Events

January

January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain 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 year. __TOC__ Events ...

–

Air India Flight 855 Air India Flight 855 was a scheduled passenger flight from Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On 1 January 1978, the Boeing 747 operating the flight crashed into the Arabian Sea about off the coast of Bandra, less than ...

, a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

passenger jet, crashes off the coast of

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, 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; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 * 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French ...

–

Bülent Ecevit Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in 197 ...

, of CHP, forms the new government of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(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 ...

– The

Holy Crown of Hungary The Holy Crown of Hungary ( , ), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings were crowned with it since the tw ...

(also known as

Stephen of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( ; ; ; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his b ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. *

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 th ...

–

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 ...

, a critic of the

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

n government, is assassinated; riots erupt against

Somoza The Somoza family () is a political family which ruled Nicaragua under a dictatorship over a period of forty-three years, from 1936 to 1979. Founder, Anastasio Somoza García – who served as the President of Nicaragua from 1937 until 1956 – ...

's government. *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...

– Former American Vice President

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

, a Democrat, dies of cancer in

Waverly, Minnesota Waverly is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,900 at the 2020 census. History The framework for the City of Waverly began in 1855, when the territorial legislature passed an act organizing Wright County. A ...

, at the age of 66. *

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 C ...

– The

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

finds the British government guilty of mistreating prisoners in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, but not guilty of torture. *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Heraclius 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 b ...

–

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

declares the ambassador of West Germany ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

''. *

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 Co ...

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

satellite

Kosmos 954 Kosmos 954 () was a reconnaissance satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1977. A malfunction prevented safe separation of its onboard Nuclear reactor technology, nuclear reactor; when the satellite Atmospheric reentry, reentered the Earth's ...

burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

. ** Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison since the establishment of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

. *

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 dyn ...

– 27 – The Great Blizzard of 1978 strikes the

Ohio Valley The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its mouth on the Mississippi River in Cairo, ...

and

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, 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), ...

– Film director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

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. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

in the United States and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

with a 13-year-old girl. *

February 5 Events Pre-1600 * *2 BC – Caesar Augustus is granted the title ''pater patriae'' by the Roman Senate. *AD 62, 62 – AD 62 Pompeii earthquake, Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. *756 – Chinese New Year; An Lushan proclaims himself E ...

– 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 u ...

hits the

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

region and the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

, killing about 100, and causing over US$520 million in damage. *

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Hormizd IV, king of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown and blinded by his brothers-in-law Vistahm and Vinduyih. * 1579 – The Diocese of Manila is erected by papal bull, with Domingo de Salazar appointe ...

– King Dragon operation in Arakan: Burmese General

Ne Win Ne Win (; ; 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002), born Shu Maung (; ), was a Burmese army general, politician and Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma from 1962 to 1981. Ne Win was Burma's mili ...

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 ...

–

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

proceedings are broadcast on

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

for the first time. *

February 9 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno (emperor), Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire *1003 – Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia, Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I ...

– 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 produ ...

unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 comin ...

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 fro ...

, a

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

-200, crashes in

Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 10 km southwest of the confluence of the Kootenay River and the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region ...

, killing 44 of the 50 people on board. **

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

mobilizes its troops to deal with an apparent

n attack. ** The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. *

February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I and Pope Pope John XII, John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. *1258 – Siege of Baghdad (1258), Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Kh ...

–

Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing The Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney, Australia. The hotel was hosting the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional ...

: 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 Worldwide. The original company was founded by Conrad Hi ...

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 Ti ...

–

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

, 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 Roman usurper, usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the w ...

– Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport: Egyptian Special Forces 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 States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

, 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 Constantin ...

– The first

global positioning satellite The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

, the

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avioni ...

-built Navstar 1, is launched by the United States.

March

March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...

–

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (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 considered o ...

'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 ...

– ''

Soyuz 28 Soyuz 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 launched in Soyuz 26. Co ...

'' (

Aleksei Gubarev Aleksei Aleksandrovich Gubarev (; 29 March 1931 – 21 February 2015) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two space flights: Soyuz 17 and Soyuz 28. Biography Gubarev graduated from the Soviet Naval Aviation School in 1952 and went on to ser ...

, Vladimír Remek) is launched on a rendezvous with ''

Salyut 6 Salyut 6 () was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth station of the Salyut programme, and alternatively known DOS-5 as it was the fifth of the Durable Orbital Station series of civilian space stations. It was launched on 29 September 19 ...

'', with the first cosmonaut from a country other than the US 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 ...

admits that its troops are fighting with the aid of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n soldiers, against

n troops in the

Ogaden Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; , ) is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed (). The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia ...

. **

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. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. ** The ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' publishes an article about David Rorvik'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 ...

– The first radio episode of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'', by

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

, is transmitted on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. *

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 ...

– ''

'' lands. *

March 11 Events Pre-1600 * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire. * 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...

** Coastal Road massacre:

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

kill 34

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

is. **

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

, French entertainer born 1939, dies by electrocution in his home in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. *

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 H ...

–

Operation Litani The 1978 South Lebanon conflict, also known as the First Israeli invasion of Lebanon and codenamed Operation Litani by Israel, began when Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978. It was in response to the Coas ...

i forces invade

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. *

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, the dictator of the Roman R ...

–

and

sign a truce to end the

Ethio-Somali War The Ogaden War, also known as the Ethio-Somali War (, ), was a military conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia fought from July 1977 to March 1978 over control of the sovereignty of the Ogaden region. Somalia launched an invasion in support ...

. *

March 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. * 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. * 1355 – Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, ...

– Former Italian Premier

Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...

is kidnapped by the

Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...

; 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 ...

– An oil tanker, ''

Amoco Cadiz ''Amoco Cadiz'' was an oil tanker owned by Amoco, Amoco Transport Corp and transporting crude oil for Royal Dutch Shell, Shell Oil. Operating under the Liberian flag, she ran aground on 16 March 1978 on Portsall, Portsall Rocks, from the coast ...

'', runs aground on the coast of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. *

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 Ar ...

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, 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 of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

, is sentenced to death by hanging, for ordering the assassination of a political opponent. ** California Jam II 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: United States Au ...

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, 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, it lies ...

, 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 – Æthel ...

–

Karl Wallenda Karl Wallenda (; January 21, 1905 – March 22, 1978) was a German-American tightrope walking, high wire artist. He was the founder of The Flying Wallendas, a stunt performer, daredevil circus troupe whose members performed dangerous stunts far ...

of The Flying Wallendas dies, after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. *

March 26 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 624 – First Eid al-Fitr celebration. * 1021 – The death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret ...

– 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 a ...

and some other facilities of New Tokyo International 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 that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

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 Did ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

's City Council signs the United States's most comprehensive

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

bill. ** '' Stump v. Sparkman'' (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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

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. It is intended to ensure that judges can make decisions free from improper influen ...

April

April 1 Events Pre-1600 * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. * 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his tro ...

New Zealand National Airways Corporation New Zealand National Airways Corporation, popularly known as NAC, established by the New Zealand National Airways Act, 1945, was the national domestic airline of New Zealand until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airli ...

(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 of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 28 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline h ...

. ** Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods tows a fake

iceberg An iceberg is a piece of fresh water ice more than long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". Much of an i ...

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

. ** The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, is converted to the

Polytechnic University of the Philippines The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP; ) is a public, coeducational, research university in Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines. It was founded on 19 October 1904, as the Manila Business School (MBS) and as part of Manila's public sch ...

. *

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 ...

– ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'' debuts on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, 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. During the ceremony, AMPAS ...

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 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, with ''

Annie Hall ''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer ...

'' winning

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

. *

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 Em ...

– U.S. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

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, ...

– 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 (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

stage an unsuccessful coup against the government of

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

; 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 ...

– 1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against an attempt by

authorities to change the constitutional status of the

Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...

