At A Glance

13 August 1954 at a glance

Day of the week
13 August 1954 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Cara Mia” by David Whitfield with Mantovani and his Orchestra.
Top Film of 1954
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1954 was Rear Window.
Star sign
The star sign for 13 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 13 August 1954 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 13 August 1954 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 13 August

  • 1942 Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project.
  • 1944 World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5.
  • 1954 Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time.
  • 1960 The Central African Republic declares independence from France.
  • 1961 Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.

Famous people born on 13 August

  • Sebastian Stan, Romanian-American actor (born 1982)
  • Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (1899–1980)
  • Fidel Castro, Cuban lawyer and politician, ex-President of Cuba (1926–2016)
  • Sridevi, Indian actress (1963–2018)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1954 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1954 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 25 January – First broadcast of Dylan Thomas's radio play Under Milk Wood, two months after its author's death, with Richard Burton as 'First Voice', on the BBC Third Programme.
  • 23 March – The film Doctor in the House is released.
  • 2 April – BBC Television broadcasts the first episode of The Grove Family, the first British TV soap opera.

Life in 1954

Prime Minister

Winston Churchill

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

8p

Loaf of Bread

5p

Average House

£1,975

Weekly Wage

£9.50

Or

Browse by Year

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)

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 →