At A Glance

31 December 1953 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 1953 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Answer Me” by Frankie Laine.
Top Film of 1953
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1953 was Peter Pan.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1953 fell in the Year of the Snake.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 1953 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 31 December

  • 1946 President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
  • 1951 Cold War: The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.
  • 1955 General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
  • 1956 The Romanian Television network begins its first broadcast in Bucharest.
  • 1961 RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.

Famous people born on 31 December

  • Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
  • Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
  • Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
  • Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1953 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1953 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 13 April – Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.
  • 16 April – The Queen launches the Royal Yacht Britannia at John Brown & Company shipbuilders on the Clyde.
  • 2 June – The Times exclusively carries James Morris's scoop of the conquest of Mount Everest by a British expedition on 29 May.
More events of 1953 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1953

Prime Minister

Winston Churchill

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

7p

Loaf of Bread

5p

Average House

£1,891

Weekly Wage

£8.90

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Richard E. Grant5 May 1957ActorView their day →Gary Oldman21 March 1958Actor & filmmakerView their day →Anthony Head20 February 1954ActorView their day →Phil Collins30 January 1951Drummer & singerView their day →Bonnie Tyler8 June 1951SingerView their day →Liam Neeson7 June 1952ActorView their day →Emma Thompson15 April 1959Actress & screenwriterView their day →Rowan Atkinson6 January 1955Actor & comedianView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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