April 1978

1978

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Monument to the construction workers killed in the Willow Island disaster on April 27, 1978

April 20: Korean Air Lines Flight 902 strayed into Soviet airspace, leading to the Soviet Air Force intercepting and shooting it down

The following events occurred in April 1978:

April 1, 1978 (Saturday)

• New Zealand National Airways Corporation (the domestic airline of New Zealand) merged with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand.
• Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods towed a fake iceberg to Sydney Harbour.
• The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, was converted to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
• Freddy Maertens of Belgium won the 1978 E3 Prijs Vlaanderen cycle race.
• Lucius won the 1978 Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. Rag Trade, the 1976 Grand National winner, pulled up at Fence 21 and was later euthanized.
• At Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia, a hijacker commandeered a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 737-200 bound for Norfolk, Virginia, with 66 people on board, and forced the plane to fly to New York City, where he was arrested.
• Hans Tanzler, the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, and pilot Bill Aldridge were only slightly injured in the crash of a small plane in Madison, Florida.
• In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, five children between the ages of 4 months and 9 years died in a house fire after their mother left them alone to go grocery shopping. Firefighters delayed entering the house because they thought it was empty.
• Born:
  • Maxime Agueh, French-Beninese footballer; in Lille, France
  • Jason Bell, National Football League cornerback and TV pundit; in Long Beach, California
  • Rune Berger (formerly known as Rune Johansen), Norwegian footballer and coach; in Tromsø, Norway
  • Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian professional ice hockey forward; in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Rolandas Džiaukštas, Lithuanian footballer; in Vilnius, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Nawaf bin Faisal Al Saud, president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee; in Ar-Riyad, Saudi Arabia
  • Mirka Federer (born Miroslava Vavrincová), Swiss professional tennis player, wife of Roger Federer; in Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
  • JJ Feild, British-American actor; in Denver, Colorado
  • Tom Harald Hagen, Norwegian football referee
  • Freddy Juarez, American soccer player and coach; in Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • Andrei Karyaka, Russian footballer and coach; in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Anamaria Marinca, Romanian actress; in Iași, Romania
  • Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer; in Monterrey, Mexico (d. 2009)
  • Marco Rossi, Italian footballer; in Seravezza, Italy
  • Sébastien Roth, Swiss footballer; in Boncourt, Switzerland
  • Akram Roumani, Moroccan professional and Olympic footballer; in Fez, Morocco
  • Nico Sijmens, Belgian road racing cyclist; in Diest, Belgium
  • Etan Thomas, National Basketball Association player; in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City

April 2, 1978 (Sunday)

• The 1978 Milan Indoor men's championship concluded at the Palasport di San Siro in Milan, Italy. Björn Borg won the singles title.
• Jos Schipper of the Netherlands won the 1978 Dwars door België cycle race.
• At the final of the 1978 Men's Hockey World Cup field hockey tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by a score of 3–2.
• A 2:50 am collision between a car and a van carrying a South Texas band home from an engagement killed seven people and left one in critical condition. The accident happened about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Pettus, Texas.
• In Brownson, Nebraska, 30 of the 85 cars on a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed. A tank car full of liquid phosphorus then exploded, injuring three people. Over 500 people were evacuated.
• Argentine driver Carlos Reutemann of the Scuderia Ferrari team won the 1978 United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach, California.
• Police Officers Christie D. Masone and Norman R. Cerullo of the New York City Police Department were shot and killed after stopping two suspicious men in Brooklyn.
• 1978 Air Canada Silver Broom, the men's World Curling Championships, concluded at the Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The United States won the championship.
• Dallas debuted on CBS, and gave birth to the modern-day primetime soap opera.
• Born:
  • Karim Belhocine, French footballer and manager; in Vénissieux, France
  • Nick Berg, American businessman; in West Chester, Pennsylvania (murdered 2004)
  • John Hoyne, Irish Kilkenny hurler; in Ballycallan, County Kilkenny, Ireland
  • Scott Lynch, American fantasy author; in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Jaime Ray Newman, American actress; in Farmington Hills, Michigan
  • Deon Richmond, American actor; in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City
  • Silvia Salemi, Italian singer-songwriter and television personality; in Palazzolo Acreide, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
  • Alberto Schiavon, Italian Olympic snowboarder; in Rovereto, Trentino, Italy
  • Griselda Siciliani, Argentine actress, singer and dancer; in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Chiel Warners, Dutch Olympic decathlete; in Harderwijk, Gelderland, Netherlands
• Died:
  • Aurelio Baldor, 71, Cuban mathematician, educator and lawyer
  • Willi Kaidel, 65, German Olympic rower
  • Franco Pinna, 52, Italian neorealist photographer

April 3, 1978 (Monday)

• Regular radio broadcasts of British Parliamentary proceedings began.
• The 50th Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, with Annie Hall winning Best Picture.
• Born:
  • Tim Cornelisse, Dutch footballer; in Alkmaar, Netherlands
  • Golo (born Óscar Santor Martínez), Spanish footballer; in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain
  • Matthew Goode, English actor; in Exeter, Devon, England
  • Michael Gravgaard, Danish footballer; in Spentrup, Denmark
  • Tommy Haas, German professional and Olympic tennis player; in Hamburg, West Germany
  • Jillionaire (born Christopher Leacock), Trinidadian DJ and music producer
  • Luca Moncada, Italian rower
  • John Smit, South African rugby union player; in Pietersburg, Transvaal, South Africa
  • Raja Toumi, Tunisian handball player and coach; in Tunis, Tunisia
  • Jaquay Walls, National Basketball Association player; in Brooklyn, New York City
• Died:
  • Karl Asplund, 87 or 88, Swedish poet, short story writer and art historian
  • Kevin McAlinden, 64, Northern Irish Olympic footballer
  • Ray Noble, 74, English bandleader and composer
  • Winston Sharples, 69, American film composer

April 4, 1978 (Tuesday)

• Cyclone Alby killed 5 people and caused wildfires that destroyed two towns in Western Australia.
• Born:
  • Jason Ellison, Major League Baseball outfielder; in Quincy, California
  • Lemar (born Lemar Obika), English singer, songwriter and record producer; in Tottenham, North London, England
  • Alan Mahon, Irish footballer; in Dublin, Ireland
  • Sam Moran, Australian singer (The Wiggles); in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • Sven Neuhaus, German footballer; in Essen, West Germany
  • Marcel Nkueni, Congolese footballer; in Kinshasa, Zaire
  • Irene Skliva, Greek model, Miss World 1996; in Athens, Greece
  • René Wolff, German Olympic and world champion track cyclist; in Erfurt, Thuringia, East Germany
  • Jurica Žuža, Croatian basketball player and coach; in Zadar, Socialist Republic of Croatia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
• Died: Morien Morgan CB FRS, 65, Welsh aeronautical engineer