. *

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 ...

– The U.S. Senate votes, 68–32, to turn the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

over to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

nian control on December 31,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. *

– 30 – The

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

massacres 3,157 civilians in Ba Chúc, Vietnam. *

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; the plane makes an emergency landing on a frozen lake. *

April 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil ( discovery of Brazil). * 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. * 1529 – Treaty of Zara ...

** Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta win the

Eurovision Song Contest 1978 The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd edition of the 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 Broadcas ...

for

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 (political), 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 spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

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 th ...

–

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

becomes the second U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance, after

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ...

'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 coun ...

. *

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 ...

Saur Revolution The Saur Revolution (; ), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was a violent coup d'état and uprising staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), which overthrew President of Afghan ...

–

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

's president

Mohammad Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan (Dari/) also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan; 18July 190928April 1978) was an Afghan head of state, military officer and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 ...

and his family are murdered;

Nur Muhammad Taraki Nur Muhammad Taraki (; 14 July 1917 – 9 October 1979) was an Afghan communist politician, journalist and writer. He was a founding member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) who served as its General Secretary from 1965 to ...

succeeds him, beginning the 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 A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream, to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove heat and cool the ...

under construction collapses at the

Pleasants Power Station Pleasants Power Station is a 1.3-gigawatt (1,300 MW) coal power plant located near Belmont, West Virginia in Pleasants County, West Virginia. The plant is owned by Energy Harbor and began operations in 1979. The power plant was the site of t ...

in Willow Island, West Virginia. *

April 30 Events Pre-1600 * 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends. * 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois. *1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus ...

– The "

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state between History of Afghanistan (1978–1992), 1978 and 1992. It was bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, by Iran to the west, by the ...

" is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader

May

May 4 Events Pre-1600 * 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''. * 1415 – Religious reformer John Wycliffe is condemned a ...

** The Battle of Cassinga occurs in southern

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. **

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris. *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

** Norway opens a

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

field, in the Polar Sea. **

Reinhold Messner Reinhold Andreas Messner (; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent o ...

(Italy) and

Peter Habeler Peter Habeler (born 22 July 1942) is an Austrian mountaineer. He was born in Mayrhofen, Austria. He developed an interest in mountain climbing at age six.http://www.everesthistory.com/climbers/habeler Among his accomplishments as a mountaineer a ...

(Austria) make the first ascent of Mount Everest, without supplemental oxygen. *

May 9 Events Pre-1600 * 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria. * 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy. * 1386 – England and Portugal formall ...

– In Rome, the corpse of former Italian prime minister

, is found in a red

Renault 4 The Renault 4, or R4 in short (and 4L, pronounced "Quatrelle" in French ), is an economy car built by the French company Renault from 1961 to 1994. Although the Renault 4 was first marketed as a short estate or wagon, its minimal rear o ...

. *

May 12 Events Pre-1600 * 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism. * 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the ...

– In

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, rebels occupy the city of

Kolwezi Kolwezi or Kolwesi is the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It has an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. Just outside of Kolwezi there is the static inverter plant of the ...

, the mining centre of the province of Shaba. The Zairean government asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order. *

– 13 – A group of

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

, led by

Bob Denard Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French mercenary. He served as the ''de facto'' military leader of the Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again briefly f ...

, oust

Ali Soilih Ali Soilih M'Tsashiwa (; January 7, 1937 – May 29, 1978) was a Comorian socialist revolutionary and political figure who served as the third President of the Comoros from 3 January 1976 to 13 May 1978. Biography Soilih was born in Majung ...

in the

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

; ten local soldiers are killed. Denard forms a new government. *

May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurpe ...

** Students of the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

riot in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

; the army stops the riot. ** First Timezone Opens in

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

May 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explo ...

–

's coffin is found some from the cemetery from which it was stolen, near Lake Geneva. *

May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47 ...

** Soviet dissident Yuri Orlov is sentenced to 7 years' hard labor, for distributing 'counterrevolutionary material'. **

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

is selected to host the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...

, and Los Angeles is selected to host the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

. *

– 19 – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire, to aid the fight against the rebels. *

May 19 Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 934 – The Byzantine Empire reconquers Melitene under ...

– 20 –

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

s land in

, to rescue Europeans in the middle of a civil war. *

May 20 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. * 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose h ...

– Mavis Hutchinson, 53, becomes the first woman to run across the U.S.; her trek took 69 days. *

May 22 Events Pre-1600 * 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. * 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. ...

– Exiled leaders

Ahmed Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane (, , 12 June 1919 – 26 November 1989) was a top Comoros, Comorian politician. He was a member of the French Senate from 1959 to 1973, and President of the Comoros from 25 October 1978 until his assassination in 1 ...

and

Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Fahal (; 12 August 1843 – 21 June 1885) was a Sudanese religious and political leader. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi and led a war against Egyptian rule in Sudan, which culminated in a remarkable vi ...

return to the

. *

May 23 Events Pre-1600 * 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction. * 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy. *1533 – The marriage of King Henry ...

– American basketball player center

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...

of the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

was named the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

regular season MVP. *

May 25 Events Pre-1600 * 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. * 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...

** First Unabomber attack: A bomb explodes in the security section of

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, wounding a security guard. ** In a rematch of the previous season, the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

again defeat the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

, this time four games to two, to win the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

. *

May 26 Events Pre-1600 * 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. * 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire ta ...

– In

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, Resorts International, the first legal

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

in the eastern United States, opens. *

May 28 Events Pre-1600 * 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from ...

–

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Ri ...

wins his third race, and the first for car owner Jim Hall. *

May 29 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city. * 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops unde ...

–

is found dead in the

, allegedly shot when trying to escape.

June

June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León. * 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida. * 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...

– The

1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It wa ...

starts in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. *

June 2 Events Pre-1600 * 260 – Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao: The figurehead Wei emperor Cao Mao personally leads an attempt to oust his regent, Sima Zhao; the attempted coup is crushed and the emperor killed. * 455 – Sack of Rome: ...

– Japan Air Lines 115 had its tail struck on the runway on the airport it landed in. The same aircraft would be involved in a 2nd accident 7 years later *

June 10 Events Pre-1600 * 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock ( clepsydra) called ''Rokoku''. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu. * 1190 – Third Crusade: Frederic ...

–

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known ...

holds off

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown of Thoro ...

to win the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

and becomes the last horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown of Horse Racing until

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. *

June 15 Events Pre-1600 * 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. * 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. * 923 – Battle of So ...

– King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until Death and state funeral of King Hussein, his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemites, Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hu ...

marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor. *

June 19 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The original Nicene Creed is adopted at the First Council of Nicaea. * 1179 – The Battle of Kalvskinnet takes place outside Nidaros (now Trondheim), Norway. Earl Erling Skakke is killed, and the battle cha ...

** England cricketer

Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one of ...

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 ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

's'' first

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

, originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, goes into nationwide syndication. *

June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. * 1180 – First Battle of Uji, startin ...

– The 6.2 Thessaloniki earthquake shakes

Northern Greece Northern Greece () is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions. Administrative term The term "Northern Greece" is widely used to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Macedonia and (Western) Thra ...

with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). Fifty people were killed. *

June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarios sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily. * 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong o ...

** A shootout between

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

members and the British Army in Northern Ireland leaves one civilian and three IRA men dead. **

1978 Iranian Chinook shootdown The 1978 Iranian Chinook shootdown was an incident on 21 June 1978, when four Boeing CH-47 Chinooks of the Imperial Iranian Air Force strayed into Soviet Union, Soviet airspace during a training mission, with the result being that two of them wer ...

: Iranian helicopters stray into Soviet airspace and are shot down. *

June 22 Events Pre-1600 *217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. *168 BC – Battle of Pydna: Roman Republic, Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Luciu ...

