1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday.
Events
January
February
March
April
- April 1 - Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods tows a fake iceberg to Sydney Harbour.
- April 8 - Regular broadcasts of proceedings in British Parliament start.
- April 10 - Volkswagen becomes the first non-American automobile manufacturer to open a plant in the United States, commencing production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. (The plant is forced to close ten years later.)
- April 16 - In Cologne, 15,000 former members of the resistance movement demonstrate against National Socialism.
- April 18 - The US Senate votes 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31 1999.
- April 22 - One Love Peace Concert held at National Heroes Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley united the two opposing political leaders at this concert bringing peace to the civil war ridden streets of Kingston, Jamaica.
- April 27 - President of Afghanistan, Daud Khan is killed during a military coup - Mohammed Takain succeeds him.
- April 30 - The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Mohammed Taraki.
May
- May 4 - Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
- May 5 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 3000th major league hit.
- May 8 - Norway opens a natural gas field in the Polar Sea.
- May 9 - In Rome, the body of Aldo Moro, the Italian president of the Christian-Democrats, is found in a parked car.
- May 12-May 13 - Group of mercenaries lead by Bob Denard oust Ali Soilih in the Comoros - 10 local soldiers killed. Denard forms a new government
- May 12 - In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining centre of the province of Shaba. The government of Zaire asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.
- May 15 - Students of the University of Teheran riot in Tabriz - an army stops the riot.
- May 17 - Charles Chaplin's coffin is found ten miles from the cemetery it was stolen from, near Lake Geneva.
- May 18 - Soviet dissident Yuri Orlov is sentenced for seven years hard labor for distributing counterrevolutionary material.
- May 18-May 19 - Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels.
- May 20 - Mavis Hutchinson, 53, becomes the first woman to run across the USA - trek took 69 days.
- May 22 - Exiled leaders Ahmed Abdallah and Mohammed Ahmed return to the Comoros
- May 25 - A bomb explodes in the security section of Northwestern University - security guard is wounded. The first bomb of the Unabomber case.
- May 26 - In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.
- May 28 - Indianapolis 500-Mile Race: Al Unser wins his third race, and the first for car owner Jim Hall.
- May 29 - Ali Soilih is found dead, allegedly shot when trying to escape.
June
- June 1 - 1978 FIFA World Cup starts, held in Argentina.
- June 6 - Californians in referendum approve Proposition 13 for a nearly 60% slash in property tax revenues.
- June 9 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints extends the priesthood and temple blessings to "all worthy males," ending a general policy of excluding blacks from priesthood and temples since 1849 (see Blacks and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
- June 12 - Serial killer David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam," is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
- June 15 - King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby.
- June 19 - Cricketer Ian Botham becomes the first man in the history of the game to score a century and take eight wickets in one innings of a Test match.
- June 19 - Comic Strip Garfield debuts in newspapers.
- June 20 - A powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, resulting in the total collapse of an apartment building at the central Ippodromio district and the subsequent death of more than 40 people.
- June 21 - An outbreak of shooting between Provisional IRA members and the British Army leaves one civilian and three IRA men dead.
- June 22 - Discovery of Charon, a satellite of Pluto, announced.
- June 23 - Josip Broz Tito is named for Yugoslav president for life.
- June 24 - President of Yemen Arab Republic Ahmad al-Ghashmi is killed.
- June 25 - Argentina defeat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time to win the 1978 World Cup.
- June 26 - The bombing of Breton nationalists causes destruction in Versailles.
- June 26 - The Supreme Court of the United States, in the Bakke case, bars quota systems in college admissions but affirms constitutionality of programs giving advantage to minorities.
- June 30 - Ethiopia begins a massive offensive in Eritrea.
