1978

Near the end of the “Disco Decade,” 1978 gave the world many important cultural developments.

1978

In April of this year, the 50th Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by Bob Hope, Annie Hall won Best Picture, with Star Wars winning Best Original Score and winning many other technical awards. This was also the year that Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, was released in theatres. 1978 was also the year that another important film, Superman, starring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, made its debut in theatres.

In a curious development, the remains of Charlie Chaplin were stolen from Chaplin’s resting place in Coster-sur-Vevey, Switzerland in March of 1978. The body was held for ransom, extorting Chaplin’s widow, Oona Chaplin. Police caught the thieves in May and the body of Charlie Chaplin was returned to the original resting place, although the grave was obviously reinforced for security purposes.

There were some major scientific advances made this year as well. In June, Charon, a satellite of the dwarf planet, Pluto, was discovered. The following month, the first “test tube” baby was born in the United Kingdom. The impact of this reproductive technology gave humanity an unprecedented means of manipulating the natural world and would affect millions of lives around the world.

In two notable political developments, the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt were signed at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland. This laid the groundwork for the 1970 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, a significant step towards peace in the region. In Europe, the newly approved Spanish Constitution of 1978 restored democratic government to the Spanish people.

This was also the year that Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla succeeded Pope John Paul I, taking the name John Paul II. Pope John Paul II would minister for many years until his passing in 2005.

Discover how the world looked like in 1978

Looking for 1978 Calendar ? Here it is: January 1978, February 1978, March 1978, April 1978, May 1978, June 1978, July 1978, August 1978, September 1978, October 1978, November 1978, December 1978

Your place in the Universe on 1978

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Oscar

Oscar Winners

All Academy Awards Prize winners of the 51st edition of the Oscar ceremony


Best picture

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

Directed by: Michael Cimino

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage

Country: United States of America

Best director

Michael Cimino

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

Directed by: Michael Cimino

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage

Country: United States of America

Best actor

Jon Voight

Coming Home

Coming Home

Directed by: Hal Ashby

Starring: Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford

Country: United States of America

Best actress

Jane Fonda

Coming Home

Coming Home

Directed by: Hal Ashby

Starring: Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford

Country: United States of America

Best supporting actor

Christopher Walken

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

Directed by: Michael Cimino

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage

Country: United States of America

Best supporting actress

Maggie Smith

California Suite

California Suite

Directed by: Herbert Ross

Starring: Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine

world population

Time Person of the Year

Who was the person of the year of 1978?


Deng Xiaoping
China's Vice Premier. Deng overthrew Hua Guofeng to assume de facto control over China in 1978, as Paramount Leader.

Books

Which were the most popular books released in 1978 ?
Unlimited books on any devices, try your first month free

The Women'S Room by Marilyn French

The Women'S Room

By:

The bestseller of twenty-one million copies is now available again for a new generation. First published in 1977, The Women's Room was an original novel that explored the inner lives and experiences of women.

Gnomes by Rien Poortvliet

Gnomes

By:

This collector's edition celebrates the 35th anniversary celebrations of Gnomes, a delightful classic.

The Complete Book Of Running by James F. Fixx

The Complete Book Of Running

By:

This article discusses the psychological benefits of running. It also addresses self-esteem and how running can help you cope with tension and pressure.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien

The Silmarillion

By:

"Majestic! . . . The Silmarillion will appeal to readers of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It contains medieval romances, fairy tales and even more brutal wars that ring with heraldic fury.

All Things Wise And Wonderful by James Herriot

All Things Wise And Wonderful

By:

James Herriot's stories of his life as a Yorkshire veterinarian were loved by readers.

Have a look at the old UK newspapers from 1978 and get them!

Get UK historic newspapers from 1978
The Times

Do you remember those beautiful old magazines?

Browse your magazine from 1978
life magazines
Nobel Prize

Nobel Prizes

All Nobel Prize winners of 1978


Peace Prize

  • Anwar Sadat
  • Menachem Begin

Literature

  • Isaac Bashevis Singer

Physics

  • Pyotr Kapitsa
  • Arno Allan Penzias
  • Robert Woodrow Wilson

Economic Sciences

  • Herbert A. Simon

Chemistry

  • Peter D. Mitchell

Physiology or Medicine

  • Werner Arber
  • Daniel Nathans
  • Hamilton O. Smith
vinyl songs

Music charts

Which were the top hits of 1978?


