Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
–
Air India Flight 855
Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Santa Cruz Airport, Bombay to Dubai International Airport, Dubai. On New Years Day in 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed about off the coast of Bandra, Bombay (now Mum ...
, a
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
passenger jet, crashes off the coast of
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, killing 213.
*
January 5
Events Pre-1600
*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Turckh ...
–
Bülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist, who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in ...
, of
CHP, forms the new government of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
(42nd government).
*
January 6
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
– The
Holy Crown of Hungary
The Holy Crown of Hungary ( hu, Szent Korona; sh, Kruna svetoga Stjepana; la, Sacra Corona; sk, Svätoštefanská koruna , la, Sacra Corona), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the ...
(also known as
Stephen of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the f ...
Crown) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
*
January 10
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
* 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
–
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (23 September 1924 – 10 January 1978) was a Nicaraguan journalist and publisher. He was the editor of ''La Prensa'', the only significant opposition newspaper to the long rule of the Somoza family. He is a 19 ...
, a critic of the
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
n government, is assassinated; riots erupt against
Somoza
The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza D ...
's government.
*
January 18
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
* 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chi ...
– The
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
finds the British government guilty of mistreating prisoners in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, but not guilty of torture.
*
January 22
Events Pre-1600
* 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
* 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...
–
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
declares the ambassador of West Germany ''
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution.
Diplomacy
Under Article 9 of the ...
''.
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
**
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
satellite
Kosmos 954
Kosmos 954 (russian: Космос 954) was a reconnaissance satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1977. A malfunction prevented safe separation of its onboard nuclear reactor; when the satellite reentered the Earth's atmosphere the follow ...
burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering debris over Canada's
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
.
**
Rose Dugdale
Bridget Rose Dugdale (born 1941), better known as Rose Dugdale, is a former debutante who rebelled against her wealthy upbringing, becoming a volunteer in the militant Irish republican organisation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). ...
and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison since the establishment of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
*
January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
–
27 – The
Great Blizzard of 1978
The Great Blizzard of 1978 was an historic winter storm that struck the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions of the United States as well as Southern Ontario in Canada from Wednesday, January 25 through Friday, January 27, 1978. It is often cited ...
strikes the
Ohio Valley
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinoi ...
and
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
, killing 70.
February
*
February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Film director
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...
skips
bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countries ...
and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in
sex
Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...
with a 13-year-old girl.
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
–
7 – The
Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic, historic nor'easter that struck New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. The Blizzard of '78 formed on Sunday, February 5, 1978, and broke up o ...
hits the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
region and the
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
, killing about 100, and causing over US$520 million in damage.
*
February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
–
King Dragon operation in Arakan
Operation Dragon King ( my, နဂါးမင်း စစ်ဆင်ရေး), officially known as Operation Nagamin in English, was a military operation carried in 1978 out by the Tatmadaw and Ministry of Immigration and Population, immigr ...
: Burmese General
Ne Win
Ne Win ( my, နေဝင်း ; 10 July 1910, or 14 or 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma ...
targets Muslim minorities in the village of Sakkipara.
*
February 8
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
*1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...
–
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
proceedings are broadcast on
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
for the first time.
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
* 1539 – The first recorded race is hel ...
– The
Budd Company
The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense products ...
unveils its first
SPV-2000
The Budd SPV-2000 is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar built by the Budd Company between 1978 and 1981 for use on North American commuter railroads. The design was a successor to Budd's popular Rail Diesel Car (RDC) but based on the b ...
self-propelled railcar in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, United States.
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
**
Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314
On 11 February 1978, Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashed at Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport, near Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, killing 43 of the 49 people on board.
The scheduled flight from F ...
, a
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
-200, crashes in
Cranbrook, British Columbia
Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the ...
, killing 44 of the 50 people on board.
**
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
mobilizes its troops to deal with an apparent
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
n attack.
** The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
and
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
.
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
–
Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing
The Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney, Australia. At the time the hotel was hosting the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CH ...
: A bomb explodes outside the
Hilton Hotel
Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton.
The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
in Sydney, Australia, killing a policeman and two civilians, and injuring several other people.
*
February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...
–
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
, one of only two remaining white-ruled African nations (the other being South Africa), announces that it will accept
multiracial democracy Multiracial democracy is a democratic political system that is multiracial. It is cited as aspiration in South Africa after apartheid and as existing for the United States.
See also
* Cultural mosaic
* Ethnopluralism
* Intercultural relations
* ...
within 2 years.
*
February 19
Events Pre-1600
* 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
* 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...
–
Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport
On 19 February 1978, Egyptian special forces raided Larnaca International Airport near Larnaca, Cyprus, in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking. Earlier, two assassins had killed prominent Egyptian newspaper editor Yusuf Sibai and then rounded ...
:
Egyptian Special Forces
El-Sa‘ka Forces ( ar, قوات الصاعقة, lit=Thunderbolt Forces, translit=Kuwat El Sa‘ka), is an Egyptian Military of Egypt, military commando force established by Major General Jalal Mahmoud Fahmy Al-Haridi. High fitness is required and ...
attempt to rescue several hostages in Larnaca, Cyprus; 20 Egyptian commandos are injured or killed.
*
February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– The
first Legislative Assembly election is held in
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
, India.
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– The first
global positioning satellite
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sys ...
, the
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...
-built
Navstar 1, is launched by the United States.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
–
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
's remains are stolen from Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his ''bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
– ''
Soyuz 28
Soyuz 28 (russian: Союз 28, ''Union 28'') was a March 1978 Soviet crewed mission to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the fourth mission to the station, the third successful docking, and the second visit to the resident crew launche ...
'' (
Aleksei Gubarev
Aleksei Aleksandrovich Gubarev (russian: Алексе́й Алекса́ндрович Гу́барев; 29 March 1931 – 21 February 2015) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two space flights: Soyuz 17 and Soyuz 28.
Biography
Gubarev grad ...
,
Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek (born 26 September 1948) is a Czech, formerly Czechoslovak, politician and diplomat, as well as a former cosmonaut and military pilot. He flew aboard Soyuz 28 from 2 to 10 March 1978, becoming the first and only Czechoslovak in ...
) is launched on a rendezvous with ''
Salyut 6
Salyut 6 (russian: Салют-6; lit. Salute 6), DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme. It was launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket. Salyut 6 was the first space station to receiv ...
'', with the first cosmonaut from a country other than the USA or USSR (Czechoslovakian Vladimír Remek).
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 &nd ...
**
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
admits that its troops are fighting with the aid of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n soldiers, against
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
n troops in the
Ogaden
Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; so, Ogaadeen, am, ውጋዴ/ውጋዴን) is one of the historical names given to the modern Somali Region, the territory comprising the eastern portion of Ethiopia formerly part of the Harargh ...
.
**
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
attacks
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
.
** The ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' publishes an article about
David Rorvik
David Michael Rorvik (born 1944) is an American journalist and novelist who was the author of the 1978 book ''In his Image: The Cloning of a Man'' in which he claimed to have been part of a successful endeavor to create a clone of a human being. T ...
's book ''The Cloning of Man'', about a supposed
cloning of a human being.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bour ...
– The first radio episode of ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comic science fiction, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to th ...
'', by
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...
, is transmitted on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
.
*
March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a t ...
– ''
Soyuz 28
Soyuz 28 (russian: Союз 28, ''Union 28'') was a March 1978 Soviet crewed mission to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the fourth mission to the station, the third successful docking, and the second visit to the resident crew launche ...
'' lands.
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the venerati ...
–
Coastal Road massacre:
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
terrorists
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
kill 34
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
is.
