1978 Austrian Grand Prix
The 1978 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 August 1978 at Österreichring. This was Ronnie Peterson's last win before his death at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Qualifying classification
*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify or pre-qualify.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
The crowds for the Austrian GP were full of Niki Lauda fans; but however for them Lauda qualified only 12th as the Lotus cars again took the front row, with Ronnie Peterson on pole. The surprise in qualifying was Jean-Pierre Jabouille who qualified his turbocharged Renault third. The race started at 2:00pm local, the start saw Peterson lead into the first corner, with Carlos Reutemann snatching second from Mario Andretti.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
Andretti tried to get the place back later in the lap, but the two collided and Andretti retired after his car spun into the barriers while Reutemann lost a couple of places to Patrick Depailler and Jody Scheckter. On the third lap, Scheckter slid off and crashed into Andretti’s abandoned Lotus, damaging both cars. On the fourth lap, a heavy rainshower hit the track and Reutemann spun off and was beached but the marshals push-started his car as it was in a dangerous position, while Nelson Piquet and  Héctor Rebaque crashed out.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
At the end of lap six, Gilles Villeneuve headed for the pits for rain tyres having executed a monumental spin, and next lap Jabouille lost control of the Renault, managed to gather it all up and also stopped for rain tyres, while Emerson Fittipaldi was into the pits and Pironi spun off and knocked the nose cone off his Tyrrell but rejoined.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
Peterson finished lap seven in full control of the situation and when the last car had gone through the officials decided to stop the race and the red and black flags were held out, meaning “Race to stop and restart at a later time.” After the decision had been made Peterson spun off onto the grass and got stuck, so it was Depailler who arrived first at the red and black flags. As the rain poured down, the race was stopped.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
It was clearly stated that the Grand Prix would now be considered a two-part race, the first part having run for seven laps and the starting grid for the 47-lap second part would be in the order in which the competitors completed lap seven. Only those cars that arrived back at the pits under their own power would be allowed to start in the second part and there would be no changing to spare cars, though repairs and resetting of suspension and brakes for rain conditions would be allowed, and naturally everyone fitted rain tyres.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
During the red flag, Rebuque’s was towed back by the marshals undamaged but could not join the restart, though Peterson and Reutemann drove their cars back, having been extricated from the grass verges. Patrese’s Arrows was towed in with the nose cone damage, and should have been wheeled away along with Rebaque’s Lotus but in the confusion the Arrows management sneaked the car into the pit lane and started repairing it, even though it was all obviously illegal, but Arrows senior personnel Alan Rees, Jackie Oliver and Tony Southgate seem to thrive on such situations.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
The restart was timed for 3:00pm giving everyone adequate time to prepare their ears for a really wet track. At 2:40pm. the pit road was to be opened to allow cars to set off on a warm-up lap, and it was to shut at 2:50pm and anyone left behind would be out of the second part of the race. It was all quite clear, but there was some discussion as to whether Peterson and Reutemann had received outside assistance driving the first part of the race, even though they had driven their cars back to the pits.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race start and rain
With Peterson on pole position and Reutemann in last position, having spun off on lap 5, it was a delicate situation, but was resolved by allowing them both to restart, though Reutemann would be considered to be two laps behind at the start of the second race. There should have been 21 cars lined up in pairs for the second part with Andretti, Scheckter, Rebaque and Piquet already out but there were 22 cars on new grid due to the Arrows team’s shady tactics for Patrese.


1978 Austrian Grand Prix, Race, Race restart
The race restarted at 3:15pm after the rain relented, and once again Peterson led followed by Depailler and Lauda. As the track began to dry, Peterson started to pull away, and behind, Reutemann was on a charge and passed Lauda for third but he was black-flagged for receiving outside assistance, and Lauda crashed out soon after, leaving Gilles Villeneuve third. The drivers changed to slicks but the top 3 remained the same and stayed so till the end; Peterson winning ahead of Depailler, with Villeneuve taking his first ever podium.


1978 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 28–30 April 1978 at the Salzburgring.


1978 Austrian nuclear power referendum
A referendum on the use of nuclear power was held in Austria on 5 November 1978. Voters were asked whether they approve a law allowing the peaceful use of nuclear power, particularly relating to the start-up of the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant. Voters narrowly rejected it, with 50.5% voting against. As a result, although the Power Plant was finished, it was never operated and has since been dismantled.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
The 14th BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition was held in 1978.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy
Previous two times runner-up Widnes won the trophy by beating the previous year's winners and cup holders St. Helens by 13-7. The match was played at Knowsley Road, Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. 10,250 fans attended, and the  receipts were £7,017.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Background
This season Batley dropped out after only one season, but Bramley  returned; thus the number of entrants remaining the same at twenty-two. The format remained as a knock-out competition from the preliminary round through to the  final. The preliminary round involved twelve clubs, to reduce the numbers taking part in the  competition proper to just sixteen.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Competition and results, Final, Teams and scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments
1 * At the time this was the second highest score, only to be equalled about two months later in the  Second Round2 * The RUGBYLEAGUEprojects gives the  attendance as 10,099 but this appears to be the  attendance at the previous year's final added in error3 * This match was televised4 * The Wigan archives state "Wigan were kicked out the competition for playing Steve Breheny (who was at the  time suspended) in the last round".


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments
For fuller details see the report on the  website5 * At the  time this equalled the second highest score6 * Postponed due to pending court case brought by Wigan against the  RFL7 * Postponed8 * The Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1990–1991 and 1991-92  and the RUGBYLEAGUEprojects gives the  attendance as 10,250 but the official St. Helens archives give it as 10,5009 * Knowsley Road was the home of St Helens R.F.C. from 1890 until its closure in 2010. The final capacity was 17,500 although the record attendance was 35,695 set on 26 December 1949 for a league game between St Helens and Wigan.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was a knock-out competition sponsored by the BBC and between rugby league clubs, entrance to which was conditional upon the club having floodlights. Most matches were played on an evening, and those of which the second half was televised, were played on a Tuesday evening. Despite the competition being named as 'Floodlit', many matches took place during the afternoons and not under floodlights, and several of the entrants, including  Barrow and Bramley did not have adequate lighting.


1978 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
And, when in 1973, due to the world oil crisis, the government restricted the use of floodlights in sport, all the matches, including the Trophy final, had to be played in the afternoon rather than at night. The Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused by inclement weather)


1978 BC Lions season
The 1978 BC Lions finished in fourth place in the CFL Western Conference with a 7–7–2 record and failed to make the playoffs. A six-game mid-season losing streak, primarily to western opponents, cost the Lions a playoff spot.


1978 BC Lions season
Quarterback Jerry Tagge had 3134 yards passing and 20 interceptions. The offence was driven by rookie running back Larry Key, who had 1054 yards rushing, 504 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.


1978 BC Lions season
Centre Al Wilson was selected to the CFL all-star team for the 4th consecutive season.


1978 BC Lions season
A new uniform was introduced which included the white helmet, orange and white colour scheme and now iconic mountain lion head logo. The traditional secondary colour of black was altered to a dark brown. The uniforms would become synonymous with the powerhouse teams of the 1980s in brand new BC Place stadium. The logo, despite a few changes along the way since, is still used by the team to this day.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The 1978 Embassy World Darts Championship was the first BDO World Darts Championship. The tournament was organised by the British Darts Organisation who had already set up the WDF World Cup and Winmau World Masters in its five years since formation. This was the only year that the tournament was played in a matchplay format of legs, rather than sets which came into operation from 1979 onwards. BBC Television covered the event and began a long broadcasting partnership with the BDO. Sid Waddell was the lead commentator on the tournament which he would cover for the BBC until 1994.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The championships became possible when Mike Watterson, a snooker promoter, came up with the idea whilst sat in a barber's chair in 1977. Imperial Tobacco, who already sponsored the World Snooker Championship with their Embassy brand, were also interested and with Watterson promoting the event Imperial also signed up to the darts version, which they were to sponsor for 25 years. The relationship only ended when the UK government decided to end tobacco companies right to sponsor sporting events.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The tournament was held between 6 and 10 February. The tournament was held, for the only time, at the Heart of the Midlands Club in Nottingham. The BDO decided to move the event to Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent for the following year.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The third night of the tournament was when tournament began to be lit up when Leighton Rees checked out in ten darts in front of the TV cameras. Eric Bristow was the number one seed for the championship, but suffered a surprise first round defeat to Conrad Daniels of the United States.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship
The number three seed, Leighton Rees of Wales beat number two seed, England's John Lowe 11–7 in the final. He began to pull ahead when a 180 and a 13-dart leg extended his lead from 8–7 to 9–7 and then he took the next two as well for the £3,000 top prize and the title as first ever World Darts Champion