–

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( ; ) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the worlds of the living and ...

, a satellite of

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

, is discovered. *

June 24 Events Pre-1600 * 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. * 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...

– The Gay & Lesbian Solidarity March is held in Sydney, Australia to mark the 9th Anniversary of the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...

(which later becomes the annual

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

; later incorporating a festival). *

June 25 Events Pre-1600 * 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce. * 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of ...

defeats

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

3–1 after

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

to win the

. ** The

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

of the

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

movement flies for the first time (in its original form) at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. *

June 26 Events Pre-1600 *4 AD, 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius. * 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar (title), Caesar. * 363 – Roman emperor Julian (emperor), J ...

– A bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. *

June 30 Events Pre-1600 * 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy. * 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus. * 1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Mil ...

–

begins a massive offensive in

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

July

July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and ...

– Australia's

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

is granted

self-government Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

. *

July 3 Events Pre-1600 * 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. * 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revol ...

– The Amazon Co-operation Treaty (ACT) is signed. *

July 7 Events Pre-1600 * 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. * 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution. * 1520 – Spanish ''conquistad ...

– The

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

become independent from the United Kingdom. *

July 11 Events Pre-1600 * 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius). * 911 – Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair ...

– At least 217 tourists die in an explosion of a tanker-truck at a campsite in

Costa Daurada The Costa Daurada (; ; meaning in English language, English "Golden Coast") is an area on the coast of Catalonia, Spain, between Cunit and Alcanar on the Mediterranean Sea. Its traditional banks are the deltas of the Foix (river), Foix and Ebro ...

, Spain. *

July 24 Events Pre-1600 * 1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. * 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. * 1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of S ...

– In

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, Margaret Gardiner of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

is crowned

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

. *

July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridg ...

–

Louise Brown Louise Joy Brown (born 25 July 1978) is an English woman noted as the first human born following conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Her birth, following a procedure pioneered in Britain, has been lauded among "the most remarkable medic ...

, the world's first test tube baby, is born in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, UK.

August

August 6 Events Pre-1600 *686 – The Ummayad forces suffer a deceisive defeat against the pro-Alid forces under Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar in the battle of Khazir. *1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria (1284), Battle o ...

–

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

dies at

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; ), colloquially known as Castello in the '' Castelli Romani'' dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. Situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills with panoramic views of Lake Albano, Cast ...

. *

August 12 Events Pre-1600 *1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. * 1121 – Bat ...

– The Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China is concluded. *

August 17 Events Pre-1600 * 310 – Pope Eusebius dies, possibly from a hunger strike, shortly after being banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicilia (Roman province), Sicily. * 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. * 986 – Byzanti ...

– ''

Double Eagle II ''Double Eagle II'', piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman (aviator), Larry Newman, became the first balloon to Transatlantic flight, cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed on 17 August 1978 in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours a ...

'' becomes the first balloon to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean, flying from

Presque Isle, Maine Presque Isle ( ) is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,797 at the 2020 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, ...

, to Miserey, France. *

August 22 Events Pre-1600 * 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. * 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. * 1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scot ...

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...

s seize the Nicaraguan National Palace. ** Kenya's first president and founding father,

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He played a significant role in the ...

dies aged 89 in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

. *

August 26 Events Pre-1600 * 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah. * 1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most o ...

–

Pope John Paul I Pope John Paul I (born Albino Luciani; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal h ...

succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope.

September

September 5 Events Pre-1600 * 917 – Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu. * 1367 – Swa Saw Ke becomes king of Ava *1590 – Alexander Farnese's army forces Hen ...

–

Camp David Accords The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retre ...

: Hosted by U.S. President

, Israel's Prime Minister

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...

and Egypt's President

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

met at

Camp David Camp David is a country retreat for the president of the United States. It lies in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont, Maryland, Thurmont and Emmitsburg, Maryland, Emmitsburg, a ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

to discuss a peace agreement between the two nations. *

September 7 Events Pre-1600 * 878 – Louis the Stammerer is crowned as king of West Francia by Pope John VIII. * 1159 – Cardinal Rolando Bandinelli is elected Pope Alexander III, prompting the election of Cardinal Octaviano Monticelli as Anti ...

– In

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, UK, a poison-filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, fatally poisons

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n defector

Georgi Markov Georgi Ivanov Markov ( ; 1 March 1929 – 11 September 1978) was a Bulgarian dissident writer. He originally worked as a novelist, screenwriter and playwright in his native country, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, until his defection in 196 ...

; he dies four days later. *

September 8 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – After the capture of Herod's Palace the previous day, a Roman army under Titus secures and plunders the city of Jerusalem. * 617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path ...

– Iranian Army troops open fire on rioters in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, killing 122, wounding 4,000. *

September 12 Events Pre-1600 * 490 BC – Battle of Marathon: The conventionally accepted date for the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece. * 372 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Sima ...

– 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 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. *1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers. 1601–1900 * 1620 – Pilgrims set sail for ...

** The 7.4 Tabas earthquake killed at least 15,000 people in the city of Tabas in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The quake was measured with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). ** General

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also se ...

officially assumes the post of

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

. *

September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". *1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine E ...

– The

are signed between Israel and Egypt. *

September 19 Events Pre-1600 * 96 – Nerva, suspected of complicity of the death of Domitian, is declared emperor by Senate. The Senate then annuls laws passed by Domitian and orders his statues to be destroyed. * 634 – Siege of Damascus: The ...

** Police in the West Midlands of England launch a massive murder hunt, when 13-year-old newspaper boy

Carl Bridgewater The Bridgewater Four are four men who were tried and found guilty of killing 13-year-old paperboy Carl Bridgewater, who was shot in the head at close range near Stourbridge, England, in 1978. In February 1997, after almost two decades of imprisonm ...

is shot dead after disturbing a burglary. ** The

join the United Nations. *

September 20 Events Pre-1600 *1058 – Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border territory of Burgenland. *1066 – At the Battle of Fulford, Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin. * 1187 – Saladin ...

– General

Rahimuddin Khan Rahimuddin Khan (21 July 1926 – 22 August 2022) was a four-star rank Pakistani general who briefly served as the 16th Governor of Sindh in 1988. Previously, he had served as the fourth Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1984 to 19 ...

assumes the post of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

Governor of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. * September 23 –

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

outfielder

Lyman Bostock Lyman Wesley Bostock Jr. (November 22, 1950 – September 24, 1978) was an American professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball for four seasons, as an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels (1978), with a l ...

is shot to death at age 27 while visiting friends in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

during an Angels' road trip in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. *

September 24 Events Pre-1600 *AD 787, 787 – Second Council of Nicaea: The council assembles at the church of Hagia Sophia. *1568 – Spanish naval forces defeat an English fleet, under the command of John Hawkins, at the Battle of San Juan de Ul� ...

–

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's opera ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...

'' makes its first appearance on '' Live from the Met'', in a complete production of the opera starring

Jon Vickers Jonathan Stewart Vickers, (October 29, 1926 – July 10, 2015), known professionally as Jon Vickers, was a Canadian heldentenor. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a s ...

. This is the first complete television broadcast of the opera in the U.S. since the historic 1948 one. *

September 25 Events Pre-1600 * 275 – For the last time, the Roman Senate chooses an emperor; they elect 75-year-old Marcus Claudius Tacitus. * 762 – Led by Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, the Hasanid branch of the Alids begins the Alid Revolt ...

– PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

; 144 are killed. *

September 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river, beginning the Norman conquest of England. * 1331 – The Battle of Płowce is fought, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teut ...

– The last Forest Brother

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

movement fighter is discovered and killed in

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. *

September 28 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII. * 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...

