What Happened in January 1978

Historical Events

Broncos Beat Raiders

Jan 1 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Oakland Raiders, 20-17

  • Jan 1 Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213

Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God

Jan 1 Alex Bradford, Vinnette Carroll, and Micki Grant's musical "Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God" closes at Lyceum Theatre, NYC, after 429 performances and 1 Tony Award

  • Jan 1 Los Angeles Police chief Edward Davis retires from police force
  • Jan 1 News editor Donald Woods finally arrives in London after escaping the apartheid regime in South Africa
  • Jan 1 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-6
  • Jan 2 44th Orange Bowl: #6 Arkansas beats #2 Oklahoma, 31-6
  • Jan 2 44th Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #9 Ohio State, 35-6
  • Jan 2 64th Rose Bowl: #13 Washington beats #4 Michigan, 27-20
  • Jan 2 Rhino Records releases their 1st album "Wildmania"
  • Jan 3 Indian cricket spin bowler B. S. Chandrasekhar becomes first in Test history to register identical figures in both innings (6 for 52) in Indian innings win over Australia in 3rd Test in Melbourne

Ecevit Again PM

Jan 5 Bülent Ecevit becomes Prime Minister of Turkey for the 3rd time

  • Jan 6 1st postage stamp copyrighted by US (Carl Sandburg stamp)
  • Jan 6 US hand over St Stephan crown to Hungary
  • Jan 7 Angola revises its constitution in include a state security law

Connor's ATP Title

Jan 8 American Jimmy Connors beats Björn Borg of Sweden 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to win his first and only season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC

Harvey Milk Elected

Jan 8 Harvey Milk becomes the 1st openly gay person elected to public office in California

  • Jan 8 Israeli government votes to 'strengthen' settlements in occupied Sinai

"All Creatures Great and Small"

Jan 8 TV series "All Creatures Great and Small" debuts on BBC TV, based on the books by James Herriot, starring Robert hardy and Christopher Timothy

  • Jan 9 Commonwealth of Northern Marianas established
  • Jan 10 Soyuz 27 launches, carrying 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6 space station
  • Jan 11 Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 & Soyuz 26 (1st time 3 spacecraft link)
  • Jan 13 NASA select its first American women astronauts

Sex Pistol's Final Concert

Jan 14 British punk rock band Sex Pistols hold what becomes their final concert at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California

  • Jan 15 Super Bowl XII, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Denver Broncos, 27-10; MVP: Harvey Martin, Dallas, DE & Randy White, Dallas, DT
  • Jan 15 Theodore Bundy kills Fla State U coeds Lisa Levy & Margaret Bowman
  • Jan 16 Soyuz 27 returns to Earth

Sex Pistols Break Up

Jan 17 After a tumultuous final tour the Sex Pistols break up as a band, which is announced the following day

  • Jan 18 Geoff Boycott captains England for the 1st time, v Pakistan at Karachi
  • Jan 18 Roof of 3-yr-old Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut collapses (no injuries)
  • Jan 18 Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB
  • Jan 19 Eddie Mathews elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Webster FBI Director

Jan 19 Judge William H. Webster is appointed Director of the FBI

Volkswagen Beetle

Jan 19 The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America would continue until 2003.

  • Jan 20 Columbia Pictures pays $9.5 million for movie rights to "Annie"

Durán vs. De Jesus

Jan 21 Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán becomes undisputed world lightweight champion with a 12th-round TKO of Esteban De Jesus at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; defends his WBA title for 12th time, also takes De Jesus’ WBC title

  • Jan 23 Belgian industrial Haron Empain kidnapped in Paris
  • Jan 23 NFL Pro Bowl, Tampa Stadium: NFC beats AFC, 14-13; MVP: Walter Peyton, Chicago Bears, RB
  • Jan 23 Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, due to their harmful effect on the earth's ozone layer.
  • Jan 24 31st NHL All-Star Game, Buffalo Municipal Auditorium, Buffalo, NY: Wales beats Campbell, 3-2 (OT); MVP: Billy Smith, NY Islanders, G
  • Jan 24 Carter Executive Order on Intelligence (# 12036)

