April 1978 - Panama Canal, Neutron Bomb, WAC

I Caught Night Fever in April 1978!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in April 1978 was 'Night Fever' by the Bee Gees.

April 2 – The CBS soap opera Dallas is launched.

April 3 – The 50th Academy Awards are held with Annie Hall winning Best Picture.  Best actor is Richard Dreyfuss for Goodbye Girl, best actress is Diane Keaton for Annie Hall, best supporting actor is Jason Robards for Julia, best supporting actress is Vanessa Redgrave for Julia.  Richard Dreyfuss became the youngest man to win an Oscar for best actor.  This was Bob Hope's 19th, and final, time hosting the event.

April 3 - Pass the Buck game show debuts on NBC.  Hosted by Bill Cullen, four contestants competed to give a list of items that fit into a specific category announced at the beginning of each round (e.g., first names with exactly five letters, things that make people laugh). 

April 5 - Pretty Baby movie premieres.

April 7 – Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb – a weapon which kills people with radiation but leaves buildings relatively intact.

April 8 - The Ted Knight Show debuts on CBS.

April 9 - Rabbit Test movie premieres.

April 10 – Volkswagen becomes the second (after Rolls-Royce) non-American automobile manufacturer to open a plant in the United States, commencing production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, at the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania.

April 16–19 - Holocaust, starring James Woods and Meryl Streep, first airs on NBC.

April 18 – The senate votes 68–32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.

April 20 - Dawn of the Dead movie premieres.

April 21 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, civil rights activist, biologist and educator; first African American to receive a doctorate from Cornell, dies. (born 1877)

April 22 - The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

April 24 - Card Sharks game show debuts on NBC.

April 26 - F.I.S.T. movie premieres.

April 25 - Vega$ tv series debuts on ABC.

April 28 - FM movie premieres.  Some AM radio stations played an edited version of the movie's title song in which an overdubbed "A" was substituted for the "F" of FM.

April 28 – WAC abolished; women integrated into regular Army.

1978 Dodge Magnum XE:

Star Wars comic for April:

Superman pinball game (released 1978):

Playboy playmate of the month, Pamela Jean Bryant, and Playgirl man for April, Brian Dawson:

Albums released in April (album / artist):
For You / Prince
Heavy Horses / Jethro Tull
Almighty Fire / Aretha Franklin
Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture / Various Artists
Come Get It! / Rick James
Bad Boy / Ringo Starr
Showdown / The Isley Brothers

Nielsen top 10 for the week ending April 16th: 1 Three's Company; 2 Laverne and Shirley; 3 M-A-S-H; 4 Holocaust Part I; 5 Happy Days; 6 One Day at a Time; 7 Charlie’s Angels; 8 Baby I'm Back; 9 Amazing Spider Man; 10 60 Minutes.

Cool YouTube video of some commercials from April 1978:  
1978 Commercials

Teen Beat for April:

Us magazine for April 18th:

Vogue magazine for April:

Peanuts comic strip from April 1978:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in April 1978, check out this really good site: ultimate70s.com

July 1978 - Test Tube Baby, Animal House

Missing You in July 1978!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in July 1978 was 'Miss You' by the Rolling Stones.

July 3 - Tic Tac Dough game show premieres on CBS.

July 5 - Hot Lead and Cold Feet movie premieres.  Although promotional material for this Western prominently featured Don Knotts, he was only fourth-billed and in a supporting role.

July 8 - 1978 Wimbledon Championships end.  Martina Navratilova won her first grand slam singles title at this event.  She defeated Chris Evert in the final, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5.

July 10 - The ABC Evening News gets a revamp and becomes ABC World News Tonight, employing a unique three-anchor setup (Frank Reynolds serving as lead anchor from Washington, Max Robinson presenting national news from Chicago, and Peter Jennings with international news from London).

July 14 - Foul Play, Hooper and The Swarm movies premiere.

July 18 – Claude P. Dettloff, photographer, dies. (born 1899)

July 19 - Revenge of the Pink Panther and International Velvet movies premiere.

July 20 – Alan Hirschfield is fired as president and CEO of Columbia Pictures. He is replaced by Francis T. Vincent.

July 21 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie premieres.

July 25 - The world's first test tube baby, Louise Brown, is born in the United Kingdom.

July 28 - Animal House movie premieres.

Superman's Action Comics for July:

1978 Mercury Cougar:

Incredible Hulk Pencil By Numbers set (released 1978):

Playboy playmate of the month, Karen Morton, and Playgirl man for July, Michael Montelbano:

Albums released in July (album / artist):
Under Wraps / Shaun Cassidy
Nightwatch / Kenny Loggins
Cheryl Lynn / Cheryl Lynn
Heartbreaker / Dolly Parton
Touchdown / Bob James
Can't Stand the Rezillos / The Rezillos
More Songs About Buildings and Food / Talking Heads

Nielsen top shows for the week ending July 16th:  1 Quincy NBC; 2 All‐Star Game ABC; 3 Alice CBS; 4 All in the Family CBS; 5 Happy Days ABC; 6 Switch CBS; 7 All‐Star Preview ABC; 8 Lou Grant CBS; 9 One Day at a Time CBS; 10 Charlie's Angels ABC; 11 The Love Boat ABC; 12 Death of Richie NBC; 13 (tie) Three's Company ABC and Barnaby Jones CBS; 15 Girl in Empty Grave NBC.