Top #1 songs in the USA

  • - Stayin' Alive
  • - Night Fever
  • - Boogie Oogie Oogie
  • - Shadow Dancing
  • - Kiss You All Over
  • - (Love Is) Thicker Than Water
  • - Three Times A Lady
  • - Lay Down Sally
  • - Can't Smile Without You
  • - If I Can't Have You

Top #1 songs in the UK

  • - Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring
  • - You're The One That I Want
  • - Substitute
  • - Sandy
  • - The Smurf Song
  • - Summer Nights
  • - Denis
  • - Take A Chance On Me
  • - Come Back My Love
  • - Uptown Top Ranking

Movies

Which were the most popular Movies released in those months?
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Matador

Matador

Release year: 1978

Directed by: Erik Balling

Starring: Jørgen Buckhøj, Buster Larsen, Ghita Nørby, Malene Schwartz

Country: Denmark

Rumpole of the Bailey

Rumpole of the Bailey

Release year: 1978

Starring: Leo McKern, Jonathan Coy, Julian Curry, Marion Mathie

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Treasure Island

Treasure Island

Release year: 1978

Starring: Joe Thomas, Bobby Thong

Country: Japan

Autumn Sonata

Autumn Sonata

Release year: 1978

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman, Halvar Björk

Country: United States of America

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

Release year: 1978

Starring: Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, Peter Davison, Lynda Bellingham

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

1978 Chinese Zodiac and Horoscope

According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 1978 is the year of the Horse

chinese zodiac sign

Popular names

Which were the top popular names given to babies born in 1978 in the USA ?

world population

World Population

Demographic statistics of the year 1978


Population statistics

  • Total population: 4.3 billion (4,304,533,501 to be precise!)
  • Urban population: 1.7 billion, that is 39.0% of the total population of 1978 lives in cities
  • Yearly change: +74.9 million, corresponding to a percentage increase of +1.77%
  • Average density: 29.0 persons per km2
history

Historical Events

Which were the important events of 1978?