–

dies after only 33 days as the Roman Catholic Pontiff. *

September 30 Events Pre-1600 * 489 – The Ostrogoths under Theoderic the Great defeat the forces of Odoacer for the second time. * 737 – The Turgesh drive back an Umayyad invasion of Khuttal, follow them south of the Oxus, and capture thei ...

– Finnair Flight 405 aircraft is hijacked by Aarno Lamminparras in

Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. * September – Attempted poisoning of 500 members of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

by South African government infiltrators.

October

October 1 Events Pre-1600 * 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. * 366 – Pope Damasus I is consecrated. * 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England, in succession to E ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

attacks

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. **

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

becomes independent from the United Kingdom. *

October 2 Events Pre-1600 * 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. * 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia an ...

– ''

Mommie Dearest ''Mommie Dearest'' is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of Academy Award winning actress Joan Crawford. Officially released by William Morrow and Company on November 10, 1978 (though thousands of copies ha ...

'', written by

Christina Crawford Christina Crawford (born June 11, 1939) is an American former author and actress, best known for her 1978 memoir and exposé, '' Mommie Dearest'', which described the alleged abuse she was subjected to by her adoptive mother, film star Joan C ...

that discusses her adoptive mother

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

's abusive nature, is published. It is the first celebrity tell-all

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

. *

October 7 Events Pre-1600 * 3761 BC – The epoch reference date (start) of the modern Hebrew calendar. * 1403 – Venetian–Genoese wars: The Genoese fleet under a French admiral is defeated by a Venetian fleet at the Battle of Modon. * 1477 ...

– ''Wranslide'' in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

: the Wran government is re-elected with an increased majority. *

October 8 Events Pre-1600 * 316 – Constantine I Battle of Cibalae, defeats Roman Emperor Licinius, who loses his European territories. * 451 – The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins. * 876 – Frankish forces led by Louis ...

– Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world

water speed record The world unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle, irrespective of propulsion method. The current unlimited record is , achieved by Australian Ken Warby in the ''Spirit of Austra ...

of 317.6 mph (511.13 km/h) at Blowering Dam, Australia. *

October 9 Events Pre-1600 * 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks. * 1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia. * 1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock. * 1446 &ndash ...

– P.W. Botha succeeds

John Vorster Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster (; 13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983), better known as John Vorster, was a South African politician who served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and the fourth state president of So ...

Prime Minister of South Africa The prime minister of South Africa ( was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed. He was appointed ...

. *

October 10 Events Pre-1600 * 19 – The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to ...

Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...

becomes president of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. **

becomes

State President of South Africa The State President of the Republic of South Africa () was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country 1960 South African republic referendum, became a republic on 31 May 1961, outside the ...

.A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961–1994
Archontology.org; accessed April 14, 2017. ** A massive short circuit in

Seasat Seasat was the first Earth-orbiting satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth's oceans and had on board one of the first spaceborne synthetic-aperture radar (SAR). The mission was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of global sate ...

's electrical system ends the satellite's scientific mission. ** United States President

signs a bill that authorizes the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. *

October 13 Events Pre-1600 * 54 – Roman emperor Claudius dies from poisoning under mysterious circumstances. He is succeeded by his adoptive son Nero, rather than by Britannicus, his son with Messalina. * 409 – Vandals and Alans cross the ...

– The

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

launches a major

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

campaign throughout all union republics. *

October 14 Events Pre-1600 *1066 – The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. *1322 – Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's in ...

– U.S. President

signs a bill into law which allows

homebrewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

beer in the United States In the United States, beer is manufactured in breweries which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels () of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly of beer per capita a ...

. *

October 16 Events Pre-1600 * 456 – Ricimer defeats Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire. * 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. * ...

–

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

succeeds

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 Pope Adrian VI (; ; ; ), born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The only Dutch people, Du ...

(1522–1523). *

October 18 Events Pre-1600 * 33 – Heartbroken by the deaths of her sons Nero and Drusus, and banished to the island of Pandateria by Tiberius, Agrippina the Elder dies of self-inflicted starvation. * 320 – Pappus of Alexandria, Greek phil ...

–

Thorbjörn Fälldin Nils Olof Thorbjörn Fälldin (24 April 1926 – 23 July 2016) was a Swedish politician and farmer who served as the prime minister of Sweden from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1979 to 1982, heading three non-consecutive cabinets. He was the ...

steps down as Prime Minister of Sweden, and is succeeded by

Ola Ullsten Stig Kjell Olof "Ola" Ullsten (23 June 1931 – 28 May 2018) was a Swedish politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1978 to 1979 and leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1978 to 1983. He also served as Deputy Prime ...

, the Leader of the liberal People's Party ("''Folkpartiet''"). *

October 20 Events Pre-1600 *1568 – The Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent. * 1572 – Eighty Years' War: Three thousand Spanish soldiers wade through fifteen miles of water in one night to effect the r ...

– The first

is held as a protest march and commemoration of the

. *

October 21 Events Pre-1600 *1096 – A Seljuk Turkish army successfully fights off the People's Crusade at the Battle of Civetot. * 1097 – First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toul ...

– Australian civilian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes in a Cessna 182 Skylane over the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

south of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft. *

October 27 Events Pre-1600 *312 – Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of Constantine, Vision of the Cross. *1275 – Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam. *1524 – French troops Italian campaign of 152 ...

– Egyptian President

and Israeli Prime Minister

win the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord. *

October 31 Events Pre-1600 * 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor. * 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down. * 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Consp ...

– The

South African Railways Transnet Freight Rail is a Rail transport in South Africa, South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed h ...

sets a still unbeaten world rail speed record on

Cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

November

November 2 Events Pre-1600 * 619 – A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is assassinated in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals after the approval of Tang emperor Gaozu. * 1410 – The Peace of Bicêtre suspends hostilities in t ...

: 8:00 pm – The

's second television channel

RTÉ 2 (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

goes on air (renamed Network 2,

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

; RTÉ Network Two,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

; N2,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

; and RTÉ Two in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

). *

November 3 Events Pre-1600 * 361 – Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor. * 1090 – The Rouen Riot, an attempt by English king ...

–

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

gains its independence from the United Kingdom. *

November 5 Events Pre-1600 *1138 – Lý Anh Tông is enthroned as emperor of Vietnam at the age of two, beginning a 37-year reign. * 1499 – The '' Catholicon'', written in 1464 by Jehan Lagadeuc in Tréguier, is published; this is the first B ...

–

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

is elected to the Indian parliament for the first time in 20 months after winning a by-election. *

November 18 Events Pre-1600 * 326 – The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated by Pope Sylvester I. * 401 – The Visigoths, led by king Alaric I, cross the Alps and invade northern Italy. * 1095 – The Council of Clermont begins: ca ...

– In

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass

murder–suicide A murder–suicide is an act where an individual intentionally kills one or more people before killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms: * Suicide after or during murder inflicted on others ** Suicide af ...

in his commune,

Jonestown The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, an American religious movement under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became in ...

, that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at

itself, including over 270 children. Representative Leo J. Ryan is assassinated by members of Peoples Temple shortly beforehand. *

November 24 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Theodosius I makes his '' adventus'', or formal entry, into Constantinople. * 1190 – Conrad of Montferrat becomes King of Jerusalem upon his marriage to Isabella I of Jerusalem. * 1221 – Genghis Khan ...

– China starts an experimental " household responsibility system", in

Anhui Province Anhui is an inland province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiangxi to the south, Hub ...

. *

November 26 Events Pre-1600 * 783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her nephew from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. * 1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dy ...

– Two British commercial divers, Michael Ward and Tony Prangley, die of

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

and drowning in the East Shetland Basin after their

diving bell A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which c ...

plunges to the seabed at a depth of over . *

November 27 Events Pre-1600 * AD 25 – Luoyang is declared capital of the Eastern Han dynasty by Emperor Guangwu of Han. * 176 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius grants his son Commodus the rank of " Imperator" and makes him Supreme Commander of th ...

