1978 in the United States

1978 in the United States
Events from the year 1978 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
President: Jimmy Carter (D-Georgia)
Vice president: Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota)
Chief justice: Warren E. Burger (Minnesota)
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Tip O'Neill (D-Massachusetts)
Senate Majority Leader: Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
Congress: 95th
Events
January
January 1
The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law.
Edward M. Davis retires from the Los Angeles Police Department, after 30 years on the force and more than 8 years as its police chief.
January 6 – The Holy Crown of Hungary (also known as the Crown of St. Stephen) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held since World War II.
January 14–15 – The body of former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, following his death from cancer.
January 14 – The Sex Pistols hold their last concert, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
January 15 – Ted Bundy commits an infamous murder and assault at the Chi Omega Sorority House at Florida State University.
January 15 – The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XII
January 16 – Robert F. Rock succeeds Edward M. Davis as the LAPD's interim chief.
January 19 – Federal Appeals Court Judge William H. Webster is appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
January 25–27 – The Great Blizzard of 1978 strikes the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes, causing 51 deaths in Ohio.
January 28 – Richard Chase, the "Vampire of Sacramento", is arrested.
February
February 1 – Hollywood film director Roman Polanski flees to France to avoid sentencing after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor.
February 5–7 – The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 hits the New England region and the New York metropolitan area, killing about 100 and causing over US$520 million in damage.
February 6 – The first Home Depot opens in Marietta, Georgia.
February 8 – United States Senate proceedings are broadcast on radio for the first time.
February 9 – The Budd Company unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
February 11 – Sixteen Unification Church couples wed in New York, New York.
February 15 – Serial killer Ted Bundy is recaptured in Pensacola, Florida.
February 16
The Hillside Strangler, a serial killer prowling Los Angeles, claims a 10th and final victim.
The first computer bulletin board system (CBBS) is created in Chicago.
February 24 – Five men with mild mental-health issues from Yuba City, California disappear in the snow on their way home from a basketball game. In June, four of the bodies are discovered in the Sierra. The fifth, Gary Mathias, is never found. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remains a mystery.
March
March 3 – The New York Post publishes an article about David Rorvik's book The Cloning of Man, about a supposed cloning of a human being.
March 6 – American porn publisher Larry Flynt is shot and paralyzed in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
March 22 – Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
March 28 – Stump v. Sparkman (435 U.S. 349): The Supreme Court of the United States hands down a 5–3 decision in a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
April
April 2 – The CBS soap opera Dallas is launched. It is set to be aired later this year in several countries, including the United Kingdom by the BBC.
April 3 – The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Bob Hope for the final time, is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Woody Allen's Annie Hall wins Best Picture, with Allen winning Best Director. George Lucas' Star Wars wins six awards, while Fred Zinnemann's Julia and Herbert Ross' The Turning Point both receive eleven nominations each.
April 7 – President Jimmy Carter decides to postpone production of the neutron bomb – a weapon which kills people with radiation but leaves buildings relatively intact.
April 10 – The Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania is dedicated, having begun production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, the previous week. Volkswagen thus becomes the second non-American automobile manufacturer (after Rolls-Royce in 1921–1931) to open a plant in the United States. (The plant closes in 1988.)
April 18 – The U.S. Senate votes 68–32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
April 25 – St. Paul, Minnesota becomes the second U.S. city to repeal its gay rights ordinance after Anita Bryant's successful 1977 anti-gay campaign in Dade County, Florida.
April 27 – Willow Island disaster – In the deadliest construction accident in United States history, 51 construction workers are killed when a cooling tower under construction collapses at the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia.
April 28 – WAC abolished; women integrated into regular Army.
May
May 5 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 3,000th major league hit.
May 20 – Mavis Hutchinson, 53, becomes the first woman to run across the U.S.; her trek took 69 days.
May 25 – A bomb explodes in the security section of Northwestern University, wounding a security guard (the first Unabomber attack).
May 26 – In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.
May 28 – Indianapolis 500: Al Unser wins his third race, and the first for car owner Jim Hall.
June
June 6 – California voters approve Proposition 13, which slashes property taxes nearly 60%.
June 9 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints extends the priesthood and temple blessings to "all worthy males", ending a general policy of excluding "Canaanites" from priesthood ordination and temple ordinances.
June 10 – Affirmed becomes only the 11th horse to ever win the Triple Crown by defeating Alydar in the 110th running of the Belmont Stakes.
June 12 – Serial killer David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam," is sentenced to 365 years in prison.
June 16 – The musical film Grease is released, starring 24-year-old New Jersey born actor John Travolta and 29-year-old British-Australian actress and singer Olivia Newton-John.
June 19 – Garfield, which eventually becomes the world's most widely syndicated comic strip, makes its debut nationwide.
June 25 – The rainbow flag of the LGBT movement flies for the first time (in its original form) at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
June 28
The U.S. scientific satellite Seasat is launched.
University of California Regents v. Bakke: The Supreme Court of the United States bars quota systems in college admissions but affirms the constitutionality of programs which give advantages to minorities.
June 29 – Actor Bob Crane is found bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale, Arizona, apartment. The crime is never solved.
August
August 2 – President Jimmy Carter declares an unprecedented state emergency and evacuation immediately following the revelation that Niagara Falls, New York neighborhood Love Canal was built on a toxic waste dump.
August 12 – During a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley sustains a spinal cord injury on a hit from Jack Tatum, leaving Stingley a quadriplegic. He will die from complications of his injury on April 5, 2007.