April 5, 1978 (Wednesday)

• In Algiers, Algeria, mercenaries stabbed Canarian Independentist Antonio Cubillo in the hallway of his house, resulting in him becoming reliant on a wheelchair, in an assassination attempt linked to the Spanish government.
• U.S. President Jimmy Carter gave an interview to Black Perspective, answering questions on his trip to Africa, national urban policy, support from African-Americans, his views on the presidency, reverse discrimination, the Humphrey-Hawkins bill, administration programs, foreign relations of the United States, and human rights.
• Born:
  • Franziska van Almsick, German Olympic swimmer; in East Berlin, East Germany
  • Jérôme Arpinon, French football manager; in Nîmes, France
  • Dwain Chambers, British Olympic track sprinter; in London, England
  • Casper Elgaard, Danish racing driver
  • Yumie Funayama (born Yumie Hayashi), Japanese Olympic curler; in Tokoro, Hokkaido, Japan
  • Alfredo Galán, Spanish serial killer; in Puertollano, Province of Ciudad Real, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain
  • Robert Glasper, American pianist, record producer and songwriter; in Houston, Texas
  • Bernd Heidicker, German Olympic rower; in Recklinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
  • Boussad Houche, Algerian-French footballer; in Revin, France
  • Stephen Jackson, American basketball player; in Houston, Texas
  • Marcone Amaral Costa, Qatari footballer; in Poções, Brazil
  • Stephen Murphy, Irish footballer; in Dublin, Ireland
  • Olek (artist) (born Agata Oleksiak), Polish artist; in Ruda Śląska, Poland
  • Jairo Patiño, Colombian footballer; in Cali, Colombia
  • Pedrão (born Christiano Florêncio da Silva), Brazilian footballer; in Jaboticabal, Brazil
  • Helgi Petersen, Faroese footballer; in Runavík, Faroe Islands
  • Tarek El-Said, Egyptian footballer; in Tanta, Egypt
  • Steinar Tenden, Norwegian footballer; in Stryn, Norway
  • Arnaud Tournant, French Olympic champion track cyclist; in Roubaix, France
  • Günther Weidlinger, Austrian Olympic long-distance runner; in Braunau am Inn, Austria
• Died: Carlo Tagliabue, 80, Italian baritone

April 6, 1978 (Thursday)

• 28-year-old schoolteacher Leslie Barker was murdered in Akron, Ohio, between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. after participating in a computerized dating activity at a bar the previous night. Barker's remains were found in the back seat of her car, which had been set on fire. As of 2021 the case would remain unsolved.
• U.S. President Carter named Colonel Margaret A. Brewer to become the first female general officer in the United States Marine Corps, as well as the Corps' first female director of information.
• Fred Richmond, a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, was arraigned in Washington, D.C., on a charge of soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy.
• The 1978 Masters Tournament began at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. John Schlee of the United States was the leader after the first day.
• Gene Leroy Hart was arrested in Adair County, Oklahoma, for the killing of three Girl Scouts at a summer camp on June 13, 1977. Hart would be acquitted of the murders on March 30, 1979.
• Olympic gold medalist and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and another man were arrested on drug charges in Addison, Texas.
• Born:
  • Imani Coppola, American singer-songwriter and violinist; in New York City
  • Hany El-Fakharany, Egyptian Olympic handball player
  • Tim Hasselbeck, National Football League quarterback; in Norfolk, Massachusetts
  • Thomas Herschmiller, Canadian Olympic rower; in Comox, British Columbia, Canada
  • Nicola Mayr, Italian Olympic speed skater; in Bolzano, Italy
  • Martín Méndez, Uruguayan musician and songwriter; in Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Blaine Neal, Major League Baseball relief pitcher; in Marlton, New Jersey
  • Valentina Pedicini, Italian film director and screenwriter; in Brindisi, Italy (d. 2020)
  • Fabiano Pereira, Brazilian professional and Olympic footballer; in Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
  • Stig Arild Råket, Norwegian footballer; in Kristiansund, Norway
  • Lauren Ridloff, American actress; in Chicago, Illinois
  • Igor Semshov, Russian footballer and coach; in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Levys Torres, Colombian Women's National Basketball Association player; in Barranquilla, Colombia
  • Daphny van den Brand, Dutch cyclo-cross, road bicycle and mountain bike racer; in Zeeland, North Brabant, Netherlands
  • Jaco van der Westhuyzen, South African rugby union player; in Nelspruit, South Africa
• Died: Nicolas Nabokov, 74, Russian-American composer and writer

April 7, 1978 (Friday)

Partial solar eclipse of April 7, 1978

• A partial solar eclipse was visible in parts of Antarctica and southern Africa.
• Murunkan massacre: Members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, led by Uma Maheswaran, killed a team of four CID officers of the Sri Lanka Police, led by Inspector of Police T.L.B. Bastianpillai.
• Carmen Franco, 1st Duchess of Franco, daughter of Francisco Franco, attempted to board a flight from Madrid–Barajas Airport to Lausanne, Switzerland, with a bag full of gold, jewelry and medals that had belonged to her father. She was accused of smuggling.
• The Russian-owned cargo ship Astron ran aground off the coast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, while carrying corn to Cuba, spilling 7330 barrels of bunker fuel. The wreck is still in place and attracts underwater divers.
• U.S. President Jimmy Carter decided to postpone production of the neutron bomb, a weapon that kills people with radiation, but leaves buildings relatively intact.

