At A Glance

17 August 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
17 August 1979 was a Friday.
Irish Chart Song in 1979
The Irish chart song for 1979 was “The Logical Song” by Supertramp.
Top Film of 1979
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 August 1979 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 17 August

  • 1970 Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
  • 1977 The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
  • 1978 Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
  • 1985 The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
  • 1998 Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

Famous people born on 17 August

  • Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer (born 1943)
  • Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter (born 1994)
  • Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist (born 1960)
  • Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation (born 1944)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1979 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 4 March – Legendary hurler Christy Ring was buried in Cork.
  • 31 May – The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Pádraig Faulkner, launched a second national radio station, RTÉ Radio 2.
  • 7 June – The first European Parliament election was held in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
More events of 1979 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Ireland in 1979

Taoiseach

Jack Lynch

Petrol (per litre)

£0.85/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.25

Average House

£20,000

Weekly Wage

£43

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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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

Cillian Murphy25 May 1976ActorView their day →Michael Fassbender2 April 1977ActorView their day →Andrew Scott21 October 1976ActorView their day →Colin Farrell31 May 1976ActorView their day →Dolores O'Riordan6 September 1971MusicianView their day →Sharon Horgan13 July 1970Actress & writerView their day →Glen Hansard21 April 1970Musician & songwriterView their day →Jimmy Carr15 September 1972Comedian & humouristView their day →

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

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