At A Glance

20 January 1973 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 1973 was a Saturday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Ben” by Michael Jackson 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 1973
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1973 was The Exorcist.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1973 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 1973 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1972 Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
  • 1974 China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam.
  • 1986 In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
  • 1986 Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya.
  • 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Famous people born on 20 January

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1973 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1973 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 10 February – Australia's first casino, the Wrest Point Hotel Casino, opens in Hobart
  • 28 February – The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18. The state of New South Wales had already enacted such a change in 1970.
  • 2 March – Wellington Street bus station in Perth is opened by Western Australia's premier John Tonkin

Life in Australia in 1973

Prime Minister

Gough Whitlam

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.08

Loaf of Bread

$0.27

Average House

$18,500

Weekly Wage

$90.00

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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 →