UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
16 August 1978 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 16 August 1978 was a Wednesday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Three Times a Lady” by Commodores.
- Top Film of 1978
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
- 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)
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Events of 1978 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1978 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 11 January – A North Sea storm surge ruins four piers in the UK: Herne Bay, Margate, Hunstanton and Skegness.
- 9 February – Gordon McQueen, 25-year-old Scotland central defender, becomes Britain's first £500,000 footballer in a transfer from Leeds United to Manchester United.
- 8 March – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first broadcast by BBC Radio 4.
Life in 1978
Prime Minister
James Callaghan
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
34p
Loaf of Bread
24p
Average House
£15,590
Weekly Wage
£88.00
Or
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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Matthew Rhys8 November 1974ActorView their day →Hannah Waddingham28 July 1974ActressView their day →Andy Burnham7 January 1970PoliticianView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Lucy Davis17 February 1973ActressView their day →Tom Hardy15 September 1977ActorView their day →Christian Bale30 January 1974ActorView their day →Kelly Macdonald23 February 1976ActressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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