From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar).
[edit] Events of 1978
[edit] January
[edit] February
- February 1 – A bomb explodes outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing 2 garbagemen, a policeman and several others.
- February 1 – Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
- February 6 – King Dragon operation in Arakan: Burmese General Ne Win targets Muslim minorities in the village of Sakkipara.
- February 8 – United States Senate proceedings are broadcast on radio for the first time.
- February 11 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in Cranbrook, British Columbia, killing 44 of the 50 people onboard.
- February 11 – Sixteen Unification Church couples wed in New York, New York.
- February 11 – Somalia mobilizes its troops, due to an apparent Ethiopian attack.
- February 11 – The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
- February 15 – Rhodesia's prime minister Ian Smith and 3 black leaders agree on the transfer to black majority rule.
- February 15 – Serial killer Ted Bundy is captured in Pensacola, Florida.
- February 16 – The Hillside Strangler, a serial killer prowling Los Angeles, claims a 10th and final victim.
- February 16 – The first computer bulletin board system (CBBS) is created in Chicago.
- February 21 – Electrical workers in Mexico City find the remains of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in the middle of the city.
- April 1 – Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods tows a fake iceberg to Sydney Harbour.
- April 1 – The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, is converted to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
- April 3 – The 50th Academy Awards are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California with Annie Hall winning Best Picture.
- April 7 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb – a weapon which kills people with radiation but leaves buildings relatively intact.
- April 8 – Regular radio broadcasts of British Parliament proceedings start.
- April 9 – Somali military officers stage an unsuccessful coup against the government of Siad Barre; security forces thwart the attempt within hours, and several conspirators are arrested.
- 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, in New Stanton, Pennsylvania with a unionized (UAW) workforce (the plant closes in 1992.)
- April 14 – 1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against an attempt by Soviet authorities to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
- April 16 – In Cologne, 15,000 former members of the resistance movement demonstrate against Nazism.
- April 18 – The U.S. Senate votes 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
- April 22 – Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta win the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 for Israel with their song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi".
- April 22 – The One Love Peace Concert is held at National Heroes Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley unites 2 opposing political leaders at this concert, bringing peace to the civil war-ridden streets of the city.
- April 25 – St. Paul, Minnesota becomes the 2nd U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance after Anita Bryant's successful 1977 anti-gay campaign in Dade County, Florida.
- April 27 – Afghanistan President Daoud Khan is killed during a military coup; Nur Mohammed Taraki succeeds him.
- April 30 – The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Mohammed Taraki.
- May 4 – Battle of Cassinga occurs in southern Angola.
- May 4 – Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
- May 5 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 3,000th major league hit.
- May 8 – Norway opens a natural gas field in the Polar Sea.
- May 9 – In Rome, the body of Aldo Moro, the Italian president of the Christian Democrats, is found in a parked car.
- May 12–13 – A group of mercenaries lead by Bob Denard oust Ali Soilih in the Comoros; 10 local soldiers are killed. Denard forms a new government.
- May 12 – In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining centre of the province of Shaba. The Zairean government asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.
- May 15 – Students of the University of Tehran riot in Tabriz; the army stops the riot.
- May 17 – Charles Chaplin's coffin is found 10 miles from the cemetery it was stolen from, near Lake Geneva.
- May 18 – Soviet dissident Yuri Orlov is sentenced to 7 years hard labor for distributing 'counterrevolutionary material'.
- May 18–19 – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels.
- May 20 – Mavis Hutchinson, 53, becomes the first woman to run across the U.S.; her trek took 69 days.
- May 22 – Exiled leaders Ahmed Abdallah and Mohammed Ahmed return to the Comoros.
- May 25 – A bomb explodes in the security section of Northwestern University, wounding a security guard (the first Unabomber attack).
- May 26 – In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.
- May 28 – Indianapolis 500: Al Unser wins his third race, and the first for car owner Jim Hall.
- May 29 – Ali Soilih is found dead in the Comoros, allegedly shot when trying to escape.
[edit] August
[edit] September
- September 5 – Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin the peace process at Camp David, Maryland.
- September 7 – In London, England, a poison-filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, poisons Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov, probably on orders of Bulgarian intelligence; he dies 4 days later.
