At A Glance

19 October 1978 at a glance

Day of the week
19 October 1978 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Summer Nights” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
Top Film of 1978
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
Star sign
The star sign for 19 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 19 October 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 19 October 1978 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 19 October

  • 1973 President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes.
  • 1974 Niue becomes a self-governing colony of New Zealand.
  • 1987 The United States Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
  • 1987 Black Monday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points.
  • 1988 The British government imposes a broadcasting ban on television and radio interviews with members of Sinn Féin and eleven Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups.

Famous people born on 19 October

  • Rebecca Ferguson, Swedish actress (born 1983)
  • Lil Durk, American rapper (born 1992)
  • Jon Favreau, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1966)
  • John Lithgow, American actor (born 1945)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

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

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

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 →