At A Glance

31 December 1983 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 1983 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Only You” by The Flying Pickets.
Top Film of 1983
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1983 was Return of the Jedi.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1983 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 1983 was Waning 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)

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

Events of 1983 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1983 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 February – TV-am launches on ITV.
  • 11 April – Richard Attenborough's 1982 film Gandhi wins eight Academy Awards.
  • 21 April – The one pound coin introduced in England and Wales.
More events of 1983 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1983

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

60p

Loaf of Bread

42p

Average House

£26,473

Weekly Wage

£155.00

Or

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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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