- September 8 – Iranian Army troops open fire on rioters in Teheran, killing 122, wounding 4,000.
- September 16 – General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq officially assumes the post of President of Pakistan.
- September 17 – The Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt.
- September 19 – Police in the West Midlands of England launch a massive murder hunt, when 13-year-old newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing a burglary.
- September 20 – General Rahimuddin Khan assumes the post of Martial Law Governor of Balochistan.
- September 25 – PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in San Diego, California; 144 are killed.
- September 25 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello makes its first appearance on Live from the Met, in a complete production of the opera starring Jon Vickers. This is the first complete television broadcast of the opera in the U.S. since the historic 1948 one.
- September 27 – The last Forest Brother guerilla movement fighter is discovered and killed in Estonia.
- September 28 – Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of papacy.
[edit] October
[edit] November
[edit] December
- December 3 – The Southern Crescent passenger train derails at Shipman, Virginia, killing 6, injuring 60.
- December 4 – Dianne Feinstein succeeds the murdered George Moscone as San Francisco, California's first woman mayor (she serves until January 8, 1988).
- December 6 – The Spanish Constitution officially restores the country's democratic government.
- December 11 – Lufthansa heist: Six men rob a Lufthansa cargo facility in New York City's Kennedy airport.
- December 11 – Two million demonstrate against the Shah in Iran.
- December 13 – The first Susan B. Anthony dollar enters circulation.
- December 15 – Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to go into default since the Great Depression, under Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
- December 16 – Train 87 from Nanjing to Xining collides with train 368 from Xi'an to Xuzhou near Yangzhuang railway station in China, killing 106, injuring 218.
- December 19 – Former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi is arrested and jailed for a week for breach of privilege and contempt of parliament.
- December 22 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
- December 25 – Vietnam launches a major offensive against the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia.
- December 27 – The Spanish Constitution is approved in a referendum, officially ending 40 years of military dictatorship.
[edit] Undated
[edit] Ongoing
[edit] Births
[edit] January–February
- January 1 – Alex Leigh, British model
- January 1 – Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
- January 2 – Toyoguchi Megumi, Japanese seiyuu (voice actress)
- January 3 – Kimberley Locke, American singer and model
- January 3 – Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
- January 5 – Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver
- January 5 – Karnail Pitts, American rapper (d. 1999)
- January 7 – Emilio Palma, Argentine citizen, first human born in Antarctica
- January 9 – Chad Ocho Cinco, American football player
- January 9 – AJ McLean, American pop musician (Backstreet Boys)
- January 12 – Kris Roe, American rock guitarist and singer (The Ataris)
- January 12 – Jeremy Camp, American Christian guitarist and singer
- January 14 – Eddie Berlin, American football player
- January 14 – Shawn Crawford, American runner
- January 15 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian professional road racing cyclist
- January 20 – Sid Wilson, American rock turntablist (Slipknot, DJ Starscream)
- January 26 – Kelly Stables, American actress
- January 28 – Gianluigi Buffon, Italian goalkeeper (football)
- January 28 – Jamie Carragher, English soccer player
- February 2 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer
- February 5 – Brian Russell, American football player
- February 7 – Christopher Ashton Kutcher, American actor (That '70s Show)
- February 12 – Gethin Jones, British (Welsh) television presenter
- February 12 – Silver Meikar, Estonian politician
- February 13 – Niklas Bäckström, Finnish hockey player (Minnesota Wild)
- February 14 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- February 14 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player
- February 15 – Tuan Le, American poker player
- February 16 – John Tartaglia, American Broadway actor and Muppeteer
- February 16 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian atlete
- February 17 – Jacob Wetterling, American child kidnapping victim (missing since 1989)