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
The first days play at the inaugural Embassy World Darts Championships saw 4 first round matches, played over the best of 11 legs. In the opening match, number 1 seed Eric Bristow, a man who would later go on to dominate this event by reaching 10 finals over the 1980s and early 1990s bowed out 6–3 to American Conrad Daniels. Then in an all North American battle, Nicky Virachkul knocked out Hillyard Rossiter 6–0, the first ever World Championship whitewash.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
The third game saw number 5 seed Alan Evans come through a tricky match against England's Alan Glazier by 6 legs to 4. There would be a Welsh semi-finalist guaranteed after 3rd seed and fellow Welshman Leighton Rees set up a quarter-final on Wednesday after beating Australian Barry Atkinson 6–0.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
The first round would be completed today, in the opening match, 4th seeded Scot Rab Smith would smoothly book a second round spot with a 6–0 win over Irishman Patrick Clifford. He would be up against a Swede before the match would be finished. Stefan Lord, seeded 6 won 6–3 against Kenth Ohlsson. Then the second surprise of the tournament came in defeat for 8th seed Tony Brown of England, 6–3 to Australian namesake Tim Brown. The final match would see John Lowe, the highest seed remaining in the Embassy draw begin with a 6–1 win over Bobby Semple of Scotland.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
All 4 Quarter-Finals were played today, the matches still over the best of 11 legs.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
A change in the broadcasting style – and this change was here to stay. After many complaints the BBC decided to split the screen enabling viewer to see the player's reactions and styles of throw. The first quarter-final saw Conrad Daniels leave the tournament after a great first round win over Eric Bristow, Nick Virachkul going into the semi-finals a 6–4 win.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
Then came arguably one of the best games of the tournament, Evans vs. Rees. Evans took the first two legs in 13 darts, scoring two 180's in the first leg and a 177 in the second leg. Then with Rees 3–2, he took the 6th leg with scores of 137, 180, 180 & double 2 first dart, the first 10 darter on national television. Rees would go on to take the match with a 161 checkout for a 12 darter leg and a place against Virachkul by 6 legs to 3.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
The bottom half of the draw saw Stefan Lord knock out Rab Smith in a surprising 6–3 win, whilst John Lowe continued his progress in the tournament, a 6–1 win over Tim Brown, a second 6–1 win for Lowe in the tournament so far.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
The Semi-Finals and the third place play-off would be held today. Matches in the Semi-Finals being extended to the best of 15 legs, whilst the play-off would be the best of nine legs. Wales would have a finalist in the first ever World Championships, after Rees snuck home in the only match to go all the way, Rees winning 8–7 to end American hopes.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
In the Second semi-final, John Lowe put out Stefan Lord 8–4 in a comfortable victory, consolation for Virachkul came in victory in the play-off, the American taking home £1000 for his week with Lord taking £800 after the play-off, which Virachkul won 5–4.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Tournament review
Rees vs. Lowe in a match for £3,000, the loser would take £1,700. Rees would become champion, winning the final by 11 legs to seven.


1978 BDO World Darts Championship, Results
3rd place match (best of 9 legs) Nicky Virachkul 71.70 5 – 4 Stefan Lord  73.20


1978 BMW Challenge
The 1978 BMW Challenge was a women's singles tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Brighton Centre in Brighton in England. The event was part of the AA category of the 1978 Colgate Series. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from 16 October through 22 October 1978. Fifth-seeded Virginia Ruzici won the singles title and earned $14,000 first-prize money.


1978 BMW Challenge, Finals, Doubles
Betty Stöve /  Virginia Wade defeated  Ilana Kloss /  JoAnne Russell 6–0, 7–6


1978 BMW Challenge – Singles
Virginia Ruzici won the singles title at the 1978 BMW Challenge tennis tournament, defeating Betty Stöve in the final 5–7, 6–2, 7–5, winning her 5th title on the WTA Tour.


1978 BMW Challenge – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1978 BRDC International Trophy
The XXX BRDC International Trophy was a motor race for Formula One cars held on 19 March 1978 at the Silverstone Circuit, England. It was the 30th running of the International Trophy, and the last to non-Championship Formula One regulations. The race was held over 40 laps of the Silverstone circuit, for a total distance of around 189 kilometres (117 miles).


1978 BRDC International Trophy
Although qualifying sessions had been dry, the race was run in torrential rain, resulting in multiple accidents and drivers spinning off. The race was eventually won by Keke Rosberg, his first victory in a Formula One car in only his second ever Formula One race.


1978 BYU Cougars football team
The 1978 BYU Cougars football team represented the Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The team was led by head coach LaVell Edwards, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and four losses (9–4, 5–1 WAC), as WAC Champions and with a loss against Navy in the Holiday Bowl.


1978 BYU Cougars football team, Game summaries, Colorado State
Jim McMahon, the backup quarterback and normally handles the punting duties, came off the bench to pass for one score and run for another when Marc Wilson was injured early in the second quarter with a bruised hamstring. "It's nice to have quarterbacks like those two, isn't it", head coach LaVell Edwards said after the game.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash
The 1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash was an accident that occurred on 16 March 1978, when a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 airliner on an international flight from Sofia Airport to Warsaw Airport crashed. All passengers and crew died in the crash. As of 2021, it remains the worst accident in Bulgarian aviation history. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Aircraft
The aircraft Tupolev Tu-134, tail number LZ-TUB, was produced in 1968 by the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company. It belonged to Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, and had 72 passenger seats and room for seven crew. The flight in question was piloted by Captain Hristo Hristov.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Accident
On departure from Sofia, the aircraft began to climb to 8,850 metres (29,040 ft) but at 4,900 m (16,100 ft), it turned on a heading of 050 degrees. It turned again to 270 degrees before it began an abnormal descent. The aircraft crashed 10 minutes from takeoff near the village of Gabare, close to Byala Slatina, 130 km northeast of Sofia, killing all 73 people on board. At the time of the crash, the aircraft was flying at a speed of 800 km/h with almost full fuel tanks, containing 11 tons of fuel. The nature of the emergency and whether the aircraft was under control at the moment of impact were never established.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Accident
After the crash, the Bulgarian Army quickly arrived at the scene, and sealed it off. The investigation performed afterwards was superficial. The official cause given by the Bulgarian authorities was a "malfunction of eletrical installation". The accident was quickly forgotten, with no further investigations being conducted. The haste with which the disaster was "forgotten" and the superficial investigation that was carried out raised doubts. This sparked speculation as to the real cause of the crash. One version of the event claimed that the Tu-134 collided with a MiG-21 of the Bulgarian Air Force. Another version assumed that the aircraft was shot down mistakenly by the Bulgarian anti-aircraft defense system. These claims are driven by the fact that there was a Warsaw Pact military base in the area.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Victims
The victims of the crash were 37 Polish passengers, 27 Bulgarian passengers, two British passengers and seven crew members.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Victims
Among the victims were members of the Polish national track cycling team (Tadeusz Włodarczyk, Witold Stachowiak, Marek Kolasa, Krzysztof Otocki and Jacek Zdaniuk) and members of the Bulgarian national rhythmic gymnastics team (Valentina Kirilova, Snezhana Mikhailova, Albena Petrova, Sevdalina Popova and Rumiana Stefanova with their coach Julieta Shishmanova). Other victims included the Polish Vice-Minister of Culture Janusz Wilhelmi and Bulgarian footballer Georgi Dimitrov.


1978 Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crash, Commemoration
A marble monument located in a gorge near the village of Gabare commemorates the accident and its victims. It is placed in hard-to-reach terrain and no path leads towards it. In 2016, on the initiative of Leszek Sibilski and Wacław Skarul, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the velodrome Arena Pruszków in Pruszków, Poland. It reads “The living owe it to those who can no longer speak to tell their story.”


1978 Ball State Cardinals football team
The 1978 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 10–1 record (8–0 against conference opponents) and won the MAC championship. Ball state did not have another 10-win season until 2008, when they started the season at 12-0 before losing their conference championship game and their bowl game. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.


1978 Ball State Cardinals football team
The team's statistical leaders included Dave Wilson with 1,037 passing yards, Archie Currin with 735 rushing yards, Ray Hinton with 417 receiving yards, and Mark O'Connell with 60 points scored. Brady Hoke was a member of the team.


1978 Ballon d'Or
The 1978 Ballon d'Or,  given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the English Forward Kevin Keegan on 27 December 1978. There were 26 voters, from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia.


