At A Glance

20 May 1974 at a glance

Day of the week
20 May 1974 was a Monday.
Kent Music Report No. 1
The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks.
Top Film of 1974
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1974 was The Towering Inferno.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 May 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 May 1974 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 20 May

  • 1964 Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
  • 1967 The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 1969 The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
  • 1980 In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, with 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
  • 1983 First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by a team of French scientists including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Jean-Claude Chermann, and Luc Montagnier.

Famous people born on 20 May

  • Enes Kanter Freedom, Turkish basketball player (born 1992)
  • Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author (born 1964)
  • Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (born 1946)
  • Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer (born 1968)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1974 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1974 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 24 January – Cyclone Wanda makes landfall near Double Island Point. Large parts of South East Queensland, particularly Brisbane, and northern New South Wales are flooded.
  • 26 February – Mungo Man, a human skeleton estimated to be 40,000 years old, uncovered at Lake Mungo
  • 25 March – The Liberal Party led by Charles Court wins the 1974 Western Australian state election.
More events of 1974 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Australia in 1974

Prime Minister

Gough Whitlam

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.09

Loaf of Bread

$0.31

Average House

$22,000

Weekly Wage

$110.00

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Heath Ledger4 April 1979ActorView their day →Patrick Brammall30 March 1976ActorView their day →Rose Byrne24 July 1979ActressView their day →Isla Fisher3 February 1976Actress & authorView their day →Sam Worthington2 August 1976ActorView their day →Toni Collette1 November 1972Actress & musicianView their day →Joel Edgerton23 June 1974ActorView their day →Natalie Imbruglia4 February 1975Singer & actressView their day →

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 →