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
–
Operation Litani
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (codenamed Operation Litani by Israel) began after Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978, in response to the Coastal Road massacre near Tel Aviv by Lebanon-based Palestinian mil ...
:
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i forces invade
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
.
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
*44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odoa ...
–
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
and
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
sign a truce to end the
Ethio-Somali War
The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopi ...
.
*
March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
– Former Italian Premier
Aldo Moro
Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July ...
is kidnapped by the
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades ( it, Brigate Rosse , often abbreviated BR) was a far-left Marxist–Leninist armed organization operating as a terrorist and guerrilla group based in Italy responsible for numerous violent incidents, including the abduction ...
; 5 bodyguards are killed.
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eigh ...
– An oil tanker, ''
Amoco Cadiz
''Amoco Cadiz'' was a VLCC (very large crude carrier) owned by Amoco Transport Corp and transporting crude oil for Shell Oil. Operating under the Liberian flag of convenience, she ran aground on 16 March 1978 on Portsall Rocks, from the coast ...
'', runs aground on the coast of
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
.
*
March 18
Events Pre-1600
* 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10.
* 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
**
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth ...
,
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
, is sentenced to death by hanging, for ordering the assassination of a political opponent.
**
California Jam II
California Jam II (also known as Cal Jam II) was a music festival held in Ontario, California, at the Ontario Motor Speedway on March 18, 1978, and produced by Leonard Stogel, Sandy Feldman, and Don Branker. More than 350,000 people attended. The ...
is held at the
Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC (and now In ...
in
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...
, attracting more than 300,000 fans.
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
–
Karl Wallenda
Karl Wallenda (; January 21, 1905 – March 22, 1978) was a German-American high wire artist and founder of The Flying Wallendas, a daredevil circus act which performed dangerous stunts, often without a safety net.
Personal life
Wallenda was bo ...
of
The Flying Wallendas
The Flying Wallendas is a circus act and group of daredevil stunt performers who perform highwire acts without a safety net. They were first known as ''The Great Wallendas'', but the current name was coined by the press in the 1940s and has st ...
dies, after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
.
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, is ...
– The
control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
and some other facilities of
New Tokyo International Airport
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
, which were scheduled to open on March 31, are illegally occupied and damaged in a terrorist attack by
New Left
The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights, g ...
activists, forcing a rescheduling of its opening date to May 20.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
**
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
's City Council signs the United States's most comprehensive
gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 3 ...
bill.
** ''
Stump v. Sparkman
''Stump v. Sparkman'', 435 U.S. 349 (1978), is the leading United States Supreme Court decision on judicial immunity. It involved an Indiana judge who was sued by a young woman who had been sterilized without her knowledge as a minor in accorda ...
'' (435 U.S. 349): The
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
hands down a 5–3 decision, in a controversial case involving involuntary
sterilization and
judicial immunity
Judicial immunity is a form of sovereign immunity, which protects judges and others employed by the judiciary from liability resulting from their judicial actions.
Though judges have immunity from lawsuit, in constitutional democracies judicial m ...
.
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Kom ...
**
New Zealand National Airways Corporation
New Zealand National Airways Corporation, popularly known as NAC, was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartere ...
(the domestic airline of New Zealand) is merged with New Zealand's international airline,
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...
.
**
Dick Smith of
Dick Smith Foods
Dick Smith Foods was a food brand created by Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith to provide Australian owned and produced alternatives to products from foreign-owned food companies. Generally, the brand focused on producing local alternatives to ...
tows a fake
iceberg
An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...
to
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
.
** The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, is converted to the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
, mottoeng = ''Light of the Nation''
, type = Public coeducational research higher education institution
, established = October 19, 1904
, closed =
, religious_affiliation = ...
.
*
April 2
Events Pre-1600
*1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. Jo ...
– ''
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' debuts on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, and gives birth to the modern day primetime soap opera.
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
* 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
* 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created ...
– The
50th Academy Awards
The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST ...
are held at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, with ''
Annie Hall
''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by him and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer, w ...
'' winning
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
.
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
– U.S. President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
decides to postpone production of the
neutron bomb
A neutron bomb, officially defined as a type of enhanced radiation weapon (ERW), is a low-yield thermonuclear weapon designed to maximize lethal neutron radiation in the immediate vicinity of the blast while minimizing the physical power of the b ...
, a weapon that kills people with radiation, but leaves buildings relatively intact.
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, s ...
–
Somali military officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
stage an unsuccessful coup against the government of
Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...
; security forces thwart the attempt within hours, and several conspirators are arrested.
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
–
1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations
On 14 April 1978, demonstrations in Tbilisi, capital of the Georgian SSR, took place in response to an attempt by the Soviet government to change the constitutional status of languages in Georgia. After a new Soviet Constitution was adopted in Octo ...
: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against an attempt by
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
authorities to change the constitutional status of the
Georgian language
Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of its p ...
.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
* 1428 – Peace of Ferrara betw ...
– The U.S. Senate votes, 68–32, to turn the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
over to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
nian control on December 31,
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
.
*
April 20
Events Pre-1600
* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
1601–1900
* 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
* 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...
– A Soviet air defense plane shoots down
Korean Air Lines Flight 902
Korean Air Lines Flight 902 (KAL 902) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from Paris to Seoul via Anchorage. On 20 April 1978, the Soviet air defense shot down the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 707, near Murmansk, Soviet Union, afte ...
; the plane makes an emergency landing on a frozen lake.
*
April 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
* 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
* 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern ...
** Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta win the
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Paris, France, following the country's victory at the with the song " L'Oiseau et l'Enfant" by Marie Myriam. Organised by the European ...
for
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
with their song ''A-Ba-Ni-Bi''.
** The
One Love Peace Concert
The One Love Concert (OLPC) was a large concert held on 22 April 1978 at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
This concert was held during a political civil war in Jamaica between opposing parties Jamaican Labour Party and the People's ...
is held at National Heroes Stadium in
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...
.
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
unites two opposing political leaders at this concert, bringing peace to the civil war-ridden streets of the city.
*
April 25
Events Pre-1600
* 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
* 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the ...
–
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
becomes the second U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance, after
Anita Bryant
Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...
's successful 1977 anti-gay campaign in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous county in ...
.
*
April 27
Events Pre-1600
* 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''.
* 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
** Afghanistan's president Daoud Khan is killed, and his family murdered, during a Marxist military coup d'état; Nur Muhammad Taraki succeeds him, beginning the Afghanistan conflict (1978–present), Afghan war which has not ended yet.
** Willow Island disaster – In the deadliest construction accident in United States history, 51 construction workers are killed when a cooling tower under construction collapses at the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia.
* April 30 – The Marxist "Democratic Republic of Afghanistan" is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Muhammad Taraki.
May
* May 4
** The Battle of Cassinga occurs in southern Angola.
** 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 Arctic Ocean, Polar Sea.
** Reinhold Messner (Italy) and Peter Habeler (Austria) make the first ascent of Mount Everest, without supplemental oxygen.
* May 9 – In Rome, the corpse of former Italian prime minister
Aldo Moro
Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July ...
, is found in a red Renault 4.
* May 12 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining centre of the province of Katanga Province, Shaba. The Zairean government asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.
* May 12–May 13, 13 – A group of mercenary, mercenaries, led by Bob Denard, oust Ali Soilih in the Comoros; ten local soldiers are killed. Denard forms a new government.
* May 15 – Students of the University of Tehran riot in Tabriz; the army stops the riot.
* May 17 –
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
's coffin is found some from the cemetery from which it was stolen, near Lake Geneva.
