At A Glance

17 May 1951 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 1951 was a Thursday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Bonaparte's Retreat” recorded by Pee Wee King and Gene Krupa 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 1951
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1951 was Quo Vadis.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 1951 fell in the Year of the Rabbit.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 1951 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1939 The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
  • 1940 World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
  • 1943 World War II: Dambuster Raids commence by No. 617 Squadron RAF.
  • 1954 The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
  • 1959 In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – is signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to eliminate large foreign-owned estates and redistribute land to over 100,000 peasants.

Famous people born on 17 May

  • Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1973)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor and director (1955–2017)
  • Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (1936–2010)
  • Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (1956–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1951 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1951 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – The 50th anniversary of Australian federation is celebrated.
  • 9 March – The High Court of Australia rules in the case Australian Communist Party v Commonwealth that the Communist Party Dissolution Bill 1950, passed by the parliament to ban the Communist Party of Australia, was unconstitutional.
  • 12 April – Conscription begins as the first call-up notice is issued under the National Service Act (1951), requiring Australian 18-year-old males to undergo compulsory military training.

Life in Australia in 1951

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

King George VI

Petrol (per litre)

$0.03

Loaf of Bread

$0.09

Average House

$3,300

Weekly Wage

$8.50

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

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

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

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