At A Glance

31 March 1979 at a glance

Day of the week
31 March 1979 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Tragedy” by Bee Gees.
Top Film of 1979
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1979 was Moonraker.
Bestselling Novel of 1979
“The Matarese Circle” by Robert Ludlum was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1979.
Top-Rated TV Show
“60 Minutes” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1979–80 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 March is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 March 1979 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 March 1979 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 31 March

  • 1968 American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."
  • 1970 Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.
  • 1980 The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
  • 1990 Approximately 200,000 protesters take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
  • 1991 Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union.

Famous people born on March 31

  • Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor (born 1971)
  • Christopher Walken, American actor (born 1943)
  • Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter (born 1955)
  • Rhea Perlman, American actress (born 1948)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1979 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1979 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 20 – This Old House premieres on PBS.
  • March 29 – America's most serious nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.
  • April 1 – Nickelodeon debuts on cable television, playing children's television shows 24 hours a day. Pinwheel, which first premiered on the channel C-3 in 1977, was one of the first shows to be broadcast on the channel.

Life in the US in 1979

President

Jimmy Carter

Gas (per gallon)

$0.86

Loaf of Bread

$0.43

Average House

$62,900

Weekly Wage

$250

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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