At A Glance

31 December 1976 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 1976 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “When a Child Is Born (Soleado)” by Johnny Mathis.
Top Film of 1976
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1976 was Rocky.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1976 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 1976 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 31 December

  • 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.
  • 1983 In Nigeria, a coup d'état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.

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 1976 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1976 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 21 January – The first commercial Concorde flight takes off from Heathrow Airport for Bahrain.
  • 26 March – Anita Roddick opens the first branch of The Body Shop, the retail chain for skin care products and cosmetics, in Brighton.
  • 1 April – Punk rock band Buzzcocks play their first gig, in Bolton.
More events of 1976 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1976

Prime Minister

James Callaghan

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

30p

Loaf of Bread

20p

Average House

£12,704

Weekly Wage

£72.00

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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