At A Glance

18 August 1970 at a glance

Day of the week
18 August 1970 was a Tuesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “(They Long to Be) Close to You” by The Carpenters.
Top Film of 1970
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1970 was Love Story.
Bestselling Novel of 1970
“Love Story” by Erich Segal was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1970.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Marcus Welby, M.D.” (ABC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1970–71 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1970 fell in the Year of the Dog.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 August 1970 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 18 August

  • 1963 Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
  • 1965 Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.
  • 1966 Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
  • 1971 Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
  • 1976 The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.

Famous people born on August 18

  • Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
  • Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
  • Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
  • Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1970 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1970 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 5 – The first episode of All My Children is broadcast on the ABC television network.
  • April 13 – An oxygen tank in the Apollo 13 spacecraft explodes, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return in 4 days.
  • June 23 – Kelly's Heroes is released in the US.

Life in the US in 1970

President

Richard Nixon

Gas (per gallon)

$0.36

Loaf of Bread

$0.24

Average House

$17,000

Weekly Wage

$137

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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