First 13 Bureau of Land Management rangers take oath of office

• The first 13 rangers of the United States Bureau of Land Management were sworn in.
• Born:
  • Jimmy Akingbola, British actor; in Plaistow, Newham, England
  • Bjørn Dahl, Norwegian footballer; in Bergen, Norway
  • Davor Dominiković, Croatian Olympic and professional handball player; in Metković, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Gorka Fraile, Spanish tennis player; in Irun, Spain
  • Leire Iglesias, Spanish Olympic judoka; in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain
  • Duncan James, English singer
  • Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player; in Columbus, Ohio
  • Neil Roberts, Welsh footballer; in Wrexham, Wales
  • Marius Țincu, Romanian rugby union player; in Vânători, Iași, Romania
  • Vladimir Voltchkov, Belarusian tennis player; in Minsk, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union

April 8, 1978 (Saturday)

• The 1978 Men's British Open Squash Championship concluded at the Wembley Squash Centre in London, England. Geoff Hunt defeated Qamar Zaman for the title.
• The Troubles: 23-year-old Catholic civilian Brendan Megraw was abducted from his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by the Irish Republican Army. His remains were found on October 1, 2014, near Kells, County Meath.
• In Saint Paul, Minnesota, Senator Muriel Humphrey announced that she would not run in the November election to fill the remaining four years of her late husband's term in the United States Senate. Senator Humphrey, the widow of Senator Hubert Humphrey, had been appointed to fill his Senate seat after his death on January 13.
• Born:
  • Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, French footballer; in Sainte-Catherine, Pas-de-Calais, France
  • Nico Frommer, German footballer; in Ulm, West Germany
  • Bernt Haas, Swiss footballer; in Vienna, Austria
  • Nathan Mauger, New Zealand rugby union player; in Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Paola Núñez, Mexican actress and producer; in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
  • Mario Pestano, Spanish Olympic discus thrower; in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
  • Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress; in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player; in Joliette, Quebec, Canada
  • Evans Rutto, Kenyan long-distance runner; in Marakwet District, Kenya
  • Anja Schneiderheinze, German Olympic champion bobsledder; in Erfurt, East Germany
• Died:
  • Ford Frick, 83, American sportswriter and baseball executive
  • Lon L. Fuller, 75, American legal philosopher
  • Peter Igelhoff (born Rudolf August Ordnung), 73, Austrian pianist, composer and entertainer
  • Gaston Leval (born Pierre Robert Piller), 82, French anarcho-syndicalist
  • Kurt Voß, 77, German international footballer

April 9, 1978 (Sunday)

• 38-year-old Lee Kam of Hong Kong poisoned her family's breakfast orange juice with cyanide, killing herself and her 8- and 9-year-old sons. Her 14-year-old daughter refused her mother's order to drink the juice and called the police. Lee Kam had been upset about marital problems.
• 1978 Somali coup d'état attempt: Somali military officers staged an unsuccessful coup against the government of Siad Barre. Security forces thwarted the attempt within hours, and several conspirators were arrested.
• Hundred Days' War: Fighting took place between the Christian suburb of Ain el-Rummaneh and Muslim Chyah, Greater Beirut, Lebanon.

The Frank Sinatra International Student Center in 2009

• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem dedicated its Frank Sinatra International Student Center. Sinatra and his wife, Barbara Sinatra, were in attendance at the ceremony, as was actor Gregory Peck.
• In Okahandja, South West Africa, over 10,000 members of the Herero people attended the burial of Chief Clemens Kapuuo, despite fears that the cemetery was mined. Kapuuo had been assassinated the previous week.
• A fire discovered at about 12:30 am in an apartment house in Syracuse, New York, killed four members of the Syracuse Fire Department – Stanley Duda, Michael Petragnani, Frank Porpiglia Jr. and Robert Schuler – and injured two others. The four who died had been searching the building's attic for four people incorrectly rumored to be inside. This was the Syracuse Fire Department's greatest loss of life since the Collins Block fire in 1939, which killed nine firemen.
• Five members of one family, including two children, died in a predawn tenement fire in Monticello, New York. Seven other people were injured.
• Seven people, including five children, died in a predawn tenement fire in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
• Walter Godefroot of Belgium won the 1978 Tour of Flanders classic cycle race.
• The 1978 Masters Tournament concluded in Augusta, Georgia. Gary Player of South Africa won the championship.
• Born:
  • Patricio Acevedo, Chilean-born Palestinian footballer; in Santiago, Chile
  • Jorge Andrade, Portuguese footballer; in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Dmitry Byakov, Kazakh footballer; in Almaty, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Cameron Cartio (born Kamran Sabahi), Swedish pop singer and songwriter; in Tehran, Iran
  • Alex Gaumond, Canadian actor, singer and songwriter; in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Naman Keïta, French Olympic track and field athlete; in Paris, France
  • Takashi Ōhara, Japanese voice actor; in Yokohama, Japan
  • Cristina Stahl, Romanian Olympic foil fencer; in Bucharest, Romania
  • Rachel Stevens, English singer; in Southgate, London, England
  • Artiom Tsepotan, Ukrainian chess International Master; in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
• Died:
  • René Carol (born Gerhard Tschierschnitz), 58, German Schlager singer
  • Vivian McGrath, 62, Australian tennis player
  • Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC, 94, Welsh architect, creator of Portmeirion
  • Elmer Woggon, 79, American comic strip artist

April 10, 1978 (Monday)

• Hundred Days' War: Christian residents of Beirut, Lebanon, fought a half-hour gun battle with Syrian peacekeeping troops that began when mourners firing rifles into the air at a funeral procession began firing on the Syrians. The previous day's fighting between Ain el-Rummaneh and Chyah tapered off but killed two more people, for a total death toll of at least seven, including a 13-year-old girl.
• The body of Baron Charles Bracht, a Belgian Olympic alpine skier and businessman, was found in a garbage dump in Oelegem, a suburb of Antwerp, Belgium. Bracht had been kidnapped in Antwerp on March 7.
• A blackout in most of Quebec lasted for almost two hours, leaving over 1.5 million homes without power.
• A three-way traffic collision in Clair-Mel City, Florida, killed the driver of a tank truck and injured two other motorists. A cloud of ammonia gas escaped from the overturned truck, forcing several hundred people to evacuate.

