UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
17 May 1988 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 17 May 1988 was a Tuesday.
- Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
- The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Anything for You” by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine.
- Top Film of 1988
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1988 was Rain Man.
- Bestselling Novel of 1988
- “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” by Tom Clancy was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1988.
- Top-Rated TV Show
- “The Cosby Show” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1988–89 season.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for May is Emerald.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 17 May 1988 was Waxing Crescent.
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)
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Events of 1988 in the United States
A selection from Wikipedia's '1988 in the United States'. Not a complete list.
- January 1 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is established, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
- January 4 – Nick Jr. begins as a block of Nickelodeon programming for younger children.
- March 9 – Blackstone Financial Management is founded as a global asset management company in New York City by eight co-founders, led by Larry Fink. In 1992, it would change its name to BlackRock.
Life in the US in 1988
President
Ronald Reagan
Gas (per gallon)
$0.90
Loaf of Bread
$0.70
Average House
$99,700
Weekly Wage
$374
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Famous Faces Born in the 1980s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Hayden Panettiere21 August 1989Actress & singerView their day →Alan Ritchson28 November 1982ActorView their day →Anne Hathaway12 November 1982ActressView their day →Dakota Johnson4 October 1989Actress & modelView their day →Macklemore19 June 1983RapperView their day →Andrew Garfield20 August 1983ActorView their day →Julia Stiles28 March 1981ActressView their day →Taylor Swift13 December 1989Singer-songwriterView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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