–

Moscone-Milk assassinations On November 27, 1978, George Moscone, the 37th mayor of San Francisco and Harvey Milk, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, were both shot and killed inside San Francisco City Hall by former supervisor Dan White. On the morning ...

: San Francisco Mayor

George Moscone George Richard Moscone ( ; November 24, 1929 – November 27, 1978) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 37th mayor of San Francisco from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. He was known as "The People's ...

and Supervisor

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...

are assassinated by disgruntled former Supervisor

Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated George Moscone, the 37th mayor of San Francisco, and Harvey Milk, a fellow member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, inside San ...

December

December 4 Events Pre-1600 * 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom. * 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated ...

–

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel Feinstein (; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 38th ...

succeeds the murdered

, to become the first woman mayor of

; she will remain in office until January 8, 1988. *

December 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1060 – Béla I is crowned king of Hungary. * 1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan. *1492 – After exploring the island of Cuba (which he h ...

– The

Spanish Constitution The Spanish Constitution () is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The current version was a ...

officially restores the country's democratic government. *

December 11 Events Pre-1600 * 220 – Emperor Xian of Han is forced to abdicate the throne by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, ending the Han dynasty. * 361 – Julian enters Constantinople as sole Roman Emperor. * 861 – Assassination of the Abba ...

Lufthansa heist The Lufthansa heist was a robbery which took place at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 11, 1978. An estimated US$5.875 million (equivalent to US$28.32 million in 2024) was stolen, with $5 million i ...

: Six men rob a Lufthansa cargo facility in New York City's

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

. ** Two million demonstrate against the Shah in

. *

December 15 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum. * 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes P ...

– '' Superman: The Movie'' is released in cinemas in the United States. *

December 16 Events Pre-1600 * 714 – Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom. * ...

** Train 87 from

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

Xining Xining is the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 l ...

collides with train 368 from

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

Xuzhou Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...

near Yangzhuang railway station in China, killing 106, injuring 218. ** ''

The Mystery of Mamo ''Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo'', also known as ''Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo'', is a 1978 Japanese adult animated science fiction action adventure comedy film. It is the first animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series ''Lupin ...

'' is released in cinemas in Japan. *

December 19 Events Pre-1600 * 1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. * 1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. * 1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. * 1562 &ndas ...

– Former

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

is arrested and jailed for a week for breach of privilege and contempt of parliament. *

December 22 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – Vespasian is proclaimed Emperor of Rome; his predecessor, Vitellius, attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed at the Gemonian stairs. * 401 – Pope Innocent I is elected, the only pope to succeed h ...

** The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for

Chinese economic reform Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist marke ...

. ** Chicago serial killer

John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least thirty-three young men and boys in Norwood Park Township, Cook County, Illinois, Norwood Park Tow ...

, who was subsequently convicted of the murder of 33 young men and boys committed between 1972 and 1978, is arrested. **

begins Operation Soberanía against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, but Argentinian forces quickly withdraw. *

December 25 Events Pre-1600 * 36 – Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. * 274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian. ...

–

launches a major offensive against the

. *

December 27 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. *1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, native Ind ...

– The

Constitution of Spain The Spanish Constitution () is the Constitution, supreme law of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a 1978 Spanish constitutional referendum, constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the ...

is approved in a referendum, officially ending 40 years of military

dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...

Date unknown

* Myriodontium keratinophilum is first isolated in Italy during the screening of soil

microbes A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in ...

. * Synthetic

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

is developed. * Romanian painter Doina Bumbea is abducted by the North Korean government. *

Abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

is legalized in Italy for the first time. * In

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea, construction begins on

Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 2 (), also known as the Circle Line, is a orbital (metro), circular line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line running clockwise is called the "inner circle line" and the counter-clockwise line is called the "outer circle ...

Births

Karina Smirnoff Get Smart premiere arrival

Mad Men at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards - January Jones

Vijay Sethupathi at Dharmadurai Audio launch

January

– Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer *

January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Emp ...

–

Karina Smirnoff Karina Smirnoff (born Karina Smyrnova, January 2, 1978) is a professional ballroom dancer. She is known as a professional dancer on ''Dancing with the Stars,'' where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. M ...

, Ukrainian-American dancer *

January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...

Liya Kebede Liya Kebede (; born 1 March 1978) is an Ethiopian-born model (person), model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' 20 times. Kebede has served as the World Health ...

, Ethiopian model, clothing designer and actress **

Park Sol-mi Park Sol-mi (; born January 3, 1978), birth name Park Hye-jeong, is a South Korean actress. Acting career Park had a minor role in the 1996 series '' Papa'', then made her official debut in MBC's amateur talent contest in 1998.January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading (871), Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great, Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasi ...

– Karine Ruby, French snowboarder (d.

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

) *

** Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver ** January Jones, American actress *

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of the Roman Republic, Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army, prompting the tribunes who support him to flee to where Caesar is waiting in Ravenna ...

–

Emilio Palma Emilio Marcos de Palma Morella (born 7 January 1978) is an Argentine man who was the first person born on the continent of Antarctica. Biography Palma was born in Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base, near the tip of the Antarctic P ...

, Argentine citizen, first human born in Antarctica *

January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. * 1038 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimate ...

Chad Johnson Chad Ochocinco Johnson (born Chad Javon Johnson, January 9, 1978), known from 2008 to 2012 as Chad Ochocinco, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He ...

, American football player **

AJ McLean Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978) is an American singer. He is a founding member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life McLean was born on January 9, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Denise (née Fernandez, now ...

, American singer **

Gennaro Gattuso Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (; born 9 January 1978) is an Italians, Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is currently the Manager (association football), head coach of the Italy na ...

, Italian football player *

– Kanako Mitsuhashi, Japanese voice actress *

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...

–

Emile Heskey Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who currently serves as head of football development of Leicester City Women. Playing as a striker, he made more than 500 appearances in the Foo ...

, English footballer *

January 12 Events Pre-1600 * 475 – List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine Emperor Zeno (emperor), Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire. *1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crow ...

– Hannah Gadsby, Australian comedian *

** Ashmit Patel, Indian actor **

Mohit Sharma Mohit Mahipal Sharma (born 18 September 1988) is formerly an Indian international cricketer. He currently plays for Haryana in domestic cricket and has appeared in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Guja ...

Indian Army Officer *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. * 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 * 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in I ...

–

Shawn Crawford Shawn Crawford (born January 14, 1978) is a retired American sprint athlete. He competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. In the 200 meter sprint, Crawford won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer O ...

, American sprinter *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Roman emperor, Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. *1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to set ...

Eddie Cahill Edmund Patrick Cahill (born January 15, 1978) is an American actor known for portraying "Miracle on Ice" goalie Jim Craig in the 2004 film ''Miracle'', and for playing the roles of Tag Jones in ''Friends'' and Detective Don Flack in '' CSI: NY. ...

, American actor **

Franco Pellizotti Franco Pellizotti (born 15 January 1978) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2018 for the Alessio, , and teams. Pellizotti now works as a directeur sportif for the team. Career Early ...

, Italian cyclist *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1458 BC – Hatshepsut dies at the age of 50 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings. * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the R ...

–

Vijay Sethupathi Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Awards, National F ...

, Indian actor *

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...

** Susanne Schaper, German politician ** Ricky Wilson, British vocalist (

Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who originally formed in 1996 as Runston Parva, before reforming as Parva in 2000, and releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their cur ...

) *

Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian National Road Race Championships, Norwegian national road race champion ( ...

, Norwegian cyclist **

Katja Kipping Katja Kipping (born 18 January 1978) is a German politician of The Left (Germany), The Left party. She was a member of the Bundestag representing Saxony from 2005 to 2021, a federal co-leader of The Left from 2012 to 2021 alongside Bernd Riexinge ...