1982 Volkswagen Rabbit manufactured at the Westmoreland Assembly plant

• The Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania was dedicated, having begun production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, the previous week. Volkswagen thus became the second non-American automobile manufacturer (after Rolls-Royce in 1921–1931) to open a plant in the United States. The plant closed in 1988.
• The 1978 Family Circle Cup women's tennis tournament began on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
• Born:
  • Eva Bramböck, Austrian Olympic triathlete; in Wörgl, Austria
  • Óscar Hernández, Spanish tennis player; in Barcelona, Spain
  • Katja Kettu (born Katja Maaria Heikkinen), Finnish author and film producer; in Muhos, Finland
  • Joe Pack, American Olympic freestyle skier; in Eugene, Oregon
  • Rustam Saparow, Turkmenistani footballer
  • Hana Šromová, Czech tennis player; in Kopřivnice, Czechoslovakia
• Died:
  • Hjalmar Mäe, 76, Estonian politician
  • Albert Vollrat, 74, Estonian wrestler and football coach

April 11, 1978 (Tuesday)

Plaque in Turin commemorating Lorenzo Cutugno

• Years of Lead (Italy): The Red Brigades ambushed and killed policeman Lorenzo Cutugno, a member of the Polizia Penitenziaria, in Turin, Italy.
• At Palomar Observatory in California, astronomers Eleanor F. Helin, Gavril Grueff and Jasper V. Wall discovered the asteroid 3101 Goldberger. On the same day, at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, astronomer Nikolai Chernykh discovered the asteroid 4187 Shulnazaria.
• Former National Basketball Association player John Brisker telephoned his girlfriend in Seattle, Washington, supposedly from Africa, where he had traveled to launch an import-export business. This was the last known communication with Brisker, who was declared legally dead in May 1985.
• Born:
  • Richard Bokatola, Congolese footballer; in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
  • Tom Caluwé, Belgian footballer, manager and executive; in Rumst, Belgium
  • Brett Claywell, American actor; in Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Ben Clymer, American professional ice hockey defenceman; in Edina, Minnesota
  • Prince Daye, Liberian footballer; in Monrovia, Liberia
  • David Ducourtioux, French footballer and manager; in Limoges, France
  • Marie Gaspard, French slalom canoeist; in Remiremont, France
  • Walter Guglielmone, Uruguayan footballer; in Salto, Uruguay
  • Josh Hancock, Major League Baseball pitcher; in Cleveland, Mississippi, (d. 2007)
  • Kevin Hulsmans, Belgian road bicycle racer; in Lommel, Belgium
  • Massimo Minetti, Italian footballer; in Genoa, Italy
  • Bechir Mogaadi, Tunisian footballer; in Sousse, Tunisia
  • Olena Olefirenko, Ukrainian Olympic rower; in Novoiavorivsk, Lviv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
  • Gabriele Paoletti, Italian footballer; in Rome, Italy
  • Ariel Rosada, Argentinean footballer; in Campana, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Ruy Bueno Neto, Brazilian footballer; in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Victor Sikora, Dutch footballer; in Deventer, Netherlands
• Died:
  • George C. Cory Jr., 57, American pianist and composer ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"), suicide by drug overdose (b. 1920)
  • Ian MacDonald (born Ulva Pippy), 63, American actor and producer

April 12, 1978 (Wednesday)

• The Supreme Soviet of Russia adopted the Russian Constitution of 1978.
• The opera Le Grand Macabre, composed by György Ligeti, received its world premiere at the Königliche Oper Stockholm.
• In a crime motivated by anti-black racism, Betty Gardner, a 33-year-old African American woman, was raped, tortured and murdered in Saint Helena Island, South Carolina. John Arnold and John Plath would be convicted of her murder in February 1979; both of them would be executed by lethal injection in 1998.
• Born:
  • Stanislav Angelov, Bulgarian footballer; in Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Luca Argentero, Italian actor; in Turin, Italy
  • John DeFilippo, National Football League coach; in Youngstown, Ohio
  • Svetlana Lapina, Russian Olympic high jumper; in Makhachkala, Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
  • Linda Ogugua, Nigerian Olympic basketball player; in Anambra State, Nigeria
  • Christos Poyiatzis, Cypriot footballer and coach; in Famagusta, Cyprus
  • Andrés San Martín, Argentine footballer; in Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
  • Riley Smith, American actor; in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Died: Betty Gardner, 33, American murder victim

April 13, 1978 (Thursday)

• 1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash at Amritsar, Punjab, India between traditional Sikhs and the Sant Nirankari Mission.
• An early-morning attempted car bombing at the offices of ADEGUI (Asociación Democrática Empresarial de Guipúzcoa) in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain, injured one of the perpetrators, who surrendered to French authorities after fleeing across the border.
• The 1978 European Badminton Championships began in Preston, Lancashire, England.
• Dirty War: Lawyer and Montoneros activist Eduardo Héctor Garat was kidnapped and "disappeared" on a street corner in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
• Born:
  • Farrukh Amonatov, Tajikistani chess Grandmaster; in Dushanbe, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Arron Asham, Canadian professional ice hockey right winger; in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada
  • Kyle Howard, American television and movie actor; in Loveland, Colorado
  • Masamitsu Kobayashi, Japanese footballer; in Sano, Tochigi, Japan
  • Sylvie Meis, Dutch television personality and model; in Breda, Netherlands
  • Carles Puyol, Spanish Olympic and professional footballer; in La Pobla de Segur, Spain
  • Antoni Sivera, Andorran footballer
  • Raemon Sluiter, Dutch professional tennis player and coach; in Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Vladimir Smirnov, Lithuanian cyclist; in Klaipėda, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
  • Alexander Voigt, German footballer and manager; in Cologne, West Germany
• Died:
  • Ernst Bantle, 77, German international footballer
  • Jack Chambers, 47, Canadian artist and filmmaker
  • Paul McGrath, 74, American actor
  • Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, 77, Nigerian suffragist and women's rights activist; injuries from 1977 assault by government soldiers
  • William Rees-Thomas CB FRCP FRSM, 90, Welsh psychiatrist

April 14, 1978 (Friday)

• 1978 Tongan general election.
• 1978 Georgian demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in Tbilisi against an attempt by Soviet authorities to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language. April 14 is now celebrated as the Day of the Georgian Language.
• In Rhodesia, nine black ministers were sworn in to serve on the Ministerial Council of the Transitional Government.
• Abel Mthembu, former deputy president of the African National Congress in the Transvaal, was murdered after turning state witness at the Pretoria ANC trial.
• The Troubles: 61-year-old Protestant James McKee, a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment, was shot and killed by the Irish Republican Army while off duty and driving a school bus in Creggan, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. On the same day, 27-year-old Protestant civilian Robert McCullough was shot and killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force at his home in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
• Born:
  • Tony Bombardieri, Italian Olympic figure skater; in Bergamo, Province of Bergamo, Italy
  • Sorin Botiș, Romanian footballer; in Arad, Romania
  • Georgina Harland, British Olympic modern pentathlete; in Canterbury, Kent, England
  • Louisy Joseph (born Lydy Louisy-Joseph), French singer; in Vénissieux, Lyon Metropolis, France
  • Roland Lessing, Estonian Olympic biathlete; in Tartu, Soviet-occupied Estonia
  • Toni Söderholm, Finnish ice hockey defenceman and coach; in Kauniainen, Finland
• Died:
  • Joe Gordon, 63, Major League Baseball second baseman, coach and manager
  • F. R. Leavis CH, 82, English literary critic
  • Arline Pretty, 92, American silent film actress
  • Mauk Weber, 64, Dutch footballer