Events

  • 01 Jan 1978 President Ford signs 1st major revision of copyright law since 1909
  • 02 Jan 1978 Rhino Records releases their first album "Wildmania".
  • 03 Jan 1978 Chandrasekar takes 6-52 and 6-52 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Indian innings win.
  • 04 Jan 1978 A referendum in Chile supports the policies of Augusto Pinochet.
  • 05 Jan 1978 Bülent Ecevit, of CHP forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government)
  • 06 Jan 1978 USA hands over Saint Stephan crown to Hungary.
  • 07 Jan 1978 Angola revises its constitution.
  • 08 Jan 1978 Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
  • 09 Jan 1978 Commonwealth of Northern Marianas established.
  • 10 Jan 1978 Soyuz 27 carring 2 Cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station, launched
  • 11 Jan 1978 Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 and Soyuz 26 (first time three spacecraft link).
  • 14 Jan 1978 January 15 ampndash The body of former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, following his death from cancer.
  • 15 Jan 1978 Theodore Bundy kills Florida State University coeds Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman
  • 16 Jan 1978 Soyuz 27 returns to Earth.
  • 18 Jan 1978 Roof of 3-year-old Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut collapses (no injuries).
  • 19 Jan 1978 Eddie Mathews elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 20 Jan 1978 Columbia Pictures pays $9.5 million for movie rights to Annie
  • 22 Jan 1978 Ethiopia declares the ambassador of West Germany Persona non grata.
  • 23 Jan 1978 Belgian industrialist Haron Empain kidnapped in Paris, France.
  • 24 Jan 1978 Carter Executive Order on Intelligence
  • 25 Jan 1978 Muriel Humphrey (Democrat-Minnesota) appointed to fill late husband's Senate seat.
  • 26 Jan 1978 Frank Herbert completes his novel Destination: Void
  • 28 Jan 1978 Fantasy Island starring Ricardo Montalban premieres on ABC TV
  • 29 Jan 1978 Joanne Carner wins Colgate Triple Crown Match-Play Golf Championship.
  • 30 Jan 1978 Addie Joss and Larry MacPhail elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 31 Jan 1978 Elvis: The Legend Lives! opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
  • 01 Feb 1978 Harriet Tubman is 1st black woman honored on a US postage stamp
  • 03 Feb 1978 India needing 493 to beat Australia at Adelaide, all out 445
  • 05 Feb 1978 Fred Newman makes 88 consecutive basketball free-throws blindfolded.
  • 06 Feb 1978 Snowstorm hits New England, parts of RI (54 (137cm))
  • 07 Feb 1978 Ethiopian offensive in Ogaden desert.
  • 08 Feb 1978 The proceedings of the United States Senate are first broadcast on radio.
  • 09 Feb 1978 Ted Bundy kills Kimberly Leach, age 12, in Lake City, Florida.
  • 10 Feb 1978 Frank C Carlucci succeeds John F Blake as deputy director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
  • 11 Feb 1978 16 Unification church couples wed in New York City
  • 12 Feb 1978 Jesus Christ Superstar closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 96 performances
  • 13 Feb 1978 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 14 Feb 1978 First "micro on a chip" patented by Texas Instruments.
  • 15 Feb 1978 Leon Spinks beats Muhammad Ali in 15 rounds for world heavyweight crown.
  • 16 Feb 1978 The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
  • 17 Feb 1978 The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30.
  • 18 Feb 1978 The first Ironman Triathlon competition takes place on the island of Oahu, won by Gordon Haller.
  • 19 Feb 1978 On the 20th Century opens at St. James Theater NYC for 460 performances
  • 20 Feb 1978 Bob Backland beats Billy Graham in New York, to become WWF wrestling champion.
  • 21 Feb 1978 Electrical workers in Mexico City find the remains of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in the middle of the city.
  • 22 Feb 1978 Two tankers with propane gas explode killing 15 at Waverly, Tennessee.
  • 23 Feb 1978 20th Grammy Awards: "Hotel California", Fleetwood Mac, Debbie Boone win.
  • 24 Feb 1978 Kevin Porter, New Jersey Nets, sets NBA record with 29 assists in a game.
