At A Glance

18 August 1953 at a glance

Day of the week
18 August 1953 was a Tuesday.
Top Film of 1953
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1953 was Peter Pan.
Star sign
The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1953 fell in the Year of the Snake.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 August 1953 was First Quarter.

On this day: 18 August

  • 1945 Sukarno takes office as the first president of Indonesia, following the country's declaration of independence the previous day.
  • 1945 Soviet-Japanese War: Battle of Shumshu: Soviet forces land at Takeda Beach on Shumshu Island and launch the Battle of Shumshu; the Soviet Union's Invasion of the Kuril Islands commences.
  • 1949 Kemi strike: Two protesters die in the scuffle between the police and the strikers' protest procession in Kemi, Finland.
  • 1958 Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.
  • 1958 Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition as the first Bengali and the first Asian to do so, placing first among the 39 competitors.

Famous people born on 18 August

  • Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
  • Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
  • Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
  • Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1953 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1953 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 18 January – The Sinn Féin party decided to contest all twelve constituencies in the next Westminster elections in Northern Ireland.
  • 15 March – Up to ten thousand civil servants marched on O'Connell Street in Dublin demanding a just wage.
  • 1 May – The first television transmitter in Ireland was brought into service by the BBC at Glencairn.

Life in Ireland in 1953

Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera

Petrol (per litre)

1s 10d/gal

Loaf of Bread

5½d

Average House

£1,500

Weekly Wage

£3 15s

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 →