At A Glance

17 August 1985 at a glance

Day of the week
17 August 1985 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Into the Groove” by Madonna.
Top Film of 1985
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1985 was Back to the Future.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1985 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 August 1985 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 17 August

  • 1970 Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
  • 1977 The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
  • 1978 Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
  • 1985 The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
  • 1998 Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

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 1985 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1985 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 19 February – EastEnders, the BBC One soap opera set in the fictional London Borough of Walford, debuts.
  • 13 May – The Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms is released; it becomes the first compact disc to sell over 1,000,000 copies.
  • 1 June – Battle of the Beanfield, Britain's largest mass arrest and the effective end of Stonehenge Free Festivals.
More events of 1985 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1985

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

67p

Loaf of Bread

46p

Average House

£31,103

Weekly Wage

£177.00

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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