  • 26 Feb 1978 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic.
  • 01 Mar 1978 Timbuktu! opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 243 performances
  • 02 Mar 1978 1st broadcast of Dallas on CBS TV
  • 04 Mar 1978 Chicago Daily News, founded in 1875, publishes last issue.
  • 05 Mar 1978 Hello, Dolly! opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 152 performances
  • 06 Mar 1978 Hustler publisher Larry Flynt shot and crippled by a sniper in Georgia, USA.
  • 07 Mar 1978 Belgian baron Charles Bracht is kidnapped.
  • 08 Mar 1978 The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.
  • 09 Mar 1978 Ice Dance Championship at Ottawa Canada won by Linichuk and Karponosov
  • 10 Mar 1978 Soyuz 28 returns to Earth.
  • 11 Mar 1978 Terrorists attack mail truck at Tel Aviv, Israel; 45 killed.
  • 12 Mar 1978 Eric Heiden skates world record 1000 metre (1:14.99).
  • 13 Mar 1978 Moluccans "suicide commandos" occupy Province house.
  • 14 Mar 1978 US Marines terminate Molukse action in Province house (one dead).
  • 15 Mar 1978 Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethiopian-Somali War.
  • 16 Mar 1978 Amoco Cadiz spills 223,000 tons of crude oil off French coast
  • 17 Mar 1978 Amoco Cadiz tanker spills 1.6 mil gallons of oil off French coast
  • 18 Mar 1978 250,000 attend rock concert California Jam II in Ontario, California.
  • 19 Mar 1978 Sally Little wins LPGA Kathryn Crosby / Honda Civic Golf Classic
  • 21 Mar 1978 The U.S. most comprehensive homosexual rights bill is passed in San Francisco
  • 22 Mar 1978 Robert Frost Plaza, at California, Drumm and Market, SF, dedicated
  • 23 Mar 1978 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 24 Mar 1978 Wings release With a Little Luck
  • 26 Mar 1978 The control tower and some other facilities of New Tokyo International Airport, which was scheduled to open on March 31, are illegally occupied and damaged by terrorist attack by New Left activists, being forced to reschedule its opening date to May 20.
  • 27 Mar 1978 Rutles All You Need is Cash is shown on British TV
  • 28 Mar 1978 The US Supreme Court hands down 5-3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
  • 30 Mar 1978 History of the American Film opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 21 performances
  • 31 Mar 1978 Wings release London Town album
  • 01 Apr 1978 The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
  • 02 Apr 1978 TV show Dallas premieres on CBS (as a 5 week mini-series)
  • 03 Apr 1978 50th Academy Awards - Annie Hall, Rich Dreyfuss and Diane Keaton win.
  • 06 Apr 1978 Karnataka beat Uttar Pradesh by inning and 193 to win Ranji Trophy.
  • 07 Apr 1978 US President Jimmy Carter defers production of the neutron bomb.
  • 08 Apr 1978 Regular radio broadcasts of British Parliament proceedings start.
  • 09 Apr 1978 David Thompson scores ties 3rd highest total in the NBA - 73
  • 10 Apr 1978 Formation of the Major Indoor Soccer League is announced.
  • 13 Apr 1978 Jackson slugs a 3-run HR in the 1st inning, and the field is showered
  • 14 Apr 1978 WRR-AM in Dallas Texas changes call letters to KAAM
  • 15 Apr 1978 43 die as two express trains collide head-on south of Bologna, Italy.
  • 16 Apr 1978 History of the American Film closes at ANTA NYC after 21 performances
  • 17 Apr 1978 Pulitzer prize awarded to Carl Sagan for Dragons of Eden
  • 18 Apr 1978 US Senate votes to turn Panam� Canal over to Panam� on December 31, 1999.
  • 19 Apr 1978 Yitzhak Navron elected fifth President of Israel.
  • 20 Apr 1978 Korean Airlines flight 007 shot down by Soviets in Russian airspace
  • 22 Apr 1978 Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Earl Anthony.
  • 23 Apr 1978 Amy Alcott wins LPGA American Defender Golf Classic.
  • 25 Apr 1978 Phillie Phanatic makes 1st appearance
  • 26 Apr 1978 France sends troops to Chad.
  • 27 Apr 1978 Accident at nuclear reactor Willow Island, Charleston, West Virginia, kills 51.
  • 28 Apr 1978 President of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.
  • 30 Apr 1978 Elvis: The Legend Lives! closes at Palace NYC after 101 performances
  • 01 May 1978 1st black Mayor of New Orleans (Ernest Morial) inaugurated
