1978 - What happened in 1978 ?

January 1978

Sunday 01:

Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 explodes and crashes into the sea off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.

Friday 06:

The Hungarian Holy crown (also known as Stephen_I_of_Hungary crown) returned to Hungary from the United_States, where was held after the WW_II.

Saturday 14:

Johnny Rotten quits the Sex Pistols after the final show of their American tour, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

Monday 23:

Sweden becomes the first nation to ban aerosol sprays that are thought to damage earth's protective ozone layer.

Friday 27:

Lt Marilyn R. Koon, 161st Aerial Refueling Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard, becomes first female Air National Guard Pilot.

February 1978

Sunday 05:

The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters ever to hit New England, forms.

Monday 06:

The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of 4" an hour.

Saturday 11:

Censorship: China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens.

Monday 13:

Hilton bombing: a bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.

Thursday 16:

The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).

March 1978

Wednesday 01:

Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery.

Thursday 02:

Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.

Sunday 05:

Landsat 3 is launched.

Sunday 19:

UN Security Council Resolution 425 and 426 were passed, calling upon Israel immediately to cease its military action and withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territory (Operation Litani), and established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Wednesday 22:

Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

April 1978

Wednesday 19:

Lagumot Harris is elected President of Nauru.

Thursday 20:

Korean Air Flight 902 shot down by Soviets.

Saturday 22:

The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Friday 28:

President of Afghanistan Mohammed Daoud Khan is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.

May 1978

Monday 01:

Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.

Friday 12:

In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba. The government of Zaire asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.

Sunday 14:

First round of the presidential elections in Upper Volta.

Friday 26:

In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.

Sunday 28:

Second round of the presidential elections in Upper Volta. Elections wonm by incumbent Sangoulé Lamizana.

June 1978

Thursday 01:

The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.

Friday 09:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens the priesthood to "all worthy men,"ending a 148-year-old policy excluding black men.

Thursday 15:

King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby.

Monday 19:

First appearance of the comic strip Garfield.

Wednesday 28:

The United States Supreme Court, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke bars quota systems in college admissions.

July 1978

Friday 07:

The Solomon Islands become independent from the United Kingdom.

Monday 10:

ABC News World News Tonight premieres.

Thursday 13:

Ford Motor Company President Lee Iacocca is fired by chairman Henry Ford II, ending a long dispute between the men.

Tuesday 25:

The first so-called test-tube baby, Louise Brown, is born.

August 1978

Monday 07:

United States President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal.

Saturday 12:

Japan and China sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China.

Tuesday 15:

The City of Peace and Future Man

Saturday 26:

Sigmund Jähn becomes first German cosmonaut on board of the Soyuz 31 spacecraft.

Thursday 31:

William and Emily Harris, founders of the Symbionese Liberation Army, plead guilty to the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst.

September 1978

Tuesday 05:

Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin peace process at Camp David, Maryland.

Friday 15:

Muhammad Ali beats Leon Spinks for the world heavyweight boxing title.

Sunday 17:

The Camp David Accords were signed by Israel and Egypt.

Tuesday 19:

Newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing burglars at a farm, leading to famous murder trial.

Monday 25:

PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides in mid-air with a Cessna 172 and crashes in San Diego, California, resulting in the deaths of 144 people.

October 1978

Sunday 01:

The Voltaic Revolutionary Communist Party is founded.

Friday 06:

Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, members of the Swedish pop group ABBA, are married.

Sunday 08:

Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.60mph at Blowering Dam, Australia.

Tuesday 10:

US President Jimmy Carter signs a bill into law that authorizes the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar.

Thursday 26:

Independent Counsel Act signed into law

November 1978

Friday 03:

1978 The sitcom Diff'rent Strokes premieres on NBC.

Saturday 11:

A renovated Hollywood Sign is unveiled, replacing the older version that was built in 1923.

Wednesday 15:

A chartered DC-8 crashes near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 183.

Saturday 18:

Jonestown mass suicide: In Jonestown, Guyana, Jim Jones leads his People's Temple in a mass murder-suicide; 913 die, including 276 children.

Monday 27:

In San Francisco, California, city mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

December 1978

Monday 04:

Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco, California's first woman mayor (she served until January 8, 1988).

Tuesday 05:

The Soviet Union signs a 'friendship treaty' with the communist government of Afghanistan.

Wednesday 06:

Spain approves its latest constitution in a referendum.

Sunday 10:

Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat win the Nobel Peace Prize

Tuesday 19:

John Wayne Gacy is arrested for the killings of 33 boys and young men