At A Glance

17 January 1981 at a glance

Day of the week
17 January 1981 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Imagine” by John Lennon.
Top Film of 1981
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 January 1981 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 January 1981 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 17 January

  • 1981 President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
  • 1992 During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
  • 1996 The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union.
  • 1997 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
  • 1998 Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.

Famous people born on 17 January

  • Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1962)
  • Enzo Fernández, Argentinian footballer (born 2001)
  • Muhammad Ali, American boxer and activist (1942–2016)
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jr., American environmental lawyer, writer, and conspiracy theorist (born 1954)

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.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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