  • 02 May 1978 NBA championship: Portland Trail Blazers win in four games.
  • 03 May 1978 Anderlecht wins 18th Europe Cup II.
  • 04 May 1978 Russian President Brezhnev visits West Germany.
  • 05 May 1978 Norway opens a natural gas field in the Polar Sea.
  • 06 May 1978 104th Kentucky Derby: Steve Cauthen aboard Affirmed wins in 2:01.2.
  • 08 May 1978 ABC TV airs Stars Salute Israel at 30
  • 09 May 1978 Fee Waybill of Tubes breaks a leg falling off stage
  • 10 May 1978 Angel opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 5 performances
  • 11 May 1978 Margaret A Brewer is first female general in the US Marine Corps.
  • 12 May 1978 US Commerce Department announces that hurricane names will no longer be exclusively female.
  • 13 May 1978 Angel closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 5 performances
  • 14 May 1978 Working opens at 46th St. Theater NYC for 25 performances
  • 15 May 1978 Students of the University of Tehran riot in Tabriz the army stops the riot.
  • 17 May 1978 Lee Lacy hits record third consecutive pinch-hit homerun.
  • 18 May 1978 Russian dissident Yuri Orlov exiled to compulsory work.
  • 19 May 1978 May 20 ampndash French Foreign Legion paratroopers land in Kolwezi, Zaire, to rescue Europeans in the middle of a civil war.
  • 20 May 1978 US launches Pioneer Venus 1; produces first global radar map of Venus.
  • 21 May 1978 Yamada Mumon Roshi is appointed head of Zen Rinzai Sect.
  • 22 May 1978 Exiled leaders Ahmed Abdallah and Mohammed Ahmed return to the Comoros.
  • 23 May 1978 AL approves transfer of Red Sox to Jean Yawkey for $15M
  • 24 May 1978 Dutch Investment bill (WIR) law goes into effect.
  • 25 May 1978 Star Wars released
  • 26 May 1978 1st legal gambling casino opens in Atlantic City
  • 28 May 1978 Al Unser became 5th to win Indianapolis 500, 3 times
  • 29 May 1978 1st class postage now 15 cents
  • 01 Jun 1978 High Council destroys judgment against war criminal Pieter Menten
  • 03 Jun 1978 Phillies Dave Johnson is 1st to hit 2 pinch hit grand slams in a year
  • 04 Jun 1978 Working closes at 46th St. Theater NYC after 25 performances
  • 06 Jun 1978 Proposition 13 cuts California property taxes 57 percent.
  • 07 Jun 1978 32nd NBA Championship: Washington Bullets beat Sea Supersonics, 4 games to 3
  • 08 Jun 1978 51st National Spelling Bee: Peg McCarthy wins spelling deification
  • 09 Jun 1978 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) strikes down 148 year policy of excluding black men from priesthood
  • 10 Jun 1978 110th Belmont: Steve Cauthen aboard Affirmed wins in 2:26.8
  • 11 Jun 1978 Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John opens
  • 12 Jun 1978 US House of Representatives allows live radio coverage
  • 13 Jun 1978 Israeli Defense Forces withdraw from Lebanon.
  • 14 Jun 1978 Sierra Leone adopts constitution
  • 15 Jun 1978 Belgian government resigns
  • 17 Jun 1978 Cheeseburger In Paradise by Jimmy Buffett peaks at #32
  • 18 Jun 1978 78th US Golf Open: Andy North shoots a 285 at Cherry Hill Country Club - Denver
  • 19 Jun 1978 Best Little Whorehouse... opens at 46th St. NYC for 1577 performances
  • 20 Jun 1978 A shootout between Provisional IRA members and the British Army leaves 1 civilian and 3 IRA men dead.
  • 22 Jun 1978 Neo-Nazis call off plans to march in Jewish community of Skokie, Illinois
  • 23 Jun 1978 Panamá recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
  • 25 Jun 1978 Pat Bradley wins LPGA Lady Keystone Golf Open
  • 26 Jun 1978 First dedicated oceanographic satellite, SEASAT 1, launched
  • 27 Jun 1978 Henry Rono of Kenya sets record for 3,000 m, 7:32.1
  • 28 Jun 1978 Supreme Court orders California medical school to admit Allan Bakke a white man claiming reverse discrimination when application was rejected
  • 29 Jun 1978 US Vice President Walter F Mondale begins trip to Mid-East.
  • 30 Jun 1978 English Prince Michael marries baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz
  • 01 Jul 1978 Act closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 233 performances
  • 02 Jul 1978 Pitcher Ron Guidry sets New York Yankees record of 13-0 start.
  • 03 Jul 1978 Establishment Amazon Pact
