At A Glance

15 May 1970 at a glance

Day of the week
15 May 1970 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “American Woman / No Sugar Tonight” by The Guess Who.
Top Film of 1970
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1970 was Love Story.
Bestselling Novel of 1970
“Love Story” by Erich Segal was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1970.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Marcus Welby, M.D.” (ABC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1970–71 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 15 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 15 May 1970 fell in the Year of the Dog.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 15 May 1970 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 15 May

  • 1963 Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
  • 1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals.
  • 1972 The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control.
  • 1988 Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.
  • 1991 Édith Cresson becomes France's first female Prime Minister.

Famous people born on May 15

  • Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach (1940–2026)
  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer (born 1981)
  • David Krumholtz, American actor (born 1978)
  • Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer (born 1997)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1970 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1970 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 5 – The first episode of All My Children is broadcast on the ABC television network.
  • April 13 – An oxygen tank in the Apollo 13 spacecraft explodes, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return in 4 days.
  • June 23 – Kelly's Heroes is released in the US.
More events of 1970 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1970

President

Richard Nixon

Gas (per gallon)

$0.36

Loaf of Bread

$0.24

Average House

$17,000

Weekly Wage

$137

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.

Keri Russell23 March 1976ActressView their day →Tupac Shakur16 June 1971Rapper & actorView their day →Zoe Saldaña19 June 1978ActressView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Jon Bernthal20 September 1976ActorView their day →Jason Sudeikis18 September 1975Actor & comedianView their day →Milo Ventimiglia8 July 1977ActorView their day →Sarah Paulson17 December 1974ActressView 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 →