At A Glance

17 October 1974 at a glance

Day of the week
17 October 1974 was a Thursday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “I Honestly Love You” by Olivia Newton-John.
Top Film of 1974
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1974 was The Towering Inferno.
Bestselling Novel of 1974
“Centennial” by James A. Michener was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1974.
Top-Rated TV Show
“All in the Family” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1974–75 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 October 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 October 1974 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 17 October

  • 1969 The Caravaggio painting Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence is stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo.
  • 1973 OPEC imposes an oil embargo against countries they deem to have helped Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
  • 1975 'Salem's Lot, an American vampire novel by Stephen King, is published.
  • 1979 Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • 1979 The Department of Education Organization Act creates the U.S. Department of Education.

Famous people born on October 17

  • Eminem, American rapper, producer, and actor (born 1972)
  • Norm Macdonald, Canadian actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter (1959–2021)
  • Rita Hayworth, American actress, singer and dancer (1918–1987)
  • Matthew Macfadyen, English actor (born 1974)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1974 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1974 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 15 – Happy Days, a sitcom about life in the 1950s, debuts on ABC.
  • March 4 – People magazine's first issue is published in the U.S., with Mia Farrow on the cover.
  • April 2 – The 46th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Burt Reynolds, Diana Ross, John Huston and David Niven, is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. George Roy Hill's The Sting wins seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Hill.

Life in the US in 1974

President

Gerald Ford

Gas (per gallon)

$0.53

Loaf of Bread

$0.34

Average House

$25,900

Weekly Wage

$176

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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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