August 13 – The 5.8 Santa Barbara earthquake affected the central coast of California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), causing 65 injuries and $12 million in financial losses.
August 17 – Double Eagle II becomes the first balloon to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Presque Isle, Maine, to Miserey, France.
September
September 17 – Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin the peace process at Camp David, Maryland.
September 18 – WKRP in Cincinnati premieres on CBS.
September 25
PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a small private airplane and crashes in San Diego, California; 144 are killed.
Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello makes its first appearance on Live from the Met, in a complete production of the opera starring Jon Vickers. This is the first complete television broadcast of the opera in the U.S. since the historic 1948 one.
October
October 2 – The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox 5–4 at Fenway Park to clinch the AL East after being 14 games out of first place only two months earlier. The Yankees would eventually go on to defeat the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers and win the World Series.
October 4 – Pier 39 opens on Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, as a tourist attraction.
October 10 – President Jimmy Carter signs a bill that authorizes the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
October 14 – President Jimmy Carter signs a bill into law which allows homebrewing of beer in the United States.
October 17 – The New York Yankees clinch their 22nd World Series championship, defeating the Dodgers 7–2 in Los Angeles and winning the Series 4 games to 2.
October 27 – President Jimmy Carter signs the Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act, adjusting the government's economic goals to include full employment, growth in production, price stability, and balance of trade and budget.
November
November 7 – California voters defeat the Briggs Initiative that would have prohibited gay school teachers.
November 10 – Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands National Park is established.
November 17 – The Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS; this is its first and only airing.
November 18 – Mass murder/suicide of 909 Americans in Jonestown, Guyana under the direction of Jim Jones.
November 19 – The first U.S. Take Back the Night march occurs in San Francisco.
November 27 – In San Francisco, California, Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White.
December
December 3 – The Southern Crescent passenger train derails at Shipman, Virginia, killing six and injuring 60.
December 4 – Dianne Feinstein succeeds the murdered George Moscone as San Francisco, California's first woman mayor (she serves until January 8, 1988).
December 11 – Lufthansa heist: Six men rob a Lufthansa cargo facility in New York City's Kennedy airport.
December 13 – The first Susan B. Anthony dollar enters circulation.
December 15
Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to go into default since the Great Depression, under Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
Superman is released in theaters in the United States.
December 22 – Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who is subsequently convicted of the murder of 33 young men, is arrested.
Full date unknown
Colantonio Incorporated, a general contractor is founded in Massachusetts.
San Francisco City Guides, a non-profit organization is founded.
Ongoing
Cold War (1947–1991)
Détente (c. 1969–1979)
1970s energy crisis (1973–1980)
Births
January
January 2 – Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian-born dancer
January 3
Kimberley Locke, singer
Shawnna, rapper
January 5
America Olivo, actress
January Jones, actress
January 6
Casey Fossum, baseball player
Bubba Franks, football player
January 7 – Kevin Mench, baseball player
January 9
Chad Johnson, football player and actor
AJ McLean, pop singer/songwriter and member of the Backstreet Boys
January 10
Bang Belushi, rapper
Niya Butts, basketball player and coach
Brent Smith, singer and frontman for Shinedown
Tamina Snuka, wrestler and actress
January 11
Lazare Adingono, Cameroonian-born basketball player and coach
Mark Aylor, rugby player
January 12
Stephen Abas, wrestler and mixed martial artist
Jeremy Camp, Christian singer/songwriter
January 13
Aaron Boone, football player
Nate Silver, statistician, psephologist and writer
January 14
Eddie Berlin, football player
Shawn Crawford, Olympic sprinter
January 15 – Eddie Cahill, actor
January 18
J Anthony Allen, composer and producer
Daniel Alvarez, soccer player
January 19
Amanda Augustus, tennis player
Matt Brass, politician
January 20 – Joy Giovanni, wrestler, model, and actress
January 21
Chris Brown, football player
Phil Stacey, singer and American Idol contestant
January 23
Stephanie Arnold, Olympic archer
Jason Bishop, illusionist and magician
E. Kidd Bogart, songwriter, music publisher, and record executive
Josh Thompson, country singer
January 24 – Kristen Schaal, actress, comedian, and writer
January 25
Jenny Benson, soccer player
Ben Brown, blogger
Liz Carey, actress, comedian, personality, podcaster, and writer
B. J. Whitmer, wrestler
January 26
Jake Arians, football player
Kelly Stables, actress
January 27
Aaron Best, football player and coach
Jonathan Byrd, golfer
January 28 – Big Freedia, musician
January 29
Rob Bironas, football player (d. 2014)
Arūnas Bižokas, Lithuanian-born ballroom dancer
Brian Windhorst, basketball journalist
January 30 – Donald Barrett, drummer
January 31
Brad Rutter, game show champion (Jeopardy!)
