At A Glance

17 August 1957 at a glance

Day of the week
17 August 1957 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley.
Top Film of 1957
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1957 was The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1957 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 August 1957 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 17 August

  • 1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
  • 1947 The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed.
  • 1953 First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous takes place, in Southern California.
  • 1958 Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country.
  • 1959 Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.

Famous people born on 17 August

  • Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer (born 1943)
  • Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter (born 1994)
  • Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist (born 1960)
  • Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation (born 1944)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1957 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1957 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 16 January – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool as a jazz club.
  • 6 March – The Northern Territories protectorate and British Togoland are annexed to the Crown, which territories together with Ashanti and Gold Coast become Ghana which is independent of the United Kingdom.
  • 2 May – The Hammer Film Productions' The Curse of Frankenstein is released.

Life in 1957

Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

9p

Loaf of Bread

6p

Average House

£2,249

Weekly Wage

£11.65

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 →