At A Glance

17 August 1983 at a glance

Day of the week
17 August 1983 was a Wednesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Every Breath You Take” by The Police.
Top Film of 1983
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1983 was Return of the Jedi.
Bestselling Novel of 1983
“Return of the Jedi” by James Kahn was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1983.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Dallas” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1983–84 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 August 1983 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 August 1983 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 17 August

  • 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.
  • 1985 The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
  • 1998 Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

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 1983 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1983 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • March 25 – Rob Lowe's feature film debut The Outsiders is released.
  • April 11 – The 55th Academy Awards, hosted by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor and Walter Matthau, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Richard Attenborough's Gandhi receives 11 nominations and wins eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
  • April 18 – The Disney Channel is initiated on American cable TV.

Life in the US in 1983

President

Ronald Reagan

Gas (per gallon)

$1.16

Loaf of Bread

$0.59

Average House

$75,300

Weekly Wage

$308

Or

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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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