UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
18 August 1988 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 18 August 1988 was a Thursday.
- Irish Chart Song in 1988
- The Irish chart song for 1988 was “Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins.
- Top Film of 1988
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1988 was Rain Man.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 18 August 1988 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 18 August
- 1971 Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1976 The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.
- 2005 A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java; affecting almost 100 million people, it is one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history.
- 2008 The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment.
- 2008 War of Afghanistan: The Uzbin Valley ambush occurs.
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 1988 in Ireland
A selection from Wikipedia's '1988 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.
- 27 January – The Irish internet country code top-level domain.ie was registered.
- 29 February – The first edition of the Irish Daily Star newspaper went on sale.
- 19 March – Five thousand people gathered for an anti-apartheid rally at the General Post Office in Dublin.
Life in Ireland in 1988
Taoiseach
Charles Haughey
Petrol (per litre)
£1.22/gal
Loaf of Bread
£0.52
Average House
£29,500
Weekly Wage
£75
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Ruth Kearney11 November 1984ActressView their day →Katie Taylor2 July 1986Footballer & boxerView their day →Domhnall Gleeson12 May 1983ActorView their day →Jessie Buckley28 December 1989Actress & singerView their day →Kerry Condon9 January 1983ActressView their day →Nicola Coughlan9 January 1987ActressView their day →Vogue Williams2 October 1985Model & media personalityView their day →Aidan Turner19 June 1983ActorView their day →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 →