At A Glance

24 December 1974 at a glance

Day of the week
24 December 1974 was a Tuesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Lonely This Christmas” by Mud.
Top Film of 1974
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1974 was The Towering Inferno.
Star sign
The star sign for 24 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 24 December 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 24 December 1974 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 24 December

  • 1968 Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
  • 1969 Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.
  • 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
  • 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
  • 1979 The first Ariane 1 rocket is launched from ELA-1 at the Guiana Space Centre.

Famous people born on 24 December

  • Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (1905–1976)
  • Ed Miliband, British politician, Foreign Secretary (born 1969)
  • Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837–1898)
  • Davante Adams, American football player (born 1992)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1974 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1974 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – 7 March – The Three-Day Week is introduced by the Conservative Government as a measure to conserve electricity during the period of industrial action by coal miners.
  • 7 February – Grenada becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
  • 28 February – The general election results in the first hung parliament since 1929, with the Conservative government having 297 seats – four fewer than Labour, who have 301 – and the largest number of votes.

Life in 1974

Prime Minister

Harold Wilson

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

22p

Loaf of Bread

14p

Average House

£10,990

Weekly Wage

£48.50

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 →