At A Glance

17 August 1955 at a glance

Day of the week
17 August 1955 was a Wednesday.
Top Film of 1955
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1955 was Lady and the Tramp.
Bestselling Novel of 1955
“Marjorie Morningstar” by Herman Wouk was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1955.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The $64,000 Question” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1955–56 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1955 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 August 1955 was New Moon.

On this day: 17 August

  • 1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
  • 1947 The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed.
  • 1953 First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous takes place, in Southern California.
  • 1958 Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country.
  • 1959 Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.

Famous people born on August 17

  • Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer (born 1943)
  • Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter (born 1994)
  • Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist (born 1960)
  • Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation (born 1944)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1955 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1955 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 12 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the first U.S. advisors to South Vietnam.
  • June 16 – Lady and the Tramp premieres in Chicago. It is the first animated film distributed by Disney's own Buena Vista Film Distribution and the first filmed in CinemaScope widescreen.
  • July 17 – The Disneyland theme park opens in Anaheim, California, an event broadcast on the ABC television network.
More events of 1955 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1955

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gas (per gallon)

$0.29

Loaf of Bread

$0.18

Average House

$9,400

Weekly Wage

$70

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Michael Jackson29 August 1958Singer & songwriterView their day →Anthony Bourdain25 June 1956Chef & television personalityView their day →Bruce Willis19 March 1955ActorView their day →Madonna16 August 1958SingerView their day →Annette Bening29 May 1958ActressView their day →Robin Williams21 July 1951Actor & comedianView their day →Steve Jobs24 February 1955Entrepreneur & co-founder of Apple Inc.View their day →Prince7 June 1958MusicianView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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