At A Glance

19 May 1974 at a glance

Day of the week
19 May 1974 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “The Streak” by Ray Stevens.
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 19 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 19 May 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 19 May 1974 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 19 May

  • 1961 Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).
  • 1962 A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday".
  • 1963 The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
  • 1971 Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.
  • 1986 The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Famous people born on May 19

  • Malcolm X, American minister and activist (1925–1965)
  • Lainey Wilson, American singer-songwriter (born 1992)
  • Archie Manning, American football player (born 1949)
  • Dusty Hill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (1949–2021)

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

Richard Nixon

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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