UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
17 August 1979 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 17 August 1979 was a Friday.
- Kent Music Report No. 1
- The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “Some Girls” by Racey.
- Top Film of 1979
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 1979
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1979 was the Holden Commodore.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 17 August 1979 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 17 August
- 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.
- 1985 The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
- 1998 Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
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)
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Events of 1979 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 9 January – Deputy Prime Minister Doug Anthony signs a pact to allow uranium mining to begin at the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory.
- 9 February – Associated Securities Limited, Australia's fourth-largest finance company, is placed into receivership.
- 9 March – The Arbitration Commission awards Australian women the right to six weeks' compulsory unpaid maternity leave with the option of extending the leave to one year.
Life in Australia in 1979
Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.13
Loaf of Bread
$0.54
Average House
$40,000
Weekly Wage
$200.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Heath Ledger4 April 1979ActorView their day →Patrick Brammall30 March 1976ActorView their day →Rose Byrne24 July 1979ActressView their day →Isla Fisher3 February 1976Actress & authorView their day →Sam Worthington2 August 1976ActorView their day →Toni Collette1 November 1972Actress & musicianView their day →Joel Edgerton23 June 1974ActorView their day →Natalie Imbruglia4 February 1975Singer & actressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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