1978 Baltimore Colts season
The 1978 Baltimore Colts season was the 26th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Under fourth-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with 5 wins and 11 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore lost the tiebreaker to Buffalo based on head-to-head series (0–2). This was the first time under Marchibroda that Baltimore did not make the postseason.


1978 Baltimore Colts season
With quarterback Bert Jones out for several weeks with a shoulder injury, Baltimore started the season in catastrophic fashion, losing their first two games by a combined score of 80–0. The Colts' first win of the season, in week three over New England on Monday Night Football, is one of the biggest regular season upsets in NFL history. The Patriots were favored by an overwhelming 17½ points, but the Colts scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a 90-yard kickoff return by running back Joe Washington with under a minute left to take the lead for good. In the game, Washington became the first player to throw a touchdown, catch a pass for a touchdown, and return a kickoff for a touchdown in the same game.


1978 Baltimore Colts season, Regular season, Schedule
This was the first NFL regular season with 16 games: the previous seventeen seasons had 14 games.


1978 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1978 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing fourth in the American League East with a record of 90 wins and 71 losses.


1978 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1978 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1978 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Bangladeshi presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 3 June 1978. They were the first direct elections for the presidency, as the president had previously been elected by the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a victory for Ziaur Rahman, who received 76.6% of the vote. Turnout was 54.3%.


1978 Bangladeshi presidential election, Campaign
Prior to the elections, six parties backing Ziaur Rahman – the Bangladesh Labour Party, the Bangladesh Muslim League, the Bangladesh Scheduled Caste Federation, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal, the National Awami Party (Bhashani) and the United Peoples' Party – formed the Jatiyatabadi Front (Nationalist Front) to support his candidacy.


1978 Bangladeshi presidential election, Campaign
M. A. G. Osmani was also supported by an alliance of six parties under the name Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote (United Democratic Alliance). The alliance consisted of the Awami League, the Communist Party, the Gano Adaji League, the Jatiya Janata Party, the National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and the People's League.


1978 Bangladeshi presidential election, Campaign
A group of parties led by Ataur Rahman boycotted the elections, including the Democratic League, the Islamic Democratic League, Jatiya Dal, the Jatiya League and the Krishak Sramik Party.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election
The 1978 Barking Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Barking London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election, Background
6 new wards were created for this election and 113 candidates nominated in total. Labour, once again, ran a full slate of candidates, and in keeping with the council's strong Labour vote, no other party ran in all wards. The Conservative Party had the second most candidates on the ballot at 28.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election, Election result
Labour continued to win a large majority of seats - 42 out of 48. For the first time since the 1968 elections the Conservatives won seats as well, 3 in all.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election, By-elections between 1978 and 1982, Cambell
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Bertie E. Roycraft.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election, By-elections between 1978 and 1982, Gascoigne
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Julia H. Engwell.


1978 Barking London Borough Council election, By-elections between 1978 and 1982, Triptons
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. William E. Bellamy.


1978 Barnet London Borough Council election
The 1978 Barnet Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Barnet London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


1978 Barnet London Borough Council election, Background
Since the last election in 1974, the Local Government Boundary Commission carried out their first periodic electoral review of Barnet under the Local Government Act 1972 and made a number of boundary changes.


1978 Barnet London Borough Council election, By-elections between 1978 and 1982, Hadley
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Ernest A. E. Asker.


1978 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 4 May 1978. One third of the council was up for election. The election resulted in Labour retaining control of the council. The sole Democratic Labour councillor elected in 1973 successfully defended his seat as an Independent and the only Independent elected in 1973 unsuccessfully defended his seat as a Conservative.


1978 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election, Ward results
+/- figures represent changes from the last time these wards were contested.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1978 introduced a new system that would continue to 1994. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected Eddie Mathews. The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions to consider older major league players as well as managers, umpires, executives, and figures from the Negro leagues. It selected Addie Joss and Larry MacPhail. A formal induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on August 7, 1978, with Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn presiding.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
The special committee on Negro leagues had disbanded after its 1977 meeting. Two of its members were appointed to the Veterans Committee, as part of expanding that body from twelve to eighteen members. Its responsibilities were extended to cover the Negro leagues, which would continue until the next reform in 1994.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1958 or later, but not after 1972; the ballot included candidates from the 1977 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 1972. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. The ballot consisted of 36 players; a total of 379 ballots were cast, with 285 votes required for election. A total of 2,779 individual votes were cast, an average of 7.33 per ballot. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (†). The one candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and was elected is indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been elected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Roberto Clemente, who died following the 1972 season, was included on the 1973 ballot under a standard provision for players who die before the five-year waiting period has elapsed.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
The newly-eligible players included 18 All-Stars, 11 of whom were not included on the ballot, representing a total of 39 All-Star selections. Among the new candidates were 7-time All-Star Bill Mazeroski and 5-time All-Stars Hoyt Wilhelm and Maury Wlls. The field included two MVPs (Wills and Denny McLain), one Cy Young Award winner (Denny McLain, who received the MVP the same year as one of his two Cy Young Awards; that same season, he was the last pitcher to win thirty games in a season) and two Rookies of the Year (Ron Hansen and Gary Peters). Bill Mazeroski also had eight Gold Gloves at Second Base, the record at the time.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, BBWAA election
Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Ted Abernathy, Joe Azcue, John Bateman, Wade Blasingame, Don Buford, Donn Clendenon, Tony Cloninger, Moe Drabowsky, Joe Gibbon, Tom Haller, Steve Hamilton, Ron Hansen, Joe Horlen, Julián Javier, Denny Lemaster, J. C. Martin, Don Mincher, Gary Peters, Phil Regan, Jim Roland, Ron Taylor, Stan Williams, and Bobby Wine.


1978 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, J. G. Taylor Spink Award
Gordon Cobbledick (1898–1969) and Edgar Munzel (1907–2002) received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring baseball writers. The awards were voted at the December 1977 meeting of the BBWAA, and included in the summer 1978 ceremonies.


1978 Basque Pelota World Championships
The 1978 Basque Pelota World Championships were the 8th edition of the Basque Pelota World Championships organized by  the FIPV.


1978 Basque Pelota World Championships, Events
A total of 12 events were disputed, in 4 playing areas.


1978 Bath City Council election
The 1978 Bath City Council election was held on Thursday 4 May 1978 to elect councillors to Bath City Council in England. It took place on the same day as other district council elections in the United Kingdom. One third of seats were up for election.


1978 Bath City Council election, Ward results
Sitting councillors seeking re-election, elected in 1976, are marked with an asterisk (*). The ward results listed below are based on the changes from the 1976 elections, not taking into account any party defections or by-elections.


1978 Baylor Bears football team
The 1978 Baylor Bears football team represented the Baylor University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Bears finished the season sixth in the Southwest Conference. Sophomore Mike Singletary established a team record with 232 tackles in 1978, including 34 in a game against the University of Houston.


1978 Baylor Bears football team, Team Players drafted into the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.


1978 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1978 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 May 1978 at Zolder. It was the sixth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 70-lap race was won from pole position by Mario Andretti, driving the new Lotus 79. Teammate Ronnie Peterson was second in the older Lotus 78, with Carlos Reutemann third in a Ferrari.


1978 Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Qualifying classification
*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify or pre-qualify.


1978 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Report
The main news before the Belgian Grand Prix was that the new Lotus 79 was now ready to race, and immediately Mario Andretti showed its pace by taking pole comfortably from Carlos Reutemann and Niki Lauda. He converted it to a first-corner lead, whereas Reutemann had a bad start and got swamped by the field, causing a chain reaction in which Lauda was hit by Jody Scheckter and had to retire. This left Gilles Villeneuve second and Ronnie Peterson third but neither could keep pace with Andretti who was able to drive away.


1978 Belgian Grand Prix, Race, Report
The first 40 laps went without incident until Villeneuve suffered a puncture and had to pit which dropped him back down to fifth, and a few laps later Peterson also pitted for new tyres leaving the charging Reutemann second ahead of Jacques Laffite's Ligier. Peterson on the new tyres was much quicker and was able to pass them both in the closing stages, and Laffite made an attempt to pass Reutemann on the last lap but they collided and Laffite was out. Andretti cruised to an untroubled victory, with Peterson making it a Lotus 1–2, and Reutemann completing the podium.


1978 Belgian International Championships
The 1978 Belgian International Championships was a men's tennis tournament staged at the Leopold Club in Brussels, Belgium that was part of the Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was held from 12 June until 18 June 1978. It was the seventh edition of the tournament and unseeded Werner Zirngibl, who entered the competition as a qualifier, won the singles title.


