1978

Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.

The Budd Company unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.

New Zealand National Airways Corporation (the domestic airline of New Zealand) is merged with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand.

Saur Revolution – Afghanistan's president Mohammad Daoud Khan and his family are murdered; Nur Muhammad Taraki succeeds him, beginning the Afghan conflict.

Sarajevo is selected to host the 1984 Winter Olympics, and Los Angeles is selected to host the 1984 Summer Olympics.

King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor.

The Solomon Islands become independent from the United Kingdom.

The 7.4 Mw Tabas earthquake killed at least 15,000 people in the city of Tabas in Iran. The quake was measured with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).

Vietnam attacks Cambodia.

The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held as a protest march and commemoration of the Stonewall riots.

Iranian Revolution: Two million demonstrate against the Shah in Iran.