Sean Smith, diplomat (d. 2012)
February
February 1 – Dusty Bergman, baseball player
February 2
Eden Espinosa, actress and singer
Chris 'Romanski' Romano, actor, writer, producer, and director
Rich Sommer, actor
February 3
Rashon Burno, basketball player and coach
Adrian R'Mante, actor
Eliza Schneider, actress
Kelly Sullivan, actress
February 5
Ikaika Anderson, politician
Nick Allen Brown, author
Brian Russell, football player
February 7
Tom Blankenship, bassist for My Morning Jacket
Ashton Kutcher, screen actor and venture capitalist
February 8 – Donald Betts, politician
February 9
David Allen, football player
Clarice Assad, Brazilian-born composer, pianist, arranger, singer, and educator
February 10
Nick Basile, director, producer, actor, and screenwriter
David Berry, entrepreneur and business executive
Cedrick Bowers, baseball player
Reshea Bristol, basketball player
February 11
Andrew Bayes, football player
Laurel Braitman, science historian and writer
Brent Butler, baseball player
February 12 – Busdriver, rapper
February 13 – Mike Brown, football player
February 14
Courtney Brown, football player
Patrick J. Bumatay, judge
Danai Gurira, actress and playwright
Richard Hamilton, basketball player
February 16
Bassnectar, DJ and record producer
John Tartaglia, actor
February 17 – Jacob Wetterling, kidnapping victim
February 18 – Winny Brodt-Brown, ice hockey player
February 19
Antimc, hip hop producer
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, director, writer, actor, and musician
Immortal Technique, Peruvian-born rapper
Kenyatta Wright, football player
February 20
Lauren Ambrose, actress and producer
Jay Hernandez, actor and fashion model
February 21
Erick Barkley, basketball player
Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-born actor and comedian
Nicole Parker, actress, comedian, writer, podcaster, and singer
February 22
Dhani Jones, football player
Gus Sorola, actor and podcast host
February 24
Corey Benjamin, basketball player
John Nolan, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist for Taking Back Sunday
T. W. Shannon, politician
DeWayne Wise, baseball player
February 25
Big Ali, rapper and songwriter
Darren Soto, politician
February 26 – Molly Antopol, fiction and nonfiction writer
February 27
James Briggs, keyboardist for The Aquabats
Adam Kinzinger, politician
February 28 – Geoffrey Arend, actor
March
March 1
Jensen Ackles, actor
Joe Block, radio and television announcer
Mya Byrne, singer/songwriter
Donovan Patton, actor, television host, and singer
March 2
Sebastian Janikowski, football player
Mike Naig, politician
March 3
Yeremiah Bell, football player
Antonio Brown, football player
Matt Diaz, baseball player
March 4 – Nate Ackerman, British-born mathematician and wrestler
March 6
Mike Jackson, politician
Sage Rosenfels, football player
March 7 – Mike Reese, politician (d. 2021)
March 8 – Nick Zano, actor
March 9
Nathan Beard, politician
LaKeysia Beene, soccer player
MickDeth, bassist and guitarist (d. 2013)
March 10 – Benjamin Burnley, singer and frontman for Breaking Benjamin
March 12
Camille Anderson, actress, model, and television host
Neal Obermeyer, editorial cartoonist
Claudio Sanchez, alternative rock musician and writer for Coheed & Cambria
March 13
Ben Allen, politician
Jason Bergmann, strongman competitor
Tom Danielson, cyclist
Kenny Watson, football player
March 14 – Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Azerbaijani-born writer, lecturer, philanthropist, and activist
March 15 – Marshal Dutton, singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for Hinder
March 16
Ed Ableser, politician
Jake Bailey, make-up artist and photographer (d. 2015)
Brooke Burns, fashion model and actress
Matthew Montgomery, actor
Matt Pryor, singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for The Get Up Kids
March 17
Dan Alexander, football player
Jason Baker, football player
Patrick Seitz, voice actor
March 18 – Antonio Margarito, Mexican-born boxer
March 19 – Jason Barrett, politician
March 20
Mike Bynum, baseball player
Mark Alan Lee, Navy SEAL (d. 2006)
March 21
Jeff Bajenaru, baseball player
La Chat, rapper
Kevin Federline, dancer, rapper, actor, model, wrestler, and DJ
March 22 – Josh Heupel, football player
March 23
Nicholle Tom, actress
Perez Hilton, actor and blogger
March 24 – Amir Arison, actor
March 27 – Dee Brown, baseball player
March 28 – Case Brittain, attorney and politician
March 29
Eric Bruntlett, baseball player
Taylor Marshall, YouTuber, priest, and academic
March 30 – Josh Bard, baseball player
March 31 – Sonia Chang-Díaz, politician
April
April 1
Brian Allen, football player
Jason Bell, football player and TV pundit
April 2
Nick Berg, businessman and beheading victim (d. 2004)
John Gall, baseball player
Scott Lynch, author
Jaime Ray Newman, actress, producer, and singer
April 3 – Mehrsa Baradaran, Iranian-born law professor