- February 19 – Kenyatta Wright, American football linebacker
- February 20 – Julia Jentsch, German actress
- February 23 – Dan Snyder, Canadian hockey player (d. 2003)
- February 24 – John Nolan, American rock lead singer (Straylight Run)
- February 24 – Leon Constantine, British Leeds United footballer
- February 27 – Kakha Kaladze, Georgian and AC Milan footballer
- February 28 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian Olympic skier
- February 28 – Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter
[edit] March–April
- March 1 – Jensen Ackles, American actor
- March 2 – Tomas Kaberle, Czech hockey player
- March 4 – Denis Dallan, Italian rugby union footballer
- March 6 – Sage Rosenfels, American football player
- March 10 – Benjamin Burnley, American musician
- March 11 – Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast footballer
- March 12 – Masuimi Max, American fetish model
- March 12 – Claudio Sanchez, American singer/songwriter (Coheed & Cambria)
- March 13 – Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian dancer
- March 14 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
- March 14 – Carl Johan Bergman, Swedish biathlete
- March 14 – Moon Hee Jun, Korean singer
- March 14 – Carlo Giuliani, Italian anarchist (d. 2001)
- March 21 – Kevin Federline, American musician
- March 21 – Rani Mukherji, Indian actress
- March 22 – Josh Heupel, American football player
- March 31 – Stephen Clemence, English footballer
- March 31 – Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
- March 31 – Tony Yayo, American rapper
- April 1 – Vitor Belfort, Brazilian martial artist
- April 3 – John Smit, South African rugby player
- April 4 – Jason Ellison, American baseball player
- April 5 – Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
- April 6 – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player
- April 7 – Duncan James, English musician
- April 9 – Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer
- April 9 – Veronica Taylor, American actress
- April 9 – Rachel Stevens, English singer
- April 11 – Thomas Thacker, Canadian singer
- April 12 – Guy Berryman, Scottish rock bass player (Coldplay)
- April 13 – Kyle Howard, American television and movie actor
- April 16 – Lara Dutta, Indian actress
- April 17 – Jason White, Scottish rugby player
- April 17 – Juan Guillermo Castillo, Uruguayan goalkeeper
- April 19 – James Franco, American actor
- April 20 – Mirei Kuroda, Japanese gravure idol
- April 20 – Matt Austin, Canadian actor
- April 21 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish rock drummer (Nightwish)
- April 22 – Jason Stollsteimer, American lead singer and guitarist (The Von Bondies)
- April 23 – Princess Tamara Czartoryski-Borbon, Spanish athlete
[edit] May–June
- May 3 – Paul Banks, American rock vocalist (Interpol (band))
- May 6 – Alexander Fedorov, Russian bodybuilder
- May 7 – Brian Clevinger, American author
- May 8 – Josie Maran, American supermodel and actress
- May 9 – Marwan al-Shehhi, United Arab Emirates hijacker (d. 2001)
- May 10 – Kenan Thompson, American actor (Saturday Night Live)
- May 10 – Marcelo Moretto, Brazilian footballer
- May 11 – Laetitia Casta, French supermodel and actress
- May 12 – Hossein Reza Zadeh, Iranian weightlifter
- May 12 – Jason Biggs, American actor
- May 12 – Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer, writer, and fashion designer
- May 13 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player
- May 13 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
- May 15 – Caroline Dhavernas, French-Canadian actress
- May 15 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian footballer
- May 15 – David Krumholtz, American actor
- May 15 – Krissy Taylor, American model (d. 1995)
- May 18 – Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
- May 21 – Briana Banks, German-American porn star
- May 21 – Adam Gontier, Canadian-born rock musician (Three Days Grace)
- May 22 – Jordan, English model
- May 23 – Carolyn Moos, American model and professional basketball player
- May 23 – Scott Raynor, American rock musician (Blink-182)
- May 25 – Brian Urlacher, American football player
- May 29 – Lorenzo Odone, American adrenoleukodystrophy patient (d. 2008)
- June 6 – Carl Barât, English rock singer and guitarist (The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things)
- June 6 – Judith Barsi, American child actress (d. 1988)
- June 7 – Adrienne Frantz, American actress
- June 8 – Maria Menounos, American actress, journalist, and television presenter
- June 9 – Matthew Bellamy, British rock musician (Muse)
- June 9 – Miroslav Klose, German football player
- June 10 – Shane West, American actor