* May 18
** Soviet dissident Yuri Orlov is sentenced to 7 years' hard labor, for distributing 'counterrevolutionary material'.
** Sarajevo is selected to host the 1984 Winter Olympics, and Los Angeles is selected to host the 1984 Summer Olympics.
* May 18–May 19, 19 – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire, to aid the fight against the rebels.
* May 19–May 20, 20 – French Foreign Legion paratroopers land in Kolwezi, Zaire, to rescue Europeans in the middle of a civil war.
* 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 Muhammad Ahmad return to the Comoros.
* May 25
** First Unabomber attack: A bomb explodes in the security section of Northwestern University, wounding a security guard.
** In a rematch of the previous season, the Montreal Canadiens again defeat the Boston Bruins, this time four games to two, to win the Stanley Cup.
* 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 (racing driver), Jim Hall.
* May 29 – Ali Soilih is found dead in the Comoros, allegedly shot when trying to escape.
June
* June 1 – The 1978 FIFA World Cup starts in Argentina.
* June 10 – Affirmed holds off Alydar to win the Belmont Stakes and becomes the last horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown of Horse Racing until 2015.
* June 15 – King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor of Jordan, Queen Noor.
* June 19
** England 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.
** ''Garfield's'' first comic strip, originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, goes into nationwide Print syndication, syndication.
* June 20 – The 6.2 1978 Thessaloniki earthquake, Thessaloniki earthquake shakes Northern Greece with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). Fifty people were killed.
* June 21
** A shootout between Provisional IRA members and the British Army in Northern Ireland leaves one civilian and three IRA men dead.
** 1978 Iranian Chinook shootdown: Iranian helicopters stray into Soviet airspace and are shot down.
* June 22 – Charon (moon), Charon, a satellite of Pluto, is discovered.
* June 24 – The Gay & Lesbian Solidarity March is held in Sydney, Australia to mark the 9th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots (which later becomes the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras; later incorporating a festival).
* June 25
** Argentina national football team, Argentina defeats Netherlands national football team, the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
** The Rainbow flag (LGBT), rainbow flag of the LGBT movement flies for the first time (in its original form) at the San Francisco Pride, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
* June 26 – A bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in the Palace of Versailles.
* June 30 –
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
begins a massive offensive in Eritrea.
July
* July 3 – The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Amazon Co-operation Treaty (ACT) is signed.
* July 7 – The Solomon Islands become independent from the United Kingdom.
* July 11 – At least 217 tourists die in an Los Alfaques disaster, explosion of a tanker-truck at a campsite in Costa Daurada, Spain.
* July 24 – In Acapulco, Mexico, Margaret Gardiner (beauty queen), Margaret Gardiner of South Africa is crowned Miss Universe.
* July 25
** Cerro Maravilla murders: Two Puerto Rican pro-independence activists are killed in a police ambush.
** Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, is born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK.
August
* August 12 – The Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China is concluded.
* August 17 – ''Double Eagle II'' becomes the first balloon to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Presque Isle, Maine, to Miserey, France.
* August 22 – Sandinistas seize the Nicaraguan National Palace.
* August 26 – Pope John Paul I succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope.
September
![Sadat Carter Begin, Camp David 1978](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Sadat_Carter_Begin%2C_Camp_David_1978.gif)
* September 5 – Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin the peace process at Camp David, Maryland.
* September 7 – In London, UK, a poison-filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, fatally poisons Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov; he dies four days later.
* September 8 – Iranian Army troops open fire on rioters in Tehran, killing 122, wounding 4,000.
* September 12 – The Declaration of Alma Ata is signed and released in the Capital City of Kazakh, USSR. Known as the core document on Primary Health Care Practices and Equity in Healthcare, it paved the way for the modern-day State-sponsored Healthcare System.
* September 16
** General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq officially assumes the post of President of Pakistan.
** The 7.4 1978 Tabas earthquake, Tabas earthquake affects the city of Tabas, Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 15,000 people were killed.
* September 17 – The Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt.
* September 19
** Police in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England launch a massive murder hunt, when 13-year-old newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing a burglary.
** The Solomon Islands join the United Nations.
* September 20 – General Rahimuddin Khan assumes the post of Martial Law Governor of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan.
* September 23 – California Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock is shot to death at age 27 while visiting friends in Gary, Indiana during an Angels' road trip in Chicago, Illinois.
* September 24
** PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in San Diego, California; 144 are killed.
** Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Otello'' makes its first appearance on ''Live from the Met'', in a complete production of the opera starring Jon Vickers. This is the first complete television broadcast of the opera in the U.S. since the historic 1948 one.
* September 27 – The last Forest Brothers, Forest Brother Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla movement fighter is discovered and killed in Estonia.
* September 28 – Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of papacy.
* September 30 – Finnair Flight 405 aircraft is hijacked by Aarno Lamminparras in Oulu, Finland.
* September – The African National Congress attempts to kill about 500 of its own cadres by poisoning their food because an infiltrated enemy agent cannot be identified.
October
* October 1
** Vietnam attacks Cambodia.
** Tuvalu becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
* October 7 – ''Wranslide'' in New South Wales: the Neville Wran, Wran government is re-elected with an increased majority.
* October 8 – Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.6 mph (511.13 km/h) at Blowering Dam, Australia.
* October 9 – P. W. Botha, P.W. Botha succeeds B. J. Vorster, John Vorster as Prime Minister of South Africa.
* October 10
** Daniel arap Moi becomes president of Kenya.
** B. J. Vorster, John Vorster becomes State President of South Africa.
[A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961–1994](_blank)
Archontology.org; accessed April 14, 2017.
** A massive short circuit in Seasat's electrical system ends the satellite's scientific mission.
** United States President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
signs a bill that authorizes the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
* October 13 – The Soviet Union launches a major Russification campaign throughout all union republics.
* October 14 – U.S. President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
signs a bill into law which allows homebrewing of beer in the United States.
* October 16 – Pope John Paul II succeeds Pope John Paul I as the 264th pope, resulting in the first Year of Three Popes since 1605. He is the first Polish pope in history, and the first non-Italian pope since Pope Adrian VI (1522–1523).
* October 18 – Thorbjörn Fälldin steps down as Prime Minister of Sweden, and is succeeded by Ola Ullsten, the Leader of the liberal People's Party ("''Folkpartiet''").
* October 20 – The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held as a protest march and commemoration of the Stonewall riots.
* October 21 – Australian civilian pilot Disappearance of Frederick Valentich, Frederick Valentich vanishes in a Cessna 182 Skylane over the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft.
* October 27 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin win the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
* October 31 – The South African Railways sets a still unbeaten Land speed record for rail vehicles, world rail speed record on Cape gauge.
November
* November 2: 8:00 pm – The
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
's second television channel RTÉ Two, RTÉ 2 goes on air (renamed Network 2, 1988; RTÉ Network Two, 1995; N2, 1997; and RTÉ Two in 2004).
* November 3 – Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
* November 7 – Indira Gandhi is re-elected to the Indian parliament.
* November 18 – Jonestown incident: In Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass murder–suicide that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Leo Ryan, Congressman Leo J. Ryan is assassinated by members of Peoples Temple shortly beforehand.
* November 24 – China starts an experimental "household responsibility system", in Anhui, Anhui Province.
* November 26 – Two British commercial divers, Michael Ward and Tony Prangley, die of hypothermia and drowning in the East Shetland Basin after their diving bell Star Canopus diving accident, plunges to the seabed at a depth of over .
December
* December 4 – Dianne Feinstein succeeds the murdered George Moscone, to become the first woman mayor of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
; she will remain in office until January 8, 1988.
* December 6 – The Spanish Constitution of 1978, 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 John F. Kennedy International Airport.