April 4 – Jason Ellison, baseball player
April 5
Brandon Backe, baseball player
Gerard Bush, director, writer, producer, author, and activist
Stephen Jackson, basketball player
April 6
Bro Safari, moombahton, trap, and dubstep producer
Tim Hasselbeck, football player
Lauren Ridloff, actress
April 12
Kelly Arnold, politician
Andru Bemis, musician
Scott Crary, director, producer, and writer
Riley Smith, actor
April 13
DeVon Franklin, actor, producer, author, and motivational speaker
Kyle Howard, actor
Chris Sligh, singer
April 15
Austin Aries, wrestler
Milton Bradley, baseball player
Chris Stapleton, country singer and guitarist
April 16 – Duane Betts, singer/songwriter and guitarist for The Allman Betts Band
April 17
Tarn Adams, computer game programmer
Chris Booker, radio and television personality
April 18
Ajmal Ahmady, Afghan-born economist and politician
Pat Batteaux, football player
April 19
K. Tempest Bradford, science fiction and fantasy author and editor
James Franco, actor
Joanna Gaines, television personality, host, and chef
April 20
Rebecca Makkai, novelist and short story writer
Matthew Wilkas, actor, playwright, and television personality
April 21
Molly Bloom, author
Branden Steineckert, drummer for Rancid and The Used (2001–2006)
April 22
DJ Drama, DJ, record executive, and music promoter
Manu Intiraymi, actor
April 23 – Ian Brennan, screenwriter, director and actor
April 24
Tim Bainey Jr., stock car racing driver
Marcus Brunson, sprinter
April 25 – Ben Bridwell, singer/songwriter and frontman for Band of Horses
April 26
Avant, R&B singer
Joe Crede, baseball player
Stana Katic, Canadian-born actress
Pablo Schreiber, Canadian-born actor
April 27 – Jim James, guitarist and frontman for My Morning Jacket
April 28 – Robert Oliveri, actor
April 29 – Bob and Mike Bryan, tennis team and twin brothers
April 30 – Kim Black, Olympic swimmer
May
May 1
James Badge Dale, actor
Nick Traina, singer/songwriter (Link 80) (d. 1997)
Michael Russell, tennis player
May 2
Rob Bruchman, politician
Shaun T, fitness trainer
May 3
Paul Banks, British-born singer, guitarist, and frontman for Interpol
Walter Bernard, football player
May 4
Erin Andrews, television host and personality
James Harrison, football player
May 6
John Abraham, football player
Erik Anderson, ice hockey player
May 7
Brian Clevinger, author
Shawn Marion, basketball player
May 8 – Matthew Davis, actor
May 9
Antwain Britt, mixed martial artist
Daniel Franzese, actor
Aaron Harang, baseball player
May 10
Geoff Abrams, tennis player
Todd Gloria, politician, mayor of San Diego, California (2013-2014, 2020-present)
Kenan Thompson, actor and comedian
May 11
Courtney Banghart, basketball player and coach
Lisa Bender, politician
Scott Matzka, ice hockey player (d. 2018)
May 12
Malin Akerman, Swedish-born actress and model
Jason Biggs, actor
Dee Brown, football player
Josh Phelps, baseball player
May 13
Brooke Anderson, television host and correspondent
Mike Bibby, basketball player
Ryan Bukvich, baseball player
Barry Zito, baseball player
May 15
Josh Burns, mixed martial artist
David Krumholtz, actor
Krissy Taylor, model (d. 1995)
May 16
Josh Arnold, radio personality
Nick Bierbrodt, baseball player
Courtney Blades, softball player
May 17
Lisa Brennan-Jobs, writer
Kat Foster, actress
May 18
Jeff Anderson, musician
Carolina Bermudez, radio presenter
May 19 – Greg Steube, politician
May 20 – Harold Blackmon, football player
May 21 – Briana Banks, German-born pornographic actress and model
May 22
Meghan Addy, sprinter
Esao Andrews, painter
Ginnifer Goodwin, actress
Daniel Rodimer, wrestler, football player, and political candidate
May 23
Anthony Buich, football player
Mike Gonzalez, baseball player
Carolyn Moos, model and basketball player
Scott Raynor, drummer
May 24
Amy Becher, curler
Ronald Blackshear, basketball player
Bryan Greenberg, actor
May 25
Cory Arcangel, post-conceptual artist
Brian Urlacher, football player
May 26
Rich Brzeski, lacrosse player
Benji Gregory, actor
May 27
Hugo Armando, tennis player
James Bettcher, football coach
Adin Brown, soccer player and coach
May 28
Adam Robitel, film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
Jake Johnson, actor and comedian
May 29 – Lorenzo Odone, American adrenoleukodystrophy patient (d. 2008)
May 31 – Eli Bremer, Olympic pentathlete
June
June 1
Danny Boyd, football player
Matthew Hittinger, poet and author
Link Neal, musician, comedian, and internet personality
June 2
Nikki Cox, actress and comedy writer
Justin Long, actor
June 4
Mike Apple, soccer player
Scott Cawthon, video game developer and writer
Josh McDermitt, actor and comedian
Robin Lord Taylor, actor
June 5 – Nick Kroll, actor and comedian
June 6
Judith Barsi, actress and murder victim (d. 1988)
Marla Brumfield, basketball player
J. T. Buck, composer, lyricist, stage director, and project coordinator
June 7
Tony Ahn, singer and member of H.O.T.
