UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
1 January 1981 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 1 January 1981 was a Thursday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “There's No One Quite Like Grandma” by St Winifred's School Choir.
- Top Film of 1981
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 1 January is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 1 January 1981 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for January is Garnet.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 1 January 1981 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 1 January
- 1979 the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and Taiwan Relations Act enter into force. Through the Communiqué, the United States establishes normal diplomatic relations with China. Through the Act, the United States guarantees military support for Taiwan.
- 1981 Greece is admitted into the European Community.
- 1982 Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- 1983 The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet.
- 1984 The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
Famous people born on 1 January
- Noah Kahan, American singer-songwriter (born 1997)
- J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1895–1972)
- Angourie Rice, Australian actress (born 2001)
- Lamine Camara, Senegalese footballer (born 2004)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1981 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1981 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 30 March – Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire released.
- 4 April – Bucks Fizz representing the United Kingdom win the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Making Your Mind Up.
- 10 April – Bobby Sands, an IRA member on hunger strike in the Maze prison, Northern Ireland, is elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by election.
Life in 1981
Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
50p
Loaf of Bread
37p
Average House
£24,188
Weekly Wage
£135.00
Or
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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Theo James16 December 1984Actor & musicianView their day →Pac22 August 1986WrestlerView their day →Robert Pattinson13 May 1986Actor & film producerView their day →Andrew Garfield20 August 1983ActorView their day →Charlie Hunnam10 April 1980ActorView their day →Juno Temple21 July 1989ActressView their day →Rebecca Hall3 May 1982Actress & filmmakerView their day →Lewis Hamilton7 January 1985Racing driverView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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