- June 10 – Han Hee-Won, South Korean golfer
- June 11 – Joshua Jackson, Canadian actor
- June 13 – Jason Michael Carroll, American country musician
- June 19 – Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
- June 19 – Mía Maestro, Argentine actress
- June 20 – Frank Lampard English football player
- June 20 – Mark Powell, Australian politician
- June 21 – Erica Durance, Canadian actress
- June 21 – Jean-Pascal Lacoste, French singer, actor and TV host
- June 22 – Champ Bailey, American football player
- June 22 – Dan Wheldon, English race car driver
- June 24 – Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish rock musician (Nightwish)
- June 24 – Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentine football player
- June 25 – Aftab Shivdasani, Indian Bollywood actor
- June 25 – Marcus Stroud, American football player
- June 25 – Layla El, British wrestler, WWE Diva Search Winner
- June 25 – Aramis Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
- June 27 – Anna Kumble, English pop singer and TV presenter
- June 29 – Nicole Scherzinger, American pop lead singer (Pussycat Dolls)
- June 30 – Ben Cousins, Australian rules footballer
[edit] July–August
- July 1 – Hillary Tuck, American actress
- July 3 – Mizuki Noguchi, Japanese long-distance runner
- July 4 – Tony Reali, American sports personality
- July 4 – Becki Newton, American actress
- July 6 – Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- July 6 – Tia and Tamera Mowry, American actresses
- July 8 – Rachel Lillis, American actress
- July 9 – Linda Park, Korean-born actress
- July 9 – Mark Medlock, German pop singer ('Deutschland sucht den Superstars Season 4)
- July 12 – Bradley Eustace, Australian composer
- July 12 – Topher Grace, American actor
- July 18 – Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player
- July 18 – Ben Sheets, American baseball player
- July 20 – Elliott Yamin, American singer
- July 21 – Josh Hartnett, American acto
- July 21 – Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer
- July 23 – Stuart Elliott, Northern Irish footballer
- July 23 – Stefanie Sun, Singapore singer
- July 25 – Louise Brown, British citizen, first human born through in vitro fertilization
- July 25 – Gerard Warren, American football player
- July 26 – Jehad Muntasser, Libyan footballer
- August 1 – Dhani Harrison, English musician and son of George Harrison of The Beatles
- August 1 – Jonathan Wilkes, British TV presenter
- August 3 – Mariusz Jop, Polish footballer
- August 4 – Kurt Busch, American race-car driver
- August 6 – Marisa Miller, American supermodel
- August 7 – Alexandre Aja, French director
- August 7 – Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer
- August 7 – Linsey Dawn McKenzie, English model and porn star
- August 7 – Cirroc Lofton, American actor
- August 7 – Jamey Jasta, American rock singer (Hatebreed)
- August 8 – Countess Vaughn, American actress
- August 15 – Tim Foreman, American rock bassist (Switchfoot)
- August 17 – Vibeke Stene, Norwegian rock singer (Tristania)
- August 18 – James Corden, English actor and comedian
- August 21 – Reuben Droughns, American football player
- August 21 – Alan Lee, Irish footballer
- August 23 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player
- August 23 – Julian Casablancas, American rock musician (The Strokes)
- August 24 – Rafael Furcal, Dominican baseball player
- August 25 – Kel Mitchell, American actor
- August 28 – Albina Digaeva, Chechen-American human rights activist
- August 29 – Danielle Hampton, Canadian actress
- August 30 – Swizz Beatz, American record producer and rapper
[edit] September–October
- September 4 – Wes Bentley, American actor
- September 6 – Cisco Adler, American musician
- September 6 – Mathew Horne, English actor
- September 7 – Devon Sawa, Canadian actor
- September 11 – Ed Reed, American football player
- September 11 – Ben Lee, Australian singer
- September 12 – Ruben Studdard, American singer
- September 14 – Ben Cohen, English rugby union footballer
- September 15 – Eiður Guðjohnsen, Icelandic football player
- September 17 – Jennifer Rosales, Filipino golfer
- September 20 – Jason Bay, Canadian baseball player
- September 20 – Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer
- September 20 – Sarit Hadad, Israeli pop music singer
- September 22 – Harry Kewell, Australian footballer
- September 23 – Worm Miller, American screenwriter, director, actor
- September 24 – Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer
- September 25 – Jodie Kidd, English model
- September 29 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer
- September 30 – Candice Michelle, American professional wrestler and model
