THE WORLD IN 1978:
President: Jimmy Carter
Vice President: Walter Mondale
World Population = 4.4 billion (current population = 6.6 billion)
U.S. Population = 222,584,545 (current population = 304,192,970)
World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Yankees (the Yankees won in 6 games)
Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys vs Denver Broncos in New Orleans (the Cowboys won, 27-10). This was the first Super Bowl played in the Superdome and the first to be played in prime time. Also the first and only Super Bowl in which two players won MVP honors (defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin.
Cost of gas/gallon = $0.63/gallon
Cost of first class stamp = $0.13
Avg. cost of a new home = approx. $62,500
EVENTS:
First Cellular Mobile Phone system is introduced by Illinois Bell Company
The first Susan B Anthony dollar is minted
Camp David Accords – the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the U.S. meet to hammer out a peace agreement in the Middle East
Pope Paul VI dies at age 80. John Paul I becomes Pope on Aug 26, 1978, but dies 33 days later. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II.
Cult leader Jim Jones instructs 900 members of his church, the “People’s Temple,” to commit suicide.
Louise Brown, the first test tube baby, is born in England
“Space Invaders” launches a craze for computer video games
POPULAR FILMS:
“Grease”
“Superman, the Movie”
“Coming Home”
“Halloween”
“Midnight Express”
“Saturday Night Fever”
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
“Animal House”
“Jaws 2”
“Heaven Can Wait”
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”
“Revenge of the Pink Panther”
“The Deer Hunter”
POPULAR TV SHOWS:
“Happy Days”
“Little House on the Prairie”
“Laverne & Shirley”
“One Day at a Time”
“M*A*S*H”
“Soap”
“Alice”
“All in the Family”
“Eight is Enough”
“Rockford Files”
“Saturday Night Live”
“Charlie’s Angels”
“Three’s Company”
“The Love Boat”
“CHiPs”
“QuincyM.E.”
TV Shows that Debuted in 1978:
“Mork & Mindy”
“Dallas”
“Taxi”
“Battlestar Gallactica”
“WKRP in Cincinnati”
“Diff’rent Strokes”
POPULAR SONGS:
Andy Gibb, “Shadow Dancing”
Bee Gees, “Night Fever”
Debby Boone, “You Light Up My Life”
Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive”
Exile, “Kiss You All Over”
Queen, “We Are the Champions”
Commodores, “Three Times A Lady”
Nick Glider, “Hot Child in the City”
Bonnie Tyler, “It’s a Heartache”
Donna Summer, “MacArthurPark”
Billy Joel, “Just the Way You Are”
Barry Manilow, “Can’t Smile Without You”
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, “You’re the One That I Want”
Rolling Stones, “Miss You”
ABBA, “Take a Chance on Me”
Player, “Baby Come Back”
Eric Clapton, “Lay Down Sally”
Little River Band, “Reminiscing”
Yvonne Elliman, “If I Can’t Have You”
Paul Davis, “I Go Crazy”
Waylon/Willie, “Mamas, Don’t Let Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
Dolly Parton, “Here You Come Again”
|