At A Glance

18 August 1957 at a glance

Day of the week
18 August 1957 was a Sunday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“A White Sport Coat” by Marty Robbins 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 1957
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1957 was The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Star sign
The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1957 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 August 1957 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 18 August

  • 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.
  • 1965 Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.

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)

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

Events of 1957 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1957 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 19 January – The last edition of The Argus newspaper is published.
  • 19 January – GTV-9 television station is officially opened in Melbourne.
  • 27 August – The Democratic Labor Party DLP votes at its national conference to reject the White Australia policy. Becoming the largest party in Australia to oppose the policy at that time.

Life in Australia in 1957

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.04

Loaf of Bread

$0.11

Average House

$4,800

Weekly Wage

$12.00

Or

Browse by Year

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →