At A Glance

8 May 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
8 May 1979 was a Tuesday.
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 8 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 May 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 May 1979 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 8 May

  • 1976 The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
  • 1978 The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
  • 1980 The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
  • 1984 The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries.
  • 1984 The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.

Famous people born on 8 May

  • David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host (born 1926)
  • Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (1884–1972)
  • Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (1895–1979)
  • Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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

Browse by Year

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)

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 →