At A Glance

2 October 1988 at a glance

Day of the week
2 October 1988 was a Sunday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Desire” by U2.
Top Film of 1988
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1988 was Rain Man.
Star sign
The star sign for 2 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 2 October 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 2 October 1988 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 2 October

  • 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.
  • 2004 The first parkrun, then known as the Bushy Park Time Trial, takes place in Bushy Park, London, UK.
  • 2007 President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea goes to North Korea for an Inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

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)

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

Events of 1988 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1988 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 5 February – The first BBC Red Nose Day raises £15,000,000 for charity.
  • 3 March – The SDP amalgamates with the Liberal Party to form the Social and Liberal Democratic Party. Its interim leaders are David Steel and Robert Maclennan. The merger means that the Liberal Party has ceased to exist after 129 years.
  • 24 May – Local Government Act becomes law. The controversial Section 28 prevents local authorities from "promoting homosexuality". Local authorities are also obliged to outsource more services, and dog licences are abolished (except in Northern Ireland).
More events of 1988 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1988

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

80p

Loaf of Bread

51p

Average House

£46,788

Weekly Wage

£225.00

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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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