April 15, 1978 (Saturday)

Murazze di Vado train disaster

• In the Province of Bologna, Italy, the Murazze di Vado train disaster killed 48 people and injured 117.
• The 1978 European Badminton Championships concluded in Preston, Lancashire. England won three of the events, with Denmark winning two.
• The Troubles: 57-year-old Protestant John Moore of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was killed while off duty by an Irish Republican Army bomb attached to his car in Armoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was slightly injured and hospitalized after diving from a pier into shallow water in Point Clear, Alabama. Kennedy was released from the Mobile Infirmary after being observed overnight.
• Born:
  • Susanne Alt, German jazz saxophone player and composer; in Würzburg, West Germany
  • Austin Aries (born Daniel Healy Solwold Jr.), American professional wrestler; in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Milton Bradley, Major League Baseball outfielder; in Harbor City, Los Angeles, California
  • Tim Corcoran, Major League Baseball pitcher; in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Helena Costa, Portuguese football manager; in Alhandra, São João dos Montes e Calhandriz, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal
  • Soumaïla Coulibaly, Malian footballer; in Bamako, Mali
  • Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican singer and songwriter; in San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Travis Hansen, National Basketball Association player; in Provo, Utah
  • Giorgi Latso (born Giorgi Latsabidze), Georgian-American concert pianist and composer; in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
  • Chris Stapleton, American country singer and guitarist; in Lexington, Kentucky
• Died: Frank Tallman, 58, American stunt pilot; in a plane crash

April 16, 1978 (Sunday)

• The Khaleej Times, the first English-language daily newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, began publication.
• Francesco Moser of Italy won the 1978 Paris–Roubaix cycle race.
• Chris Evert won the singles title at the 1978 Family Circle Cup tennis tournament.
• Born:
  • An Hyo-yeon, South Korean footballer; in Incheon, South Korea
  • Lucie Borhyová, Czech television presenter; in Prague, Czechoslovakia
  • Alex Brown, Liberian footballer
  • Arnaud Casquette, Mauritian Olympic long jumper
  • Adnan Čustović, Bosnian footballer and manager; in Mostar, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Boyd Devereaux, Canadian professional ice hockey centre; in Seaforth, Ontario, Canada
  • Lara Dutta, Indian actress, Miss Universe 2000; in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer; in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Hailu Negussie, Ethiopian marathon runner
  • Noam Okun, Israeli professional tennis player; in Haifa, Israel
  • Kristin Proctor, American actress; in Los Angeles, California
  • Yelena Prokhorova, Russian Olympic heptathlete; in Kemerovo, Kemerovo Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
  • Igor Tudor, Croatian footballer and coach; in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Ivan Urgant, Russian television host, actor and musician; in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
• Died:
  • Francis X. Bushman Jr., c. 75, American actor
  • Lucius D. Clay, 79, American military governor of Germany after World War II
  • Nagamichi Kuroda, 88, Japanese ornithologist
  • Richard Lindner, 76, German-American painter
  • Eddie Morgan, 64, Wales international rugby player
  • John Sines, 63, American professional basketball player
  • Philibert Tsiranana, 65, Malagasy leader and politician, 1st President of Madagascar

April 17, 1978 (Monday)

• The 1978 World Snooker Championship began at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.
• Born:
  • Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer (born Monika Bergmann), German Olympic alpine skier; in Lam, Bavaria, West Germany
  • Juan Guillermo Castillo, Uruguayan footballer; in Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Felipe Reinaldo da Silva, Brazilian footballer; in Ernestina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
  • Daniel Hensel, German composer, VJ and musicologist; in Büdingen, West Germany
  • Lindsay Korman, American actress; in Palm Springs, California
  • Henry Lapczyk, Paraguayan footballer and coach; in Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay
  • Loukas Louka, Cypriot footballer; in Larnaca, Cyprus
  • Hannu Manninen, Finnish Olympic champion Nordic combined athlete; in Rovaniemi, Finland
  • Maylana Martin, Women's National Basketball Association player; in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • David Murdoch, Scottish Olympic curler; in Dumfries, Scotland
  • Arild Sundgot, Norwegian footballer; in Ulsteinvik, Norway
  • Jason White, Scottish rugby union player; in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Anna Wielebnowska, Polish Olympic basketball player; in Kraków, Kraków Voivodeship, Poland
  • Satoshi Yamaguchi, Japanese footballer; in Sakawa, Kōchi, Japan
• Died:
  • Ewald Balser, 79, German film actor
  • Mir Akbar Khyber, 53, Afghan communist politician; assassinated

April 18, 1978 (Tuesday)

• The United States Senate voted, 68–32, to ratify the Panama Canal Treaty, agreeing to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
• Born:
  • Dias Caires (born Yahenda Joaquim Caires Fernandes), Angolan footballer
  • Dedé (born Leonardo de Deus Santos), Brazilian footballer; in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Ryan Gardner, Canadian-born Swiss professional ice hockey forward; in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Mehdi Leroy, French footballer; in Saint-Nazaire, France
  • Malcolm Licari, Maltese footballer; in Pietà, Malta
  • Baran bo Odar, German film and television director and screenwriter; in Olten, Switzerland
  • Luciano Pagliarini, Brazilian Olympic cyclist; in Arapongas, Paraná, Brazil
  • Maxim Podoprigora, Austrian Olympic swimmer; in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
  • Vanja Rupena, Croatian model; in Koper, Socialist Republic of Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Ryōta Tsuzuki, Japanese Olympic and professional footballer; in Heguri, Nara, Japan
• Died: Rudolf Bonnet, 83, Dutch artist

April 19, 1978 (Wednesday)

• The Ninth Knesset held the 1978 Israeli presidential election. Yitzhak Navon ran unopposed for the position and became the fifth President of Israel.
• The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic adopted a new constitution.
• The 1978 Rallye de Portugal (12º Rallye de Portugal - Vinho do Porto) began.
• Hundreds of people rallied at the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul against the proposed repeal of the gay rights provision in the city's human rights ordinance.
• Born:
  • Gorka Brit, Spanish footballer; in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
  • Giulia Casoni, Italian tennis player; in Ferrara, Italy
  • James Franco, American actor; in Palo Alto, California
  • Gabriel Heinze, Argentinean footballer; in Crespo, Entre Ríos, Argentina
  • Jeanne Herry, French filmmaker and actress
  • Amber Lawrence, Australian country music singer-songwriter; in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia
  • Dorothee Mantel, German politician; in Bamberg, West Germany
  • Flavio Medina, Mexican actor; in Mexico City, Mexico
  • Geordan Murphy, Irish rugby union player and coach; in Dublin, Ireland
  • Amanda Sage, American painter; in Denver, Colorado