Jesse Ball, poet, fiction writer and artist
Bill Hader, actor
June 8 – Maria Menounos, actress, journalist, and television presenter
June 9
Matt Adamczyk, politician
Michaela Conlin, actress
Shandi Finnessey, beauty queen and actress
Hayden Schlossberg, screenwriter, director, and producer
Brian Patrick Wade, actor and physical trainer
June 10
Raheem Brock, football player
Mr. Del, Christian rapper and music producer
DJ Qualls, actor, producer, and model
Shane West, actor, punk rock musician, and songwriter
June 11 – Joshua Jackson, Canadian-born actor
June 12
David Buchwald, politician
Jeremy Rowley, character actor and comedian
Timothy Simons, actor
Shiloh Strong, actor
June 13
Jake Bronstein, marketer, entrepreneur, internet and television personality, and blogger
Ethan Embry, actor
Andy Gerold, rock bassist
June 14
Jason Anavitarte, politician
Clark Boyd, politician
June 18
Ben Gleib, media personality
Tara Platt, voice actress and actress
June 19
Tarise Bryson, basketball player
Zoe Saldana, actress
June 20
Linda Arsenio, actress and model
Dave Barnes, singer/songwriter
Amanda Basica, tennis player
Mike Birbiglia, actor, comedian, and writer
Rampage Jackson, mixed martial arts fighter
Bobby Seay, baseball player
June 21 – Michelle Au, anesthesiologist and politician
June 22 – Champ Bailey, football player
June 23
James Atkins, football player
Memphis Bleek, rapper
Jeremy Horn, musician and songwriter
Nick LaLota, politician
June 24
Ariel Pink, musician
Adam Pearce, wrestler
June 25
Cookie Belcher, basketball player
Luke Scott, baseball player
Marcus Stroud, football player
June 26
Rashidi Barnes, football player
Tavorris Bell, streetball player
June 27
Malik Allen, basketball player
Scott Bower, soccer player
Courtney Ford, actress
Marc Terenzi, pop singer
June 28 – Courtney Burton, boxer
June 29
Charlamagne tha God, radio and TV personality
Sam Farrar, bassist for Phantom Planet (1994-2012) and Maroon 5
Nicole Scherzinger, actress and singer
June 30
LaVar Arrington, football player
Chris Bos, politician
Pat Dennis, American football player
Jason Schimmel, musician and producer
Nate Winkel, soccer player
July
July 1
Edwina Brown, basketball player
Hillary Tuck, actress
July 2 – Kathryn Sophia Belle, philosopher and professor
July 3
Ian Anthony Dale, actor
Jon Anik, mixed martial artist
Cornelius Anthony, football player
Steve Bernal, soccer player
Jesse Leach, singer and frontman for Killswitch Engage
Alex Scales, basketball player
July 4
Lanhee Chen, advisor, attorney, and academic
Becki Newton, actress
Tony Reali, sports personality
July 6
Adam Busch, actor, director, and singer
Tia and Tamera Mowry, actresses and twins
July 7
Chris Andersen, basketball player
Jesse Ball, novelist and poet
July 8
Jenny Adams, hurdler
Rachael Lillis, actress
Erin Morgenstern, artist and author
Sturgill Simpson, country singer/songwriter
July 9
Kyle Davis, actor
Sundance Head, singer
Jesse Watters, political commentator and talk show host
July 10 – Jesse Lacey, singer/songwriter
July 12
Jim Arthur, football coach
Topher Grace, actor
Michelle Rodriguez, actress
July 13 – Jessica Barth, actress
July 14 – Mike Burns, baseball player
July 15
Matt Mitrione, mixed martial artist
Greg Sestero, actor, filmmaker, model and author
July 16 – Brian Bianchini, model and actor (d. 2004)
July 17
Mike Knox, wrestler
Panda Bear, musician
Mike Pellicciotti, politician
July 18
Crystal Mangum, murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
Ben Sheets, baseball player
July 19 – R. J. Williams, media and Internet entrepreneur, and former child actor
July 20
Chris Sligh, singer-songwriter and producer
Will Solomon, basketball player
Elliott Yamin, singer
July 21
Justin Bartha, actor
Beer City Bruiser, wrestler
Josh Hartnett, actor
Brandon Heath, singer/songwriter
July 22
Ian Allen, football player
Candace Kroslak, actress
July 23 – Lauren Groff, fiction writer
July 24 – Michael Boireau, football player
July 25
Teresa Benitez-Thompson, politician
Elizabeth Ann Bennett, actress
Gerard Warren, football player
July 26 – Major Applewhite, football player and coach
July 27
Matthew Beaton, political figure and business executive
Sandra Colton, dancer
July 28 – Julian Peterson, football player
July 29 – Mike Adams, baseball player
July 30
Josh Bonifay, baseball player
Brian Sicknick, police officer who was killed during the United States Capitol attack (d. 2021)
Nikema Williams, politician
July 31
Zac Brown, country singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for Zac Brown Band
Nick Sorensen, football player and sportscaster
August
August 3 – Shanelle Workman, actress
August 4
Luke Allen, baseball player (d. 2022)
Michael Brown, producer and filmmaker
Kurt Busch, stock car racing driver
August 5
Will Allen, football player
Bryan Bracey, basketball player
Nick Bradford, basketball player
Henry Buchanan, boxer
August 6
Marisa Miller, supermodel
Freeway, rapper
August 8
Kurt Anderson, football player and coach
Countess Vaughn, actress
August 10
Cory Bird, football player
Jesse Boulerice, ice hockey player
August 12
Pazuzu Algarad, Satanist and convicted murderer (d. 2015)
Derrick Burgess, football player
August 13 – Michael Bennett, football player
August 15
Jennie Eisenhower, actress
Kerri Walsh Jennings, beach volleyball player
August 18
