UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 1981 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 1981 was a Thursday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Don't You Want Me” by The Human League.
- Top Film of 1981
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1981 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 1981 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 31 December
- 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.
- 1991 All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
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)
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Events of 1981 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1981 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 30 March – Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire released.
- 4 April – Bucks Fizz representing the United Kingdom win the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Making Your Mind Up.
- 10 April – Bobby Sands, an IRA member on hunger strike in the Maze prison, Northern Ireland, is elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by election.
Life in 1981
Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
50p
Loaf of Bread
37p
Average House
£24,188
Weekly Wage
£135.00
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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Theo James16 December 1984Actor & musicianView their day →Pac22 August 1986WrestlerView their day →Robert Pattinson13 May 1986Actor & film producerView their day →Andrew Garfield20 August 1983ActorView their day →Charlie Hunnam10 April 1980ActorView their day →Juno Temple21 July 1989ActressView their day →Rebecca Hall3 May 1982Actress & filmmakerView their day →Lewis Hamilton7 January 1985Racing driverView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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