20 Notable Events in 1978

I was one year old in 1978, so I don’t have much recollection of this period in my mind. That doesn’t mean interesting events didn’t happen back then.

History has a tendency to repeat itself. Hopefully the human race can learn from past mistakes. I must admit that 1978 is not that long ago if you look at the big historical picture, though.

Here are some notable events from 1978:

1. Louise Brown, the worlds first test tube baby, was born in Oldham, Manchester in the United Kingdom in 1978.

2. The Woody Allen film Annie Hall won 4 Oscars. For Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

3. Prime minister Ian Smith of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and 3 black leaders agreed to transfer to black majority rule in the African country.

4. The serial killer, Ted Bundy (who killed an estimated 35 people between 1973/4 and 1978) was captured in February 1978 in Pensacola, Florida in the United States.

5. American Porn publisher Larry Flynt (the founder of Hustler Magazine) was shot and paralyzed in Lawrenceville, Georgia in the United States in this year.

6. Kaiser Matanzima (a nephew of Nelson Mandela) broke all Transkei’s diplomatic ties with South Africa and announced that all SADF members seconded to the Transkei Army would be leaving Transkei by 31 March of this year.

7. PW Botha took over the job of Prime Minister of South Africa from John Vorster in 1978.

8. The FIFA World Cup was held in Argentina. The hosts were victorious, beating The Netherlands 3 -1 in the final.

9. David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam,” was sentenced to 365 years in prison in this year.

10. Dominica, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.

11. The comic strip, Garfield made its debut in this year.

12/ Pope Paul VI died in Rome in 1978 and was succeeded by Pope John Paul I. However Pope John Paul I died after only 33 days in the papacy. He was succeeded by Pope John Paul II (the first Polish pope in history).

13. At Blowering Dam in Australia, Ken Warby set the current world water speed record of 317.60 mph (511 km/h) in 1978.

14. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.

15. Daniel Arap Moi became the president of Kenya.

16. Movies that were released in 1978 include The Deer Hunter (starring Robert de Niro), Midnight Express (starring Randy Quaid), Grease (starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John), Superman (starring Christoper Reeve), Halloween, Animal House (starring John Belushi and Kevin Bacon) and Up in Smoke.

17. Wales completed the Grand Slam and won the 84th Five Nations Championship and the Blue Bulls (Northern Transvaal) won the Currie Cup in South Africa.

18. Musical groups that were formed in 1978 include Bauhaus, Dead Kennedys, Dexys Midnight Runners, Duran Duran, Pulp, Simple Minds, Survivor and UB40.

19. The Space Invaders video game was developed by Taito in Japan.

20. After nearly 30 years production of the Volkswagen Beetle was halted in Germany. Over 20 million cars VW Beetles were produced over the years.

There you have it, 20 notable events that happened in 1978.

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