1978 Belgian International Championships, Finals, Doubles
Antonio Zugarelli /  Jean-Louis Haillet defeated  Onny Parun /  Vladimír Zedník 6–3, 4–6, 7–5


1978 Belgian general election
General elections were held in Belgium on 17 December 1978. The Christian People's Party emerged as the largest party, with 57 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 29 of the 106 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 94.8%. Elections were also held for the nine provincial councils and for the Council of the German Cultural Community.


1978 Belgian general election
The snap elections were called after Prime Minister Leo Tindemans resigned over the Egmont pact, which would have transformed Belgium into a federal state. Vlaams Blok participated for the first time, which was formed out of disagreement within the People's Union over concessions in the Egmont pact.


1978 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 2 July 1978 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. These races, along with the Spa 24 Hours touring car race 3 weeks later were the last international major events held on the old 14 kilometer Spa-Francorchamps circuit.


1978 Belmont Stakes
The 1978 Belmont Stakes was the 110th running of the Belmont Stakes. It occurred on June 10, 1978, and was televised on CBS. Affirmed completed the 11th Triple Crown after his victories in the 1978 Kentucky Derby and the 1978 Preakness Stakes. As in the prior two legs of the Triple Crown, he narrowly defeated Alydar.


1978 Belmont Stakes
Affirmed and Alydar ran head to head for the last half mile of the mile and a half race, with Affirmed ultimately winning by a head. Affirmed's winning time of 2:26 4/5 was the 3rd best in history at the time, behind only Secretariat's all-time record of 2:24 in 1973 and Gallant Man's time of 2:26 3/5 in 1957. This was despite a slow early pace.


1978 Benson & Hedges Championships
The 1978 Benson & Hedges Championships, also known as the Wembley Championships, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Wembley Arena in London in England that was part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. The tournament was held from 14 November until 18 November 1978. Third-seeded John McEnroe won the singles title.


1978 Benson & Hedges Championships, Finals, Doubles
Peter Fleming /  John McEnroe defeated  Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan 7–6, 4–6, 6–4


1978 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1978 Benson & Hedges Cup was the seventh competing of cricket's Benson & Hedges Cup. The competition was won by Kent County Cricket Club.


1978 Bergen County Classic
The 1978 Bergen County Classic was a women's singles tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey in the United States. The event was part of the AA category of the 1978 Colgate Series. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from 21 September through 26 September 1978. First-seeded Virginia Wade won the singles title and earned $14,000 first-prize money.


1978 Bergen County Classic, Finals, Doubles
Ilana Kloss /  Marise Kruger defeated  Barbara Potter /  Pam Whytcross 6–3, 6–1


1978 Berlin Marathon
The 1978 Berlin Marathon was the 5th running of the annual marathon race held in Berlin, West Germany, held on 3 September. West Germany's Michael Spöttel won the men's race in 2:20:02 hours, while the women's race was won by West Germany's Ursula Blaschke in 2:57:09. A total of 197 runners finished the race, comprising 187 men and 10 women.


1978 Berlin Open
The 1978 Berlin Open, also known as the International Championships of Berlin, was a men's tennis tournament staged in Berlin, West Germany that was part of the Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was held from 19 June until 25 June 1978. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and fifth-seeded Vladimír Zedník won the singles title.


1978 Berlin Open, Finals, Doubles
Jürgen Fassbender /  Colin Dowdeswell def. Željko Franulović /  Hans Gildemeister 6–3, 6–4


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election
The Berwick and East Lothian by-election, 1978 was a by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Berwick and East Lothian in Scotland on 26 October 1978. It was one of two UK parliamentary by-elections held on that day, and was won by the Labour Party candidate John Home Robertson.


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election, Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), John Mackintosh had died at the age of 48 on 30 July 1978. He had held the seat since the October 1974 general election, having previously been MP for the seat between 1966 and the February 1974 election.


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election, Candidates
The Labour candidate was 29-year-old John Home Robertson, a farmer who had been a member of Berwickshire District Council since 1974. The Conservative Party candidate was Margaret Marshall. The Scottish National Party fielded Isobel Lindsay, this caused some tensions within the SNP as the national leadership chose her as the candidate, as they were entitled to do, but they did not choose the person the local SNP organisation had selected to fight the next general election. The Liberals selected Tam Glen.


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election, Candidates
On the eve of the poll the Conservatives, including Margaret Marshall, reportedly had high hopes of victory and the Glasgow Herald predicted that failure to win the seat would be 'seen as in many quarters as an unmitigated disaster' for the Conservative Party in Scotland. Labour however felt the SNP vote would be reduced with many SNP voters switching to them. John Home Robertson talked of making the seat safe for Labour, but others in the party were described as being 'wary of their chances'. Isobel Lindsay expected to increase the SNP vote, while Tam Glen also was confident that the Liberal vote would rise.


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election, Result
The result was a victory for Robertson, with an increased majority of 3,112 votes. This was well against the general trend of by-elections in the 1974-79 Parliament, which had been against Labour. It also saw a decline in the SNP vote, continuing a trend at a few other elections earlier in the year.


1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election, Result
Robertson held the seat until its abolition for the 1983 general election, when he was returned for the new East Lothian constituency. He went on to represent the Scottish Parliament constituency of East Lothian.


1978 Bexley London Borough Council election
The 1978 Bexley Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Bexley London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.


1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held February 28–March 4 at a combination of on-campus gymnasiums and the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.


1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Seventh-seeded Missouri upset defending champions Kansas State in the championship game, 71–68 (in double overtime), to capture their first Big Eight men's basketball tournament.


1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Tigers, in turn, received a bid to the 1978 NCAA Tournament. They were joined in the tournament by the Big 8's regular season champion, Kansas, who earned at-large bid.


1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All eight of the conference's members participated in the tournament field. They were seeded based on regular season conference records, with all teams beginning play in the initial quarterfinal round.


1978 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
All first round games were played on the home court of the higher-seeded team. The semifinals and championship game, in turn, were played at a neutral site at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.


1978 Big League World Series
The 1978 Big League World Series took place from August 12–19 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Taipei, Taiwan defeated Tampa, Florida in the championship game. It was Taiwan's fifth straight championship.


1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 3–4 at Adams Field House at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.


1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Weber State upset top-seeded Montana in the championship game, 62–55 (in overtime), to clinch their first conference tournament title. the first of three consecutive. They had lost in the final in the first two editions. The end of regulation time saw the teams tied at 49 points each; host Montana missed a potential winning free throw with seconds left.


1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
First played in 1976, the Big Sky tournament had the same format for its first eight editions. The regular season champion hosted and only the top four teams from the standings took part, with seeding based on regular season conference records.


1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
Montana made its inaugural appearance, not having qualified as a top-four team in either of the previous two years.


1978 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, NCAA Tournament
Weber State received an automatic bid to the 32-team NCAA Tournament, but lost in the first round to Arkansas in Eugene, Oregon; Arkansas ultimately advanced to the Final Four. It was the Wildcats' first NCAA appearance in five years, since they went to six consecutive (1968–1973).