** Two million demonstrate against the Shah in Iran.
* December 16
** Train 87 from Nanjing to Xining collides with train 368 from Xi'an to Xuzhou near Yangzhuang railway station in China, killing 106, injuring 218.
** ''The Mystery of Mamo'' is released in cinemas in Japan.
* 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 Chinese Communist Party is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
** Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who was subsequently convicted of the murder of 33 young men and boys committed between 1972 and 1978, is arrested.
** Argentina begins Operation Soberanía against Chile, but Argentinian forces quickly withdraw.
* December 25 – Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.
* December 27 – The Spanish Constitution of 1978, Constitution of Spain is approved in a referendum, officially ending 40 years of military dictatorship.
Date unknown
* Synthetic insulin is developed.
* Romanian painter Doina Bumbea is abducted by the North Korean government.
* Abortion is legalized in Italy for the first time.
* In Seoul, South Korea, construction begins on Seoul Subway Line 2.
* Ford Motor Company, Ford initiates a recall for the Ford Pinto, Pinto because of a public outcry resulting from deaths associated with gas tank explosions.
* Rolnicka Praha children's choir is founded in Prague, Czech Republic.
* The New York International Bible Society's New International Version of the complete Bible translated into modern American English is published.
* The ''Space Invaders'' arcade video game is released by Taito.
Births
January
![Sheamus March 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Sheamus_March_2018.jpg)
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
* January 2 – Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American dancer
* January 3
** Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model, clothing designer and actress
** Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
* January 4 – Karine Ruby, French snowboarder (d. 2009)
*
January 5
Events Pre-1600
*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
*1675 – Battle of Turckh ...
** Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver
** January Jones, American actress
* January 7 – Emilio Palma, Argentine citizen, first human born in Antarctica
* January 9
** Chad Johnson, American football player
** AJ McLean, American singer
** Gennaro Gattuso, Italian football player
*
January 10
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
* 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...
– Kanako Mitsuhashi, Japanese voice actress
* January 11 – Emile Heskey, English footballer
* January 12 – Hannah Gadsby, Australian comedian
* January 13
** Ashmit Patel, Indian actor
** Mohit Sharma (soldier), Mohit Sharma Indian Army Officer
* January 14 – Shawn Crawford, American sprinter
* January 15
** Eddie Cahill, American actor
** Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
* January 17 – Ricky Wilson (singer), Ricky Wilson, British vocalist (Kaiser Chiefs)
*
January 18
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
* 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chi ...
** Thor Hushovd, Norwegian cyclist
** Katja Kipping, German politician
* January 20 – Omar Sy, French actor and comedian
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
** Mark Hildreth (actor), Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor and voice actor
** Nami Miyahara, Japanese voice actress and singer
** Kristen Schaal, American actress, comedian, and writer
*
January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian politician and comedian, President of Ukraine
* January 28
** Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
** Jamie Carragher, English footballer
** Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer (d. 2020)
** Sheamus, Irish wrestler
** Vanessa Villela, Mexican actress
February
![Danai Gurira (48411663897) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Danai_Gurira_%2848411663897%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* February 2
** Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwean politician
** Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach
* February 3 – Amal Clooney, British-Lebanese barrister, activist and author
* February 4 – Aleksey Rozin, Russian actor
*
February 5
Events Pre-1600
* 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
* 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
* 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians ar ...
** Brian Russell, American football player
** Samuel Sánchez, Spanish road bicycle racer
*
February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
** Danny Buderus, Australian rugby league player
** Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian first lady and former model
** Yael Naim, Israeli-French singer and songwriter
* February 7
** Ashton Kutcher, American actor
** Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist and former model
* February 10
** Isabella Eklöf, Swedish screenwriter and film director
** Don Omar, Puerto Rican singer and actor
* February 12
** Gethin Jones, Welsh television presenter
** Silver Meikar, Estonian politician
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
– Niklas Bäckström, Finnish hockey player
* February 14
** Richard Hamilton (basketball), Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
** Danai Gurira, American actress and playwright
** Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player
* February 16
** John Tartaglia, American actor
** Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
*
February 19
Events Pre-1600
* 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
* 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...
** Kenyatta Wright, American football player
** Immortal Technique, Peruvian-American rapper
* February 20
** Julia Jentsch, German actress
** Ken Takeuchi, Japanese voice actor
* February 21
** Kim Ha-neul, South Korean actress
** Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-American actor and comedian
** Miki Sakai, Japanese actress
* February 22 – Jenny Frost, English singer
* February 23 – Dan Snyder (ice hockey), Dan Snyder, Canadian hockey player (d. 2003)
* February 24 – Gary (rapper), Gary, South Korean musician, entertainer
*
February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
– Kakha Kaladze, Georgian footballer and politician, Mayor of Tbilisi
* February 28
** Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter
** Yasir Hameed, Pakistani cricketer
** Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
March
![Rani Mukerji promoting Hichki in 2018 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Rani_Mukerji_promoting_Hichki_in_2018_%28cropped%29.jpg)
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
** Jensen Ackles, American actor
** Donovan Patton, American actor and television host
** Sakura Nogawa, Japanese voice actress
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his ''bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
** Tomáš Kaberle, Czech hockey player
** Sebastian Janikowski, American football player
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 &nd ...
– Tanishaa Mukerji, Indian actress
* March 4 – Denis Dallan, Italian rugby union footballer
* March 6
** Sage Rosenfels, American football player
** Mike Jackson (Oklahoma politician), Mike Jackson, American politician
* March 7
** Mike Reese (Pennsylvania politician), Mike Reese, American politician (d. 2021)
** Azis, Bulgarian singer
*
March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a t ...
– Benjamin Burnley, American musician
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the venerati ...
** Didier Drogba, Ivorian footballer
** Ha Jung-woo, South Korean actor and director
* March 12
** Neal Obermeyer, American editorial cartoonist
** Claudio Sanchez, American writer and musician
* March 13
** Tom Danielson, American cyclist
** Kenny Watson (American football), Kenny Watson, American football player
*
March 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
* 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...
** Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
** Carl Johan Bergman, Swedish biathlete
** Moon Hee-joon, Korean singer
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
* 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
*44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odoa ...
– Flavio Furtado, Cape Verdean boxer
*
March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
** Matthew Montgomery (actor), Matthew Montgomery, American actor
** Brooke Burns, American fashion model and actress
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eigh ...
– Patrick Seitz, American voice actor
*
March 18
Events Pre-1600
* 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10.
* 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
** Antonio Margarito, Mexican-American boxer
** Fernandão (footballer, born 1978), Fernandão, Brazilian footballer
* March 21
** Rani Mukerji, Indian actress
** Mohammad Rezaei (wrestler, born 1978), Mohammad Rezaei, Iranian wrestler
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
**Josh Heupel, American football player and coach
**Vanessa Senior, Venezuelan comedian and actress.
* March 23
** Simon Gärdenfors, Swedish cartoonist and radio host
** Nicholle Tom, American actress
** Perez Hilton, American actor and blogger
* March 29 – Igor Rakočević, Serbian basketball player
* March 30 – Simon Webbe, English singer
April
![Stana Katic at Paleyfest 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Stana_Katic_at_Paleyfest_2012.jpg)
*
April 2
Events Pre-1600
*1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. Jo ...
– Nick Berg, American businessman (d. 2004)
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
* 1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
* 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created ...
** Matthew Goode, English actor
** John Smit, South African rugby union player
* April 4 – Sam Moran, Australian singer
* April 5
** Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
** Arnaud Tournant, French track cyclist
** Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
* April 6
** Tim Hasselbeck, American football player
** Myleene Klass, English singer, pianist, and model
** Martín Méndez, Uruguayan musician and songwriter
** Lauren Ridloff, African-American actress
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
** Duncan James, English singer
** Adrienne Haan, German-Luxembourgish actress, singer, writer and producer
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, s ...
** Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer
** Takashi Ohara, Japanese voice actor
** Rachel Stevens, English singer
* April 10 – Rokhaya Diallo, French writer and filmmaker
* April 12
** Guy Berryman, Scottish musician
** Cheeming Boey, Malaysian artist
** Riley Smith, American actor
* April 13
** Kyle Howard, American television and movie actor
** Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
* April 15
** Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican singer and songwriter
** Chris Stapleton, American country singer and guitarist
* April 16
** Lara Dutta, Indian actress and beauty queen
** Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer
* April 17
** Juan Guillermo Castillo, Uruguayan goalkeeper
** Jason White (rugby union), Jason White, Scottish rugby union player
* April 19 – James Franco, American actor
*
April 20
Events Pre-1600
* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
1601–1900
* 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
* 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroy ...
** Matthew Wilkas, American actor, playwright and reality television personality
** Matt Austin (actor), Matt Austin, Canadian actor
** Alessandro Rigotti, Italian voice actor
* April 21 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
*
April 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil.
* 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico.
* 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern ...
** Esteban Tuero, Argentine Formula One driver
** Manu Intiraymi, American actor
* April 23 – Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon, Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon, Spanish athlete
*
April 25
Events Pre-1600
* 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
* 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the ...
– Duncan Kibet, Kenyan long-distance runner
* April 26
** Stana Katic, Canadian-American actress
** Shinnosuke Tachibana, Japanese voice actor
* April 28
** Robert Oliveri, American former actor
** Roman Karmen, Soviet war camera-man and film director
* April 29
** Bob and Mike Bryan, American doubles tennis team
** Tyler Labine, Canadian actor
May
![Jason Biggs at Paley Fest Orange Is The New Black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Jason_Biggs_at_Paley_Fest_Orange_Is_The_New_Black.jpg)
* May 4 – Daisuke Ono, Japanese voice actor
* May 6
** Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist
** Aleksandr Fyodorov (bodybuilder), Aleksandr Fyodorov, Russian bodybuilder
* May 10 – Kenan Thompson, African-American actor and comedian
* May 11
** Laetitia Casta, French supermodel and actress
** Judy Ann Santos, Filipino actress
* May 12
** Hossein Rezazadeh, Iranian weightlifter
** Jason Biggs, American actor
** Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer, writer, and fashion designer
** Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress
* May 15
** Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian footballer
** Caroline Dhavernas, French-Canadian actress
** Krzysztof Ignaczak, Polish volleyball player
* May 18 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
* May 19 – Marcus Bent, English footballer ***
* May 22
** Katie Price (Jordan), English model and television personality
** Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
* May 25 – Adam Gontier, Canadian singer
* May 28
** Jake Johnson, American actor and comedian
** Tomohiko Ito (footballer), Tomohiko Ito, Japanese footballer
* May 29 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
* May 30 – Lyoto Machida, Brazilian mixed martial artist
* May 31 – Sara Duterte, 15th Vice President of the Philippines
June
![Nicole Scherzinger 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Nicole_Scherzinger_2012.jpg)
* June 1 – Antonietta Di Martino, Italian high-jumper
* June 2
** Nikki Cox, American actress
** Justin Long, American actor
* June 4 – Simone Maludrottu, Italian boxer
* June 5 – Nick Kroll, American actor and comedian
* June 6
** Konstantīns Konstantinovs, Latvian powerlifter (d. 2018)
** Mariana Popova, Bulgarian singer
* June 7 – Bill Hader, American actor and comedian
* June 8
** Maria Menounos, American actress, journalist, and television presenter
** Eun Ji-won, South Korean rapper and singer
* June 9
** Michaela Conlin, American actress
** Miroslav Klose, German footballer
** Matt Bellamy, British musician and singer
* June 10
** Han Hee-won, South Korean golfer
** DJ Qualls, American actor, producer, and model
** Shane West, American actor
* June 11 – Joshua Jackson, Canadian actor
* June 13 – Faizal Yusof, Malaysian actor (d. 2011)
* June 14 – Nikola Vujčić, Croatian basketball player and general manager (basketball), team manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv
* June 15
** Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
* June 16 – Daniel Brühl, German actor
* June 19
** Mía Maestro, Argentine actress
** Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
** Zoe Saldana, American actress
* June 20 – Frank Lampard, English footballer
* June 21
** Erica Durance, Canadian actress
** Jean-Pascal Lacoste, French singer, actor and television host
** Ignacio Corleto, Argentine rugby union player
* June 22
** Tim Driesen, Belgian actor and singer-songwriter
** Dan Wheldon, English racing driver (d. 2011)
* June 23
** Gladys Reyes, Filipino actress
** Frédéric Leclercq, French musician
* June 24
** Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish musician
** Juan Román Riquelme, Argentine footballer
** Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer
* June 25
** Aramis Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
** Aftab Shivdasani, Indian actor
* June 26
** Daniel Constantin (politician), Daniel Constantin, Romanian politician
** Cristian Lucchetti, Argentine footballer
* June 28 – Ha Ji-won, South Korean actress and singer
* June 29
** Luke Kirby, Canadian actor
** Nicole Scherzinger, American singer
** Steve Savidan, French footballer
July
![Josh Hartnett SDCC 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Josh_Hartnett_SDCC_2014.jpg)
* July 1
** Hillary Tuck, American actress
** Aleki Lutui, Tongan rugby player
** Liu Kwok Man, Chinese footballer
** Mark Hunter (rower), Mark Hunter, British rower
* July 2
** Ganesh (actor), Ganesh, Indian actor and television presenter
** Diana Gurtskaya, Georgian singer
** Jüri Ratas, Estonian politician and 18th Prime Minister of Estonia
* July 3
** Jesse Leach, America vocalist
** Mizuki Noguchi, Japanese long-distance runner
* July 4 – Becki Newton, American actress
* July 5
** Andreas Baum, German politician
** Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Indian actor and film producer
* July 6
** Daphne Iking, Malaysian television personality and actress
** Danil Khalimov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler
** Tia Mowry, Tia and Tamera Mowry, African-American actresses
** Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby union footballer
* July 7
** Chris Andersen, American basketball player
** DJ Manian, German music producer and DJ
** Marino Franchitti, British racing driver
** Mark Sloan (wrestler), Mark Sloan, British professional wrestler
* July 8
** Rachael Lillis, American voice actress
** Erin Morgenstern, American artist and author
** Garth Mulroy, South African golfer
* July 9
