At A Glance

4 August 1980 at a glance

Day of the week
4 August 1980 was a Monday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John.
Top Film of 1980
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1980 was The Empire Strikes Back.
Bestselling Novel of 1980
“The Covenant” by James A. Michener was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1980.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Dallas” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1980–81 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 4 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 4 August 1980 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 4 August 1980 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 4 August

  • 1977 U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy.
  • 1983 Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, president of the military government of Upper Volta, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Captain Thomas Sankara.
  • 1984 The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso.
  • 1984 The Ariane 3 rocket is launched for the first time, carrying the Eutelsat I F-2 and Télécom 1A satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
  • 1987 The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to give equal time to opposing views.

Famous people born on August 4

  • Barack Obama, American lawyer and politician, 44th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1961)
  • Billy Bob Thornton, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1955)
  • Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Duchess of Sussex, American member of British royal family, media personality and actress (born 1981)
  • Cole Sprouse, American actor (born 1992)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1980 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1980 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 27 – Canadian Caper: Six United States diplomats, posing as Canadians, manage to escape from Tehran, Iran as they board a flight to Zurich, Switzerland.
  • March 22 – The Georgia Guidestones are erected in Elbert County, Georgia.
  • April 15 – A mass exodus of Cubans to the United States known as the Mariel boatlift begins. It ends on October 31 by agreement between the two countries.

Life in the US in 1980

President

Jimmy Carter

Gas (per gallon)

$1.19

Loaf of Bread

$0.50

Average House

$64,600

Weekly Wage

$267

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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)

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