- October 2 – Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer
- October 3 – Jake Shears, American singer
- October 3 – Shannyn Sossamon, American actress
- October 4 – Kei Horie, Japanese actor
- October 5 – Shane Ryan, Irish Gaelic footballer
- October 5 – Morgan Webb, television personality, gameshow host
- October 9 – Nicky Byrne, Irish musician (Westlife)
- October 10 – Francis Escudero, Filipino congressman, senator (Chiz)
- October 13 – Jermaine O'Neal, American basketball player
- October 14 – Usher Raymond, American musician
- October 14 – Paul Hunter, English snooker player (d. 2006)
- October 18 – Wesley Jonathan, American actor
- October 20 – Kira, German singer
- October 20 – Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer
- October 21 – Joey Harrington, American football player
- October 24 – Carlos Edwards, Trinidadian footballer
- October 25 – Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer
- October 26 – Antonio Pierce, American football player
- October 26 – Phil "CM Punk" Brooks, American professional wrestler
- October 26 – Jimmy Aggrey, English footballer
- October 27 – Vanessa-Mae, Singaporean musician
- October 28 – Justin Guarini, American singer
- October 29 – Travis Henry, American football player
[edit] November–December
- November 1 – Manju Warriar, Indian actress
- November 6 – Paul O'Grady, Australian footballer (Central Coast Mariners)
- November 6 – Taryn Manning, American actress
- November 6 – Sandrine Blancke, Belgian actress
- November 7 – Zaheer Khan, Indian cricketer
- November 8 – Ali Karimi, Iranian football player
- November 9 – Sisqó, American actor and singer (Dru Hill)
- November 10 – Eve, American rapper
- November 10 – Kyla Cole, Czech adult model
- November 11 – Jyothika, Indian actress
- November 12 – Kelly Overton, American actress.
- November 13 – Nikolai Fraiture, American rock bassist (The Strokes)
- November 13 – Hsu Wei Lun, Taiwanese actress (d. 2007)
- November 14 – Bobby Allen, American ice hockey player
- November 14 – Xavier Nady, American baseball player
- November 17 – Reggie Wayne, American football player
- November 18 – Damien Johnson, Northern Irish footballer
- November 19 – Matt Dusk, Canadian jazz musician & singer
- November 21 – Annie, Norwegian singer
- November 22 – Karen O, American pop singer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
- November 24 – Katherine Heigl, American actress
- November 25 – Shina Ringo, Japanese singer and musician
- November 27 – Mike Skinner, English musician
- November 29 – Ludwika Paleta, Polish-Mexican actress
- November 30 – Emil Steiner, American author
- November 30 – Clay Aiken, American singer (American Idol)
- November 30 – Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican actor
- December 2 – Nelly Furtado, Canadian-born singer and songwriter
- December 2 – Chris Wolstenholme, English base player (Muse)
- December 5 – Olli Jokinen, Finnish ice hockey player
- December 7 – Shiri Appleby, American actress
- December 8 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor
- December 8 – Vernon Wells, American baseball player
- December 9 – Jesse Metcalfe, American actor
- December 10 – Brandon Novak, American freestyle skateboarder and TV/radio personality
- December 12 – Evren Genis, Turkish composer
- December 12 – Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
- December 15 – Jerome McDougle, American football player
- December 16 – Joe Absolom, British actor
- December 17 – Chase Utley, American baseball player
- December 18 – Daniel Cleary, Canadian ice hockey player
- December 18 – Katie Holmes, American actress
- December 19 – Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor
- December 20 – Geremi, Cameroon footballer
- December 20 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan-born drunk driving accident survivor and promoter of non-drunk driving
- December 22 – Edo Maajka, Bosnian rapper
- December 23 – Andra Davis, American football player
- December 23 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- December 23 – Estella Warren, Canadian swimmer, model, and actress
- December 24 – Yıldıray Baştürk, Turkish footballer
- December 24 – Carlson Twins, American models
- December 26 – Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
- December 29 – Alexis Amore, Peruvian actress, dancer, and model
- December 29 – LaToya London, American singer
- December 30 – Heath Evans, National Football League fullback
[edit] Unknown dates
[edit] Deaths
[edit] January–March
- January 5 – Wyatt Emory Cooper, American screenwriter and author (b. 1927)
- January 13 – Hubert Humphrey, U.S. Vice President and Senator (b. 1911)
