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Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar).
- January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law.
- January 1 - Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes into the ocean near Bombay, killing 213.
- January 4 - A referendum in Chile supports the policies of Augusto Pinochet.
- January 6 - The Hungarian Holy Crown (also known as Stephen of Hungary Crown) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held since World War II.
- January 7 - Emilio Palma is born in Antarctica, making his birth the southernmost in history.
- January 10 - Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, a critic of the Nicaraguan government, is assassinated. Riots erupt against Somoza's government.
- January 14 - January 15 - The body of former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, following his death from cancer.
- January 18 - The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.
- January 19 - Federal Appeals Court Judge William H. Webster is appointed FBI Director.
- January 22 - Ethiopia declares the ambassador of West Germany Persona non grata.
- January 23 - Sweden becomes the first nation to ban aerosol sprays that are thought to damage earth's protective ozone layer.
- January 24 - Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris over Canada's Northwest Territories.
- January 24 - Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison in the history of the Republic of Ireland.
- January 28 - Richard Chase, the "Vampire of Sacramento", is arrested.
- January 30 - Blizzards in the USA kill 90.
- February 1 - Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
- February 6 - Akyab, Arakan, The King Dragon operation in Arakan begins in the village of Sakkipara.
- February 8 - United States Senate proceedings are broadcast on radio for the first time.
- February 11 - Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in Cranbrook, British Columbia, killing 44 of the 50 people onboard.
- February 11 - Sixteen Unification Church couples wed in New York, New York.
- February 11 - Somalia mobilizes its troops, due to an apparent Ethiopian attack.
- February 11 - The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
- February 13 - A bomb explodes outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two garbagemen, a policeman and several others. Many believe that ASIO is responsible.
- February 15 - Rhodesia's prime minister Ian Smith and 3 black leaders agree on the transfer to black majority rule.
- February 15 - Serial killer Ted Bundy is captured in Pensacola, Florida.
- February 16 - The Hillside Strangler, a serial killer prowling Los Angeles, claims a fourth and final victim.
- February 16 - The first computer bulletin board system (CBBS) is created in Chicago.
- February 21 - Electrical workers in Mexico City find the remains of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in the middle of the city.
- March 1 - Charlie Chaplin's remains are stolen from Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
- March 2 - Soyuz 28 (Aleksei Gubarev, Vladimir Remek) is launched on a rendezvous with Salyut 6, with the first cosmonaut from a Soviet satellite (Remek).
- March 3 - Ethiopia admits that its troops are fighting with the aid of Cuban soldiers against Somalian troops in Ogaden.
- March 3 - Rhodesia attacks Zambia.
- March 3 - The New York Post publishes an article about David Rorvik's book The Cloning of Man, about a supposed cloning of a human being.
- March 4 - In a feat unmatched before or since, The Bee Gees claim 5 spots in the Billboard Hot 100 as writers. Their own Stayin' Alive, Night Fever and How Deep Is Your Love, Samantha Sang's Emotion and Andy Gibb's (Love Is) Thicker Than Water.
- March 4 - P.v. Maltzahn is born in Essen, Germany.
- March 6 - American porn publisher Larry Flynt is shot and paralyzed in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
- March 10 - Soyuz 28 lands.
- March 11 - Coastal Road Massacre: Palestinian terrorists kill 34 Israelis.
- March 14 - Israeli forces invade Lebanon in Operation Litani.
- March 16 - Former Italian Premier Aldo Moro is kidnapped by the Red Brigades; 5 bodyguards are killed.
- March 17 - The oil tanker Amoco Cadiz runs aground on the coast of Brittany.
- March 18 - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan, is sentenced to death by hanging for ordering the assassination of a political opponent.
- March 22 - Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- March 24 - The tanker Amoco Cadiz splits in two off Brittany, spilling 50,000 metric tons of crude oil.
- March 28 - Stump v. Sparkman (435 U.S. 349}: The Supreme Court of the United States hands down a 5-3 decision in a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
- April 1 - Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods tows a fake iceberg to Sydney Harbour.
