At A Glance

17 December 2001 at a glance

Day of the week
17 December 2001 was a Monday.
ARIA No. 1
The ARIA No. 1 was “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm.
Top Film of 2001
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2001 was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Best-Selling Vehicle of 2001
Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 2001 was the Holden Commodore.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 December 2001 fell in the Year of the Snake.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 December 2001 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 17 December

  • 1989 Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.
  • 2002 Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
  • 2003 SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.
  • 2005 Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.
  • 2010 Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

Famous people born on 17 December

  • Sarah Paulson, American actress (born 1974)
  • Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress (born 1975)
  • Bill Pullman, American actor (born 1953)
  • Pope Francis, Argentinian Pope of the Catholic Church (1936–2025)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 2001 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '2001 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – A ceremony at Uluru (Ayers Rock) and a parade in Sydney kick off a year of celebrations to mark the centenary of federation.
  • 10 February – In Western Australia, the Liberal/National coalition government of Richard Court is voted out and replaced by the Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Geoff Gallop.
  • 17 March – Labor candidate Leonie Short wins the Ryan by-election in Queensland, defeating Liberal candidate, Bob Tucker.
More events of 2001 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Australia in 2001

Prime Minister

John Howard

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.88

Loaf of Bread

$2.10

Average House

$190,000

Weekly Wage

$855.00

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Milly Alcock11 April 2000ActressView their day →Joseph Zada21 July 2005ActorView their day →Robert Irwin1 December 2003Conservationist & wildlife photographerView their day →Teagan Croft23 April 2004ActressView their day →Angourie Rice1 January 2001ActressView their day →Catherine Laga'aia17 December 2006Actress & singerView their day →Oscar Piastri6 April 2001Racing driverView their day →Felix15 September 2000Rapper & singerView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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