Events in the year 1978 in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

–

Walter Scheel Walter Scheel (; 8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016) was a German statesman. A member of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), he first served in government as the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development from 1961 to 1966 and l ...

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

–

Helmut Schmidt Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Before becoming Cha ...

Events

*20 February - Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 *22 February - March 5 -

28th Berlin International Film Festival The 28th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 February to 5 March 1978. Director Wolf Donner successfully managed to shift the festival's date from June to February, a change which has remained ever since. This was the firs ...

*16/17 July -

4th G7 summit The 4th G7 Summit was held at Bonn, West Germany between 16 and 17 July 1978. The venue for the summit meeting was at the former official residence of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn, the ''Palais Schaumburg.''Japan, Mi ...

in Bonn *25 July - Celle Hole * undated:

Die Tageszeitung ''Die Tageszeitung'' (, “The Daily Newspaper”), is counted as being one of modern Germany's most important newspapers and amongst the top seven. taz is stylized as ''die tageszeitung'' and commonly referred to as ''taz'', is a cooperative-own ...

is first published.

Catastrophes

*13 December - the motor ship MS ''München'' sank.

Births

*January 18 -

Katja Kipping Katja Kipping (born 18 January 1978) is a German politician of The Left party who is serving as Senator for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs in the Berlin state government since December 2021. She was previously a member of the Bundestag ...

, German politician *January 18 - Stev Theloke, German swimmer *January 21 -

Sven Schmid Sven Schmid (born 21 January 1978) is a German fencer. He won a bronze medal in the team épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern der ...

, German fencer *February 1 -

Tobias Hans Tobias Hans (born 1 February 1978) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister-President of Saarland from 2018 to 2022. Political career Hans became a member of the Landtag of Saarland after the Saar ...

, German politician *February 18 -

Oliver Pocher Oliver Pocher (born 18 February 1978) is a German comedian, entertainer, television personality and host. Early life and professional training Pocher is the son of Gerhard and Jutta Pocher; he was born and grew up in Hanover, West Germany. Hi ...

, German television presenter *February 20 -

Julia Jentsch Julia Jentsch (born 20 February 1978) is a German actress. She has received awards including the Silver Bear, European Film Award, and Lola. She is best known for ''Sophie Scholl – The Final Days'', '' The Edukators'' and ''I Served the King of ...

, German actress *February 26 - Tom Beck, German actor *March 6 -

Thomas Godoj Tomasz Jacek Godoj (born 6 March 1978) is a Polish-German rock-pop singer and songwriter. He was the winner of the fifth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (2008), the German version of ''Pop Idol''. Early life Godoj was born on 6 Ma ...

, Polish-born German singer and winner of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (season 5) *March 16 -

Annett Renneberg Annett Renneberg (born 16 March 1978, in Rudolstadt) is a German actress and singer. Biography Early life and education From the age of two, Renneberg lived in East Berlin, where she later attended high school. She also took lessons in singing, ...

, German actress *April 5 -

Franziska van Almsick Franziska van Almsick (; born 5 April 1978) is a German swimmer. She won her first Olympic medals in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic Games aged 14. Her career began at the SC Dynamo Berlin. She has the distinction of having the most career Olym ...

, German swimmer *April 27 -

Pinar Atalay Pinar Atalay (born 27 April 1978) is a German radio and television presenter. Life and career Atalay was born to Turkish immigrants parents in Lemgo, West Germany. After high school she ran, for one year, a boutique in Lemgo.Antje Hildebrand ...

, German radio and television presenter *May 3 -

Franziska Giffey Franziska Giffey (, Süllke, born 3 May 1978) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as Governing Mayor of Berlin since December 2021, the first woman elected to this position. She previously served as ...

, German politician *May 20 -

Nils Schumann Nils Schumann (; born 20 May 1978) is a former German athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, who retired in 2009. For most of the five years before his retirement he had featured sparingly at an international level due to inj ...

, German athlete *May 21 **

Briana Banks Briana Banks (born Briana Bany; 21 May 1978) is a German-American pornographic actress and model. She was the ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Month for June 2001. Early life Banks was born in Munich, Germany to a German father and an American mother. Th ...

, German-American porn star **

Katharina Wagner Katharina Wagner (born 21 May 1978 in Bayreuth) is a German opera stage director and is the director of the Bayreuth Festival. She is the daughter of Wolfgang Wagner and Gudrun Wagner (née Armann), great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner, and gr ...

, German opera director *June 9 -

Miroslav Klose Miroslav Josef Klose (, pl, Mirosław Józef Klose; born 9 June 1978 as Mirosław Marian Klose) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Austrian Footb ...

, German football player *June 16 -

Daniel Brühl Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo (; born 16 June 1978) is a Spanish-German actor and filmmaker. He received his first German Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' Das Weisse Rauschen (The White Sound)'' (2001), ''Nichts ...

, German actor *June 19 -

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gr ...

