At A Glance

31 October 1981 at a glance

Day of the week
31 October 1981 was a Saturday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “It's My Party” by Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin.
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 October is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 October 1981 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 October 1981 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 31 October

  • 1968 Great Drought of 1968: Amidst a collapse of hydropower President of Chile Eduardo Frei Montalva decrees the establishment of daylight saving time.
  • 1998 Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.
  • 1999 Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.
  • 2000 Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been crewed continuously since then.
  • 2002 A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicts former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of his ex-employer.

Famous people born on 31 October

  • Marcus Rashford, English footballer (born 1997)
  • Nick Saban, American football player and coach (born 1951)
  • John Candy, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter (1950–1994)
  • Michael Landon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (1936–1991)

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

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.

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

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