Three Popes serve in 1978. Following the death of Pope Paul Vl, the new Pope John Paul l dies unexpectedly after only 34 days in office. Pope John Paul ll, the former Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Poland, is installed in October and serves until his retirement in 2005.
In Italy the far left terrorist organization Brigate Rosse kidnap former Premiere Aldo Moro in an attack that leaves five bodyguards dead. After realizing the government was unwilling to negotiate for Moro's release, he was shot and killed 54 days later.
The arcade game Space Invaders is launched in 1978 and is an immediate success, becoming the best selling video game of all time. The arcade game, is later followed by the popular Atari home version.
The prime time soap opera Dallas debuts on CBS in 1978 where it would run until 1991. The season 7 cliffhanger "Who Shot J.R.?" was followed by the 1980 "Who Done It" episode, the second highest rated prime time telecast ever.
The Peoples Temple, a San Francisco based cult led by Jim Jones, establish a settlement in a remote jungle area of Guyana in 1974. After an investigative visit by US Congressman Leo Ryan and others, Temple members murder Ryan and four others. Following this incident, leader Jim Jones instructs his followers to drink cyanide in a mass suicide that leaves 918 people dead.
NASA names the first six female astronauts in 1978. Following years of training, Sally Ride becomes the first woman in space in 1983.
The comic strip Garfield debuts in national syndication. Created by Jim Davis, the strip continues to run today, along with animated TV specials and merchandising.
Pro-Football player OJ Simpson in a 1978 ad for Hertz. Simpson would become a successful sports commentator, but would later be tried and acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
Detail from an advertisement for the 1978 Chevy Monte Carlo.
1978 Chevrolet Camaro advertisement.
Lifestyle advertisement for the Subaru BRAT, short for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter.
1978 Levi's advertisement for their Pantela men's suits.
Young men's fashion from the 1978 Ward's catalog.
1978 Women's fashion photo shoot.
Detail from a 1978 Sears Ad.
Detail from a 1978 advertisement for Pendleton.
Animal House is a 1978 comedy film about a troublesome college fraternity in the early sixties. The low budget movie produced for $3 million, is a hit going on to gross over $141 million, making it the most successful comedy movie of the time.
The big budget ($55 million) superhero film Superman starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder becomes the second highest grossing movie of 1978.
The science fiction movie Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, starring Richard Dreyfuss and directed by Steven Speilberg, earns $330 million in 1978.
The television sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati debuts in 1978. The show, about the staff at a struggling radio station, runs until 1982.
Students at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Yearbook photo of a high school library in Kansas City, Missouri.
High School yearbook photo of kids from Farina LaGrove Illinois high school.
Pom Pom squad at Guilford, Connecticut High School.