At A Glance

17 May 1980 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 1980 was a Saturday.
Kent Music Report No. 1
The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “I Got You” by Split Enz.
Top Film of 1980
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back.
Best-Selling Vehicle of 1980
Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1980 was the Holden Commodore.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 1980 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 1980 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1977 Nolan Bushnell opens the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California.
  • 1980 General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
  • 1980 On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
  • 1983 The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.
  • 1983 Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

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 1980 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1980 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 9 January – Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser announces sanctions against the Soviet Union following its invasion of Afghanistan.
  • 23 February – The 1980 Western Australian state election takes place and the Liberal/National coalition government of Sir Charles Court is re-elected.
  • 1 March – The federal executive of the Australian Labor Party decides to intervene in the Queensland branch, with most key office-holders replaced.

Life in Australia in 1980

Prime Minister

Malcolm Fraser

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.30

Loaf of Bread

$0.60

Average House

$45,000

Weekly Wage

$225.00

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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s

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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