** Kyle Davis (actor), Kyle Davis, American actor
** Dmitri Dyuzhev, Russian actor and singer
** Mark Medlock, German singer
** Linda Park, Korean-born actress
* July 10
** Ray Kay, Norwegian director and photographer
** Jesse Lacey, American singer-songwriter
* July 11
** Kris Law, Malaysian actor
** Kim Kang-woo, South Korean actor
** Dustin Demri-Burns, English actor, comedian, writer
** Mattias Gustafsson, Swedish handball player
* July 12
** Topher Grace, American actor
** Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
* July 13
** Gary David, Filipino professional basketball player
** Jessica Barth, American actress
* July 15
** Matt Mitrione, American mixed martial artist
** Greg Sestero, French-American actor and model
* July 16 – Ahmede Hussain, Bangladeshi writer
* July 17
** Panda Bear (musician), Panda Bear, American musician
** Justine Triet, French actress
* July 18
** Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player
** Crystal Mangum, American murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
** Virginia Raggi, Italian lawyer, politician
** Joo Sang-wook, South Korean actor
** Vladimir Tintor (actor), Vladimir Tintor, Serbian film actor
* July 19 – Atsushi Harada, Japanese actor
* July 20
** Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
** Tamsyn Manou, Australian athlete
* July 21
** Josh Hartnett, American actor
** Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer
* July 22
** A. J. Cook, Canadian actress
** Ryan Eigenmann, Filipino actor
** Kyōko Hasegawa, Japanese model and actress
* July 23
** Stuart Elliott (footballer, born 1978), Stuart Elliott, Northern Irish footballer
** Stefanie Sun, Singapore singer
* July 25
** Louise Brown, British citizen, first human born through in vitro fertilisation
** Gerard Warren, American football player
* July 26
** Jehad Muntasser, Libyan footballer
** Eve Myles, Welsh actress
* July 28 – Hitomi Yaida, Japanese singer
* July 31
** Zac Brown Band, Zac Brown, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
** Nick Sorensen, American football player and sportscaster
** Justin Wilson (racing driver), Justin Wilson, English race car driver (d. 2015)
* July – Caucher Birkar, born Fereydoun Derakhshani, Kurdish-born mathematician
August
![Amanda Schull 2015 TCA (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Amanda_Schull_2015_TCA_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* August 3
** Mariusz Jop, Polish footballer
** Shanelle Workman, American actress
* August 4 – Kurt Busch, American race car driver
* August 5
** Carolina Duer, Argentine boxer
** Harel Levy, Israeli tennis player
* August 6
** Marisa Miller, American supermodel
** Freeway (rapper), Freeway, American rapper
** Peng Cheng-min, Taiwanese baseball player
** Iñaki Rueda, Spanish racing strategist
* August 7
** Alexandre Aja, French director
** Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer
* August 8
** Countess Vaughn, American actress
** Natsuko Kuwatani, Japanese voice actress
* August 9 – Daniela Denby-Ashe, English actress
* August 10 – Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Indonesian politician and former military officer
* August 15
** Jennie Eisenhower, American actress
** Kerri Walsh Jennings, American beach volleyball player
* August 17
** Vibeke Stene, Norwegian rock singer
** Jelena Karleuša, Serbian pop singer
* August 18 – Andy Samberg, American actor and comedian
* August 20 – Noah Bean, American actor
* August 21
** Reuben Droughns, American football player
** Alan Lee (footballer), Alan Lee, Irish footballer
* August 22
** Vitaliy Balytskyi, Ukrainian football player and manager (d. 2018)
** James Corden, British comedian and television personality
* August 23
** Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (d. 2020)
** Julian Casablancas, American singer-songwriter and musician
* August 24 – Rafael Furcal, Dominican baseball player
* August 25 – Kel Mitchell, American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, singer, and rapper
* August 26 – Amanda Schull, American actress
* August 27 – Suranne Jones, English actress
* August 28
** Kelly Overton (actress), Kelly Overton, American actress
** Rachel Kimsey, American actress
** Sam Wills, New Zealand comic
* August 29 – Danielle Hampton, Canadian actress
* August 31
** Ido Pariente, Israeli mixed martial artist
** Jennifer Ramírez Rivero, Venezuelan model and businesswoman (d. 2018)
September
![Ani Lorak ESC Party 2009 8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Ani_Lorak_ESC_Party_2009_8.jpg)
* September 1 – Max Vieri, Italian Australian footballer
* September 3 – Tinkara Kovač, Slovenian singer and musician
* September 4
** Wes Bentley, American actor
** Frederik Veuchelen, Belgian cyclist
* September 6
** Mathew Horne, English actor
** Homare Sawa, Japanese footballer
* September 7 – Devon Sawa, Canadian actor
* September 9 – Gina Gogean, Romania artistic gymnast
* September 11
** Ed Reed, American football player
** Ben Lee, Australian singer
** Else-Marthe Sørlie Lybekk, Norwegian handball player
* September 12
** Ruben Studdard, American singer
** Ben McKenzie, American actor
* September 13
** Megan Henning, American actress
** Swizz Beatz, American record producer and rapper
* September 14
** Ben Cohen (rugby union), Ben Cohen, English rugby union player
** Ron DeSantis, American politician, 46th Governor of Florida
** Carmen Kass, Estonian supermodel
* September 15
** Eiður Guðjohnsen, Icelandic football player
** David Sneddon, Scottish singer-songwriter
* September 18 – Billy Eichner, American actor and comedian
* September 20
** Jason Bay, Canadian baseball player
** Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer
** Sarit Hadad, Israeli pop singer
* September 21
** Doug Howlett, New Zealand rugby union player
** Josh Thomson, American mixed martial artist
* September 22 – Harry Kewell, Australian footballer
* September 23
** Anthony Mackie, American actor
** Worm Miller, American screenwriter, director and actor
** Keri Lynn Pratt, American actress
* September 24 – Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer
* September 25
** Jodie Kidd, English model
** Rossif Sutherland, Canadian actor
* September 27 – Ani Lorak, Ukrainian singer
* September 28
**Dane Boedigheimer, American Internet personality
**Pastora Soler, Spanish singer
* September 29 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer
* September 30 – Candice Michelle, American professional wrestler and model
October
![Matthew Morrison Peabody 2010 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Matthew_Morrison_Peabody_2010_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* October 1 – Katie Aselton, American actress
* October 2 – Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer
* October 3
** Jake Shears, American singer and songwriter
** Claudio Pizarro, Peruvian footballer
** Gerald Asamoah, German footballer
** Ricardo Rocha (footballer, born 1978), Ricardo Rocha, Portuguese footballer
** Christian Coulson, English actor
** Shannyn Sossamon, American actress
* October 4
** Dana Davis, American actress
** Mark Day (actor), Mark Day, Canadian actor
** Phillip Glasser, American actor and producer
** Kei Horie, Japanese actor
* October 5
** Shane Ryan (Dublin Gaelic footballer), Shane Ryan, Irish Gaelic footballer
** James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, American musician
** Morgan Webb, television personality
* October 7 – Omar Benson Miller, American actor
* October 9 – Nicky Byrne, Irish musician (Westlife)