April 20, 1978 (Thursday)

Flight path of Korean Air Lines Flight 902

• A Soviet air defense plane shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 902; the plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake, killing two passengers.
• Years of Lead (Italy): The Red Brigades killed policeman Francesco Di Cataldo in Crescenzago, Milan, Italy.
• Michel Laurent of France won the 1978 La Flèche Wallonne cycle race.
• The 1978 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament began at Beautiful Tiger Field in Clemson, South Carolina.
• Around 150 people attended a debate in the Great Hall of Cooper Union, at which graphic designer Massimo Vignelli and cartographer John Tauranac discussed their proposed designs for the map of New York City's subway system. A version of Tauranac's map was adopted in 1979 and is still in use.
• Born:
  • Clayne Crawford (born Joseph Crawford), American actor; in Clay, Alabama
  • Mathew Hayman, Australian road bicycle racer; in Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
  • David Karanka, Spanish footballer; in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain
  • Lauri Pyykönen, Finnish Olympic cross-country skier; in Pirkkala, Finland
  • Alessandro Rigotti, Italian voice actor; in Turin, Italy
  • Carlos Rodríguez, Venezuelan Olympic fencer
  • David Sánchez, Spanish tennis player; in Zamora, Spain
  • Kunihiko Takizawa, Japanese footballer; in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan
  • Edvaldo Valério, Brazilian Olympic swimmer; in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
  • Stefan Wächter, German footballer and coach; in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
• Died:
  • Jean Babelon, 89, French librarian, historian and numismatist
  • Ferdinand Peroutka, 83, Czech journalist and writer

April 21, 1978 (Friday)

• The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic adopted a new Constitution.
• Born:
  • Glen Berry, British actor; in Romford, England
  • Jacob Burns, Australian football (soccer) player; in Sydney, Australia
  • Ricardo Fernandes, Portuguese footballer; in Moreira de Cónegos, Portugal
  • Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer (Nightwish); in Kitee, Finland
  • Paleface (born Karri Pekka Matias Miettinen), Finnish hip hop musician; in Järvenpää, Finland
  • Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian Olympic track and field athlete; in Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
  • Matteo Serafini, Italian footballer and coach; in Brescia, Italy
  • Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid, The Used); in Pocatello, Idaho
• Died:
  • Sandy Denny, 31, British singer-songwriter, head injury and intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Robert de Nesle, 71, French film producer
  • Thomas Wyatt Turner, PhD, 101, American civil rights activist, biologist and educator

April 22, 1978 (Saturday)

• Izhar Cohen & The Alphabeta won the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 for Israel with their song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi".
• The Troubles: 36-year-old Protestant Millar McAllister of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was shot and killed while off duty by the Irish Republican Army at his home in Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
• The One Love Peace Concert was held at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bob Marley united two opposing political leaders, Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, at this concert, attempting to bring peace to the civil war-ridden streets of the city.

The weir on the Blanchard River in Findlay, Ohio

• In Findlay, Ohio, teenagers Michael D. Armstrong and Troy Lee Best drowned while canoeing on the Blanchard River. Two Findlay firefighters, Roland G. Smith Jr. and William C. VanAtta, both veterans of the Vietnam War, died attempting to rescue the boys when a rescue rowboat capsized. A third firefighter survived.
• Born:
  • Jagoba Arrasate, Spanish footballer and manager; in Berriatua, Biscay, Spain
  • Ida Auken, Danish priest and politician; in Frederiksberg, Denmark
  • Stacy Clinesmith, Women's National Basketball Association player; in Spokane, Washington
  • DJ Drama (born Tyree Cinque Simmons), American DJ, record executive and music promoter; in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Pedro Duarte, Portuguese footballer; in Setúbal, Portugal
  • Aaron Fink, American guitarist (Breaking Benjamin); in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
  • Manu Intiraymi, American actor; in Santa Cruz, California
  • Ezekiel Jackson (born Rycklon Ezekiel Stephens), Guyanese-American professional wrestler and bodybuilder; in Linden, Guyana
  • Tamicha Jackson, Women's National Basketball Association player; in Dallas, Texas
  • Hayrulla Karimov, Uzbek international footballer; in Namangan, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
  • Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan long-distance and marathon runner; in Marakwet District, Kenya
  • Kamila Rajdlová, Czech Olympic cross-country skier; in Liberec, Czechoslovakia
  • Penny Tai, Malaysian singer, songwriter and producer; in Segamat, Johor, Malaysia
  • Esteban Tuero, Argentine Formula One driver; in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Died:
  • Basil Dean CBE, 89, English actor, writer and film and theatrical producer/director
  • Will Geer, 76, American actor, musician and social activist
  • Varvara Myasnikova, 77, Soviet Russian actress

April 23, 1978 (Sunday)

• Joseph Bruyère of Belgium won the 1978 Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycle race.
• Finnish driver Markku Alén and co-driver Ilkka Kivimäki won the 1978 Rallye de Portugal.
• A car bomb planted by rival mobsters killed Rochester, New York, mobster Salvatore "Sammy G" Gingello.
• Born:
  • Kofi Amponsah, Ghanaian footballer; in Accra, Ghana
  • Ian Brennan, American screenwriter, director and actor, co-creator of Glee; in Mount Prospect, Illinois
  • Antônio Géder, Brazilian footballer; in Recreio, Brazil
  • Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian Olympic champion marathon runner; in Etya, Arsi Province, Ethiopia
  • Papy Lukata Shumu, Congolese footballer; in Kinshasa, Zaire
  • Marcel Kimemba Mbayo, Congolese footballer; in Lubumbashi, Zaire
  • Brian Mullan, American soccer player; in Mineola, New York
  • Saori Obata, Japanese tennis player; in Tokyo, Japan
  • Inti Podestá, Uruguayan footballer; in Montevideo, Uruguay
• Died:
  • Christian Lattier, 52, Ivorian sculptor
  • Ivan Pereverzev, 63, Soviet actor
  • Jacques Rueff, 81, French economist and adviser to the Government of France
  • Teo Soon Kim, 73, Singaporean barrister, first woman admitted to the Straits Settlements bar

