At A Glance

12 April 1954 at a glance

Day of the week
12 April 1954 was a Monday.
Top Film of 1954
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1954 was Rear Window.
Star sign
The star sign for 12 April is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 April 1954 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 April 1954 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 12 April

  • 1937 Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
  • 1945 World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 80 kilometres from Berlin.
  • 1955 The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
  • 1961 Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1.
  • 1970 Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.

Famous people born on 12 April

  • Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress (born 1994)
  • Claire Danes, American actress (born 1979)
  • Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (1971–2024)
  • Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian (born 1946)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1954 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1954 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – 1954 was the first Marian year. There were many events and devotions to Mary, mother of Jesus, and shrines and statues were erected in public places.
  • 11 January – The Irish Council of the European Movement was formed in Dublin.
  • 18 May – 1954 Irish general election: The Fianna Fáil party lost four seats. The second inter-party government under John A. Costello came to power when the members of the 15th Dáil assembled on 2 June.

Life in Ireland in 1954

Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera

Petrol (per litre)

1s 11d/gal

Loaf of Bread

6d

Average House

£1,600

Weekly Wage

£4

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

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

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →