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January 1, 1978 New Year's Day

January 1, 1978, was a Sunday. It was the 1st day of 1978. The decade was the seventies.

46 years, 2 months, and 18 days have passed since January 1, 1978.

The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.

On This Day

On this day

What happened on January 1, 1978?

  • 213 people are killed when Air India Flight 855 crashes.
Song charts

Music charts

Songs that were on top of the charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on January 1, 1978:

  • United States: "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bee Gees
  • United Kingdom: "Mull Of Kintyre / Girls School" by Wings

The Billboard Hot 100 on January 1, 1978

These were the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

  • How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
  • You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
  • Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
  • (Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again - LTD
  • It's So Easy - Linda Ronstadt
Play the top singles from 1978
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1978. Take a trip back to the days of the Bee Gees, the Dire Straits, Eric Clapton and Frankie Valli.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Top movie at the box office

The movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was at the top of the box office on January 1, 1978.

Facts

New Year's Day 1978 occurred 16,879 days ago. Approximately 563 months have passed. Although it was the 1st day of 1978, it was still week #52, as the final calendar week of 1977 hadn't fully ended yet. The decade was the seventies. People who were born on January 1, 1978, are now 46 years old and belong to the Generation X generation. The Earth has experienced 188 seasons of weather since then.

Take me back to January 1, 1978

Let's take a stroll down memory lane.

The date is January 1, 1978, and it's a Sunday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Capricorn. It's New Year's Day, the official start of the year 1978. A lot of people are relaxing at home. Some are nursing hangovers from the night before.

In America, the song "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bee Gees is at the top of the singles charts, while "Mull Of Kintyre / Girls School" by Wings is the number-one song in the UK. Jimmy Carter is the President of the United States, and the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind is at the top of the box office. James Callaghan is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On television, people are watching popular shows such as "Barnaby Jones", "Little House on the Prairie", "Eight Is Enough", and "The Love Boat". In fashion, clothes have become baggier and pants have become less flared. Sports clothing and the "disco look" are both popular at the moment. Women are wearing sundresses, strapless tops with t-shirts, shoulder pads, cardigans, knee-length skirts and daisy dukes. Meanwhile, men are wearing tracksuits, flare jeans, low-top sneakers and untucked collared shirts. Because it's 1978, the music charts are being dominated by the likes of the Bee Gees, John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, the Village People, Boney M and Andy Gibb.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, and John Wayne would all still be alive. People are playing video games such as "Pursuit", "Gun Fight", and "Breakout". Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "The Bugs Bunny Show", "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!", "The Muppet Show", and "The All-New Super Friends Hour".

Children are playing with toys such as Lite-Brite, Baby Alive (doll), Risk board game, and the Atari 2600.

News

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on January 1, 1978.

  • 1978 in music.

    1978 in music

    Popular music artists in 1978 included Andy Gibb, The Bee Gees, Debby Boone, Exile, Player, A Taste of Honey, Commodores, Frankie Valli, Kate Bush, John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, Eric Clapton, Paul Davis and Samantha Sang.
  • Who were the best NBA players in 1978?

    Who were the best NBA players in 1978?

    The best NBA players in 1978 were Bill Walton, Truck Robinson, Julius Erving, George Gervin and David Thompson.
  • 1978 in movies.

    1978 in movies

    Movies released in 1978 included Grease, Superman, Animal House, Every Which Way but Loose, Heaven Can Wait, Hooper, Jaws 2, Revenge of the Pink Panther, The Deer Hunter, Halloween, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Dawn of the Dead.
  • Best soccer players.

    Best soccer players

    In 1978, the best soccer players were Kevin Keegan, Hans Krankl, Rob Rensenbrink, Roberto Bettega, Paolo Rossi, Ronnie Hellström, Ruud Krol, Kenny Dalglish, Allan Simonsen and Peter Shilton.
  • The Deer Hunter.

    The Deer Hunter

    "The Deer Hunter" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1978.
  • Time Person of the Year: 1978.

    Time Person of the Year: 1978

    China's Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping was named the Time Person of the Year in 1978 after he overthrew Hua Guofeng and became the Supreme Leader of China.
  • Billy Joel - "Just the Way You Are"

    Billy Joel - "Just the Way You Are"

    "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel won a Grammy for 1978's Song of the Year.
  • Roller skates.

    Roller skates

    The popularity of roller skates exploded during the second half of the 1970s.
  • Disco music.

    Disco music

    Disco music became mainstream during the latter half of the 1970s. Nightclub-goers often wore extravagant outfits. Furthermore, dances such as the "Hustle", the "Bump" and the "Penguin" also became popular.
  • Hitchhiking is declining.

    Hitchhiking is declining

    Although hitchhiking is still pretty common, it is beginning to decline due to people's falling trust in strangers, lower air travel prices, an increase in highways, and more affordable cars.
  • Wallpaper.

    Wallpaper

    Wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.
  • Office workers are using typewriters.

    Office workers are using typewriters

    Although personal computers began to emerge during the 1970s, typewriters were still the norm for most office workers.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on January 1, 1978.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Events

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around January 1, 1978.

  • December 4, 1977: 100 people lose their lives when Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 crashes after being hijacked.
  • December 8, 1977: The BTK killer murders 25-year-old Nancy Jo Fox.
  • December 14, 1977: The film "Saturday Night Fever", starring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney, is released in movie theaters.
  • December 25, 1977: Comedian Charlie Chaplin passes away.
  • December 30, 1977: American serial killer Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
  • This date: January 1, 1978
  • January 14, 1978: English punk rock band the Sex Pistols hold their last ever concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
  • January 15, 1978:
    • Super Bowl XII: The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos 27-10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
    • American serial killer Ted Bundy murders two women at the Chi Omega sorority in Tallahassee, Florida.
  • January 18, 1978: William H. Webster becomes the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  • January 20, 1978: Kate Bush releases her debut single "Wuthering Heights".
  • January 28, 1978: Serial killer Richard Chase is arrested in Sacramento, California.
Zodiac info

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

  • Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on January 1, 1978, will have the star sign Capricorn.
  • Zodiac Element: Earth.
  • Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1978 was the year of the Horse (Yang Metal).
  • The Life Path Number for this date is 9.
  • Native American Zodiac: January 1, 1978 falls under the Goose.
  • Birthstone: A person during the month of January will have the birthstone Garnet.
  • Birth flower (January): The Carnation and the Snowdrop.

1970s fashion

Photographs of 1970s fashion and hairstyles.

1970s fashion

Television shows

Television shows in January 1978

Television shows that people were watching in January 1978:

TV shows from January 1978.

The Love Boat
The Love Boat
Logan's Run
Logan's Run
Chips
Chips
Soap
Soap
Eight Is Enough
Eight Is Enough
Three's Company
Three's Company
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E.
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Black Sheep Squadron
Black Sheep Squadron
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter
Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch
Barney Miller
Barney Miller
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
Baretta
Baretta
Police Woman
Police Woman
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
Good Times
Good Times
Happy Days
Happy Days
Kojak
Kojak
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones

Cars in 1978

1978 saw the introduction of cars such as the Chrysler Horizon, the Saab 900, the Mitsubishi Mirage, the Ford Fairmont, the Toyota Supra, and the AMC Concord.

Cars in 1978.

Children TV shows

Cartoons and children's TV shows in January 1978

Children and teenagers were watching the following cartoons and TV series:

Fred Flintstone and Friends
Fred Flintstone and Friends
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
The All-New Super Friends Hour
The All-New Super Friends Hour

Bagpuss
Bagpuss
Happy Days
Happy Days
Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock!
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
All in the Family
All in the Family
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
The Pink Panther Show
The Pink Panther Show
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
The Bugs Bunny Show
The Bugs Bunny Show
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Toys

Toys in 1978

Children were playing with the following toys and games:

Hungry Hungry Hippos
Hungry Hungry Hippos
Water Ring Toss
Water Ring Toss
The Atari 2600
The Atari 2600
Star Wars action figures
Star Wars action figures
Mattel Electronic Football (handheld game)
Mattel Electronic Football (handheld game)
Lego Technic
Lego Technic
Stretch Armstrong
Stretch Armstrong
Micronauts
Micronauts
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Connect Four
Connect Four
Magna Doodle
Magna Doodle
Risk board game
Risk board game
Baby Alive (doll)
Baby Alive (doll)
Big Jim (action figure)
Big Jim (action figure)
VertiBird (toy helicopter)
VertiBird (toy helicopter)
Battleship (game)
Battleship (game)
Lite-Brite
Lite-Brite
Twister mat
Twister mat
Operation
Operation
The Easy-Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven
Etch A Sketch
Etch A Sketch
Troll doll
Troll doll
Video games

Video games

Popular video games that people were playing in January 1978.

Breakout 1976
Breakout
Gun Fight 1975
Gun Fight
Pursuit 1975
Pursuit

Were you born on January 1, 1978?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1978.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out January 1, 1984, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on January 1.

J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover

The first Director of the FBI Deceased
Born on January 1, 1895
He was not alive on this date.

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash

Hip Hop DJ
Born on January 1, 1958
He turned 20 on this day in 1978.

Verne Troyer

Verne Troyer

Actor Deceased
Born on January 1, 1969
He turned 9 on this day in 1978.

Ice Spice

Ice Spice

Rapper
Born on January 1, 2000
She was born exactly 22 years after this date.

Holidays

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on January 1:

  • New Year's Day
USA

US President

Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States on January 1, 1978.

UK

UK Prime Minister

James Callaghan was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Ireland

Irish Taoiseach

Jack Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

  • A baby that was born on January 1, 1978 was most likely conceived around April 10, 1977.
  • The due date for a baby that was conceived on January 1, 1978 is close to September 24, 1978.

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Stats for January 1, 1978

Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about January 1, 1978:

  • 16,879 days have passed since this date.
  • 2,411 weeks have passed.
  • 1,458,345,600 seconds have passed since January 1, 1978.
  • If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 1,701,403,200 times.
  • Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 752,506,329,600 miles through space.
  • If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 243,057,600 times.
  • You have taken approximately 125,417,722 steps. That's roughly 55,741 miles!
  • Since this date, 17,500,147 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!
  • How many years ago was 1978?

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