- April 1 - Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, was converted to Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
- April 7 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb - a weapon which kills people with radiation but leaves buildings relatively intact. The World Health Organization was formed.
- April 8 - Regular radio broadcasts of British Parliament proceedings 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 with a unionized (UAW) workforce. (The plant will close in 1992.)
- April 14 - 1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations: thousands of Georgians demonstrate against the attempt by the Soviet authorities to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
- April 16 - In Cologne, 15,000 former members of the resistance movement demonstrate against Nazism.
- April 18 - The U.S. Senate votes 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
- April 22 - Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta win the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 for Israel with their song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi".
- April 22 - The One Love Peace Concert is held at National Heroes Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley unites 2 opposing political leaders at this concert, bringing peace to the civil war ridden streets of the city.
- April 27 - Afghanistan President Daoud Khan is killed during a military coup; Nur Mohammed Taraki succeeds him.
- April 30 - The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Mohammed Taraki.
- May 4 - Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
- May 5 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 3,000th 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 - A group of mercenaries lead by Bob Denard oust Ali Soilih in the Comoros; 10 local soldiers are 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 Zairean government asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.
- May 15 - Students of the University of Teheran riot in Tabriz; the army stops the riot.
- May 17 - Charles Chaplin's coffin is found 10 miles from the cemetery it was stolen from, near Lake Geneva.
- May 18 - Soviet dissident Yuri Orlov is sentenced to 7 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 U.S.; her 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, wounding a security guard (the first Unabomber attack).
- May 26 - In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.
- May 28 - Indianapolis 500: Al Unser wins his third race, and the first for car owner Jim Hall.
- May 29 - Ali Soilih is found dead in the Comoros, allegedly shot when trying to escape.
- June 1 - The 1978 FIFA World Cup starts in Argentina.
- June 6 - California voters approve Proposition 13, which slashes property taxes nearly 60%.
- 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 the 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 20 - A magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, killing 45 people, injuring hundreds and damaging some of the city's Byzantine landmarks.
- June 21 - A shootout between Provisional IRA members and the British Army leaves 1 civilian and 3 IRA men dead.
- June 22 - Charon, a satellite of Pluto, is discovered.
- June 23 - Josip Broz Tito is named Yugoslav president for life.
- June 24 - Yemen Arab Republic President Ahmad al-Ghashmi is killed.
- June 24 - Gay & Lesbian Solidarity March held in Sydney, Australia to mark 10th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots; Which would become known as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras the following year and be held annually; later incorporating a festival.
- June 25 - Argentina defeats the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
- June 26 - The bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in Versailles.
- June 28 - U.S. scientific satellite Seasat is launched.
- June 28 - University of California Regents v. Bakke: The Supreme Court of the United States bars quota systems in college admissions but affirms the constitutionality of programs which give advantages to minorities.
- June 30 - Ethiopia begins a massive offensive in Eritrea.
- August 3 - The Commonwealth Games open in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
- August 6 - Pope Paul VI dies at age 80.
- August 7 - United States President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal.
- August 12 - Sino-Japanese relations: The Treaty of Peace and Friendship is signed between Japan and the People's Republic of China.
- August 15 - Mirapuri, the City of Peace and Future Man in Europe, is founded in Italy.
- August 17 - Double Eagle II (Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, Larry Newman), becomes the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
- August 19 - The Cinema Rex catches fire in Tehran (477 dead).
- August 20 - Gunmen open fire on an Israeli El Al airline bus in London.
- August 20 - In Abadan, Iran, nearly 400 are killed when Muslim extremist arsonists set fire to a crowded theater.
- August 25 - The Shroud of Turin goes on public display for the first time in 45 years.
- August 25 - U.S. Army Sergeant Walter Robinson "walks" across the English Channel in 11 hours 30 minutes, using homemade water shoes.
- August 26 - Pope John Paul I (Albino Cardinal Luciani) succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd pope.
- September 5 - Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin the peace process at Camp David, Maryland.
