1978 in history
Here are some light-hearted facts about 1978, designed to serve as a prep sheet for a radio feature on 1978.
I created this page because when I needed some notes to create a few talking points about 1978 in Ireland I couldn't find any suitable sources, so I thought I'd share what I did find. It applies to 1978 in Britain too.
You can also look at years other than 1978:
1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
1978
Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK.
The World Cup was both held in and won by Argentina, after they beat the Netherlands 3-1.
A severe blizard hit south west England in January.
The BBC was hit by a series of strikes in December, affecting both its channels and radio programmes.
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.
U.S. Army Sergeant Walter Robinson "walks" across the English Channel in 11 hours 30 minutes, using homemade water shoes.
The Sex Pistols began their final tour. It would be cut short due to issues within the band.
Many British bakeries impose bread rationing after a baker's strike led to panic buying of bread in November.
Johnny Giles resigned as manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team.
1978 Launches
Wuthering Heights, the debut single by Kate Bush reached #1 in the charts making her the first woman to have a self-penned number one single.
The video game Space Invaders was released.
Ben & Jerry's opened their first ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont.
The comic strip Garfield, created by Jim Davis, made its debut.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first broadcast by BBC Radio 4.
- The first Supermac's opened in Ballinasloe.
1978 in Film
Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, was the biggest film of the year.
Other film releases: Jaws 2, Saturday Night Fever, Star Wars: A New Hope, Superman, The Lord of the Rings.
1978 in TV
Big TV shows of the year (not premiers): Happy Days, Charlie's Angels, Little House on the Prairie and M*A*S*H.
Dallas, Blake's 7 and Grange Hill aired their first episodes.
Long-running British shows Ski Sunday and The South Bank Show began.
The BBC Midlands TV series 'Top Gear' was moved to national television for the first time. Angela Rippon and Barrie Gill were the hosts.
ORACLE was launched in the UK. It was ITV (and later Channel 4)'s equivalent of Ceefax, eventually replaced by Teletext. ORACLE stood for Optional Reception of Announcements by Coded Line Electronics.
Ireland's second television channel RTÉ 2 goes on air in November live from the Cork Opera House.
While these facts about 1978 have been checked against third-party sources (and have been used on air before!), they are provided in good faith to inspire your research and no guarantee is made about their accuracy or their uniqueness. You can use the facts however you wish: most people just take a couple of points they remember and talk around then.
1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1985 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020