  • 04 Jul 1978 Memphis fire fighters halt 3-day strike under a court order
  • 05 Jul 1978 Soyuz 30 spacecraft touches down in Soviet Kazakhstan.
  • 06 Jul 1978 Israeli jet fighters swooped over mostly Moslem West Beirut
  • 07 Jul 1978 85th Wimbledon Womens Tennis: M Navratilova beats C Evert
  • 08 Jul 1978 Alessandro Pertini elected President of Italy
  • 09 Jul 1978 Hello, Dolly! closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 152 performances
  • 10 Jul 1978 Bloodless military coup in Mauritania
  • 11 Jul 1978 49th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-3 at San Diego Stadium
  • 12 Jul 1978 Sun Bank Building opens
  • 13 Jul 1978 BBC bans Sex Pistols No One is Innocent
  • 14 Jul 1978 Anatoly Scharansky convicted of anti-Soviet agitation
  • 15 Jul 1978 107th British Golf Open: Jack Nicklaus shoots a 281 at St. Andrews
  • 16 Jul 1978 Joanne Carner wins LPGA Borden Golf Classic
  • 17 Jul 1978 New York Yank manager Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson fight in dug out
  • 18 Jul 1978 Egyptian and Israeli officials begin two days of talks.
  • 21 Jul 1978 Bolivia milt coup under general Juan Pereda, President Hugo Banzer flees
  • 23 Jul 1978 Reggie Jackson returns and helps Yankees win their 5th straight
  • 24 Jul 1978 Billy Martin resigns as Yankee manager after one is a born liar the other a convicted one comment about Steinbrenner and Jackson
  • 25 Jul 1978 Bob Dylan booed off Newport Folk Festival for using electric guitar
  • 26 Jul 1978 Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run
  • 27 Jul 1978 Indians Duane Kuiper is 3rd to hit 2 bases-loaded triples
  • 28 Jul 1978 600,000 attend Watkins Glen Summer Jam in New York
  • 29 Jul 1978 600,000 attend "Summer Jam" rock festival, Watkins Glen, New York.
  • 30 Jul 1978 Expos crush Braves, 19-0, collecting 28 hits and NL-record-tying 8 HRs
  • 31 Jul 1978 Gunman shoots his way into Iraqi Embassy in Paris
  • 01 Aug 1978 Commandos occupy Iraqi embassy in Paris, 1 dead
  • 05 Aug 1978 New Orleans Saints beat Philadelphia Eagles 14-7 in Mexico City (NFL expo).
  • 06 Aug 1978 60th PGA Championship: John Mahaffey shoots a 276 at Oakmont Country Club - Pennsylvania
  • 07 Aug 1978 Eddie Mathews, Addie Joss, and Larry MacPhail inducted to Hall of Fame
  • 08 Aug 1978 Pioneer-Venus 2 with five atmospheric probes launched toward Venus.
  • 09 Aug 1978 Yanks score 5 in bottom of 9th beat Brewers 8-7
  • 10 Aug 1978 Three members of the Ulrich family are killed in an accident. This leads to the Ford Pinto litigation.
  • 11 Aug 1978 Funeral of Pope Paul VI
  • 12 Aug 1978 Arron Marshall completes a record shower of 336 hours
  • 13 Aug 1978 Bomb attack in Beirut, 175 killed
  • 15 Aug 1978 House of Reps approves (233-169), 39-month extension for ERA
  • 17 Aug 1978 1st successful crossing of the Atlantic by balloon
  • 18 Aug 1978 Memphis Tenn settles with striking police officers and firefighters
  • 19 Aug 1978 422 die in an arson fire at a movie theater in Iran.
  • 20 Aug 1978 Tatyana Providokhina runs female world record 1k
  • 21 Aug 1978 1st gay theme telefilm - Matlovich vs. US Air Force
  • 22 Aug 1978 Sandinistas occupy National Palace in Managua Nicaragua
  • 23 Aug 1978 Iranian students occupies Iranian embassy at Wassenaar
  • 25 Aug 1978 Baseball umps stage a 1 day strike
  • 26 Aug 1978 Soyuz 31 carries two cosmonauts (one the first East German, Sigmund JShn) to Salyut 6.
  • 27 Aug 1978 Gerrie Knetemann becomes world cyclist champion
  • 29 Aug 1978 USTA National Tennis Center opens in Flushing, New York
  • 31 Aug 1978 Constitution adopted by Sri Lanka
  • 01 Sep 1978 #4655 Marjoriika, #4814 Casacci, #5344 Ryabov, #6262 Javid and #8064
  • 02 Sep 1978 George Harrison marries Olivia
  • 03 Sep 1978 Leonid Mossejev becomes European marathon champ
  • 04 Sep 1978 Pat Bradley wins LPGA Rail Charity Golf Classic
  • 05 Sep 1978 Sadat, Begin and Carter began peace conference at Camp David, Maryland
  • 06 Sep 1978 Begin and Sadat meet at Camp David to discuss peace
  • 07 Sep 1978 1st game of Boston Massacre, Yanks beat Red Sox 15-3
  • 08 Sep 1978 2nd game of Boston Massacre; Yanks beat Red Sox 13-2