Perry to the Padres

Jan 25 MLB San Diego Padres trade pitcher Dave Tomlin and $125,000 to Texas Rangers for Gaylord Perry (He wins 1978 Cy Young Award)

  • Jan 25 Muriel Humphrey (D-Mn) appointed to fill late husband's Senate seat

Event of Interest

Jan 26 Frank Herbert completes his novel "Destination: Void"

  • Jan 26 International Ultraviolet Explorer placed in Earth orbit

Soares Forms Government

Jan 26 Mário Soares forms Portuguese government

  • Jan 26 Strikers riot in Tunisia, killing about 40
  • Jan 28 Ranger's Don Murdoch failed on 4th penalty shot against Islanders
  • Jan 28 Ted Nugent autographs a fan's arm with his knife

Carner Wins Colgate Triple Crown

Jan 29 Joanne Carner wins Colgate Triple Crown Match-Play Golf Championship

  • Jan 30 Addie Joss & Larry MacPhail elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Larry King Show

Jan 30 Mutual Broadcasting Network begins airing the late-night "Larry King Show" on radio, from Miami, Florida

  • Jan 31 "Elvis: The Legend Lives!" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
  • Jan 31 Israel turns 3 milt outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
1978 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jan 1 Nina Bott, German actress
  • Jan 1 Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist
  • Jan 1 Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish soccer midfielder (27 caps; Norwich City) and Dominican friar and priest, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Jan 1 Tarik O'Regan, British contemporary classical composer (Threshold of Night; Heart of Darkness), born in London, England
  • Jan 2 Devin Doherty, actor (Jimmy Clayton-Swan's Crossing)
  • Jan 2 Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American ballroom dancer and TV personality (Dancing with the Stars), born in Kharkiv, Ukraine
  • Jan 2 Toyoguchi Megumi, Japanese seiyuu (voice actress)
  • Jan 3 Dominic Wood, English children's television presenter and magician
  • Jan 3 Kimberley Locke, American pop-dance singer-songwriter and television personality, born in Hartsville, Tennessee
  • Jan 3 Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
  • Jan 4 Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player, born in Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Jan 4 Mai Meneses, Spanish pop singer-songwriter (Nena Daconte), born in Madrid, Spain
  • Jan 4 Patrick Farrell, American jazz and klezmer accordionist, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Jan 5 Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver, born in Feurs, France

January Jones (46 years old)

Jan 5 American actress (Betty Draper-Mad Men; X-Men: First Class) and model, born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

