UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
16 August 1978 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 16 August 1978 was a Wednesday.
- Kent Music Report No. 1
- The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M..
- Top Film of 1978
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 1978
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1978 was the Holden Kingswood.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 16 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 16 August 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 16 August 1978 was Waxing Gibbous.
On this day: 16 August
- 1964 Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
- 1966 Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
- 1972 In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
- 1975 Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
- 1989 A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
Famous people born on 16 August
- Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (born 1958)
- Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player (born 1996)
- Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (born 2001)
- James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1954)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1978 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1978 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 1 January – Another Vietnamese refugee boat arrives at night, from a camp off the Malaysian coast.
- 3 January – Bela Csidei, a prominent Sydney businessman, is alleged in the Darwin Magistrates' Court to have been involved in growing marijuana in the Northern Territory.
- 14 March – Stephen Matthews, aged 20, swept from the Natural Bridge off Albany, by a King Wave. Rescued by whale ship, the Cheynes II. First recorded survival of someone swept into the sea at The Gap and Natural Bridge.
Life in Australia in 1978
Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.12
Loaf of Bread
$0.50
Average House
$36,000
Weekly Wage
$185.00
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1970s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Heath Ledger4 April 1979ActorView their day →Patrick Brammall30 March 1976ActorView their day →Rose Byrne24 July 1979ActressView their day →Isla Fisher3 February 1976Actress & authorView their day →Sam Worthington2 August 1976ActorView their day →Toni Collette1 November 1972Actress & musicianView their day →Joel Edgerton23 June 1974ActorView their day →Natalie Imbruglia4 February 1975Singer & actressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About The Day You Were Born
Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.
About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →