At A Glance

8 October 1974 at a glance

Day of the week
8 October 1974 was a Tuesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “I Honestly Love You” by Olivia Newton-John.
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 8 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 October 1974 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 October 1974 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 8 October

  • 1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature.
  • 1973 Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions.
  • 1973 Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule.
  • 1974 Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
  • 1978 Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia.

Famous people born on October 8

  • Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1970)
  • Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1985)
  • Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player (born 2002)
  • Sigourney Weaver, American actress and producer (born 1949)

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.
More events of 1974 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1974

President

Gerald Ford

Gas (per gallon)

$0.53

Loaf of Bread

$0.34

Average House

$25,900

Weekly Wage

$176

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Keri Russell23 March 1976ActressView their day →Tupac Shakur16 June 1971Rapper & actorView their day →Zoe Saldaña19 June 1978ActressView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Jon Bernthal20 September 1976ActorView their day →Jason Sudeikis18 September 1975Actor & comedianView their day →Milo Ventimiglia8 July 1977ActorView their day →Sarah Paulson17 December 1974ActressView their day →

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 →