At A Glance
31 January 1974 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 January 1974 was a Thursday.
- Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
- The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “You're Sixteen” by Ringo Starr.
- 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 31 January is Aquarius.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 January 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for January is Garnet.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 January 1974 was First Quarter.
On this day: 31 January
- 1961 Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: The chimpanzee Ham travels into outer space.
- 1966 The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
- 1968 Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
- 1971 Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
- 1978 The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
Famous people born on January 31
- Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer (born 2000)
- Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (born 1981)
- Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1970)
- Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (1919–1972)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
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
Browse by Year
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)
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 →