- January 13 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (b. 1887)
- January 14 – Harold Abrahams, English athlete (b. 1899)
- January 14 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian-born mathematician (b. 1906)
- January 18 – Walter H. Thompson, English Scotland Yard detective (b. 1890)
- January 22 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (b. 1894)
- January 23 – Terry Kath, American rock musician (Chicago) (b. 1946)
- January 23 – Jack Oakie, American actor (The Great Dictator) (b. 1903)
- February 11 – James B. Conant, American chemist and headmaster of Harvard University (b. 1893)
- February 11 – Harry Martinson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- February 27 – Vadim Salmanov, Russian composer (b. 1912)
- February 28 – Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
- March 18 – Leigh Brackett, American author (b. 1915)
- March 19 – Gaston Julia, French mathematician (b. 1893)
- March 21 – Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (Carroll Daly), 5th President of Ireland (b. 1911)
- March 31 – Charles Best, American-born medical scientist (b. 1899)
[edit] April–June
- April 8 – Lon L. Fuller, American legal philosopher (b. 1902)
- April 14 – F.R. Leavis, British literary critic (b. 1895)
- April 21 – Sandy Denny, English singer (b. 1947)
- April 25 – Leo Najo, American baseball player (b. 1899)
- May 1 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (b. 1903)
- May 9 – Aldo Moro, former Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1916)
- May 14 – Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
- May 22 – Joe Colombo, American gangster (b. 1914)
- June 7 – Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, British chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- June 18 – Walter C. Alvarez, American physician (b. 1884)
- June 24 – Robert Charroux, French writer (b. 1909)
- June 25 – Barry Brown, American actor and writer (b. 1951)
[edit] July–September
- July 8 – Osman Lins, Brazilian novelist (b. 1924)
- July 10 – Joe Davis, English snooker and billiards player (b. 1901)
- July 25 – Masao Koga, Japanese composer (b. 1904)
- July 30 – Umberto Nobile, Italian aviator (b. 1885)
- August 2 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican composer (b. 1899)
- August 6 – Pope Paul VI (heart attack) (b. 1897)
- August 7 – Eddie Calvert, American musician (heart failure) (b. 1922)
- August 11 – Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet (b. 1892)
- August 14 – Nicolas Bentley, British writer and illustrator (b. 1907)
- August 21 – Charles Eames, American architect and designer (b. 1907)
- August 22 – Jomo Kenyatta, Kenyan statesman
- August 26 – Charles Boyer, French actor (b. 1899)
- August 28 – Robert Shaw, English actor (Jaws) (b. 1927)
- September 7 – Keith Moon, English drummer (The Who) (drug overdose) (b. 1946)
- September 9 – Jack Warner, Canadian film studio founder (b. 1892)
- September 10 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish race car driver (racing accident) (b. 1944)
- September 11 – Mike Gazella, American baseball player (b. 1895)
- September 11 – Georgi Markov, Bulgarian dissident (assassinated) (b. 1929)
- September 11 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish Formula One driver (b. 1944)
- September 15 – Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft engineer (b. 1898)
- September 23 – Lyman Bostock, American baseball player (b. 1950)
- September 25 – Bret Morrison, American voice actor (b. 1912)
- September 26 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
- September 28 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
[edit] October–December
- October 6 – Johnny O'Keefe, Australian singer (b. 1935)
- October 9 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer (b. 1929)
- October 10 – Ralph Metcalfe, American athlete (b. 1910)
- October 12 – Nancy Spungen, American groupie and girlfriend of Sid Vicious (b. 1958)
- October 20 – Gunnar Nilsson, Swedish race car driver (cancer) (b. 1948)
- October 23 – Maybelle Carter, American singer (b. 1909)
- November 6 – Harry Bertoia, Italian artist and designer (b. 1915)
- November 8 – Norman Rockwell, American artist and illustrator (b. 1894)
- November 15 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (b. 1901)
- December 8 – Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
- December 10 – Ed Wood, American filmmaker (b. 1924)
- December 11 – Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
- December 27 – Houari Boumédiènne, President of Algeria (b. 1932)
[edit] Unknown dates
[edit] Ship events
[edit] Fields Medalists
[edit] Nobel Prizes
[edit] Templeton Prize
[edit] External links