  • 09 Sep 1978 3rd game of Boston Massacre; Yanks beat Red Sox 7-0
  • 10 Sep 1978 Timbuktu! closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 243 performances
  • 11 Sep 1978 U.S. President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel meet at Camp David and agree on the Camp David Accords a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
  • 12 Sep 1978 Fidel Castro visits Addis Abba
  • 13 Sep 1978 1st flight of McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet
  • 14 Sep 1978 Portugal government of Da Costa falls
  • 15 Sep 1978 Dodgers become 1st major league team to draw 3 million fans
  • 16 Sep 1978 25,000 die in 7.7 earthquake in Tabar Iran
  • 17 Sep 1978 30th Emmy Awards: All in the Family, Ed Asner and Sada Thompson win
  • 18 Sep 1978 Leaders of Israel and Egypt reach a settlement for the Middle East at Camp David.
  • 19 Sep 1978 The Solomon Islands join the United Nations.
  • 20 Sep 1978 Eubie! opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 439 performances
  • 22 Sep 1978 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin returns home after Camp David summit.
  • 23 Sep 1978 100,000 cheering Egyptians welcome President Anwar Sadat home from Camp David summit.
  • 24 Sep 1978 Donna Caponi Young / Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Ping Team Golf Classic
  • 25 Sep 1978 PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727-214, collides in mid-air with a Cessna 172 and crashes in San Diego, California, resulting in the deaths of 144 people.
  • 26 Sep 1978 New York District Court Judge Constance Baker Motley rules that women sportswriters cannot be banned from locker rooms
  • 27 Sep 1978 The last Forest Brother guerilla movement fighter is discovered and killed in Estonia.
  • 28 Sep 1978 Pieter Botha succeeds Vorster as Premier of South Africa
  • 29 Sep 1978 Flying High, debuts on CBS
  • 30 Sep 1978 Cleveland, Houston, NY, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Phillies win 3rd consecutive NL East Division title
  • 01 Oct 1978 Comoros adopts constitution
  • 02 Oct 1978 Syrian and Palestinians shoot in East Beirut, 1,300 killed
  • 03 Oct 1978 Gold hits record US$223.50 an ounce in London, England.
  • 04 Oct 1978 Funeral services held for Pope John Paul I
  • 05 Oct 1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer wins the Nobel Prize for Literature.
  • 06 Oct 1978 Hannah H Gray inaugurated as 1st female head of US university
  • 07 Oct 1978 LA Dodgers win the pennant
  • 08 Oct 1978 Ken Warby set the world water speed record at 514 kph (319.627 mph).
  • 09 Oct 1978 12th Country Music Association Award
  • 10 Oct 1978 British pop magazine Smash Hits, 1st published
  • 11 Oct 1978 Belgium government of Tindemans resigns
  • 12 Oct 1978 Sid Vicious charged in murder of girlfriend Nancyh Spungen
  • 13 Oct 1978 Graig Nettles at 3rd makes many spectactular plays in WS game 3 as Guidry beats Dodgers, after trailing 2 games to 0 Yanks win next 4
  • 14 Oct 1978 New York Yank Reggie Jackson causes World Series controversy by getting in the way of a throw to 1st and deflects the ball away
  • 15 Oct 1978 Silvia Bertolaccini wins LPGA Civitan Golf Open
  • 16 Oct 1978 Nobel prize for economy awarded to Herbert A Simon
  • 17 Oct 1978 New York Islanders start a streak of 23 undefeated games at home
  • 18 Oct 1978 1st daughter Susan Ford announces engagement to Charles F Vance
  • 20 Oct 1978 Paul Vanden Boeynants forms Belgium government
  • 21 Oct 1978 Australian civilian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes in a Cessna 182 over the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft.
  • 22 Oct 1978 King of Hearts opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 48 performances
  • 23 Oct 1978 CBS raises LP prices to $8.98
  • 24 Oct 1978 Keith Richards convicted of heroin possession in Toronto
  • 25 Oct 1978 Padres Gaylord Perry is 1st to win Cy Young in both leagues
  • 26 Oct 1978 Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat named winners of 1978 Nobel Peace Prize
  • 27 Oct 1978 Begin and Sadat win Nobel Peace prize
  • 28 Oct 1978 Don Ritchie runs world record 100k
  • 30 Oct 1978 Uganda troops attack Tanzania