, German politician *

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. *1156 – Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry (bishop of Finland), Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Köyliönjärvi, Lake Köyli� ...

–

Omar Sy Omar Sy (, ; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with Fred Testot on the '' Service après-vente des émissions'' television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gained wider recognition for his role in the ...

, French actor and comedian *

–

Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal ( ,; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Known for her distinctive high-pitched, childlike voice, she voices Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and voiced Mabel Pines on '' Gravity Falls''. ...

, American actress, comedian, and writer *

–

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

, Ukrainian politician and comedian, President of Ukraine *

January 28 Events Pre-1600 *AD 98, 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accessi ...

Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is ...

, Italian footballer ** Jamie Carragher, English footballer **

Papa Bouba Diop Papa Bouba Diop (28 January 197829 November 2020) was a Senegalese professional footballer. His preferred position was as a defensive midfielder, but he could also play as a centre-back, where he played at Lens. Diop was considered a physicall ...

, Senegalese footballer (d.

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

) **

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...

, Irish professional wrestler ** Vanessa Villela, Mexican actress

February

– Karen Martello, Venezuelan singer and television presenter. *

February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of " Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: ...

** Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwean politician **

Barry Ferguson Barry Ferguson (born 2 February 1978) is a Scottish football coach, former player and pundit who was most recently caretaker manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Ferguson spent most of his playing career at Rangers, in two spells ei ...

, Scottish footballer and coach *

February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1047 – Drogo of Hauteville is elected as count of the Apulian Normans during the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, u ...

Joan Capdevila Joan Capdevila Méndez (; born 3 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Over 15 seasons in La Liga, he amassed totals of 410 matches and 36 goals, mainly for Deportivo and Villarreal. In a 21-yea ...

, Spanish footballer **

Amal Clooney Amal Clooney (; born ) is a British International human rights law, international human rights lawyer. She has represented several high-profile clients, including former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, form ...

, British-Lebanese barrister, activist and author *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...

– Danna García, Colombian actress and model *

** Brian Russell, American football player **

Samuel Sánchez Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González (born 5 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the and squads. He was the gold medal winner in the Cycling at the 2008 ...

, Spanish road bicycle racer *

Danny Buderus Danny Buderus (born 6 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league commentator, coach and former professional footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative ...

, Australian rugby league player ** Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian first lady and former model **

Yael Naim Yael Naim (; born 6 February 1978) is a French-born Israeli singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple Inc., Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at N ...

, Israeli-French singer and songwriter * February 7 ** Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist and former model ** Ashton Kutcher, American actor ** Ivan Leko, Croatian football player and coach ** Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian footballer * February 10 ** Isabella Eklöf, Swedish screenwriter and film director ** Don Omar (stage name for William Omar Landrón Rivera), Puerto Rican American rapper known as the "King of Reggaeton"; in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan * February 12 ** Gethin Jones, Welsh television presenter ** Silver Meikar, Estonian politician *

– 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 *

– Rafał Romanowski, Polish politician * February 16 ** Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete ** John Tartaglia, American actor ** Yekaterina Volkova (runner), Yekaterina Volkova, Russian middle-distance runner *

** 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 *

– Yuji Nakazawa, Japanese footballer *

– 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

** Jensen Ackles, American actor **

, Ethiopian model and fashion designer ** Sakura Nogawa, Japanese voice actress *

** Tomáš Kaberle, Czech hockey player ** Sebastian Janikowski, American football player *

– 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 *

** 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 *

** Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer ** Carl Johan Bergman, Swedish biathlete ** Moon Hee-joon, Korean singer *

– Flavio Furtado, Cape Verdean boxer *

** Matthew Montgomery (actor), Matthew Montgomery, American actor ** Brooke Burns, American fashion model and actress *

** Pilar Rubio, Spanish reporter and TV presenter ** Patrick Seitz, American voice actor *

** Fernandão (footballer, born 1978), Fernandão, Brazilian footballer (d.2014) ** Antonio Margarito, Mexican-American boxer ** Yoshie Takeshita, Japanese volleyball player * March 19 – Lenka, Australian singer and actress * March 21 – Rani Mukerji, Indian actress *

**Josh Heupel, American football player and coach **Vanessa Senior, Venezuelan comedian and actress. * March 23 ** Nicholle Tom, American actress ** Perez Hilton, American actor and blogger * March 24 – Tomáš Ujfaluši, Czech footballer * March 27 – Romesh Ranganathan, English-Pakistani comedian and actor * March 29 – Igor Rakočević, Serbian basketball player

April

– Nick Berg, American businessman (d.

) *

** Matthew Goode, English actor ** Tommy Haas, German tennis player ** 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 * April 6 ** Tim Hasselbeck, American football player ** Myleene Klass, British singer, pianist, and model ** Martín Méndez, Uruguayan musician and songwriter ** Lauren Ridloff, African-American actress *

** Duncan James, English singer ** Adrienne Haan, German-Luxembourgish actress, singer, writer and producer *

** 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 ** Sylvie Meis, Dutch model and television host * April 15 – Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican singer and songwriter * 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 ** Gabriel Heinze, Argentine football player and coach *

** 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 23 – Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon, Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon, Spanish athlete *

– Duncan Kibet, Kenyan long-distance runner * April 26 ** Stana Katic, Canadian-American actress ** Shinnosuke Tachibana, Japanese voice actor * April 29 ** Bob and Mike Bryan, American doubles tennis team ** Tyler Labine, Canadian actor

May

– Daisuke Ono, Japanese voice actor **Ognjen Jovanić, Croatian chess grandmaster * May 6 ** Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist ** Aleksandr Fyodorov (bodybuilder), Aleksandr Fyodorov, Russian bodybuilder *

– Lúcio, Brazilian footballer * May 10 – Kenan Thompson, African-American actor and comedian * May 11 ** Laetitia Casta, French supermodel and actress ** Judy Ann Santos, Filipino actress *

** Hossein Rezazadeh, Iranian weightlifter ** Jason Biggs, American actor ** Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer, writer, and fashion designer ** Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress * May 13 – Barry Zito, American baseball player * May 14 – Elisa Togut, Italian volleyball player *

** Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player ** Caroline Dhavernas, French-Canadian actress ** Krzysztof Ignaczak, Polish volleyball player * May 16 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentine football coach and former football player *

** Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer ** Cindy Parlow Cone, American soccer player *

– Marcus Bent, English footballer *** *

** Katie Price (Jordan), English model and television personality ** Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress *

– Adam Gontier, Canadian singer *

** Jake Johnson, American actor and comedian ** Tomohiko Ito (footballer), Tomohiko Ito, Japanese footballer *

** Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter ** Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player * May 30 – Lyoto Machida, Brazilian mixed martial artist * May 31 – Sara Duterte, 15th Vice President of the Philippines

June

– Antonietta Di Martino, Italian high-jumper *

** Nikki Cox, American actress ** Justin Long, American actor **June 4 – Simone Maludrottu, Italian boxer *June 4 - Scott Cawthon, video game developer, creator of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise *June 5 – Nick Kroll, American actor and comedian * June 6 ** Konstantīns Konstantinovs, Latvian powerlifter (d. 2018) ** Mariana Popova, Bulgarian singer ** Judith Barsi, American child actress (d.