, German basketball player *July 9 -

Mark Medlock Mark Leon Medlock (born 9 July 1978) is a German singer and the winner of the season 4 of '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (DSDS), the German version of ''Pop Idol''. Early life Medlock is the elder of two siblings, born to an African-Americ ...

, German singer and winner of

Deutschland sucht den Superstar (season 4) The fourth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' was aired on German channel RTL from February to May 2007. Mark Medlock, the season's winner, was awarded a contract with Sony BMG. The judges in this season were Dieter Bohlen, Heinz He ...

*July 20 - Ludwig Hartmann, German politician *August 10 -

Oliver Petszokat Oliver Alexander Reinhard Petszokat (born 10 August 1978), better known by his stage name Oli.P, is a German singer, actor and television presenter. Biography Petszokat, whose father Reinhard Petszokat was a policeman, began ballroom dancing a ...

, German singer and actor *August 15 -

Adel Tawil Adel Salah Mahmoud Eid El-Tawil (born 15 August 1978) is a German singer, songwriter and producer. Besides his solo career, he is part of the popular German duo Ich + Ich and a former member of the boy band The Boyz. Early life Tawil was born ...

, German singer-songwriter *August 18 -

Daniel Hartwich Daniel Hartwich (born 18 August 1978) is a German TV presenter. Biography Hartwich's mother is a nurse. After completing his ''Abitur'' in 1998, he studied German and political science at Goethe University in Frankfurt. During his studies, he b ...

, German television presenter

Deaths

*January 3 -

Alfred Braun Alfred Braun (13 May 1888 – 3 January 1978) was a German screenwriter, actor and film director. Filmography Actor * ''Das Leid der Liebe'' (1916) * ''Der Sohn der Magd'' (1919) * '' The Gambler'' (1920) - Stöckel * ''Rosenmontag'' (1924) * ' ...

, German actor and film director (born

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

) *January 14 -

Robert Heger Robert Heger (19 August 1886 – 14 January 1978) was a German conductor and composer from Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine. Life and career He studied at the Conservatory of Strasbourg under Franz Stockhausen, then in Zurich under Lothar ...

, German conductor (born

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

) *February 13 -

Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender (19 February 1897, Aachen – 13 February 1978, Nuremberg) was a German operatic baritone, particularly associated with Mozart and Verdi roles. He is considered to have been one of the best lyric baritones of the int ...

, German opera singer (born

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

) *March 5 -

Adolf Metzner Adolf Metzner (25 April 1910 in Frankenthal – 5 March 1978 in Hamburg) was a German athlete who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. After finishing his career due to Achilles tendon rupture he became a carpenter ...

, German athlete (born

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

) *March 14 - Carl Vincent Krogmann, German politician (born

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...

) *May 30 -

Gotthard Handrick Gotthard Handrick (25 October 1908 – 30 May 1978) was a German Olympic athlete and German fighter pilot during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Career Handrick was born on 25 October 1908 in Zittau, at the time in the Kingdom of Saxony ...

, German athlete and fighter pilot (born

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

) *June 4 - Ernst Langlotz, German archaeologist (born

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

) *July 1 -

Kurt Student Kurt Arthur Benno Student (12 May 1890 – 1 July 1978) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. An early pioneer of airborne forces, Student was in overall command of developing a paratrooper force to be known as the ''Fallschi ...

, German paratroop general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. (born

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

) *July 20 - Gertrud Morgner, German politician (born

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

) *September 6 -

Adolf Dassler Adolf "Adi" Dassler (3 November 1900 – 6 September 1978) was a German cobbler, inventor and entrepreneur who founded the German sportswear company Adidas. He was also the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler, founder of Puma. Dassler was an innov ...

, founder of the Adidas shoe company (born

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

) *September 15 -

Willy Messerschmitt Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (; 26 June 1898 – 15 September 1978) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. In 1934, in collaboration with Walter Rethel, he designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which became the most importan ...

, German aircraft designer and manufacturer (born

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

) *September 24 -

Hasso von Manteuffel Freiherr Hasso Eccard von Manteuffel (14 January 1897 – 24 September 1978) was a German baron born to the Prussian noble von Manteuffel family and was a general during World War II who commanded the 5th Panzer Army. He was a recipient of the ...

, German general during World War II (born

) *September 24 -

Ida Noddack Ida Noddack (25 February 1896 – 24 September 1978), ''née'' Tacke, was a German chemist and physicist. In 1934 she was the first to mention the idea later named nuclear fission. With her husband - Walter Noddack - and Otto Berg she discover ...

, German chemist (born

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

) *December 17 -

Josef Frings Josef Richard Frings (6 February 1887 – 17 December 1978), was a German Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cologne from 1942 to 1969. Considered a significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism, he was elevated to th ...

, German cardinal of Roman Catholic Church (born

)

References

Years of the 20th century in Germany 1970s in Germany

{{Europe-year-stub