Kevin Barry, baseball player
Jaclyn Bernstein, actress
Andy Samberg, actor
August 19
David Boston, football player
Chris Capuano, baseball player
August 20
Noah Bean, actor
Monty Beisel, football player
Freddie Bruno, Christian hip hop musician
August 21 – Reuben Droughns, football player
August 23
Kenny Bartram, freestyle motocross rider
Kobe Bryant, basketball player (d. 2020)
Julian Casablancas, singer/songwriter and musician
August 24 – Beth Riesgraf, actress
August 25 – Kel Mitchell, actor
August 26
Ben Archibald, football player
Drew Bennett, football player
Patrick Brown, engineer, producer, and studio owner
Cedric Burnside, blues musician
Julian Casablancas, singer/songwriter and musician
August 28
Jess Margera, drummer for CKY
Kelly Overton, actress
Rachel Kimsey, actress
August 30
Rodregis Brooks, football player
Cliff Lee, baseball player
August 31 – Adam Laxalt, politician
September
September 2 – Courtland Bullard, football player
September 4
Lamont Barnes, basketball player
Wes Bentley, actor
September 6
Cisco Adler, musician and record producer
Frank Brooks, baseball player
Adrienne Maree Brown, writer, activist, and facilitator
Foxy Brown, rapper
September 7 – Sarah E. Buxton, politician
September 8 – Steve Barnett, politician
September 9
Kurt Ainsworth, baseball player
Shane Battier, basketball player
Rod Brown, basketball player
September 10 – Russ Buller, pole vaulter
September 11 – Ed Reed, football player
September 12
Tess Brunet, musician and producer
Ben McKenzie, actor
Ruben Studdard, singer and American Idol winner
September 13
Marlyne Barrett, actress
Swizz Beatz, record producer and rapper
Bryan Bishop, radio personality
Megan Henning, actress
September 14
Kenderick Allen, football player
Bruce Branch, football player
Ron DeSantis, politician, 46th Governor of Florida
Teddy Park, rapper and member of 1TYM
Matthew Rogers, singer and TV host
September 15 – Charles Grigsby, singer
September 16
Mike Battle, digital restoration artist and animation color modelist
Jarvis Borum, football player
Ralph Brown, football player
Stephanie Murphy, Vietnamese-born politician
Brian Sims, politician
September 17 – Karen Akunowicz, chef, cookbook author, and television personality
September 18 – Billy Eichner, actor and comedian
September 20 – Jason Bay, Canadian-born baseball player
September 21 – Josh Thomson, mixed martial artist
September 23
Anthony Mackie, actor
Worm Miller, screenwriter, director and, actor
Keri Lynn Pratt, actress
September 24 – Chris Bala, ice hockey player
September 25
Bob Abrahamian, deejay (d. 2014)
Danny Basavich, pool player
Joe Miñoso, actor
September 26 – Kara Medoff Barnett, business executive and arts administrator, executive director of the American Ballet Theatre
September 27
Andrea Alù, Italian-born scientist and engineer
Brad Arnold, singer, drummer, and frontman for 3 Doors Down
Kole Ayi, football player
September 28
Jarin Blaschke, cinematographer
Dane Boedigheimer, internet personality
Lucas Bryant, Canadian-born actor
Nikki McKibbin, singer (d. 2020)
September 29 – Mohini Bhardwaj, Olympic artistic gymnast
September 30 – Candice Michelle, wrestler and model
October
October 1
Katie Aselton, actress
Nicole Atkins, singer/songwriter
Will Bartholomew, football player
Tony Beckham, football player
Leticia Cline, journalist and model
October 2 – Deanna Ballard, politician
October 3
Jarrett Bellini, writer and journalist
Jake Shears, singer/songwriter
Shannyn Sossamon, actress
October 4
Dana Davis, actress
Phillip Glasser, actor and producer
October 5
Lindsey Pearlman, actress (d. 2022)
James Valentine, pop rock guitarist for Maroon 5
October 6
Sarah Brusco, Christian musician
Correll Buckhalter, football player
Caleb Scofield, singer, bassist, and frontman for Cave In (d. 2018)
Victoria Spartz, Ukrainian-born politician
October 7 – Omar Benson Miller, actor
October 8 – Sri Preston Kulkarni, politician
October 9
Ben Diamond, politician
Kristy Kowal, Olympic swimmer
October 10
Brandon Barnes, drummer for Rise Against
Dan Bellino, MLB umpire
Casey Benjamin, saxophonist, vocoderist, keyboardist, producer, and songwriter
October 11
Damian Adams, wrestler
Carl Bussey, soccer player
Wes Chatham, actor
Trevor Donovan, actor and model
October 14
Justin Brannan, politician and musician
Ryan Church, baseball player
Usher Raymond, R&B singer-songwriter
Javon Walker, football player
October 15 – Wes Moore, author, entrepreneur, television producer, and Army veteran
October 16 – Mersim Beskovic, soccer player
October 18
Brian Brown, dirt track racing driver
Jake Farrow, television writer and actor
Wesley Jonathan, actor
October 20
David Caspe, writer, producer, and director
Mike Levin, politician
Dionne Quan, voice actress
October 21
Will Estes, actor
Joey Harrington, football player
Michael McMillian, actor and writer
October 23
Bo Biteman, politician
John Lackey, baseball player
October 24
Kylie Bivens, soccer player
Chris Bootcheck, baseball player
Seth Moulton, politician
October 25
Zachary Knighton, actor
David T. Little, composer and drummer
October 26
Tyondai Braxton, composer and musician
Byron Donalds, politician
CM Punk, wrestler and martial artist
Antonio Pierce, football player
October 27
Stephanie Abrams, meteorologist
Andrew Bell, British-born artist and founder of Dead Zebra Inc.