July
August
September
October
November
December
Unknown dates
Births
January
- January 1 - Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
- January 3 - Alex Leigh, British model
- January 4 - Dwight Freeney, American football player
- January 9 - Chad Johnson, American football
- January 9 - AJ McLean, member of the Backstreet Boys
- January 12 - Kris Roe, American guitarist and singer (The Ataris)
- January 14 - Shawn Crawford, American runner
- January 15 - Franco Pellizotti, Italian professional road racing cyclist
- January 17 - Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer
- January 26 - Kelly Stables, actress
- January 28 - Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
February
- February 5 - Shawn Reaves, American actor
- February 7 - Christopher Ashton Kutcher, American actor
- February 14 - Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- February 15 - Tuan Le, American poker player
- February 18 - Ben Adams, American entrepreneur
- February 20 - Jakki Degg, British model
- February 20 - Julia Jentsch, German actress
- February 23 - Dan Snyder, Canadian hockey player (d. 2003)
- February 24 - Janine Machin, English radio presenter
- February 28 - Benjamin Raich, Austrian Olympic skier
March
April
May
June
- June 1 - Danielle Harris, American voice actress
- June 6 - Carl Barat, English singer and guitarist (The Libertines)
- June 8 - Maria Menounos, American actress, journalist, and television presenter
- June 9 - Matthew Bellamy, lead singer of the British band Muse
- June 9 - Miroslav Klose, German football player
- June 10 - Shane West, American actor
- June 13 - Christian Stepien, Canadian artist
- June 19 - Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
- June 20 - Mark Powell, Australian politician
- June 21 - Erica Durance, Canadian actress
- June 22 - Champ Bailey, American football player
- June 22 - Dan Wheldon, English race car driver
- June 25 - Marcus Stroud, American football player
- June 29 - Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls
July
August
- August 1 - Edgerrin James, American football player
- August 3 - Mariusz Jop, Polish football (soccer) player
- August 6 - Marisa Miller, American model
- August 7 - Alexandre Aja, French Director
- August 7 - Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer
- August 7 - Linsey Dawn McKenzie, English model and porn star
- August 7 - Cirroc Lofton, American actor
- August 7 - Jamey Jasta, American singer (Hatebreed)
- August 19 - Callum Blue, English actor
- August 21 - Reuben Droughns, American football player
- August 21 - Alan Lee, Irish footballer
- August 23 - Kobe Bryant, American basketball player
- August 23 - Julian Casablancas, American musician (The Strokes)
- August 24 - Rafael Furcal, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- August 25 - Kel Mitchell, American actor
September
- September 7 - Nora Greenwald, American professional wrestler
- September 11 - Ed Reed, American football player
- September 12 - Benjamin McKenzie, American actor
- September 12 - Ruben Studdard, American singer
- September 20 - Jason Bay, Canadian Major League Baseball player
- September 22 - Harry Kewell, Australian footballer
- September 24 - Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer
- September 25 - Jodie Kidd, English model
- September 29 - Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer
- September 30 - Candice Michelle, American professional wrestler and model
October
- October 2 - Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer
- October 3 - Shannyn Sossamon, American actress and musician ( SVU)
- October 5 - Shane Ryan, Irish Gaelic Footballer
- October 13 - Jermaine O'Neal, American basketball player
- October 14 - Usher Raymond, American musician
- October 20 - Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer
- October 21 - Joey Harrington, American football player
- October 25 - Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer
- October 26 - Antonio Pierce, American football player
- October 26 - Jimmy Aggrey, English footballer
- October 27 - Vanessa-Mae, Singaporean musician
- October 28 - Justin Guarini, American singer
- October 29 - Travis Henry, American football player
November
- November 1 - Manju Warriar, Indian actress
- November 6 - Taryn Manning, American actress
- November 9 - Sisqó, American actor and singer (Dru Hill)
- November 10 - Eve, American rapper
- November 17 - Reggie Wayne, American football player
- November 18 - Damien Johnson, Northern Irish footballer
- November 21 - Annie, Norwegian singer
- November 24 - Katherine Heigl, American actress
- November 25 - Shina Ringo, Japanese singer and musician
- November 28 - Ludwika Paleta, Polish Mexican actress
- November 30 - Clay Aiken, American singer
December
- December 1 - Brad Delson, American guitarist (Linkin Park)
- December 2 - Nelly Furtado, Canadian-born singer and songwriter
- December 8 - Ian Somerhalder, American actor
- December 8 - Vernon Wells, baseball player
- December 9 - Jesse Metcalfe, American actor
- December 12 - Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
- December 18 - Curtis Taylor, an Oak Bridge Middle School student. (d. 1993)
- December 18 - Katie Holmes, American actress
- December 22 - Edo Maajka, Bosnian rapper
- December 23 - Andra Davis, American football player
- December 23 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- December 23 - Estella Warren, Canadian swimmer, model, and actress
- December 26 - Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
- December 29 - Alexis Amore, Peruvian actress, dancer, and model
- December 29 - LaToya London, American singer
Deaths
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Unknown dates
Nobel prizes
1978
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