Due to the oil crisis, Japanese car imports account for half of the US import market.
The first ever Cellular Mobile Phone is introduced in Illinois.
Space Invaders appears in arcades launching a craze for computer video games.
Sweden is the first country in the world to recognize the effect of aerosol sprays on the Ozone Layer and bans the sale.
The serial killer David Berkowitz, “Son of Sam,” is convicted of murder after terrorizing New York for 12 months.
1978 is also a great year for movies with Grease summer opening on June 16th , Saturday Night Fever and Close Encounters of the Third Kind all showing in movie theaters around the world.
Space Invaders launches craze for computer Video games
Gold reaches $200.00 per ounce
Roman Polanski flees to France
First test tube baby is born
Cult leader Jim Jones tells 900 members of his church, “People’s Temple”, to commit suicide in Guyana
Susan B. Anthony Dollar is minted
Population:
- Wake County: 286,556
- NC: 5,759,000
- USA: 222,600,000
National Debt:
- $771,544,000,000 (1978)
- $18,152,809,942,589 (2015)
Value of a Dollar: $1 in 1978 is $3.78 in 2015
Cost Of Living 1978:
- Yearly inflation rate: 7.62%
- Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average: 805
- Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve: 11.75%
- Average cost of new house: $54,800
- Average income per year: $17,000
- Average monthly rent: $260
- Cost of a gallon of gas: $0.63
- 1 lb. of bacon: $1.20
- Dozen eggs: $0.48
- 8 Track Player: $169
- Ladies Corduroy Overalls: $22
- Star Wars Family Pajamas: $6.49 – $11.99
- Cheeseburger at McDonald’s: $0.32
- Ticket to Disneyland: Admission and 12 Adventure Book tickets: $8.25-$9.50
Ounce of Gold Price:
- The cost of an ounce of gold was $193.22
- The inflation-adjusted price of an ounce of gold was $710.37
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.34
Inflation-adjusted price of a movie ticket: $8.60
The cost of a movie ticket in 2015: $7.92
Top 5 Movies:
- Grease
- Superman
- National Lampoon’s Animal House
- Every Which Way But Loose
- Heaven Can Wait
- Best Picture: Annie Hall
- Best Director: Woody Allen – Annie Hall
- Best Actor: Richard Dreyfuss – The Goodbye Girl
- Best Actress: Diane Keaton – Annie Hall
- Best Supporting Actor: Jason Roberts – Julia
- Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave – Julia
- Laverne & Shirley – ABC – 22,722,500
- Three’s Company – ABC – 22,573,500
- Mork & Mindy – ABC – 21,307,000
- Happy Days – ABC – 21,307,000
- Angie – ABC – 19,891,500
- 60 Minutes – CBS – 18,997,500
- M*A*S*H – CBS – 18,923,000
- The Ropers – ABC – 18,774,000
- All in the Family – CBS – 18,550,500
- Taxi – ABC – 18,550,500
- Andy Gibb – Shadow Dancing
- Bee Gees – Night Fever
- Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life
- Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
- Exile – Kiss You All Over
- Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love
- Player – Baby Come Back
- Andy Gibb – (Love Is) Thicker Than Water
- A Taste Of Honey – Boogie Oogie Oogie
- Commodores – Three Times A Lady
- Frankie Valli – Grease
- Paul Davis – I Go Crazy
- John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – You’re The One That I Want
- Samantha Sang – Emotion
- Eric Clapton – Lay Down Sally
- Rolling Stones – Miss You
- Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are
- Wings – With A Little Luc
- Yvonne Elliman – If I Can’t Have You
- Chic – Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)
- Take This Job And Shove It – Johnny Paycheck
- What A Difference You’ve Made In My Life – Ronnie Milsap
- Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed – Loretta Lynn
- I Just wish You Were Someone I Love – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
- Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You – Margo Smith
- Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys – Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
- Ready For The Times To Get Better – Crystal Gayle
- Someone Loves You Honey – Charley Pride
- Every Time Two Fools Collide – Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
- It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right – Dolly Parton
- She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed – Johnny Duncan
- Do You Know You Are My Sunshine – The Staler Brothers
- Georgia On My Mind – Willie Nelson
- Two More Bottles Of Wine – Emmylou Harris
- I’ll Be True To You – The Oak Ridge Boys
- It Only Hurts For A Little While – Margo Smith
- I Believe In You – Mel Tillis
- Only One Love In My Life – Ronnie Milsap
- Love Or Something Like It – Kenny Rogers
- You Don’t Love Me Anymore – Eddie Rabbit
ACC Football Champ: Clemson
ACC Basketball Champs: Duke (Duke 85 – Wake Forest 77 )
World Series Winner: New York Yankees over the LA Dodgers
Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Ken Norton (WBC)
Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys 27 – Denver Broncos 10)
NASCAR Season Winner: Cale Yarborough
Masters Winner: Gary Player (11 under – won $45,000)
Wimbledon Winners:
- Men’s Singles: Sweden Björn Borg defeated United States Jimmy Connors, 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
- Women’s Singles: United States Martina Navratilova defeated United States Chris Evert, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5
- Men’s Doubles: South Africa Bob Hewitt / South Africa Frew McMillan defeated United States John McEnroe / United States Peter Fleming, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
- Women’s Doubles: Australia Kerry Melville Reid / Australia Wendy Turnbull defeated Mima Jausovec / Virginia Ruzici, 4–6, 9–8(12–10), 6–3
- Mixed Doubles: South Africa Frew McMillan / Netherlands Betty Stöve defeated Australia Ray Ruffels / United States Billie Jean King, 6–1, 14–12