At A Glance

20 December 1978 at a glance

Day of the week
20 December 1978 was a Wednesday.
Irish Chart Song in 1978
The Irish chart song for 1978 was “Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl in the Ring” by Boney M.
Top Film of 1978
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 December 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 December 1978 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 20 December

  • 1960 Vietnam War: The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, popularly known as the Viet Cong, is formally established in Tân Lập village, present day Tây Ninh province.
  • 1977 With the approval of the State Council, China's two largest newspapers, the People's Daily and the Guangming Daily, publish in full for the first time the Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme.
  • 1985 Pope John Paul II announces the creation of World Youth Day.
  • 1988 War on drugs: The United Nations agrees upon and promulgates the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, one of three major drug control treaties currently in force.
  • 1989 The United States invasion of Panama deposes Manuel Noriega.

Famous people born on 20 December

  • Kylian Mbappé, French footballer (born 1998)
  • Jonah Hill, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1983)
  • JoJo, American singer and actress (born 1990)
  • Prince George, Duke of Kent, Duke of Kent (1902–1942)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1978 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1978 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 18 January – The European Court of Human Rights found Britain guilty of inhuman and degrading treatment of republican internees in Northern Ireland.
  • 19 January – The Fianna Fáil government dismissed the Garda Commissioner Edmund Garvey. No explanation was given.
  • 31 March – Six thousand people marched through Dublin to Wood Quay to protest against the building of civic offices above an ancient Viking settlement.

Life in Ireland in 1978

Taoiseach

Jack Lynch

Petrol (per litre)

£0.68/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.21

Average House

£17,000

Weekly Wage

£37

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 →