At A Glance

19 August 1955 at a glance

Day of the week
19 August 1955 was a Friday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” recorded by Les Baxter and Perez Prado 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 1955
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1955 was Lady and the Tramp.
Star sign
The star sign for 19 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 19 August 1955 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 19 August 1955 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 19 August

  • 1953 Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
  • 1960 Cold War: In Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, downed American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Soviet Union for espionage.
  • 1960 Sputnik program: Korabl-Sputnik 2: The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants.
  • 1964 Syncom 3, the first geostationary communication satellite, is launched. Two months later, it would enable live coverage of the 1964 Summer Olympics.
  • 1965 Japanese prime minister Eisaku Satō becomes the first post-World War II sitting prime minister to visit Okinawa Prefecture.

Famous people born on 19 August

  • Bill Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, 42nd President of the United States (born 1946)
  • Kirk Cousins, American football player (born 1988)
  • Matthew Perry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (1969–2023)
  • Kyra Sedgwick, American actress and producer (born 1965)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1955 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1955 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – A cyclone hits Roebourne, Western Australia causing extensive damage.
  • 1 February – For the first time since 1916, hotel bars in New South Wales are permitted to stay open until 10pm marking the end of early closing hours in the state.
  • 19 April – Australian Labor Party split of 1955. Expelled members form the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), predecessor of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).

Life in Australia in 1955

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.03

Loaf of Bread

$0.11

Average House

$4,200

Weekly Wage

$11.00

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.

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

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