At A Glance

18 August 1954 at a glance

Day of the week
18 August 1954 was a Wednesday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“The Happy Wanderer” recorded by Frank Weir and Obernkirchen Children's Choir 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 1954
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1954 was Rear Window.
Star sign
The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1954 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 August 1954 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 18 August

  • 1945 Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day.
  • 1949 Kemi strike: Two protesters die in the scuffle between the police and the strikers' protest procession in Kemi, Finland.
  • 1958 Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.
  • 1958 Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among the 39 competitors.
  • 1963 Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

Famous people born on 18 August

  • Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
  • Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
  • Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
  • Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1954 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1954 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 3 February – Elizabeth II arrives in Sydney on her first visit as monarch
  • 13 February – Mawson Station in the Australian Antarctic Territory is established
  • 1 March – Adelaide and large parts of southern South Australia are shaken by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, resulting in the injuries of 16 people, and a damage bill of £17 million (2017: $578 million).
More events of 1954 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Australia in 1954

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.03

Loaf of Bread

$0.10

Average House

$4,000

Weekly Wage

$10.00

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.

Angus Young31 March 1955GuitaristView their day →Nick Cave22 September 1957Musician & singerView their day →Pauline Hanson27 May 1954PoliticianView their day →Geoffrey Rush6 July 1951ActorView their day →Deborra-Lee Furness30 November 1955ActressView their day →Chrissy Amphlett25 October 1959SingerView their day →Judy Davis23 April 1955ActressView their day →Malcolm Young6 January 1953GuitaristView their day →

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

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