) * June 7 ** Mini Andén, Swedish model ** 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 *

** Han Hee-won, South Korean golfer ** Subhash Khot, Indian-American mathematician and computer scientist ** 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) ** Vishwananda, Hindu guru * June 14 – Nikola Vujčić, Croatian basketball player and general manager (basketball), team manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C., Maccabi Tel Aviv *

– Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer * June 16 – Daniel Brühl, German actor * June 18 – Tara Platt, American actress and author *

** Mía Maestro, Argentine actress ** Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player ** Zoe Saldaña, American actress *

– Frank Lampard, English footballer *

** Thomas Blondeau, Belgian writer (d. 2013) ** Ignacio Corleto, Argentine rugby union player ** Erica Durance, Canadian actress ** Jean-Pascal Lacoste, French singer, actor and television host *

** Diederik Boomsma, Dutch politician ** Tim Driesen, Belgian actor and ** Dan Wheldon, English racing driver (d. 2011) * June 23 ** Gladys Reyes, Filipino actress ** Frédéric Leclercq, French musician *

** Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish musician ** Juan Román Riquelme, Argentine footballer ** Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer *

** Aramis Ramírez, Dominican baseball player ** Aftab Shivdasani, Indian actor *

** 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

** 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 *

** Ian Anthony Dale, American actor ** Jesse Leach, American 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 ** Danil Khalimov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler ** Tia Mowry, Tia and Tamera Mowry, African-American actresses *

** Chris Andersen, American basketball player ** DJ Manian, German music producer and DJ * July 8 – Erin Morgenstern, American artist and author * July 9 ** Mark Medlock, German singer ** Linda Park, Korean-born actress ** Gulnara Samitova-Galkina, Russian middle-distance runner * July 10 ** Ray Kay, Norwegian director and photographer ** Jesse Lacey, American singer-songwriter *

** Kim Kang-woo, South Korean actor ** Mattias Gustafsson, Swedish handball player * July 12 ** Topher Grace, American actor ** Michelle Rodriguez, American actress * July 13 – Gary David, Filipino professional basketball player * July 14 – Roger Clark (actor, born 1978), Roger Clark, American actor * 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 film director and screenwriter * July 18 ** Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player ** Virginia Raggi, Italian lawyer, politician ** Joo Sang-wook, South Korean actor ** Vladimir Tintor (actor), Vladimir Tintor, Serbian film 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 ** Kyōko Hasegawa, Japanese model and actress ** Dennis Rommedahl, Danish footballer * July 23 – Stefanie Sun, Singapore singer *

, 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 ** Mine Tugay, Turkish actress ** Hitomi Yaida, Japanese singer * July 29 – Ayşe Hatun Önal, Turkish singer, actress, model and beauty pageant * July 31 – Nick Sorensen, American football player and sportscaster * July – Caucher Birkar, born Fereydoun Derakhshani, Kurdish-born mathematician

August

* August 3 – Mariusz Jop, Polish football player and coach * August 4 – Kurt Busch, American race car driver * August 5 ** Carolina Duer, Argentine boxer ** Harel Levy, Israeli tennis player *

** Marisa Miller, American supermodel ** Peng Cheng-min, Taiwanese baseball player * August 7 ** Alexandre Aja, French director ** Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer * August 8 ** Natsuko Kuwatani, Japanese voice actress ** Louis Saha, French footballer * August 10 – Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Indonesian politician and former military officer * August 15 ** Jennie Eisenhower, American actress ** Kerri Walsh Jennings, American beach volleyball player *

** 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 *

** Vitaliy Balytskyi, Ukrainian football player and manager (d. 2018) ** James Corden, British comedian and television personality * August 23 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (d.

) * August 25 – Kel Mitchell, American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, singer, and rapper *

– Amanda Schull, American actress * August 27 – Suranne Jones, English actress * August 28 ** Pablo Echenique, Argentine born-Spanish politician ** Kelly Overton (actress), Kelly Overton, 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

* September 1 – Manju Warrier, Indian actress * September 2 – Tatiana Okupnik, Polish singer and composer * September 3 – Tinkara Kovač, Slovenian singer and musician * September 4 ** Wes Bentley, American actor ** Frederik Veuchelen, Belgian cyclist *

– Chris Hipkins, New Zealand Prime Minister * September 6 ** Mathew Horne, English actor ** Homare Sawa, Japanese footballer ** Peter van Huffel, Canadian jazz musician *

– 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 ** Dejan Stanković, Serbian football player and coach *

** Ruben Studdard, American singer ** Ben McKenzie, American actor * September 13 – Megan Henning, American actress * 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 *

– Stephanie Murphy, American politician * September 18 – Billy Eichner, American actor and comedian *

– Mariano Puerta, Argentine tennis player *

** 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 *

– Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer *

** Jodie Kidd, English model ** Rossif Sutherland, Canadian actor *

– Ani Lorak, Ukrainian singer *

**Dane Boedigheimer, American Internet personality **Pastora Soler, Spanish singer * September 29 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer *

– Candice Michelle, American professional wrestler and model **Daniel Grossberg, American politician

October

– Katie Aselton, American actress *

– Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer * October 3 ** Jake Shears, American singer and songwriter ** Claudio Pizarro, Peruvian footballer ** Gerald Asamoah, German 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 *

– Nicky Byrne, Irish musician (Westlife) *

** Caroline Evers-Swindell, New Zealand sailor ** Georgina Evers-Swindell, New Zealand sailor *

** Paul Hunter, English snooker player (d. 2006) ** Usher (musician), Usher, American singer and actor * October 15 – Boško Balaban, Croatian footballer * October 17 ** Isabel Díaz Ayuso, Spanish politician ** Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Spanish politician *

** 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 *

– 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 *

** David Walton (actor), David Walton, American actor ** Vanessa-Mae, Singaporean violinist * October 28 ** Byron Donalds, American politician ** Marta Etura, Spanish actress ** Justin Guarini, American singer * October 29 – Travis Henry, American football player * October 30 – Matthew Morrison, American actor and singer

November

* November 1 ** Jessica Valenti, American blogger and writer ** Mary Kate Schellhardt, American actress * November 4 – Shaun Berrigan, Australian rugby league player *

** 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 ** Mohamed Aboutrika, Egyptian footballer ** 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 * Destra Garcia, female Trinidadian soca singer * 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 16 – Santiago Peña, President of Paraguay * November 17 ** Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress ** Reggie Wayne, American football player *

** Damien Johnson, Northern Irish footballer ** Aldo Montano (fencer born 1978), Aldo Montano, Italian fencer ** Ebru Özkan, Turkish actress * November 19 – Mahé Drysdale, New Zealand rower * November 22 – Karen O, American singer-songwriter and musician * November 23 – Destin Daniel Cretton, American film director *

– Katherine Heigl, American actress * November 25 – Shiina Ringo, Japanese singer and musician *

– Jun Fukuyama, Japanese voice actor *

** Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner, English musician ** Radek Štěpánek, Czech tennis player * November 30 ** Clay Aiken, American singer-songwriter and author ** Gael García Bernal, Mexican actor ** Robert Kirkman, American comic book writer

December

* December 1 ** Stefan Kapičić, Serbian actor ** Jen Psaki, American television political analyst and former government official * December 2 ** Nelly Furtado, Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter ** Alo Kõrve, Estonian actor *

– 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 * December 8 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor ** Zainal Arifin Mochtar, Indonesian lecturer, writer, and constitutional law expert * December 9 – Gastón Gaudio, Argentine tennis player * December 10 – Summer Phoenix, American actress *

– Courtney Henggeler, American former actress * December 12 – Monica Bîrlădeanu, Romanian actress * December 14 – Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player *

– Veronica Schneider, Venezuelan actress and model * 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 *

– Patrick Casey (writer), Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor * December 20 ** Geremi, Cameroon footballer ** Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan-American social activist (d. 2019) * December 21 – Shaun Morgan, South African musician and singer-songwriter *

** 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 *

** Paula Seling, Romanian singer and radio DJ ** Jeremy Strong (actor), Jeremy Strong, American actor ** Miyuki Takahashi (volleyball), Miyuki Takahashi, Japanese volleyball player * December 26 – Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player * December 28 ** Feng Kun, Chinese volleyball player ** 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

Deaths

January

– Cyril King, Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1921) *

– Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899) *

–

, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911) *

** Harold Abrahams, British athlete (b. 1899) ** Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American logician, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1906) *

