UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 1978 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 1978 was a Sunday.
- Kent Music Report No. 1
- The Kent Music Report No. 1 was “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People.
- 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 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 1978 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 31 December
- 1968 The first flight of the Tupolev Tu-144, the first civilian supersonic transport in the world.
- 1981 A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
- 1983 The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
- 1983 Benjamin Ward is appointed New York City Police Department's first ever African American police commissioner.
- 1983 In Nigeria, a coup d'état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.
Famous people born on 31 December
- Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
- Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
- Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
- Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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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
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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)
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