1978 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1978 Big Ten Conference football season was the 83rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1978 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled a 10–2 record, tied with Michigan State for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring defense (8.8 points allowed per game), lost to national champion USC in the Rose Bowl, and was ranked No. 5 in the final AP and UPI polls. Quarterback Rick Leach won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten, finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1978 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Darryl Rogers, compiled an 8–3, tied with Michigan for the conference championship, led the conference in scoring offense (37.4 points per game), and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. Ed Smith led the conference with 2,226 passing yards and Kirk Gibson led the conference with 806 receiving yards. Gibson was selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Newspaper Enterprise Association, and The Sporting News. Tight end Mark Brammer was selected as a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season
The 1978 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jim Young, compiled a 9–2–1 record, finished in third place in the Big Ten, defeated Georgia Tech in the 1978 Peach Bowl, and was ranked No. 13 in the final AP and UPI polls. Jim Young was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Quarterback Mark Hermann passed for 1,904 yards, and defensive lineman Keena Turner was selected as the team's most valuable player.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season
Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau's was selected as a consensus first-team All-American and was the first player selected in the 1979 NFL Draft. Minnesota running back Marion Barber, Jr. led the conference with 1,210 rushing yards, and Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter led the conference in scoring with 78 points on 13 rushing touchdowns. Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was fired after punching a Clemson player in the closing minutes of the 1978 Gator Bowl.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Results and team statistics
KeyAP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1978 seasonAP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1978 seasonPPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in boldPAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in boldMVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 16
On September 16, 1978, the Big Ten football teams opened the season with three conference games and four non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two wins and two losses.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 23
On September 23, 1978, the Big Ten teams played two conference games and six non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and two losses, giving the Big Ten a 6–4 non-conference record to that point in the season.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, September 29-30
On September 29 and 30, 1978, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in four wins and six losses, giving the Big Ten a 10–10 non-conference record to that point in the season.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 7
On October 7, 1978, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and five losses, giving the Big Ten a 13–15 non-conference record during the regular season.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 14
On October 14, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 21
On October 21, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, October 28
On October 28, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 4
On November 4, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 11
On November 11, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 18
On November 18, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Regular season, November 25
On November 25, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl games, 1979 Rose Bowl
On January 1, 1979, Michigan (ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll) lost to USC (ranked No. 3), 17–10, before a crowd of 105,629 in the 1979 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The game was marked by the so-called "Phantom Touchdown" scored by USC's Charles White in the second quarter. Replays showed that White fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line. One official marked the ball down at the one-yard line, but another ruled that White had scored. The officials ultimately ruled that White had scored, giving USC its margin of victory. In the final UPI coaches poll, USC jumped to No. 1 after beating Michigan.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl games, 1978 Gator Bowl
On December 29, 1978, Ohio State (ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll) lost to Clemson (ranked No. 7), 17–15, before a crowd of 72,011 in the 1978 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. This game was Woody Hayes' last as Ohio State's head coach. With just over two minutes left in the game, Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter threw a pass that was intercepted by Clemson's Charlie Bauman. Bauman ran towards the OSU sideline avoiding tackles and was finally shoved out of bounds, where he was punched through his face mask by coach Hayes. The next day, Ohio State fired Hayes after 28 seasons as the school's head football coach.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Season overview, Bowl games, 1978 Peach Bowl
On December 25, 1978, Purdue (ranked No. 17 in the UPI Poll) defeated Georgia Tech (ranked No. 19 in the UPI Poll), 41–21, before a crowd of 20,277 in the 1978 Peach Bowl held at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann completed 12 of 24 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Passing yards
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (2,226)2. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (1,904)3. Kevin Strasser, Northwestern (1,526)4. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (1,378)5. Rick Leach, Michigan (1,283)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Rushing yards
1. Marion Barber, Jr., Minnesota (1,210)2. John Macon, Purdue (913)3. Mike Harkrader, Indiana (880)4. Steve Smith, Michigan State (772)5. Harlan Huckleby, Michigan (741)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Receiving yards
1. Kirk Gibson, Michigan State (806)2. Eugene Byrd, Michigan State (718)3. David Charles, Wisconsin (573)4. Ralph Clayton, Michigan (546)5. Doug Donley, Ohio State (510)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Total offense
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (2,247)2. Rick Leach, Michigan (1,894)3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (1,840)4. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (1,824)5. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (1,547)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Passing efficiency rating
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (139.0)2. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (121.9)3. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (101.5)4. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (93.3)5. Kevin Strasser, Northwestern (88.9)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Rushing yards per attempt
1. Steve Smith, Michigan State (6.7)2. Leroy McGee, Michigan State (6.0)3. Tom Stauss, Wisconsin (5.9)4. Ricardo Volley, Ohio State (5.5)5. Wayne Strader, Illinois (5.3)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Yards per reception
1. Ralph Clayton, Michigan (21.8)2. Doug Donley, Ohio State (21.2)3. Kirk Gibson, Michigan State (19.2)4. Elmer Bailey, Minnesota (17.2)5. Eugene Byrd, Michigan State (16.7)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Statistical leaders, Points scored
1. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (78)2. Morten Andersen, Michigan State (73)2. Scott Sovereen, Purdue (73)4. Rick Leach, Michigan (72)5. Gregg Willner, Michigan (68)


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-Big Ten honors
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1978 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
At the end of the 1978 season, only one Big Ten player was a consensus first-team pick for the 1978 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:


1978 Big Ten Conference football season, 1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was held in New York on May 3–4, 1979. The following players were among the first 100 picks:


1978 Birmingham WCT
The 1978 Birmingham WCT was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the sixth edition of the Grand Prix Birmingham, and part of the 1978 Colgate Palmolive Grand Prix. It took place in Birmingham, Alabama, United States from January 9 through January 15, 1978. First-seeded Björn Borg won the singles title.


1978 Birmingham WCT, Finals, Doubles
Vitas Gerulaitis /  Sandy Mayer defeated  Frew McMillan /  Dick Stockton 3–6, 6–1, 7–6


1978 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1978 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen. The announcement date varies, both from year to year and from country to country.


1978 Birthday Honours
The 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours were announced on 3 June for the United Kingdom and Life Peers, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius, Fiji, The Bahamas, Grenada, and Papua New Guinea.


1978 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1978 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 3 June 1978.


1978 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1978 Blue Swords
Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles and pair skating.


1978 Boise State Broncos football team
The 1978 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Led by third-year head coach Jim Criner, the Broncos were 7–4 overall and 3–3 in conference.


1978 Boise State Broncos football team
This was the first season for the newly created Division I-AA, which the Big Sky joined. It was previously a Division II conference for football, except for Division I member Idaho, which moved down to I-AA this season.


1978 Boise State Broncos football team
Following this season, Boise State was put on probation for a scouting violation in November prior to the NAU game; the Broncos were ineligible for the league title or I-AA playoffs in 1979.


1978 Boise State Broncos football team, NFL Draft
Two Broncos were selected in the 1979 NFL Draft, which lasted twelve rounds (330 selections).


1978 Bolivian general election
General elections were held in Bolivia on 9 July 1978. The elections were the first held since 1966, with several military coups taking place during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although Juan Pereda of the Nationalist Union of the People won the presidential elections, more votes were cast than there were registered voters. After examining a number of allegations of fraud and other irregularities, the Electoral Court decided to annul the results on 20 July. The following day, Pereda was installed as President following a military coup. Pereda himself was overthrown by yet another military coup in November, which saw General David Padilla assume the presidency. Fresh elections were held the following year, with Padilla transferring power to his democratically elected successor, Wálter Guevara.


1978 Bolivian general election, Campaign
Juan Pereda was supported in his presidential bid by both the Nationalist Union of the People and the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the People, whilst René Bernal Escalante was the candidate of both the PDC–PRB alliance and the Eastern Rural Party.


1978 Bolivian general election, Results
The official results were inconsistent; the reported total number of votes cast was 1,971,968, around 50,000 more than the number of registered voters (1,921,556), giving a turnout of 102.6%. However, the total of votes cast for each party and invalid votes was 1,990,671, nearly 20,000 higher than the reported total and representing a turnout of 103.6%.


1978 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on in May 1978. The Conservatives retained control of the Council.


1978 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election
23 seats were contested, with 11 being won by the Conservative Party and 12 by the Labour Party.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak
The 1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak was an outbreak of 11 tornadoes that occurred during the early morning hours of December 3, 1978, in Louisiana and Arkansas. The outbreak produced several significant (F2–F5) tornadoes, several of which were long tracked. The first and most destructive of the tornadoes was a violent F4 tornado touched down on the eastern bank of the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana, at approximately 1:50 a.m. CST. The tornado produced a path up to .5 miles (0.8 km) wide and nearly 4 miles (6.4 km) long through the heart of Bossier City. The only two deaths to occur in Bossier City were two young girls who were killed when a car was thrown through their bedroom wall. The Bossier City tornado became the fifth tornado in American history to produce at least $100 million (non-adjusted) in damage.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Meteorological synopsis
On Monday, November 27, 1978, a cold front moved through Northwest Louisiana. By Friday, December 1, a positively tilted trough was present in the upper atmosphere from the High Plains to the Desert Southwest. This allowed Gulf moisture to return to the lower part of the atmosphere Friday night. The placement of the upper atmospheric trough allowed very little movement of the associated front from Thursday to Saturday. At this time, the front stretched over north Texas, Southern Missouri, Southwestern Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Meteorological synopsis
This front was unusually strong for the month of December, and placed the Shreveport area under the right exit region of a strong jet stream. The strong synoptic-scale lifting was favorable to thunderstorm formation. Also at this time, a low pressure system had developed over Northeast Texas. This caused increased low-level wind shear that enabled the development of thunderstorms. Meanwhile, a warm temperature plume, or inversion, at the 850-millibar geopotential height allowed low-level instability to increase. CAPE thus soared to 2,179 j/kg on December 2, the evening before the outbreak began.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
In Deep East Texas, a series of supercell thunderstorms developed ahead of a squall line. As thunderstorms approached the area, a Severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 1:27 a.m. CST for northern Caddo and Bossier Parishes. The supercell which spawned the tornado tracked over the town of Deadwood, Texas, before moving over Southwood High School, Pierremont Mall, and the VA Hospital in Shreveport with no reports of tornadic activity. The National Weather Service office in Shreveport clocked the supercell's winds at 52 miles per hour (84 km/h).