* October 10 – QBoy, UK-based rapper, producer, DJ, writer and presenter
* October 14
** Paul Hunter, English snooker player (d. 2006)
** Usher (musician), Usher, American singer and actor, is born.
* October 17 – Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Spanish politician
* October 20
** Tomohiko Itō (director), Tomohiko Ito, Japanese anime director
** Michael Johns (singer), Michael Johns, Australian singer (d. 2014)
** Kira (German singer), Kira, German singer
** Dionne Quan, American voice actress
** Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer
* October 21 – Joey Harrington, American football player
* October 24 – Carlos Edwards, Trinidadian footballer
* October 25
** Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer
** Zachary Knighton, American actor
** David T. Little, American composer and drummer
* October 26 – CM Punk, American professional wrestler
* October 27
** David Walton (actor), David Walton, American actor
** Vanessa-Mae, Singaporean violinist
* October 28
** Justin Guarini, American singer
** Gwendoline Christie, English actress and model
* October 29 – Travis Henry, American football player
* October 30 – Matthew Morrison, American actor and singer
November
![Robert Kirkman by Gage Skidmore 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Robert_Kirkman_by_Gage_Skidmore_4.jpg)
* November 1
** Jessica Valenti, American blogger and writer
** Manju Warrier, Indian actress
** Mary Kate Schellhardt, American actress
* November 3 – Tim McIlrath, American singer
* November 4 – Shaun Berrigan, Australian rugby league player
* November 5
** Bubba Watson, American golfer
** Xavier Tondo, Spanish cyclist (d. 2011)
* November 6
** Nicole Dubuc, American actress and writer
** Taryn Manning, American actress
** Sandrine Blancke, Belgian actress
* November 7
** Zaheer Khan, Indian cricketer
** Mark Read (singer), Mark Read, English singer (A1 (band), A1)
* November 8
** Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow), better known by his stage name Shyne, Belizean rapper and politician
** Ali Karimi, Iranian football player
* November 9 – Sisqó, American actor and singer
* November 10
** Nadine Angerer, German footballer
** Kyla Cole, Czech model
** Diplo, American DJ and music producer
** Eve (rapper), Eve, African-American rapper
** Akemi Kanda, Japanese voice actress
** Drew McConnell, English musician
* November 12 – Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Pakistani journalist, activist and filmmaker
* November 13 – Hsu Wei Lun, Taiwanese actress (d. 2007)
* November 14
** Bobby Allen (ice hockey), Bobby Allen, American ice hockey player
** Xavier Nady, American baseball player
* November 17
** Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
** Reggie Wayne, American football player
* November 18
** Daniel Chong, American animator
** Damien Johnson, Northern Irish footballer
** Aldo Montano (fencer born 1978), Aldo Montano, Italian fencer
* November 19
** Chad Doreck, American actor
** Matt Dusk, Canadian musician and singer
* November 22 – Karen O, American singer-songwriter and musician
* November 23 – Destin Daniel Cretton, American film director
* November 24 – Katherine Heigl, American actress
* November 25 – Shiina Ringo, Japanese singer and musician
* November 26 – Jun Fukuyama, Japanese voice actor
* November 27 – Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner, English musician
* November 28 – Aimee Garcia, American actress
* November 29 – Lauren German, American actress
* November 30
** Clay Aiken, American singer-songwriter and author
** Gael García Bernal, Mexican actor
** Robert Kirkman, American comic book writer
December
![Tyrese Gibson (21479937550) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Tyrese_Gibson_%2821479937550%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
* December 1 – Stefan Kapičić, Serbian actor
* December 2
** Nelly Furtado, Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter
** Alo Kõrve, Estonian actor
* December 4 – Lars Bystøl, Norwegian ski jumper
* December 5
** Neil Druckmann, Israeli-American video game writer and programmer, founder of Naughty Dog
** Olli Jokinen, Finnish ice hockey player
* December 7
** Shiri Appleby, American actress
** Kristofer Hivju, Norwegian actor
* December 8
** Chung-Ming Wang, Taiwan Wikipedian, politician, environmentalist and gay rights activist.
** Ian Somerhalder, American actor
* December 9 – Gastón Gaudio, Argentine tennis player
* December 10 – Summer Phoenix, American actress
* December 12 – Monica Bîrlădeanu, Romanian actress
* December 17
** Riteish Deshmukh, Indian actor, architect, producer and entrepreneur
** Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer and politician
* December 18
** Daniel Cleary, Canadian ice hockey player
** Josh Dallas, American actor
** Katie Holmes, American actress
* December 19 – Patrick Casey (writer), Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor
* December 20
** Geremi, Cameroon footballer
** Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan-American social activist (d. 2019)
**Waleed al-Shehri, 9/11 terrorist (d. 2001)
* December 21 – Shaun Morgan, South African musician and singer-songwriter
* December 22
** Edo Maajka, Bosnian rapper
** Emmanuel Olisadebe, Polish-Nigerian footballer
** Joanne Kelly, Canadian actress
* December 23
** Víctor Martínez (baseball), Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
** Estella Warren, Canadian swimmer, model, and actress
* December 24 – Yıldıray Baştürk, Turkish footballer
* December 25
** Paula Seling, Romanian singer and radio DJ
** Jeremy Strong (actor), Jeremy Strong, American actor
* December 26 – Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
* December 28 – John Legend, African-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor
* December 29
** Alexis Amore, Peruvian actress, dancer, and model
** Angelo Taylor, American athlete
* December 30
** Tyrese Gibson, African-American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, model, and screenwriter
** Zbigniew Robert Promiński, Inferno, Polish musician
* December 31 – Yulia Barsukova, Russian rhythmic gymnast
Date unknown
*Hind Shoufani, poet, director, and producer, born in Beirut, Lebanon
Deaths
January
![1925 kurt gödel (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/1925_kurt_g%C3%B6del_%28cropped%29.png)
*
January 6
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eve ...
– Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899)
* January 13 – Hubert Humphrey, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
* January 14 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American logician, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1906)
*
January 22
Events Pre-1600
* 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
* 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...
– Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (b. 1894)
* January 23
** Terry Kath, American rock musician (Chicago (band), Chicago) (b. 1946)
** Jack Oakie, American actor (b. 1903)
* January 26 – Leo Genn, English actor and barrister (b. 1905)
* January 29 – Tim McCoy, American actor (b. 1891)
* January 30 – Marie-Louise Damien, French actress (b. 1889)
February
![Phillip ahn as kan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Phillip_ahn_as_kan.JPG)
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
* 1539 – The first recorded race is hel ...
– Warren King (cartoonist), Warren King, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
* February 10 – Redento Maria Gauci, Maltese Carmelite bishop (b. 1920)
*
February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
– James B. Conant, American chemist (b. 1893)
*
February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...
– Ilka Chase, American actress (b. 1905)
* February 17 – Artemiy Artsikhovsky, Soviet archaeologist and historian (b. 1902)
* February 18 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
*
February 19
Events Pre-1600
* 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
* 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...
– Pankaj Mullick, Bengali composer and singer (b. 1904)
* February 24 – Alma Thomas, African American painter (b. 1891)
* February 28 – Philip Ahn, Korean-born American actor (b. 1905)
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first Roman triumph, triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor ...
– Paul Scott (novelist), Paul Scott, English writer (b. 1920)
* March 13 – John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935)
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eigh ...
** Eddie Aikau, American lifeguard and surfer (b. 1946)
** Giacomo Violardo, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1898)
* March 19 – Gaston Julia, French mathematician (b. 1893)
* March 21 – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, Irish barrister, judge and 5th President of Ireland (b. 1911)
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
– Isidro Ayora, 22nd President of Ecuador (b. 1879)
* March 24 – André Lallemand, French astronomer (b. 1904)
* March 31 – Astrid Allwyn, American actress (b. 1905)
April
![Sandy_Denny_-_Fairport_Convention_(1974)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Sandy_Denny_-_Fairport_Convention_%281974%29.jpg)
* April 8 – Lon L. Fuller, American legal philosopher (b. 1902)
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, s ...
– Vivian McGrath, Australian tennis player (b. 1916)
* April 13 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian suffragist and women's rights activist (b. 1900)
* April 16
** Lucius D. Clay, American military governor of Germany after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
(b. 1897)
** Philibert Tsiranana, Malagasy leader and politician, 1st President of Madagascar (b. 1912)
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
* 1428 – Peace of Ferrara betw ...
– Katherine Schmidt, American artist (b. 1899)
* April 21 – Sandy Denny, British singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
*
April 27
Events Pre-1600
* 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''.
* 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
** Ralston Crawford, American abstract painter, lithographer, and photographer (b. 1906)
** John Doeg, American tennis player (b. 1908)
May
* May 1 – Aram Khachaturian, Soviet-Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1903)
* May 6 – Ethelda Bleibtrey, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1902)
* May 8 – Duncan Grant, Scottish painter (b. 1885)
* May 9 –
Aldo Moro
Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July ...