- September 7 - In London, England, a poison filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, poisons Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov, probably on orders of Bulgarian intelligence; he dies 4 days later.
- September 8 - Iranian Army troops open fire on rioters in Teheran - 122 dead, 4,000 wounded.
- September 16 - General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq officially assumes the post of President of Pakistan.
- September 17 - The Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt.
- September 19 - Police in the West Midlands of England launch a massive murder hunt, when 13 year old newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing a burglary.
- September 20 - General Rahimuddin Khan assumes the post of Martial Law Governor of Balochistan.
- September 25 - PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in San Diego, California; 144 are killed.
- September 27 - The last Forest Brother guerilla movement fighter is discovered and killed in Estonia.
- September 28 - Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of papacy.
- December 3 - The Southern Crescent passenger train derails at Shipman, Virginia, killing six, injuring 60.
- December 4 - Dianne Feinstein succeeds the murdered George Moscone as San Francisco, California's first woman mayor (she serves until January 8, 1988).
- December 6 - The Spanish Constitution officially restores the country's democratic government.
- December 11 - Lufthansa heist: Six men rob a Lufthansa cargo facility in New York City's Kennedy airport.
- December 11 - Two million demonstrate against the Shah in Iran.
- December 13 - The first Susan B. Anthony dollar enters circulation.
- December 15 - Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to go into default since the Great Depression, under Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
- December 19 - Former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi is arrested and jailed for a week for breach of privilege and contempt of parliament.
- December 22 - The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
- December 22 - Serial killer John Wayne Gacy finally confesses to his lawyers that he raped and killed 33 boys/men after months of denial to authorities. The confession surprised the entire city of Chicago, as Gacy was a family man that was adored by people all over town.
- December 25 - Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.
- December 27 - The Spanish Constitution is approved in a referendum, officially ending 40 years of military dictatorship.
- January 1 - Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
- January 2 - Toyoguchi Megumi, Japanese seiyuu (voice actress)
- January 3 - Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
- January 5 - Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver
- January 9 - Chad Johnson, American football player
- January 9 - AJ McLean, member of the Backstreet Boys
- January 12 - Kris Roe, American guitarist and singer (The Ataris)
- January 12 - Jeremy Camp, American guitarist and Christian singer
- January 14 - Eddie Berlin, American football player
- January 14 - Shawn Crawford, American runner
- January 15 - Franco Pellizotti, Italian professional road racing cyclist
- January 26 - Kelly Stables, American actress
- January 28 - Gianluigi Buffon, Italian goalkeeper (football)
- February 2 - Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer
- February 5 - Brian Russell, American football player
- February 7 - Christopher Ashton Kutcher, American actor
- February 12 - Silver Meikar, Estonian politician
- February 14 - Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- February 14 - Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player
- February 15 - Tuan Le, American poker player
- February 16 - John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
- February 17 - Jacob Wetterling, child kidnapping victim (missing since 1989)
- February 19 - Kenyatta Wright, American football linebacker
- February 20 - Julia Jentsch, German actress
- February 23 - Dan Snyder, Canadian hockey player (d. 2003)
- February 24 - John Nolan, lead singer of Straylight Run
- February 24 - Leon Constantine, Leeds United footballer
- February 27 - Kakha Kaladze, Georgian and AC Milan footballer
- February 28 - Benjamin Raich, Austrian Olympic skier
- March 1 - Jensen Ackles, American actor
- March 2 - Tomas Kaberle, Czech hockey player
- March 4 - Denis Dallan, Italian rugby union footballer
- March 6 - Sage Rosenfels, American Football Player
- March 10 - Benjamin Burnley, American musician
- March 11 - Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast footballer
- March 13 - Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian dancer
- March 14 - Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
- March 14 - Carl Johan Bergman, Swedish biathlete
- March 21 - Kevin Federline, American dancer
- March 21 - Rani Mukherji, Indian actress
- March 22 - Josh Heupel, American football player
- March 25 - Brian Urlacher, American football player
- March 31 - Stephen Clemence, English footballer
- March 31 - Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
- March 31 - Tony Yayo, American rapper
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