At A Glance

23 March 1978 at a glance

Day of the week
23 March 1978 was a Thursday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush.
Top Film of 1978
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
Star sign
The star sign for 23 March is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 March 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for March is Aquamarine.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 March 1978 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 23 March

  • 1977 The first of The Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) is videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former United States President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal and the Nixon tapes.
  • 1978 The first UNIFIL troops arrive in Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line.
  • 1982 Guatemala's government, headed by Fernando Romeo Lucas García, is overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efraín Ríos Montt.
  • 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles.
  • 1988 Angolan and Cuban forces defeat South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.

Famous people born on 23 March

  • G. D. Naidu, Indian engineer and businessman (1893–1974)
  • Keri Russell, American actress (born 1976)
  • Michelle Monaghan, American actress (born 1976)
  • Perez Hilton, American blogger (born 1978)

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 →