At A Glance

17 January 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
17 January 1979 was a Wednesday.
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 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 January 1979 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 January 1979 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 17 January

  • 1961 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military–industrial complex" as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending.
  • 1981 President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
  • 1992 During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
  • 1996 The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union.
  • 1997 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.

Famous people born on 17 January

  • Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1962)
  • Enzo Fernández, Argentinian footballer (born 2001)
  • Muhammad Ali, American boxer and activist (1942–2016)
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jr., American environmental lawyer, writer, and conspiracy theorist (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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.

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

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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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