At A Glance
24 December 1981 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 24 December 1981 was a Thursday.
- Irish Chart Song in 1981
- The Irish chart song for 1981 was “Don't You Want Me” by Human League.
- Top Film of 1981
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1981 was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 24 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 24 December 1981 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 24 December 1981 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 24 December
- 1968 Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
- 1969 Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital.
- 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
- 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.
- 1979 The first Ariane 1 rocket is launched from ELA-1 at the Guiana Space Centre.
Famous people born on 24 December
- Howard Hughes, American businessman, engineer, and pilot (1905–1976)
- Ed Miliband, British politician, Foreign Secretary (born 1969)
- Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837–1898)
- Davante Adams, American football player (born 1992)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1981 in Ireland
A selection from Wikipedia's '1981 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.
- 1 March – Bobby Sands began a hunger strike in the Maze Prison (Long Kesh) near Lisburn (Northern Ireland).
- 5 March – A petrol strike ended when 800 tanker drivers resumed work.
- 10 April – Hunger striker Bobby Sands was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Life in Ireland in 1981
Taoiseach
Garret FitzGerald
Petrol (per litre)
£1.25/gal
Loaf of Bread
£0.34
Average House
£25,000
Weekly Wage
£56
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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
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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