April 24, 1978 (Monday)

• 1978 Prince Edward Island general election.
• The Clemson Tigers won the 1978 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament.
• Born:
  • Patrice Beaumelle, French footballer and coach; in Arles, France
  • Willy Blain, French Olympic and professional boxer; in Le Tampon, Réunion, France
  • Jesper Christiansen, Danish footballer and coach; in Roskilde, Denmark
  • Stella Damasus, Nigerian actress and singer; in Benin City, Nigeria
  • Libor Došek, Czech Olympic and professional footballer; in Brno, Czechoslovakia
  • Petr Lukáš, Czech footballer; in Prague, Czechoslovakia
  • Matt Nagy, Arena Football League quarterback and National Football League head coach; in Dunellen, New Jersey
  • Kazunari Okayama, Japanese footballer; in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
  • Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer; in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
  • Ronny Scholz, German road racing cyclist; in Forst (Lausitz), Bezirk Cottbus, East Germany
  • Beth Storry, English Olympic field hockey player; in Reading, Berkshire, England
  • Jiří Vaněk, Czech professional tennis player and coach; in Domažlice, Czechoslovakia
• Died:
  • Hunk Anderson (born Heartley William Anderson), 79, American football player and coach
  • Federico Chávez, c. 96 (birth year uncertain), Paraguayan politician and soldier

April 25, 1978 (Tuesday)

• The 1978 Vuelta a España bicycle stage race began in Gijón, Spain. It would continue through May 14.

The Phillie Phanatic in 2020

• The Phillie Phanatic, mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team, made his on-field debut at Veterans Stadium during a home game against the Chicago Cubs. The creature had made his first public appearance on April 23, on an episode of the local children's TV show Captain Noah and His Magical Ark.
• In Kansas City, Missouri, a group of home invaders fatally shot three people in their 20s. A fourth victim, Cynthia Douglas, survived by pretending to be dead. Douglas would make multiple attempts prior to her death in 2015 to recant her identification of Kevin Strickland, one of three men convicted of the crime, who became the subject of extensive efforts to have him released as wrongfully convicted. Strickland's conviction was set aside and all criminal counts against him dismissed on November 23, 2021; he had spent 43 years in prison.
• Saint Paul, Minnesota, voters repealed a provision in the city's human rights ordinance that protected gays and lesbians from discrimination. The ordinance was repealed by a 2-to-1 margin. Saint Paul was the second U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance, after Anita Bryant's successful 1977 anti-gay campaign in Dade County, Florida.
• Two men abducted, beat, tortured and murdered Constable Thomas Brian King of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, then dumped his body in the Saskatchewan River.
• Born:
  • Bart Deelkens, Belgian footballer; in Hasselt, Belgium
  • Malalai Joya, Afghan activist, writer and politician; in Ziken, Farah Province, Afghanistan
  • Duncan Kibet, Kenyan marathon runner
  • Jesús María Lacruz, Spanish footballer; in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain
  • Jean-Michel Lucenay, French Olympic champion épée fencer; in Fort-de-France, Martinique, France
  • Hamchétou Maïga, Malian Olympic and professional basketball player; in Bamako, Mali
  • Sya Styles (born Rachid Aït Baar), French DJ (Psy 4 de la Rime); in Marseilles, France (d. 2015)
  • Fabian Wagner, German cinematographer; in Munich, West Germany
  • Matt Walker, British Paralympic swimmer; in Stockport, England
• Died:
  • Harry Griffiths, 47, Welsh footballer and manager
  • Lee Kim Lai, 18, while serving his national service with the Singapore Police Force, was abducted from the police unit at Mount Vernon, Singapore, forced into a taxi and murdered for his service revolver. The taxi driver was also murdered.
  • Eero Liives, 86, Estonian composer and violinist
  • Zenta Mauriņa, 80, Latvian writer, essayist and philologist
  • Peng Shaohui, 71, Chinese People's Liberation Army general
  • Arne Rustadstuen, 72, Norwegian Olympic skier

April 26, 1978 (Wednesday)

• Years of Lead (Italy): Members of the Red Brigades shot a Christian Democrat politician in the legs in Rome.
• The 1978 Ice Hockey World Championships began in Prague, Czechoslovakia. They would continue through May 14.
• In the first leg of the 1978 UEFA Cup Final, played at Stade Furiani in Corsica, France, SC Bastia and PSV Eindhoven played to a goalless draw. Jacques Tati directed a film, Forza Bastia, documenting the match.
• A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3B Orion aircraft based at Naval Air Station Brunswick crashed at sea about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Terceira-Lajes AFB, Azores, killing all seven crewmen. The bodies of four of the men were eventually recovered.
• Classical ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov announced that he would leave the American Ballet Theatre when its season ended on June 10 to join the New York City Ballet. Baryshnikov said the move was due to his desire to work with choreographer George Balanchine.
• Born:
  • Avant (born Myron Lavell Avant), American contemporary R&B singer and songwriter; in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Elson Becerra, Colombian footballer; in Cartagena, Colombia (d. 2006, shot)
  • Markus Hipfl, Austrian professional tennis player; in Wels, Austria
  • Stana Katic, Canadian-American actress; in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • Peter Madsen, Danish footballer; in Roskilde, Denmark
  • Dmitry Mamonov, Kazakhstani footballer and manager; in Taldıqorğan, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
  • Jamie McAllister, Scottish footballer; in Glasgow, Scotland
  • Andrés Mendoza, Peruvian footballer; in Chincha Alta, Peru
  • Rachel Morrison, American cinematographer and director; in Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Anna Mouglalis, French actress and model; in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, France
  • Pablo Schreiber, Canadian-American actor; in Ymir, British Columbia, Canada
  • Charly Wegelius, British professional road racing cyclist; in Espoo, Finland
  • Stephen Williams, Jamaican-Canadian film and television director
• Died:
  • Ottavio Alessi, 59, Italian screenwriter, producer and film director
  • Nino Valeri, 80, Italian historian

April 27, 1978 (Thursday)