  • Jan 5 Sabrina Harman, American military figure and accused torturer, born in Lorton, Virginia
  • Jan 6 Casey Fossum, American baseball player, born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
  • Jan 6 Cédric Roussel, Belgian soccer forward (3 caps; KAC Gent, Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, RAEC Mons, KRC Genk), born in Mons, Belgium (d. 2023)
  • Jan 6 Nikki Einfeld, Canadian coloratura soprano, born in Manitoba
  • Jan 6 Steve Hartsell, American pairs skater (with partner Danielle Hartsell), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Jan 6 Tara Spencer-Nairn, Canadian actress, born in Montreal, Canada
  • Jan 7 Dan Forrest, American classical pianist, composer (Requiem for the Living; Good Night, Dear Heart), and educator, born in Breesport, New York
  • Jan 7 Israel Keyes, American serial killer, born in Richmond, Utah (d. 2012)
  • Jan 7 Kevin Mench, American baseball player, born in Wilmington, Delaware
  • Jan 8 Boris Avrukh, Israeli chess grandmaster, born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan
  • Jan 9 A.J. McLean, American pop singer (Backstreet Boys), born in West Palm Beach, Florida
  • Jan 9 Chad Johnson, American football player, born in Miami, Florida
  • Jan 9 Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer, born in Corigliano Calabro, Italy
  • Jan 9 Maggie Rizer, American model and AIDS activist, born in Staten Island, New York
  • Jan 9 Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Chandler, Canada
  • Jan 10 Brent Smith, American rock singer (Shinedown), born in Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Jan 10 Matt Roberts, American rock guitarist (3 Doors Down - "When I'm Gone"), born in Escatawpa, Mississippi (d. 2016)
  • Jan 11 Emile Heskey, English footballer, born in Leicester, United Kingdom
  • Jan 11 Holly Brisley, Australian actress, born in Adelaide, Australia
  • Jan 11 Michael Duff, Northern Irish footballer, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Jan 12 Bonaventure Kalou, Ivorian footballer, born in Oumé, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Jan 12 Jeremy Camp, American musician, born in Lafayette, Indiana
  • Jan 12 Kim Sa Rang, Korean actress, born in Daegu, South Korea
  • Jan 12 Kris Roe, American musician (The Ataris), born in Anderson, Indiana
  • Jan 14 Just Blaze [Justin Smith], American hip hop producer, born in Paterson, New Jersey
  • Jan 14 Shawn Crawford, American sprinter, born in Van Wyck, South Carolina
  • Jan 15 Eddie Cahill, American actor, born in New York City
  • Jan 15 Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist, born in Latisana, Italy
  • Jan 16 Alfredo Amézaga, Mexican baseball player, born in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico
  • Jan 17 Charles Richard "Ricky" Wilson, British singer-songwriter (Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby"), born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England
  • Jan 18 Brian Falkenborg, American baseball player, born in Newport Beach, California
  • Jan 18 Thor Hushovd, Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer widely considered the greatest Norwegian cyclist of all time, born in Grimstad, Norway
  • Jan 20 Allan Søgaard, Danish football player, born in Brædstrup, Denmark
  • Jan 20 Joy Giovanni, American actress and glamour model, born in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Jan 20 Omar Sy, French actor (Lupin), born in Trappes, France
  • Jan 20 Sonja Kesselschläger, German heptathlete, born in Finsterwalde, Germany
  • Jan 21 Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
  • Jan 21 Faris al-Sultan, German-Iraqi triathlete
  • Jan 21 Phil Stacey, American Idol finalist
  • Jan 21 Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, American rapper, songwriter, and record producer (Dru Hill), born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Jan 22 Chone Figgins, American baseball player, born in Leary, Georgia
  • Jan 25 Charlene Princess of Monaco [Charlene Wittstock], Zimbabwean South African born wife of Prince Albert II, and Olympic swimmer, born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia
  • Jan 25 Denis Menchov, Russian road cyclist (Vuelta a España 2007; Giro d'Italia 2009; Tour de France Young rider classification 2003), born in Oryol, Russia
  • Jan 25 Jason Roberts, Grenadian soccer striker (15 caps; Bristol Rovers, WBA, Blackburn Rovers) and coach (Director of Development CONCACAF), born in London, England

Volodymyr Zelensky (46 years old)

Jan 25 Ukrainian actor (Servant of the People), comedian, and President of Ukraine (2019-), born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Soviet Union

  • Jan 26 Corina Morariu, American tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1999; Australian Open mixed doubles 2001), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Jan 26 Kelly Stables, American actress, born in St Louis, Missouri
  • Jan 28 Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
  • Jan 28 Jamie Carragher, English footballer
  • Jan 28 Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese soccer midfielder (63 caps; Lens, Fulham, Portsmouth, West Ham Utd), born in Dakar, Senegal (d. 2020)
  • Jan 29 Martin Schmitt, German ski jumper (Olympic gold team 2002, silver 1998, 2010; World C'ship gold x 4), born in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
  • Jan 29 Rob Bironas, American football placekicker (First-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl, PFW Golden Toe Award 2007; Tennessee Titans), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 2014)
  • Jan 30 John Patterson, American baseball player, born in Orange, Texas
  • Jan 31 Brad Rutter, American "Jeopardy!" champion, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 31 Fabián Caballero, Argentine footballer, born in Misiones Province, Argentina
  • Jan 31 Ray Shah, Irish Big Brother contestant, born in Dublin, Ireland
Born in 1978

Famous Weddings

  • Jan 24 Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison in the history of the Republic of Ireland.