  • 31 Oct 1978 Iranian oil workers go on strike
  • 01 Nov 1978 New York Yankee Ron Guidry unanimously wins AL Cy Young Award
  • 02 Nov 1978 Crew of Soyuz 29 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 31.
  • 03 Nov 1978 Dominica gains independence from the UK and adopts constitution
  • 04 Nov 1978 3rd annual reentry free-agent draft, Pete Rose, Tommy John, and Darrell Evans, available
  • 05 Nov 1978 Khomeini followers attack British embassy / El Al office in Iran
  • 06 Nov 1978 Iranian general Gholan Reza Azhari forms government
  • 07 Nov 1978 Boston Red Sox Jim Rice wins AL MVP
  • 09 Nov 1978 Tanzania recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
  • 10 Nov 1978 Larry Holmes KOs Alfredo Evangelist in 7 for heavyweight boxing title
  • 11 Nov 1978 Maumoon Abdul Gayoom succeeded Ibrahim Nasir as the president of the Republic of Maldives. He has since been re-elected for six consecutive 5-year terms.
  • 12 Nov 1978 Platinum opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 33 performances
  • 15 Nov 1978 Pirates outfielder Dave Parker wins NL MVP
  • 16 Nov 1978 Major Indoor Soccer League holds its first draft.
  • 17 Nov 1978 Gerald Lascelles (under English Princess Mary) weds Elizabeth Colvin
  • 18 Nov 1978 In Jonestown, Guyana, Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple cult to a mass murder-suicide that claimed 918 lives in all, 909 of them in Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Congressman Leo J. Ryan is murdered by members of the Peoples Temple hours earlier.
  • 19 Nov 1978 The first U.S. Take Back the Night march occurs in San Francisco.
  • 21 Nov 1978 Bob Horner of Braves wins NL Rookie of Year Award
  • 25 Nov 1978 American Airlines DC-10 crashes on takeoff from Chicago, kills 275.
  • 26 Nov 1978 1st lesbian theme TV movie - Question of Love
  • 27 Nov 1978 Colombian Avianca Airlines Boeing 747 crashes in Madrid killing 183
  • 28 Nov 1978 44th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Sims, Oklahoma
  • 29 Nov 1978 United Nations observes "international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people," boycotted by US and about 20 other countries.
  • 30 Nov 1978 Publication of ''The Times'' is suspended due to labor problems until November 13, 1979.
  • 01 Dec 1978 US President Jimmy Carter more than doubles national park system size.
  • 03 Dec 1978 King of Hearts closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 48 performances
  • 04 Dec 1978 Dianne Feinstein is named SF 1st female mayor
  • 05 Dec 1978 Phillies Pete Rose becomes highest paid baseball player
  • 06 Dec 1978 Spain adopts constitution.
  • 09 Dec 1978 Pioneer Venus 2 drops five probes into atmosphere of Venus.
  • 10 Dec 1978 Platinum closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 33 performances
  • 11 Dec 1978 Six masked men bind ten employees at Lufthansa cargo area at New York Kennedy Airport and make off with US$5.8 million in cash and jewelry.
  • 13 Dec 1978 Susan B Anthony dollar, 1st US coin to honor a woman, issued
  • 14 Dec 1978 Ballroom opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 116 performances
  • 15 Dec 1978 Saint Maarten Patriotic Movement (SPM) forms under W James.
  • 16 Dec 1978 Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of People's Republic of China.
  • 17 Dec 1978 Referendum approves new constitution of Rwanda.
  • 18 Dec 1978 Dominica joins the United Nations.
  • 19 Dec 1978 Indira Gandhi ambushed in India.
  • 20 Dec 1978 Harry R Haldeman, President Richard Nixon's White House chief of staff released from jail.
  • 21 Dec 1978 Broadway Musical opens / closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater, New York City
  • 22 Dec 1978 Thailand adopts constitution.
  • 25 Dec 1978 Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.
  • 27 Dec 1978 Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.
  • 28 Dec 1978 30th hat trick in New York Islanders' history (Mike Bossy).
  • 29 Dec 1978 Spain constitution goes into effect.
  • 30 Dec 1978 King & I closes at Uris Theater NYC after 719 performances
  • 31 Dec 1978 Magic Show closes at Cort Theater in New York City after 1859 performances.