At A Glance
24 December 1980 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 24 December 1980 was a Wednesday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “There's No One Quite Like Grandma” by St Winifred's School Choir.
- Top Film of 1980
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 24 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 24 December 1980 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 24 December 1980 was Waning 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 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
Browse by Year
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)
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 →
