At A Glance

17 September 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
17 September 1979 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Cars” by Gary Numan.
Top Film of 1979
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 September is Virgo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 September 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for September is Sapphire.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 September 1979 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 17 September

  • 1974 Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations.
  • 1976 The Space Shuttle Enterprise is unveiled by NASA.
  • 1978 The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt.
  • 1980 After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.
  • 1983 Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America.

Famous people born on 17 September

  • Kyle Chandler, American actor (born 1965)
  • Narendra Modi, Indian politician; Chief Minister of Gujarat and 14th Prime Minister of India (born 1950)
  • Patrick Mahomes, American football player (born 1995)
  • John Ritter, American actor and producer (1948–2003)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1979 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 22 February – Saint Lucia becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
  • 3 May – 1979 general election.
  • 7 June – European Parliament election, the first direct election to the European Parliament; the turnout in Britain is low at 32%. The Conservatives have the most MEPs at 60, while Labour only have 17.

Life in 1979

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

38p

Loaf of Bread

27p

Average House

£19,925

Weekly Wage

£101.00

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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 →