Dusty Bonner, football player
David Walton, actor
October 28
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, politician
Byron Donalds, politician
Justin Guarini, singer and American Idol contestant
October 29 – Travis Henry, football player
October 30 – Matthew Morrison, actor, dancer, and singer
October 31 – Brian Hallisay, actor
November
November 1
Big Kuntry King, rapper
Jeremy Glazer, actor
Mary Kate Schellhardt, actress
Jessica Valenti, blogger and writer
November 2 – William D. Swenson, Army Lt. Colonel and Medal of Honor Recipient
November 3
Jaime Herrera Beutler, politician
Tim McIlrath, singer and frontman for Rise Against
November 5 – Bubba Watson, golfer
November 6
Keith Aucoin, ice hockey player
Ainsley Battles, football player
Nicole Dubuc, actress and writer
Taryn Manning, actress
November 7
Elisabeth Bachman, volleyball player
Coy Wire, television anchor, correspondent, and former professional football player
November 8 – Michael Boggs, Christian musician
November 9
Steven López, martial artist
Sisqó, actor and singer
November 10
Diplo, DJ and music producer
Eve, rapper
November 11 – Aaron Bruno, singer/songwriter and frontman for Awolnation
November 13
Chad Beasley, football player
Josh Blackburn, ice hockey player
November 14
Bobby Allen, ice hockey player
Ethan Boyes, cyclist (d. 2023)
Dustin Burrows, politician
Xavier Nady, baseball player and coach
Chris Shar, rock drummer
November 15 – Floyd Womack, football player
November 16
Kip Bouknight, baseball player
Orshawante Bryant, football player
November 17 – Reggie Wayne, football player
November 18 – Daniel Chong, animator
November 19
Jeff Bailey, baseball player
Roxana Brusso, Peruvian-born actress
Chad Doreck, actor
November 20
Amy Kennedy, politician
Nadine Velazquez, actress and model
November 22
Anthony Brindisi, politician
Karen O, singer/songwriter and musician
November 23 – Destin Daniel Cretton, director
November 24
Gary Baxter, football player
Katherine Heigl, actress
November 25 – Joe Borchard, baseball player
November 26 – Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, nonfiction writer and poet
November 27 – Josh Blue, comedian
November 28
Brent Albright, wrestler
Jerametrius Butler, football player
Aimee Garcia, actress
November 29
Fred Akshar, politician
Heather Bown, volleyball player
Lauren German, actress
November 30
Clay Aiken, singer, American Idol contestant, and politician
Jordan Belfi, actor
Robert Kirkman, comic book writer
December
December 1
Heather Aldama, soccer player
Ron Browz, recording artist and record producer
Mat Kearney, singer/songwriter and musician
Jen Psaki, political advisor, White House Press Secretary (2021-2022)
December 4
Miri Ben-Ari, Israeli-born musician, producer, and humanitarian
Jamie Bochert, model and musician
Cory Bradford, basketball player
December 5
Neil Druckmann, Israeli-born video game writer and programmer, founder of Naughty Dog
David Hodges, singer/songwriter and record producer
December 6
K. D. Aubert, actress, fashion model, and singer
Chris Başak, baseball player
Jason Bulger, baseball player
December 7
Jaime Ambriz, soccer player
Shiri Appleby, actress
Idrees Bashir, football player
Jeff Nichols, director and screenwriter
Ronald J. Shurer, army medic (d. 2020)
December 8
Mike Barr, football player
Kenny Brunner, basketball player
Ian Somerhalder, actor
Vernon Wells, baseball player
December 9
Nick Bruel, author
Jesse Metcalfe, actor
December 10
John Arigo, basketball player
Brandon Novak, motivational speaker, author, skateboarder, and stunt performer
Summer Phoenix, actress
December 11 – Courtney Henggeler, actress
December 12
Brandon Adams, poker player
Teryn Ashley, tennis player
Erick Baker, singer/songwriter
December 13 – Cameron Douglas, actor
December 14 – Cedric Bonner, football player
December 15
Coffey Anderson, country singer/songwriter
Ned Brower, drummer and vocalist for Rooney
Jerome McDougle, American football player
December 16
Scott Bailey, actor
Eric 'Kaine' Jackson, rapper and member of Ying Yang Twins
December 17
Beau Burchell, guitarist and vocalist for Saosin
Marc Lamont Hill, activist and political commentator
Chase Utley, baseball player
December 18
Chad Brown, horse trainer
Michael Christopher Brown, photographer
Josh Dallas, actor
Katie Holmes, actress
Ravi Patel, actor
December 19 – Patrick Casey, screenwriter and actor
December 20 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan-born social activist (d. 2019)
December 22
Danny Ahn, rapper for g.o.d
Anthony Jeselnik, comedian, writer, actor, and producer
December 23
P. J. Alexander, football player
Andra Davis, football player
December 24 – Tony Angelo, drift racer and stunt driver
December 25 – Jeremy Strong, actor
December 27 – Yasemin Besen–Cassino, sociologist and professor
December 28
John Legend, R&B singer/songwriter
August Pfluger, politician
December 29
B-Boy, wrestler
LaToya London, singer
Angelo Taylor, athlete
December 30
Sari Anderson, multisport and endurance athlete
Devin Brown, basketball player
Vanessa Short Bull, beauty pageant titleholder
Tyrese Gibson, singer/songwriter, rapper, actor, model, and screenwriter
December 31
Craig Wayne Boyd, country music singer
