At A Glance

20 January 1973 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 1973 was a Saturday.
Irish Chart Song in 1973
The Irish chart song for 1973 was “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn.
Top Film of 1973
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1973 was The Exorcist.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1973 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 1973 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1972 Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
  • 1974 China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam.
  • 1986 In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
  • 1986 Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya.
  • 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Famous people born on 20 January

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1973 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1973 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 28 February – The National Coalition of the Fine Gael party and Labour Party won the general election, ending 16 years of Fianna Fáil party government.
  • 8 March – Northern Ireland sovereignty referendum (the "Border Poll"): 98.9 percent of voters wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Turnout was 58.7 percent overall, but fewer than one percent among Catholics.
  • 6 June – Irish Continental Line (a joint venture between Irish Shipping Limited, Fearnley & Eger and Swedish company Lion Ferry) began operation with MS Saint Patrick on the Rosslare–Le Havre route.
More events of 1973 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Ireland in 1973

Taoiseach

Jack Lynch

Petrol (per litre)

£0.35/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.10

Average House

£8,000

Weekly Wage

£17

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

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)

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 →