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
Due to radar indication of possible rotation, the NWS issued a tornado warning at 1:33 a.m. CST. At 1:50 a.m. the tornado may have touched down just south of downtown Shreveport, causing damage, though post-storm analysis suggested that this was likely related to downburst activity. The circulation then crossed into the Central Park subdivision in western central Bossier City and made full contact with the ground. The tornado caused minor damage in the Central Park neighborhood which amounted to some roof damage and fallen trees. The tornado's track across Old Minden Road brought it through the SWEPCO power substation, creating a tangle of power lines and connectors.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
The tornado then crossed Interstate 20 and then Barksdale Boulevard, making its way into the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center and causing extensive damage. As it touched down near the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center, it destroyed Christmas decorations, street lights, and sign posts. Baskin-Robbins and Pancho's were among the businesses in the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center which sustained major damage. It continued northeast across Old Minden Road striking a power substation, the Port-au-Prince apartments, the Sheraton Hotel, several houses in the adjacent Central Plaza subdivision and Rusheon Junior High School.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
Two buildings at the Port-au-Prince Apartments lost their roofs and cars throughout the parking lot were piled on top of each other. The Sheraton hotel and Rusheon Junior High School also sustained roof damage and broken windows. As the tornado traveled along Interstate 20, several 18-wheelers were toppled by the winds. It continued parallel to Interstate 20 into the Airline Drive Business District, where it produced widespread F3 damage. In this area, numerous businesses were damaged or completely leveled, including Pizza Hut, the Best Western, the Master Hosts Inn, Whataburger, Thrifty Liquor and K-Mart. A small area surrounding the Whataburger received high-end F3 to marginal F4 winds. One noted anomaly was the minor damage caused to the Whataburger. It was later speculated that the position of the Whataburger situated between two suction vortices.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
The tornado made its way through K-Mart and the intersection of Airline Drive and U.S. Route 80 throwing several mobile homes out into the middle of U.S. Route 80. After crossing U.S Route 80, the tornado moved through a sparsely populated area and then into the Meadowview and Swan Lake submissions, destroying substantial parts of the neighborhood. Traveling into the Meadowview neighborhood, the tornado tore through several streets of housing. It was in this neighborhood that the only two deaths occurred from this tornado.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
In this area the tornado was at F4 intensity, with winds estimated at about 260 miles per hour (420 km/h); several I-beams weighing 700 pounds (318 kg) were thrown hundreds of feet and speared into the ground. On La Don Drive, Lisa and Jana Currington, ages 13 and 8, were killed when a car was thrown through the wall of the bedroom they were sleeping in. Aerial photography revealed a distinct swath of ground scouring in the Meadowview area. Meadowview Elementary School suffered extensive damage with one wing of the school being completely destroyed.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
Nearby, a National Guard armory was completely destroyed. As it crossed Interstate 220, the tornado leveled the Northwest Louisiana State School. As it passed through the Stockwell Place subdivision, the tornado again produced F4 damage to several homes. The storm continued to track northeastward until it dissipated over the Red Chute area.


1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak, Confirmed tornadoes, Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana
Total damage from the tornado reached $100 million (1978 USD), making the tornado one of the top 30 costliest on record in the United States. Dr. Tetsuya T. Fujita surveyed the tornado damage and completed extensive surveys on the ground and from the air. He assigned the F4 rating after extensive investigation, though the F4 damage only occurred in small sections of the Meadowview, Swan Lake, and Stockwell Place subdivisions. In all, the tornado destroyed 75 homes and 51 businesses throughout a large part of Bossier City, and damaged hundreds of other buildings.


1978 Boston College Eagles football team
The 1978 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team compiled a 0–11 record and were outscored by a total of 294 to 153. The team compiled the worst record in Division I-A during the 1978 season. Five of the team's games were lost in late stages. The team traveled to Tokyo to play in the Mirage Bowl on December 10.


1978 Boston College Eagles football team
Ed Chlebek was hired as the team's head coach in January 1978, after having coached at Eastern Michigan for two years; he was named the Mid-America Conference coach of the year in 1977.


1978 Boston College Eagles football team
The team's statistical leaders included Jay Palazola with 926 passing yards, Anthony Brown with 748 rushing yards, and Paul McCarty with 531 receiving yards.


1978 Boston College Eagles football team
The team played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.


1978 Boston Red Sox season
The 1978 Boston Red Sox season was the 78th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. After 162 regular-season games, the Red Sox and the New York Yankees finished tied atop the American League East division, with identical 99–63 records. The teams then played a tie-breaker game, which was won by New York, 5–4. Thus, the Red Sox finished their season with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses, one game behind the Yankees, who went on to win the 1978 World Series.


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
The Red Sox played 163 games, as a tie-breaker game was needed to determine the winner of the AL East.


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, The "Boston Massacre"
For several days in July, the Red Sox were 14 games ahead of the rival New York Yankees; at the end of play on July 19, Boston was 62–28 and New York was in fourth place at 48–42. However, the Yankees worked their way back. At the end of play on September 6, the Yankees had reduced the 14-game deficit to only four games, just in time for a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees won all four games in the series, by a combined score of 42–9, leaving the teams tied with identical 86–56 records at the end of play on September 10. The series became known as the "Boston Massacre", named after the March 5, 1770, confrontation with British soldiers.


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, Tie-breaker game
The Yankees held a one-game lead over the Red Sox before the final day of the regular-season schedule. With a Red Sox win over the Toronto Blue Jays, and a Yankee loss to the Cleveland Indians, the two teams finished the season in a tie for the AL East division title, both with records of 99–63. The next day, in a tie-breaker game played at Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 5–4, with the help of a memorable home run by Bucky Dent.


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, Tie-breaker game
The Yankees went on to win the World Series in six games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Dent became a Red Sox demon, the Red Sox would get a measure of retribution in 1990, when the Yankees fired Dent as their manager during a series at Fenway Park.


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1978 Boston University Terriers football team
The 1978 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their second season under head coach Rick Taylor, the Terriers compiled a 6–4 record (2–3 against conference opponents), finished fourth in the conference, and were outscored by a total of 177 to 169.


1978 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 1978 Bowling Green Falcons football team represented Bowling Green State University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Falcons finished the season with a 4–7 record.


1978 Brantford municipal election
The 1978 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 1978, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Elections were also held in the rural and small-town communities surrounding the city.


1978 Brantford municipal election
Charles Bowen was narrowly re-elected to a fourth two-year term as mayor, defeating rival candidate Jo Brennan.


1978 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 January 1978 at Jacarepagua. The race was won by Argentine driver Carlos Reutemann driving a Ferrari 312T2 in a flag-to-flag performance. The win also represented the first win for tyre manufacturer Michelin. Local driver Emerson Fittipaldi was second, scoring the first podium finish for the Fittipaldi team with Austrian Brabham driver Niki Lauda finishing third. French driver Didier Pironi took his first points in Formula One, finishing sixth, while Arrows made its F1 debut with Riccardo Patrese finishing tenth, four laps down.


1978 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Report
The first Formula One race held at Jacarepagua was held in typically extreme weather conditions of January in Rio, meaning the race was held in both hot and humid conditions. Ronnie Peterson took the pole position in the leading Lotus ahead of James Hunt in the leading McLaren, teammate Mario Andretti in the other Lotus, Carlos Reutemann in the leading Ferrari, Patrick Tambay in the second McLaren and Gilles Villeneuve in the other Ferrari.


1978 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Report
Peterson got off to a poor start from the pole and dropped back to 4th, whilst into the first corner it was Reutemann from 4th on the grid who got the best start and lead the first lap for Ferrari ahead of Hunt, Andretti, Peterson, Tambay and Villeneuve.


1978 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Report
Hunt in the leading McLaren and Andretti in the leading Lotus were running 2nd and 3rd behind Reutemann, until Hunt was forced to pit for tyres whilst Andretti soon started to suffer from gearbox problems and dropped to 4th, handing their 2nd and 3rd places over to home favourite Emerson Fittipaldi and reigning world-champion Niki Lauda respectively. Peterson eventually retired after a collision by lap 16. The hot and humid conditions had eventually caused Hunt, Tambay and Villeneuve in the other Ferrari to all spin off and crash by lap 36. Reutemann meanwhile had no challengers for the lead all race long, and won by a comfortable margin ahead of former double world-champion Fittipaldi, Lauda, Andretti in the remaining Lotus, Clay Regazzoni in the Shadow and Didier Pironi in the Tyrrell.


1978 Brazilian legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Brazil on 15 November 1978. The pro-government National Renewal Alliance Party (ARENA) won 231 of the 420 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 15 of the 23 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 81.7%.


1978 Brazilian legislative election
They were the last elections held under a mandatory two-party system, as reforms were enacted in 1979 by Brazil's governing military junta, represented in Congress by ARENA, to allow a multi-party system to emerge in an effort to combat the growing popularity of the opposition Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) by splitting their vote.


1978 Brazilian legislative election, Electoral system
In 1977 the electoral system had been reformed, making the election of senators indirect. As with the 1979 reforms, this was primarily done in response to the growth of the Brazilian Democratic Movement. The Senate election saw the MDB win only eight of the 23 seats, despite receiving 57% of the vote.


1978 Brazilian presidential election
Indirect presidential elections were held in Brazil on 15 October 1978. The opposition Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) chose an anti-candidate to fill the spot and denounce the restrictive democracy. The MDB chose General Euler Bentes Monteiro to run against João Figueiredo from the National Renewal Alliance Party. Figueiredo won with 355 electoral votes against 226 votes for Euler Monteiro.


1978 Brent London Borough Council election
The 1978 Brent Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Brent London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.


1978 Brisbane Rugby League season
The 1978 Brisbane Rugby League premiership was the 71st season of Brisbane's semi-professional rugby league football competition. Eight teams from across Brisbane competed for the premiership, which culminated in a grand final match between the  Eastern Suburbs and Fortitude Valley clubs.


1978 Brisbane Rugby League season, Season summary
Teams played each other three times, with 21 rounds of competition played. It resulted in a top four of Eastern Suburbs, Redcliffe, Western Suburbs and Fortitude Valley.


1978 Brisbane Rugby League season, Grand Final
Eastern Suburbs 14 (Tries: R. Morris, G. Holben. Goals: G. McDonald 3, W.Lindenburg.)


1978 Brisbane Rugby League season, Grand Final
Fortitude Valley 10 (Tries: V. Wieland, M. Neill. Goals: M. Neill, A. Mills.)


1978 British Army Gazelle downing
On 17 February 1978, a British Army Gazelle helicopter, serial number XX404, went down near Jonesborough, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, after being fired at by a Provisional IRA unit from the South Armagh Brigade. The IRA unit was involved at the time in a gun battle with a Green Jackets observation post deployed in the area, and the helicopter was sent in to support the ground troops. The helicopter crashed after the pilot lost control of the aircraft whilst evading ground fire.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing
Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Douglas Corden-Lloyd, 2nd Battalion Green Jackets commanding officer, died in the crash. The incident was overshadowed in the press by the La Mon restaurant bombing, which took place just hours later near Belfast.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Background
By early 1978, the British Army forces involved in Operation Banner had recently replaced their ageing Bell H-13 Sioux helicopters for the more versatile Aérospatiale Gazelles. The introduction of the new machines increased the area covered on a reconnaissance sortie as well as the improved time spent in airborne missions. In the same period, the Provisional IRA received its first consignment of M60 machine guns from the Middle East, which were displayed by masked volunteers during a Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry. Airborne operations were crucial for the British presence along the border, especially in south County Armagh, where the level of IRA activity meant that every supply and soldier had to be ferried in and out of their bases by helicopter since 1975.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Background
The Royal Green Jackets had been in South Armagh since December 1977, and had already seen some action. Just a few days after arrival, two mortar rounds hit the C Company base at Forkhill, injuring a number of soldiers. In the aftermath of the attack, two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were wounded by a booby-trap while recovering the lorry where the mortar tubes were mounted. Two days later, a patrol near the border suffered a bomb and gun attack, leaving the commanding sergeant with severe head wounds. The sergeant was picked up from the scene by helicopter. He was later invalided from the British Army as a result of his injuries.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Shooting and crash
On 17 January 1978, a Green Jackets observation post deployed around the village of Jonesborough began to take heavy fire from the "March Wall", which drew parallel with the Irish border to the east, along the Dromad woods. The soldiers returned fire, but the short distance to the border and the open ground prevented them from advancing.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Shooting and crash
The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Corden-Lloyd, along with Captain Philip Schofield and Sergeant Ives flew from the battalion base at Bessbrook Mill to assess the situation and provide information to the troops. They were escorted by a Scout helicopter with an Airborne Reaction Force (ARF), comprising a medic and three soldiers from the 2nd Bn Light Infantry. While hovering over the scene of the engagement, the Gazelle received a barrage of 7.62 mm tracer rounds. The pilot lost control of the aircraft during a turn at high speed to avoid the stream of fire.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Shooting and crash
The Gazelle (serial number XX404) hit a wall and crashed on a field, some 2 km from Jonesborough. According to the crew and passengers of the Scout, the Gazelle hit the ground twice after losing power, with its rotor blades trashing into the soil following the second impact, and then cartwheeled across the field. The Scout landed the ARF still under IRA fire. The soldiers rushed to the wrecked helicopter, some 100 metres away from the site of the initial crash.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Shooting and crash
Corden-Lloyd was killed and the other two passengers were wounded. The machine came to rest on its right side. The pilot remained trapped inside the wreckage, but he survived thanks to his helmet. The IRA later claimed they had shot at the helicopter with an M60 machine gun. The IRA unit vanished into the Dromad woods to the Republic of Ireland. Some Gardaí witnessed the attack from the other side of the border.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Aftermath
The gun battle and Gazelle shootdown was displaced from the headlines by the deaths of twelve civilians in the La Mon restaurant bombing on the same day, some of whom were burned to death. Initially the British Army downplayed the IRA's claim as published by An Phoblacht, that the helicopter was shot down, on the basis that no hits were found on the wreckage, but finally they acknowledged that the IRA action had caused the crash.


1978 British Army Gazelle downing, Aftermath
The death of Corden-Lloyd, a former Special Air Service officer, was deeply regretted by the British Army, who regarded him as promising. He was awarded a posthumous mention in dispatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Northern Ireland". In 1973, Irish republicans had accused Corden-Lloyd and his subordinates of brutality against Belfast Catholics during an earlier tour of the Green Jackets in 1971, at the time of Operation Demetrius.


1978 British Formula One Championship
The 1978 British Formula One Championship (formally the 1978 Aurora AFX F1 Championship) was the first season of the British Formula One Championship. It commenced on 24 March 1978 and ended on 24 September after twelve races.


1978 British Formula One Championship
The Aurora AFX F1 Championship replaced the Shellsport Group 8 series that had been run in 1976 and 1977 to Formula Libre rules. As part of the changes, Formula 5000 and Formula Atlantic cars were no longer eligible to race in the Aurora AFX championship. Formula 1 cars were now the focus of the series, with Formula 2 cars still being permitted as a 'B-class'.


1978 British Formula One Championship, Results and standings, Drivers' standings
Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers using the following structure:


1978 British Formula Three season
The 1978 British Formula Three season was the 28th season of the British Formula Three racing. There was once again two major championships contested throughout the year: the British Automobile Racing Club organised BP Super Visco British Formula 3 Championship, and the British Racing Drivers' Club backed Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship. This would be the final year with multiple British championship, with the BARC and BRDC unifying for the following season.


1978 British Formula Three season
The BARC championship was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet ahead of British driver Derek Warwick, whilst in the BRDC championship, Warwick triumphed over Piquet. Piquet subsequently moved up into Formula One during the same year, driving for the Brabham team in the final Formula 1 race of the season as well as two other teams earlier.


1978 British Formula Three season, BP Super Visco British F3 Championship
The BARC championship was run over 16 rounds, held at ten different circuits across England and in Monaco and France. The champion was Brazilian Nelson Piquet, ahead of BRDC series champion Derek Warwick


1978 British Formula Three season, BP Super Visco British F3 Championship, Final championship standings
Points were awarded to the top six drivers in each race as follows:


1978 British Formula Three season, Vandervell British F3 Championship
The BRDC championship was run over ten rounds, held at five different circuits across England. The champion was Englishman Derek Warwick, ahead of BARC series champion Nelson Piquet


1978 British Grand Prix
The 1978 British Grand Prix (formally the XXXI John Player British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 16 July 1978. It was the tenth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.


1978 British Grand Prix
The 76-lap race was won by Argentinian driver Carlos Reutemann, driving a Ferrari. After starting from eighth position, Reutemann worked his way up the field and took the lead on lap 60, eventually winning by 1.2 seconds from Austrian driver Niki Lauda in the Brabham-Alfa Romeo. Lauda's Northern Irish teammate, John Watson, finished third.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
With a total of 31 cars on the entry list, it was decided to forbid the Martini of René Arnoux from taking part, thus leaving 30 cars for qualifying.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
As expected, the Lotuses filled the front row of the grid, although on this occasion Ronnie Peterson was ahead of Mario Andretti. Jody Scheckter in the Wolf and Niki Lauda in the Brabham made up the second row, while on the third were Riccardo Patrese in the Arrows and Alan Jones in the Williams. The top ten was completed by Jacques Laffite in the Ligier, Carlos Reutemann in the Ferrari, John Watson in the second Brabham and Patrick Depailler in the Tyrrell.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the start of the race, Andretti took the lead from Peterson, with Scheckter holding third and Jones moving up to fourth. The Lotuses quickly pulled out a large gap, and looked set to dominate, until Peterson retired on lap 7 with a fuel leak. Andretti continued to lead until a puncture forced him to pit on lap 24, before his engine failed five laps later.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Race
Scheckter inherited the lead, closely followed by Jones, Lauda and Patrese. On lap 27, Jones's driveshaft failed, before Scheckter began to suffer gearbox problems. On lap 34, Lauda overtook the South African, who retired three laps later. This left Patrese in second, with Reutemann up to third, Watson fourth, Didier Pironi fifth in the second Tyrrell and Keke Rosberg sixth in the ATS.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Race
On lap 41, Patrese suffered a rear puncture which led to a suspension failure. Pironi also retired on this lap with gearbox trouble, promoting Rosberg to fourth. The Finn soon came under pressure from Depailler, who got by on lap 49.


1978 British Grand Prix, Report, Race
Reutemann closed up to Lauda and passed him for the lead on lap 60, as the two were lapping the McLaren of Bruno Giacomelli. The Argentine held off the Austrian for the remaining laps, eventually taking his third win of the season by 1.2 seconds. Watson finished 36 seconds behind Lauda and 36 ahead of Depailler, while a suspension failure for Rosberg on lap 60 meant that the final points went to Hans-Joachim Stuck in the Shadow and Patrick Tambay in the McLaren.


1978 British League season
The 1978 Gulf British League season was the 44th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 14th season known as the British League.


1978 British League season, Summary
The list of nineteen teams that competed in the league was identical to the previous season. The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a fourth season.


1978 British League season, Summary
Coventry Bees won their second title and their first for ten years. Belle Vue Aces were runners-up for the fourth time in five seasons and would receive a double blow when losing in the final of the Knockout Cup. Two time world champion Ole Olsen was in sensational form for Coventry and made the difference throughout the season. Olsen would also seal his third world individual crown by the end of the season. The Coventry side consisted of an array of overseas riders including Olsen and fellow Dane Alf Busk, New Zealander Mitch Shirra, Australian Gary Guglielmi and Jiří Štancl from Czechoslovakia.


1978 British League season, League table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points


1978 British League season, British League Knockout Cup
The 1978 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 40th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners.


1978 British League season, British League Knockout Cup, Final, Second leg
Ipswich were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 92-64.


1978 British National Track Championships
The 1978 British National Track Championships were a series of track cycling competitions held from 24–29 July 1978, at the Leicester Velodrome.


1978 British National Track Championships
It was billed as the centenary championships based on the first ever winner Ian Falconer who won the 1878 two miles national championship. A new hardwood track costing £175,000 was laid down just one week before competition began.


1978 British Rowing Championships
The 1978 National Rowing Championships was the seventh edition of the National Championships, held from 14–16 July 1978 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. There was a record entry of 428 crews.


1978 British Saloon Car Championship
The 1978 Tricentrol British Saloon Car Championship was the 21st season of the British Saloon Car Championship. It was the first year that the championship was sponsored by Tricentrol. The drivers title was won by Richard Longman in a Mini 1275 GT, and was the first to be won by a Mini driver since 1969.


1978 British Saloon Car Championship, Calendar & Winners
All races were held in the United Kingdom. Overall winners in bold.


1978 British motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 5–6 August 1978 at Silverstone Circuit.


1978 British motorcycle Grand Prix, 500cc race report
Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene, the two championship contenders arrived in England for the British Grand Prix with only three points separating them. The race ended in controversy when torrential rains during the race, along with pit stops for tire changes by both Roberts and Sheene, created confusion among official scorers. Eventually, Roberts was declared the winner with Sheene being awarded third place behind privateer Steve Manship, who did not stop for a tire change.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership
The 1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership is a publicly issued statement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the state of minority and gender based ownership, the implications of previous ownership policies, and by taking affirmative action set into place two new additional policy measures aimed at progressing and encouraging continued diversity in media ownership. In this statement the FCC officially set forward two new programs favoring minority ownership of broadcasting facilities.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details
First, the program sought to stimulate diversity with the Tax Certificate Policy. This policy worked by awarding like-kind tax exchange breaks to licensees who sell their licenses to minorities. This was a two-year like-kind exchange, whereby the seller would not be required to pay taxes on money made by selling their license, as long as the capital gains are reinvested into a similar communication industry within two years of the sale.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details
In addition the second program implemented through this statement was the Distress Sale Policy, which held that any license owners facing scrutiny by the FCC and potential license revocation, can sell their station to a minority buyer for 75% of the appraised value. The benefit of the Distress Sale Policy for licensees under investigation by the FCC, is that once they sell their license to a minority owner, the FCC would reward them by ceasing their inquiry into the licensee. The statement would also formalize the Comparative Hearing Process.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details, Background on the Comparative Hearing Process
The Comparative Hearing Process is a system that was originally set into place by the Communications Act of 1934, and used to determine which applicant for a broadcast license is the best qualified to hold the license. In the event that more than one applicant applied for the same broadcast license a comparative hearing became necessary. An Administrative Law Judge would preside over hearing proceedings. There are factors that the FCC took into consideration when deciding whom to allocate a license to.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details, Background on the Comparative Hearing Process
The Commission has for long been consistent in its position that ownership diversity will result in viewpoint diversity, and viewpoint diversity advances the public interest. The courts mostly agreed with this interpretation of the "public interest." Trends in the licensing process, and the actions of challenging applicants who wanted to obtain a license would make their way through deliberation via FCC rulings and court decisions which were ultimately upheld and added to the United States Code. The logic behind these Supreme Court decisions and affirmative action programs by the Commission are demonstrated in different court rulings and FCC policy statements. In the 1965 Policy Statement on Comparative Broadcast Hearings the FCC made diversification a highly important component for awarding broadcasting licensees. The Commission had established that the criteria of 'public convenience and necessity' was too broad a definition in determining whom to award licenses.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details, Pretext to the 1978 policy statement
Subsequently, the 1965 statement defined two primary objectives to guide the process of comparison. These are, "the best practicable service to the public" and "a maximum diffusion of control of the media of mass communications." In between 1965 and the late seventies, social circumstances and legal disputes would alter these interpretations multiple times in comparative hearings to include race specifically (instead of just "diversity") as a determining factor. In this time, FCC Chairman Richard Wiley is credited with taking one of the first steps in seeing what could be done to grow minority ownership. To that end, he charged his staff with the task of examining the possibilities. More than ten years later, under the Chairmanship of Charles Ferris, the 1978 Broadcast Policy Statement would finally formalize the rules for awarding merit based on minority preference.


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details, Pretext to the 1978 policy statement
These programs were devised and set into effect to improve previous policy rulings that were intended to encourage a broad range of diversity. The policy statement is how the Commission responded to prior FCC and High Court rulings regarding the comparative hearing process which they deemed ineffective. In the 1978 Statement on Minority Ownership the commission lays out their concern:


1978 Broadcast Policy Statement on minority ownership, Policy details, Pretext to the 1978 policy statement
While the broadcasting industry has, on the whole, responded positively to its ascertainment obligations and has made significant strides in its employment practices, we are compelled to observe that the views of racial minorities continue to be inadequately represented in the broadcast media. This situation is detrimental not only to the minority audience but to all of the viewing and listening public. Adequate representations of minority viewpoints in programming serves not only the needs and interests of the minority community but also enriches and educates the non-minority audience.