.
- 17 April – A state election is held in South Australia. Steele Hall (Liberal and Country League) defeats Don Dunstan (ALP), and becomes Premier of South Australia.
- 1 May – The Duke of Edinburgh arrives in Australia for a ten-day visit.
Life in Australia in 1968
Prime Minister
John Gorton
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.06
Loaf of Bread
$0.17
Average House
$9,000
Weekly Wage
$40.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1960s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Nicole Kidman20 June 1967Actress & producerView their day →Hugh Jackman12 October 1968Actor & singerView their day →Simon Baker30 July 1969Actor & directorView their day →Steve Irwin22 February 1962Zookeeper & conservationistView their day →Kylie Minogue28 May 1968Singer & actressView their day →Cate Blanchett14 May 1969Actor & producerView their day →Guy Pearce5 October 1967ActorView their day →Eric Bana9 August 1968ActorView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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