At A Glance

11 May 1981 at a glance

Day of the week
11 May 1981 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Stand and Deliver” by Adam and the Ants.
Top Film of 1981
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Star sign
The star sign for 11 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 11 May 1981 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 11 May 1981 was First Quarter.

On this day: 11 May

  • 1973 Citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg's charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times are dismissed.
  • 1987 Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
  • 1997 Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.
  • 1998 India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran.
  • 2000 Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.

Famous people born on 11 May

  • Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress (born 1999)
  • Natasha Richardson, English actress (1963–2009)
  • Lana Condor, American actress (born 1997)
  • Richard Feynman, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (1918–1988)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1980s

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 →