At A Glance

9 December 1981 at a glance

Day of the week
9 December 1981 was a Wednesday.
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 9 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 9 December 1981 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 9 December 1981 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 9 December

  • 1971 Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Air Force executes an airdrop of Indian Army units, bypassing Pakistani defences.
  • 1973 British and Irish authorities sign the Sunningdale Agreement in an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland.
  • 1979 The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other).
  • 1987 Israeli–Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
  • 1992 American troops land in Somalia for Operation Restore Hope.

Famous people born on 9 December

  • Kirk Douglas, American actor, singer, and producer (1916–2020)
  • John Malkovich, American actor and producer (born 1953)
  • Judi Dench, English actress (born 1934)
  • Sonia Gandhi, Italian-Indian politician (born 1946)

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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