Famous Deaths

  • Jan 6 Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer, and subject of the film 'The World's Fastest Indian", dies at 78
  • Jan 6 Francine York, American actress (Slattery's People), dies at 80
  • Jan 6 John D. MacArthur, American insurance billionaire, dies at 80
  • Jan 8 Walter Keirnan, American TV panelist (I've Got a Secret), dies at 75
  • Jan 9 Eddie Gilbert, cricket (Aboriginal Qld quick got Don for a duck), dies
  • Jan 10 Don Gillis, American composer (Symphony 5½ - A Symphony for Fun), dies at 65
  • Jan 10 Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist, publisher and editor of "La Prensa", assassinated in Managua at 53
  • Jan 10 Zeb Turner [William Grishaw], American country-rockabilly guitarist, singer-songwriter ("Chew Tobacco Rag"; "It's A Sin"), and disc jockey, dies at 62
  • Jan 11 Ibn-e-Insha, Pakistani humorist and Urdu poet (b. 1927)
  • Jan 11 Michael Bates, English actor (Clockwork Orange, Salt & Pepper), dies at 57

Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978)

Jan 13 American politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (1965-69), and 1968 Presidential candidate, dies of bladder cancer at 66

Joe McCarthy (1887-1978)

Jan 13 American Baseball Hall of Fame manager (Chicago Cubs; New York Yankees - World Series 1932, 36–39, 41, 43; Boston Red Sox), dies of pneumonia at 90

  • Jan 14 Blossom Rock [Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald], American actress (Grandmamma-The Addams Family), dies at 81
  • Jan 14 Harold Abrahams, British athlete (Olympic gold 100m, silver 4x100m 1924; depicted in film "Chariots of Fire"), dies at 78
  • Jan 14 Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American mathematician (Gödel's incompleteness theorems), dies at 71
  • Jan 14 Robert Heger, German conductor and composer, dies at 91
  • Jan 15 Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band bandleader, and influential BBC disc jockey, dies at 71
  • Jan 15 Margaret Bowman & Janet Levy, Chi Omega, FSU, killed by Ted Bundy
  • Jan 16 Virginia Pope, American fashion editor (New York Times), dies at 92
  • Jan 18 Carl Betz, American actor (The Donna Reed Show, Love of Life), dies of lung cancer at 56
  • Jan 18 Hasan Askari, Pakistani philosopher, critic and writer, dies at 58
  • Jan 18 Ivan Ivonovich Dzerzhinsky, Russian composer, dies at 68
  • Jan 18 Walter H. Thompson, English Scotland Yard detective, bodyguard of Winston Churchill, dies of cancer at 77
  • Jan 20 Dit Clapper, Canadian ice hockey player (NHL Hall of Fame, Boston Bruins), dies at 70
  • Jan 21 Freda Utley, British scholar and author. (b. 1898)
  • Jan 22 Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (54 Tests for England 4555 runs), dies at 83
  • Jan 22 Oliver Leese, British World War II general, dies at 83
  • Jan 23 Jack Oakie, American actor (The Great Dictator, 1974 Photoplay Award), dies at 74
  • Jan 23 Terry Kath, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Chicago - "Make Me Smile"), accidentally shoots himself in head at 31
  • Jan 23 Vic Ames, American singer (Ames Brothers - "Tammy"), dies in a car accident at 52
  • Jan 24 Herta Oberheuser, German doctor (b. 1911)
  • Jan 26 Leo Genn, British lawyer and actor (Mourning Becomes Electra, Moby-Dick, Affair in Monte Carlo), dies at 72
  • Jan 27 Marguerite Canal, French conductor and composer (1st woman in France to conduct an orchestra), dies at 87
  • Jan 27 Oscar Homolka, Hungarian actor (Sabotage, The Seven Year Itch, Ball of Fire, I Remember Mama), dies at 79
  • Jan 29 Tim McCoy, American actor (Arizona Bound) and soldier, dies at 86