 People magazine for July 31st:

Rona Barrett's Hollywood for July:

Preview magazine for July:

'The Holcroft Covenant' by Robert Ludlam moves to the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.  Ludlum says the novel was inspired by a "what if" question. "What if Nazi children at the end of World War Two were being saved [secretly groomed] so that in the next generation they could revive the Third Reich?"

Peanuts comic strip from July 1978:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in July 1978, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

March 1979 - Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, Three Mile Island

I Survived March 1979!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in March 1979 was 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor.

March 1 — The new Penal Code of Cuba enters into force, decriminalizing homosexual acts.

March 1 – Dolores Costello, actress, dies. (b. 1903)

March 2 - Norma Rae movie premieres.

March 4 – The U.S. Voyager I space probe photos reveal Jupiter's rings.

March 4 - Just Friends tv series debuts on CBS.

March 6 - On NBC, Another World becomes the only soap opera to air regularly scheduled 90-minute telecasts (it would go back to 60-minute episodes in 1980).

March 11 – Victor Kilian, actor, dies. (b. 1891)

March 13 - The Ropers tv series debuts on ABC.

March 14 - Hair, Tourist Trap and Voices movies premiere.

March 15 - Harris and Company tv series debuts on NBC.

March 16 - California Dreaming and The China Syndrome movies premiere.

March 17 - The Story of Heidi movie premieres.

March 19 - C-SPAN is launched.  The first televised session of the House of Representatives is broadcast, beginning with a speech by Tennessee representative Al Gore. 

March 24 - The Bad News Bears tv series debuts on CBS.

March 25 – The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for its first launch.

March 26 – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty.

March 26 – Jean Stafford, writer, dies. (b. 1915)

March 28 – Emmett Kelly, clown, dies. (born 1898)

March 28 - Dear Detective tv series debuts on ABC.

March 28 - Phantasm movie premieres.

March 29 – America's most serious nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.

1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans-am:

 Sears catalog for spring/summer 1979:

Spiderman Magic Catch game (released 1979):

Superman comic for March:

Fun YouTube video of commercials from March 30th:

March 30, 1979 Commercials

Playboy playmate of the month, Denise McConnell, and Playgirl man for March, Bill Davidson:

Albums released in March 1979 (album / artist):
Sheik Yerbouti / Frank Zappa
Angel Station / Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Even Serpents Shine / The Only Ones
Thriller / Eddie and the Hot Rods
Fate for Breakfast / Art Garfunkel
Live at the Witch Trials / The Fall
Desolation Angels / Bad Company
L.A. / The Beach Boys
Van Halen II / Van Halen
Overkill / Motörhead
Go West / Village People
Breakfast in America / Supertramp

Top Nielsen shows for the week ending March 18th: 1 Three's Company; 2 The Ropers; 3 Laverne and Shirley; 4 Happy Days; 5 Mork and Mindy; 6 Eight is Enough; 7 Jericho Mile; 8 M-A-S-H; 9 60 Minutes; 10 One Day at a Time.

Starlog magazine for March:

Tiger Beat magazine for March:

Time magazine for March 12, 1979:

'Overload' by Alex Hailey was at the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list.

Garfield comic strip from March 1979:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in March 1979, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com

December 1978 - Superman

Please, No Flowers...It's December 1978!

A number one hit on the Cash Box Top 100 list in December 1978 was 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond.

December 3 – The Southern Crescent passenger train derails at Shipman, Virginia, killing 6, injuring 60.

December 4 – Dianne Feinstein succeeds the murdered George Moscone, becoming San Francisco's first woman mayor.

December 8 - The Brink's Job, The Deer Hunter and Force 10 from Navarone movies premiere.

December 9 - The Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) plays its first game between the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does.  The league, the first for professional women's basketball, played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. 

December 10 – Ed Wood, American filmmaker, actor, writer, producer and director, dies. (born 1924)

December 15 – Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to go into default since the Great Depression, under Mayor Dennis Kucinich.

December 15 - Oliver's Story and Superman movies premiere.

December 20 - Every Which Way but Loose movie premieres.

December 22 – Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy is arrested.

December 22 - California Suite, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Moment by Moment movies premiere.

December 28 – Harry Winston, diamond dealer, dies. (born 1896)

December 31 - Ice Castles movie premieres.  For the Regional Championships competition scenes, real U.S. Figure Skating Association judges and music coordinators played themselves.

1978 Ford F-250:

Ghost Rider comic for December:

Luke Skywalker doll (released 1978):

New product introduced in 1978, Whatchamacallit candy bar.

Sears 1978 Christmas catalog:

Playboy playmate of the month, Janet Quist, and Playgirl man for December, Vaya Warren:

Better Homes and Gardens magazine for December:

Dynamite magazine for December:

Starlog magazine for December:

Albums released in December 1978 (album / artist):
Minute by Minute / The Doobie Brothers
Directstep / Herbie Hancock
Back to Earth / Cat Stevens
Here, My Dear / Marvin Gaye
Destiny / The Jacksons

Nielsen top ten shows for the week ending December 24: 1 Laverne and Shirley; 2 Happy Days; 3 M-A-S-H; 4 One Day At a Time; 5 Mork and Mindy; 6 (tie) Charlie Brown's Christmas and Night Before Christmas; 8 What's Happening!; 9 Barney Miller; 10 Fantasy Island.

Garfield comic strip from December 1978:

For detailed news/info on what happened each day in December 1978, check out this really good site:  ultimate70s.com