At A Glance

2 October 1980 at a glance

Day of the week
2 October 1980 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Don't Stand So Close to Me” by The Police.
Top Film of 1980
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back.
Star sign
The star sign for 2 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 2 October 1980 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 2 October 1980 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 2 October

  • 1967 Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.
  • 1968 Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics.
  • 1971 South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu is re-elected in a one-man election.
  • 1980 Michael Myers becomes the first member of either chamber of Congress to be expelled since the Civil War.
  • 1996 The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Famous people born on 2 October

  • Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter, activist and philosopher (1869–1948)
  • Sting, English singer-songwriter and actor (born 1951)
  • Freddie Jackson, American soul singer (1956–2026)
  • Richard III of England (1452–1485)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1980 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1980 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 2 January – Workers at British Steel Corporation go on a nationwide strike over pay called by the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, which has some 90,000 members among British Steel's 150,000 workforce, in a bid to get a 20% rise.
  • 25 February – The first episode of the popular political sitcom Yes Minister is broadcast on BBC2 television.
  • 31 March – National Heritage Act sets up the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

Life in 1980

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

45p

Loaf of Bread

33p

Average House

£23,596

Weekly Wage

£120.00

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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