• Saur Revolution: A Marxist military coup d'état began in Afghanistan, during which President Mohammed Daoud Khan would be killed and his family murdered. Nur Muhammad Taraki succeeded him, beginning the Afghan Civil War which as of 2022 has not yet ended.
• Danish welterweight boxer Jørgen Hansen defeated Alain Maron for the European Boxing Union Welterweight Title in a bout held in Randers, Denmark.
• Václav Havel and others founded the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted (VONS), a Czechoslovak dissident organization.
• Years of Lead (Italy):
  • In a Red Brigades ambush, two men and a woman shot Fiat executive Sergio Palmieri in the legs as he walked to a bus stop in Turin, Italy.
  • 18-year-old Giovanna Amati, a future Formula One driver, was ransomed by her father for 800 million Italian lire from kidnappers who had threatened to rape her and send her father a recording of the crime. Amati had been kept chained in a wooden box for two and a half months. Her father, a movie theater chain owner, paid part of the ransom with box office receipts from the film Star Wars. His wife sold some of her jewelry and borrowed her servants' life savings.
• Actor John Wayne was discharged from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, after undergoing heart surgery.
• David A. Kennedy, a son of Robert F. Kennedy, was hospitalized in intensive care at Massachusetts General Hospital.
• In response to a petition filed the previous year by the Health Research Group, an organization affiliated with Ralph Nader, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to ban benzene. The Health Research Group criticized the commission's delay in imposing the ban, saying that it had caused new cases of leukemia.
• In the deadliest construction accident in United States history, 51 construction workers were killed when a cooling tower under construction collapsed at the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia.
• John Ehrlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was released from the Federal Correctional Institution, Safford, Arizona, after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
• Born:
  • Carlos Andrade, Portuguese professional basketball player; in Sal, Cape Verde
  • Sami Hinkka, Finnish heavy metal bass player (Rapture, Ensiferum)
  • Jakub Janda, Czech Olympic ski jumper and politician; in Čeladná, Czechoslovakia
  • Knut Dørum Lillebakk, Norwegian footballer
  • Fredrik Neij, Swedish hacker
  • Sebastián Ariel Romero, Argentinean footballer; in Berisso, Greater La Plata, Argentina
  • Takahiro Suzuki, Japanese professional baseball player; in Sōma, Fukushima, Japan
  • Oumar Timbo, Mauritanian footballer
  • Remmert Wielinga, Dutch professional road bicycle racer; in Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Died:
  • Ralston Crawford, 71, American abstract painter, lithographer and photographer
  • John Doeg, 69, American tennis player
  • Guido Stampacchia, 56, Italian mathematician (b. 1922)

April 28, 1978 (Friday)

Outside the Arg on the day after the Saur Revolution in Kabul

• Saur Revolution: On the morning of April 28, rebel soldiers surrounded the Arg, the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, and demanded the surrender of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan and his brother Naim Khan. The two men charged the soldiers with pistols and were shot to death.
• Born:
  • José Adrián Bonilla, Costa Rican professional and Olympic road bicycle racer; in Paraíso, Costa Rica
  • Germain Katanga, Congolese war criminal; in Mambasa, Mambasa Territory, Ituri District, Zaire
  • Lauren Laverne, English radio DJ, television presenter, author and singer (Kenickie); in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England
  • Robert Oliveri, American former child actor; in Los Angeles, California
  • Fernando Rapallini, Argentine football referee; in La Plata, Argentina
  • Nate Richert, American actor, director and musician; in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Drew Scott, Canadian reality television personality; in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Jonathan Scott, Canadian reality television personality, identical twin brother of Drew Scott; in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Died:
  • Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan, 68, assassinated
  • Roman Karmen, 71, Soviet war photographer, cinematographer and documentary film director
  • Evan Klamer, 55, Danish Olympic cyclist
  • Curt McMahon, 63, American professional basketball player
  • Russell Metty, 71, American cinematographer
  • Sir Philip Neame, VC, KBE, CB, DSO, 89, British Army officer and Olympic champion sport shooter; only winner of both an Olympic gold medal and the Victoria Cross
  • Ghulam Haidar Rasuli, c. 59, Afghan major general; assassinated

April 29, 1978 (Saturday)

• The 1978 World Snooker Championship concluded at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Ray Reardon defeated Perrie Mans in the final, becoming the oldest snooker world champion.
• The 1978 Pontins Professional snooker tournament began in Prestatyn, Wales. It would continue through May 6.
• The Miss USA 1978 pageant took place at the Gillard Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina. Miss Hawaii USA, Judi Andersen, won the pageant and went on to be first runner-up at Miss Universe 1978 on July 24.
• Born:
  • Masoud Haji Akhondzadeh, Iranian Olympic judoka; in Mashhad, Iran
  • Tony Armas Jr., Venezuelan Major League Baseball pitcher; in Puerto Píritu, Anzoátegui, Venezuela
  • Bob and Mike Bryan, American doubles tennis team; in Camarillo, California
  • Javier Colon, American singer-songwriter; in Stratford, Connecticut
  • Neil Doyle, Irish international football referee; in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland
  • Facundo (born Facundo Gómez Brueda), Mexican television presenter; in Mexico City, Mexico
  • Craig Gower, Australian rugby league and rugby union player; in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
  • Jason Hart, National Basketball Association player; in Los Angeles, California
  • Sam Jones, American professional basketball player and coach; in Chicago, Illinois
  • Niko Kapanen, Finnish professional and Olympic ice hockey centre; in Hattula, Finland
  • Tyler Labine, Canadian actor; in Brampton, Ontario, Canada
  • Donna Loffhagen, New Zealand netball and Olympic basketball player; in Christchurch, New Zealand
  • David O'Loughlin, Irish professional and Olympic cyclist; in Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
  • Železník, Czechoslovak racehorse; in Šamorín, Czechoslovakia (d. 2004)
• Died:
  • Theo Helfrich, 64, German racing driver
  • Abdul Qadir Nuristani, Interior Minister of Afghanistan; assassinated (birthdate not known)
  • Giacomo Vaghi, 76, Italian operatic bass
  • Yukihiko Yasuda, 94, Japanese painter

April 30, 1978 (Sunday)

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

• Saur Revolution: The Marxist "Democratic Republic of Afghanistan" was proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Muhammad Taraki.
• Born:
  • Simone Barone, Italian footballer and manager; in Nocera Inferiore, Italy
  • Joachim Boldsen, Danish Olympic team handball player; in Helsingør, Denmark
  • Alice Canepa, Italian tennis player; in Finale Ligure, Italy
  • Sandra Hüller, German actress; in Suhl, East Germany
  • Emily McInerny, Australian basketball player; in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
  • Rose Rollins, American actress and model; in Berkeley, California
• Died: Liane Augustin, 50, German Austrian singer and actress