At A Glance

17 May 1987 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 1987 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “With or Without You” by U2.
Top Film of 1987
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1987 was Fatal Attraction.
Bestselling Novel of 1987
“The Tommyknockers” by Stephen King was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1987.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The Cosby Show” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1987–88 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 1987 fell in the Year of the Rabbit.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 1987 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1983 The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.
  • 1983 Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
  • 1984 Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
  • 1990 The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
  • 1994 Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.

Famous people born on May 17

  • Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1973)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor and director (1955–2017)
  • Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (1936–2010)
  • Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (1956–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1987 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1987 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • March 3 – Ruthless Records was founded by Eazy-E & Jerry Heller.
  • March 30 – The 59th Academy Awards, hosted by Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Oliver Stone's Platoon wins four awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
  • April 19 – The Simpsons cartoon first appears as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show.

Life in the US in 1987

President

Ronald Reagan

Gas (per gallon)

$0.90

Loaf of Bread

$0.68

Average House

$92,000

Weekly Wage

$358

Or

Browse by Year

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)

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 →