At A Glance
17 August 1966 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 17 August 1966 was a Wednesday.
- Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
- The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Summer in the City” by The Lovin' Spoonful.
- Top Film of 1966
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1966 was The Bible: In the Beginning.
- Bestselling Novel of 1966
- “Valley of the Dolls” by Jacqueline Susann was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1966.
- Top-Rated TV Show
- “Bonanza” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1966–67 season.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1966 fell in the Year of the Horse.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 17 August 1966 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 17 August
- 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.
- 1970 Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
- 1977 The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
- 1978 Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
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)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1966 in the United States
A selection from Wikipedia's '1966 in the United States'. Not a complete list.
- January 11 – The first SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft goes into service at Beale AFB.
- January 16 – The Chicago Bulls are granted entry to the National Basketball Association.
- April 30 – The Church of Satan is formed by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco.
Life in the US in 1966
President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Gas (per gallon)
$0.32
Loaf of Bread
$0.22
Average House
$15,200
Weekly Wage
$111
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1960s
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 →
