At A Glance

29 December 1978 at a glance

Day of the week
29 December 1978 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Le Freak” by Chic.
Top Film of 1978
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1978 was Grease.
Bestselling Novel of 1978
“Chesapeake” by James A. Michener was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1978.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Laverne & Shirley” (ABC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1978–79 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 29 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 29 December 1978 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 29 December 1978 was New Moon.

On this day: 29 December

  • 1989 Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1989 The Nikkei 225 for the Tokyo Stock Exchange hits its all-time intra-day high of 38,957.44 and closing high at 38,915.87, serving as the apex of the Japanese asset price bubble.
  • 1992 Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil, tries to resign amidst corruption charges, but is then impeached.
  • 1996 Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war.
  • 2006 The UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.

Famous people born on December 29

  • Alison Brie, American actress (born 1982)
  • Myles Garrett, American football player (born 1995)
  • Jon Voight, American actor and producer (born 1938)
  • The Wachowskis, American director, screenwriter and producer (born 1967)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1978 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1978 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 6 – The first Home Depot opens in Marietta, Georgia.
  • April 2 – The CBS soap opera Dallas is launched. It is set to be aired later this year in several countries, including the United Kingdom by the BBC.
  • April 3 – The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Bob Hope for the final time, is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Woody Allen's Annie Hall wins Best Picture, with Allen winning Best Director.

Life in the US in 1978

President

Jimmy Carter

Gas (per gallon)

$0.63

Loaf of Bread

$0.39

Average House

$55,700

Weekly Wage

$234

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.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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