– 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 27 – Oscar Homolka, Austrian actor (b. 1898) * January 29 – Tim McCoy, American actor (b. 1891) * January 30 – Marie-Louise Damien, French actress (b. 1889)

February

– Warren King (cartoonist), Warren King, American cartoonist (b. 1916) * February 10 – Redento Maria Gauci, Maltese Carmelite bishop (b. 1920) *

– James B. Conant, American chemist (b. 1893) *

– Ilka Chase, American actress (b. 1905) * February 17 – Artemiy Artsikhovsky, Soviet archaeologist and historian (b. 1902) * February 18 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928) *

– Pankaj Mullick, Indian composer and singer (b. 1905) * February 20 – Vitorino Nemesio, Portuguese poet and author (b. 1901) * February 24 – Alma Thomas, African-American painter (b. 1891) * February 28 – Philip Ahn, Korean-born American actor (b. 1905)

March

– Paul Scott (novelist), Paul Scott, English writer (b. 1920) *

–

, French entertainer (b. 1939) * March 13 – John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935) *

** Eddie Aikau, American lifeguard and surfer (b. 1946) ** Giacomo Violardo, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1898) *

– Peggy Wood, American actress (b. 1892) * March 19 – Gaston Julia, French mathematician (b. 1893) * March 21 – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, Irish barrister, judge and 5th President of Ireland (b. 1911) *

– Isidro Ayora, 22nd President of Ecuador (b. 1879) * March 24 – André Lallemand, French astronomer (b. 1904) * March 31 ** Astrid Allwyn, American actress (b. 1905) ** Charles Best (medical scientist), Charles Best, Canadian medical scientist (b. 1899)

April

* April 8 – Lon L. Fuller, American legal philosopher (b. 1902) *

– 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

(b. 1897) ** Philibert Tsiranana, Malagasy leader and politician, 1st President of Madagascar (b. 1912) * April 21 – Sandy Denny, British singer-songwriter (b. 1947) *

– Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902) *

– 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) *

– Duncan Grant, Scottish painter (b. 1885) *

–

, Italian Christian Democratic politician and statesman, 38th Prime Minister of Italy (assassinated) (b. 1916) * May 13 – Alby Roberts, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1909) *

– Robert Menzies, Sir Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894) * May 16 – William Steinberg, German-American conductor (b. 1899) *

– Armin T. Wegner, German human rights activist (b. 1886) *

– Selwyn Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd, English politician (b. 1904) *

** Ernest Cadine, French weightlifter, Olympic champion (1920 Summer Olympics, 1920) (b. 1893) ** P. S. Subrahmanya Sastri, Indian Sanskrit scholar (b. 1890) *

** Joseph Colombo, American gangster (b. 1923) ** Aubrey Fitch, American admiral (b. 1883) *

**Tamara Karsavina, Soviet ballerina (b. 1885) ** Jorge Icaza Coronel, Ecuadorean novelist (b. 1906) * May 31 ** József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925) ** José Gonzalvo, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1920)

June

– Santiago Bernabéu (footballer), Santiago Bernabéu, Spanish footballer, player and president of Real Madrid C.F. (b. 1895) * 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 9 – Prince Nicholas of Romania (b. 1903) * June 12 – Guo Moruo, Chinese archaeologist, historian, poet, politician, and writer (b. 1892) * June 17 – Robert B. Williams (actor), Robert B. Williams, American actor (b. 1904) *

– Mark Robson (film director), Mark Robson, Canadian film director (b. 1913) *

– Luther Youngdahl, Luther W. Youngdahl, American politician, Governor of Minnesota from 1947 to 1951, and a United States district judge from 1951 to 1978 (b. 1896) *

– Tom Gorman (rugby league), Tom Gorman, Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1901) *

– 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

– Kurt Student, Luftwaffe general and commander of the German airborne forces during World War II. (b. 1890) *

– James Daly (actor), James Daly, American actor (b. 1918) * July 6 – Pietro Montana, Italian-born American sculptor, painter and teacher (b. 1890) *

– 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) ** Joe Davis, English snooker and billiards player (b. 1901) * 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 21 – Susana Calandrelli, Argentine writer (b. 1901) * 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

* August 2 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican composer (b. 1899) *

(b. 1897) ** Edward Durell Stone, American architect (b. 1902) * August 9 – James Gould Cozzens, American writer (b. 1903) * August 19 – Emilio Núñez Portuondo, Cuban diplomat and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Cuba (b. 1898) *

, Kenyan activist, politician and statesman, 1st Prime Minister of Kenya and 1st President of Kenya (b. c.1897) ** Ignazio Silone, Italian writer and politician (b. 1900) * August 24 – Louis Prima, Italian-born American singer and actor (b. 1910) * August 25 – George E. Jonas, American philanthropist (b. 1897) *

** 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) ** Bruce Catton, American Civil War historian, Pulitzer Prize winner (b. 1899) ** Robert Shaw (actor), Robert Shaw, British actor (b. 1927) * August 30 – Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer, Dutch war hero, resistance fighter and humanitarian (b. 1896)

September

* September 3 – Karin Molander, Swedish actress (b. 1889) * September 4 – Leonora Cohen, British suffragette and trade unionist (b. 1873) * September 6 – Adolf Dassler, German founder of Adidas (b. 1900) *

– Keith Moon, English rock drummer (The Who) (b. 1946) *

– 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 ** Valerian Gracias, Indian Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal (b. 1900) **

, Bulgarian playwright and writer (b. 1929) ** Ronnie Peterson, Swedish Formula One driver (b. 1944) ** Curtis Shake, American jurist (b. 1887) *

– 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) *

, American baseball player (b. 1950) ** Hasso von Manteuffel, German army general (b. 1897) * September 26 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886) *

** Sergei Aslamazyan, Soviet composer (b. 1897) ** Dumitru Dămăceanu, Romanian general and politician (b. 1896) *

–

(b. 1912) *

– Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (b. 1903)

October

– Alfredo Obviar, Filipino Roman Catholic bishop and Servant of God (b. 1889) * October 4 – Roy L. Dennis, American teenager who had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (b. 1961) *

– **Karl Swenson, American actor (b. 1908) **Jim Gilliam, American baseball player (b. 1928) *

– Jacques Brel, Belgian singer (b. 1929) *

** Ralph Metcalfe, American Olympic athlete (b. 1910) ** Hermes Lima, 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) *

– Dan Dailey, American actor (b. 1915) * October 17 – Giovanni Gronchi, 3rd president of Italy (b. 1887) * October 19 – Gig Young, American actor (b. 1913) *

– Anastas Mikoyan, Russian revolutionary and Soviet statesman (b. 1895) * October 28 – Geoffrey Unsworth, British cinematographer (b. 1914)

November

* 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) *

** Leo Ryan, American politician (b. 1925) **

, American cult leader (b. 1931) * November 20 – Giorgio de Chirico, Italian painter (b. 1888) *

– Warren Weaver, American scientist and mathematician (b. 1894) *

–

, American politician and then-mayor of

(b. 1929) *

–

, American politician and activist (b. 1930)

December

* December 3 – William Grant Still, American composer (b. 1895) *

- Goodie Reeve, British born Australian radio host and musician (b. 1897) * 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) *

– 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) *

– Chill Wills, American actor (b. 1902) *

– Blanche Calloway, American jazz singer (b. 1902) * December 17 ** Don Ellis, American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader (b. 1934) ** Josef Frings, German cardinal, Archbishop of Cologne (b. 1887) *

** Houari Boumédiènne, 2nd President of Algeria (b. 1932) ** Chris Bell (American musician), Chris Bell, American musician (b. 1951) * December 31 – Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, East Timorese politician, acting President of East Timor (b. 1946)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Pyotr 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 –

and

* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Herbert A. Simon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1978 1978,