At A Glance

17 October 1988 at a glance

Day of the week
17 October 1988 was a Monday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Red Red Wine” by UB40.
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 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 October 1988 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 October 1988 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 17 October

  • 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.
  • 1980 As part of the Holy See–United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican.
  • 1989 The East German Politburo votes to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary.

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)

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

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

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 →