At A Glance

31 December 1973 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 1973 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade.
Top Film of 1973
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1973 was The Exorcist.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1973 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 1973 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 31 December

  • 1965 Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers begin a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
  • 1968 The first flight of the Tupolev Tu-144, the first civilian supersonic transport in the world.
  • 1981 A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
  • 1983 The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
  • 1983 Benjamin Ward is appointed New York City Police Department's first ever African American police commissioner.

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 1973 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1973 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 March – Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, one of rock's landmark and bestselling albums, is released in the UK. Sleeve design is by Hipgnosis.
  • 17 March – Elizabeth II opens the replacement London Bridge.
  • 6 July – The eighth James Bond film – Live and Let Die – is released in British cinemas, with the spy being played for the first time by 45-year-old The Saint star Roger Moore.
More events of 1973 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1973

Prime Minister

Edward Heath

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

20p

Loaf of Bread

12p

Average House

£9,942

Weekly Wage

£40.92

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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

Matthew Rhys8 November 1974ActorView their day →Hannah Waddingham28 July 1974ActressView their day →Andy Burnham7 January 1970PoliticianView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Lucy Davis17 February 1973ActressView their day →Tom Hardy15 September 1977ActorView their day →Christian Bale30 January 1974ActorView their day →Kelly Macdonald23 February 1976ActressView their day →

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

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