, Italian Christian Democratic politician and statesman, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (assassinated) (b. 1916)
* May 13 – Alby Roberts, New Zealander cricketer (b. 1909)
* May 15 – Robert Menzies, Sir Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
* May 16 – William Steinberg, German-American conductor (b. 1899)
* May 17 – Armin T. Wegner, German human rights activist (b. 1886)
* May 18 – Selwyn Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd, English politician (b. 1904)
* May 22
** Joseph Colombo, American gangster (b. 1923)
** Aubrey Fitch, American admiral (b. 1883)
* May 26 – Tamara Karsavina, Soviet ballerina (b. 1885)
* May 27 – Jorge Icaza Coronel, Jorge Icyaza, Ecuadorean novelist (b. 1906)
* May 31
** József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925)
** José Gonzalvo, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1920)
June
![Ahmad al-Ghashmi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ahmad_al-Ghashmi.jpg)
* June 2 – Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, Santiago Bernabéu, Spanish footballer, player and president of Real Madrid C.F. (b. 1906)
* June 4 – Jorge de Sena, Portuguese novelist and poet (b. 1919)
* June 7 – Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, British chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
* June 12 – Guo Moruo, Chinese archaeologist, historian, poet, politician, and writer (b. 1892)
* June 17 – Robert B. Williams (actor), Robert Williams, American actor (b. 1904)
* June 20 – Mark Robson (film director), Mark Robson, Canadian film director (b. 1913)
* June 24 – Ahmad al-Ghashmi, 4th President of the Yemen Arab Republic (b. 1935)
* June 27 – Josette Day, French actress (b. 1914)
* June 28 – Clifford Dupont, 1st President of Rhodesia (b. 1905)
* June 29 – Bob Crane, American actor, drummer, radio host, and disc jockey (b. 1928)
July
* July 1 – Kurt Student, Luftwaffe general and commander of the German airborne forces during World War II. (b. 1890)
* July 3 – James Daly (actor), James Daly, American actor (b. 1918)
* July 7 – Francisco Mendes, Guinea-Bissau politician, 1st Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
* July 10 – Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif, 31st Prime Minister of Iraq (b. 1934)
* July 14 – Gaston Ragueneau, French athlete (b. 1881)
* July 16 – Howard Estabrook, American actor (b. 1884)
* July 17 – Thayer David, American actor (b. 1927)
* July 27 – Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor, cellist and composer (b. 1907)
* July 30 – Umberto Nobile, Italian aviator and explorer (b. 1885)
* July 31 – Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich of Russia (b. 1902)
August
![Jomo Kenyatta 1966-06-15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Jomo_Kenyatta_1966-06-15.jpg)
* August 1 – W. E. Butler, British occultist (b. 1898)
* August 6
** Pope Paul VI (b. 1897)
** Edward Durell Stone, American architect (b. 1902)
* August 19 – Emilio Núñez Portuondo, Cuban diplomat and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Cuba (b. 1898)
* August 22 – Jomo Kenyatta, Kenyan activist, politician and statesman, 1st Prime Minister of Kenya and 1st President of Kenya (b. 1894)
* August 23 – Agustín Isunza, Mexican actor (b. 1900)
* August 24 – Louis Prima, Italian-born American singer and actor (b. 1910)
* August 25
** Olivier Hussenot, French actor (b. 1913)
** George E. Jonas, American philanthropist (b. 1897)
* August 26
** Charles Boyer, French actor (b. 1899)
** José Manuel Moreno, Argentine football player (b. 1916)
* August 28
** Kofi Abrefa Busia, Ghanese nationalist leader, 2nd Prime Minister of Ghana (b. 1913)
** Robert Shaw (actor), Robert Shaw, British actor (b. 1927)
September
![Pope John Paul I portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Pope_John_Paul_I_portrait.jpg)
* September 3 – Karin Molander, Swedish actress (b. 1906)
* September 4 – Leonora Cohen, British suffragette and trade unionist (b. 1873)
* September 6 – Adolf Dassler – Founder of Adidas (b. 1900)
* September 7 – Keith Moon, English rock drummer (The Who) (b. 1946)
* September 8 – Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer (b. 1901)
* September 9
** Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet (b. 1892)
** Jack L. Warner, Canadian-American film producer (b. 1892)
* September 11
** Mike Gazella, American baseball player (b. 1895)
** Valerian Gracias, Indian Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal (b. 1911)
** Georgi Markov, Bulgarian playwright and writer (b. 1929)
** Ronnie Peterson, Swedish Formula One driver (b. 1944)
* September 12 – Frank Ferguson, American actor (b. 1899)
* September 15 – Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer and manufacturer (b. 1898)
* September 21 – Peter Vogel (actor), Peter Vogel, German film actor (b. 1937)
* September 23 – Lyman Bostock, American baseball player (b. 1950)
* September 24 – Hasso von Manteuffel, German army general (b. 1897)
* September 27 – Sergei Aslamazyan, Soviet composer (b. 1897)
* September 28 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
* September 30 – Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (b. 1903)
October
![Jacques_Brel_1963](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Jacques_Brel_1963.jpg)
* October 4 – Roy L. Dennis, American teenager who had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (b. 1961)
* October 8 – Karl Swenson, American actor (b. 1908)
* October 9 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer (b. 1929)
* October 10
** Ralph Metcalfe, American Olympic athlete (b. 1910)
** Hermes Lima, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Brazil (b. 1902)
* October 11 – Ruthven Todd, Scottish poet, artist, and novelist (b. 1914)
* October 12 – Nancy Spungen, American groupie and girlfriend of Sid Vicious (b. 1958)
* October 15 – W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist (b. 1918)
* October 16 – Dan Dailey, American actor (b. 1915)
* October 19 – Gig Young, American actor (b. 1913)
* October 21 – Anastas Mikoyan, Russian revolutionary and Soviet statesman (b. 1895)
* October 23 – Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (b. 1896)
* October 28 – Geoffrey Unsworth, British cinematographer (b. 1914)
November
![Margaret Mead (1901-1978)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Margaret_Mead_%281901-1978%29.jpg)
* November 4 – Arshad al-Umari, 15th Prime Minister of Iraq (b. 1888)
* November 8 – Norman Rockwell, American artist (b. 1894)
* November 10 – Theo Lingen, German actor (b. 1903)
* November 15 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (b. 1901)
* November 18
** Leo Ryan, American politician (b. 1925)
** Jim Jones, American cult leader (b. 1931)
* November 20 – Giorgio de Chirico, Italian painter (b. 1888)
* November 24 – Warren Weaver, American scientist and mathematician (b. 1894)
* November 27 – George Moscone, American politician and then-mayor of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
* November 27 – Harvey Milk, American politician and activist (b. 1930)
December
![Houari Boumediene's Portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Houari_Boumediene%27s_Portrait.jpg)
* December 3 – William Grant Still, American composer (b. 1895)
* December 7 – Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist and avian palaeontologist (b. 1886)
* December 8 – Golda Meir, Israeli teacher, politician and stateswoman, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
* December 10
** Emilio Portes Gil, Acting president of Mexico, 1928-1930 (b. 1890)
** Ed Wood, American filmmaker, actor and author (b. 1924)
* December 11 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American biochemist (b. 1901)
* December 12 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894)
* December 14 – Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish diplomat, writer, historian, and pacifist (b. 1886)
* December 17 – Don Ellis, American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader (b. 1934)
* December 27
** Chris Bell (American musician), Chris Bell, American musician (b. 1951)
** Houari Boumédiènne, 2nd President of Algeria (b. 1932)
* December 31 – Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, East Timorese politician, acting President of East Timor (b. 1946)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Arno Allan Penzias, Robert Woodrow Wilson
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Peter D. Mitchell
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans, Hamilton O. Smith
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Isaac Bashevis Singer
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Anwar Sadat, Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat and Menachem Begin
* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Herbert A. Simon
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1978
1978,