Johnny Sins, adult film star
Full date unknown
Eric Abrahamsen, translator for the Chinese language
Stella Abrera, Philippine-born ballerina
Adeem, rapper
Deborah Ager, poet
Tanya Aguiñiga, artist
Allison Ahlfeldt, Paralympic volleyball player
Nilo Alcala, Philippine-born composer
Dick Allen, bowler
Kalliope Amorphous, artist
Ryan G. Anderson, convicted terrorist
Apexer, artist
Bomani Armah, vocalist
Josh Azzarella, artist
Christian Baldini, opera and orchestra conductor
Audrey Barcio, artist
Simon Barrett, actor, producer, and screenwriter
Zoltan Bathory, Hungarian-born guitarist for Five Finger Death Punch
Matt Bean, journalist
Claire Beckett, photographer
Vaughn Bell, artist
Christopher Belmonte, radio personality
Stacey Bendet, fashion designer and founder of Alice + Olivia
Ruha Benjamin, Indian-born sociologist and professor
Paul Bennecke, political consultant
Jenn Bennett, German-born author and novelist
Kathryn Biber, lawyer and political counsel
Melanie Bilenker, artist
Margot Black, tenant rights organizer, activist, grass-roots lobbyist, and political candidate
Sara Black, artist
Craig Blais, poet
M. Blash, director, screenwriter, actor, and visual artist
Evan Blass, blogger, editor, and phone leaker
J. T. Blatty, photojournalist and Army Captain
Kevin Blechdom, experimental electronic musician and performance artist
Jaswinder Bolina, poet
William Michael Boyle, author
Alex Brewer, artist
Sean Brock, chef
Kelsey Brookes, artist
Julia Brown, artist
Laurie Brown, photographer
Kasey Buckles, professor of economics
Noah Buschel, director and screenwriter
Rhett Ayers Butler, journalist and author
Deaths
January 9 – Robert Daniel Murphy, diplomat (born 1894)
January 13 – Hubert H. Humphrey, 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969 (born 1911)
January 14 – Kurt Gödel, mathematician (born 1906 in Austria-Hungary)
January 18 – Junius Matthews, actor (born 1890)
January 20 – Gilbert Highet, classicist, academic, writer, intellectual, critic and literary historian (born 1906 in Scotland)
January 23 – Jack Oakie, actor (born 1903)
February 9 – Warren King, cartoonist (born 1916)
February 14 – Claude Binyon, screenwriter and director (born 1905)
February 16 – Edward Lindberg, Olympic track athlete (born 1886)
February 18 – Maggie McNamara, actress (born 1928)
February 22
Phyllis McGinley, children's story writer and poet (born 1905)
C. Paul Jennewein, sculptor (born 1890 in Germany)
Dennie Moore, actress (born 1902)
Ernest Palmer, cinematographer (born 1885)
February 28 – Zara Cully, actress (born 1892)
March 13 – John Cazale, film actor (born 1935)
March 18
Leigh Brackett, science fiction author (born 1915)
Peggy Wood, actress (born 1892)
March 19 – Faith Baldwin, romantic novelist and poet (born 1893)
March 22
Sonora Smart Dodd, founder of Father's Day (born 1882)
Karl Wallenda, circus performer (born 1905)
John Hall Wheelock, poet (born 1886)
April 16 – Lucius D. Clay, military governor of Germany from 1947 to 1949 (born 1897)
April 21 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, civil rights activist, biologist and educator; first African American to receive a doctorate from Cornell (born 1877)
May 1 – Edgar Church, comic book collector (born 1888)
May 6 – Ethelda Bleibtrey, Olympic swimmer (born 1902)
May 12 – Louis Zukofsky, modernist poet (born 1904)
May 16 – William Steinberg, conductor (born 1899)
May 22
Joe Colombo, gangster (born 1923)
Aubrey Fitch, admiral (born 1883)
June 3 – Frank Stanford, poet, suicide (born 1948)
June 18 – Walter C. Alvarez, physician and writer (born 1884)
July 18 – Claude P. Dettloff, photographer (born 1899)
August 14 – Joe Venuti, jazz violinist (born 1903)
August 21 – Charles Eames, architect and designer (born 1907)
August 24 – Louis Prima, swing singer and bandleader (born 1910)
August 26 – Charles Boyer, film actor (born 1899 in France)
August 27 – Gordon Matta-Clark, artist, cancer (born 1943)
August 28 – Bruce Catton, Civil War historian, Pulitzer Prize winner in 1954 (born 1899)
August 31 – Lee Garmes, cinematographer (born 1899)
September 23 – Lyman Bostock, baseball player, killed (born 1950)
September 24 – Ruth Etting, "torch" singer (born 1897)
September 30 – Edgar Bergen, actor and ventriloquist (born 1903)
October 8 – Bertha Cody, Native American archaeologist (born 1907)
October 10 – Ralph Metcalfe, sprinter and U.S. Congressman (born 1910)
October 12 – Nancy Spungen, groupie and girlfriend of Sid Vicious, killed (born 1958)
October 16 – Dan Dailey, actor (born 1915)
October 19 – Gig Young, actor (born 1913)
November 7 – Cattle Annie, outlaw with Little Britches (born 1882)
November 8 – Norman Rockwell, painter and illustrator (born 1894)
November 15 – Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist (born 1901)
November 18 – Jim Jones, American cult leader (born 1931)
November 25 – Elaine Esposito, coma victim (born 1934)
November 27 – Harvey Milk, politician and gay activist, killed (born 1930)
December 3 – William Grant Still, "the Dean" of African American composers (born 1895)
December 10 – Ed Wood, American filmmaker, actor, writer, producer and director (born 1924)
December 27 – Chris Bell, guitarist, singer and songwriter (born 1951)
December 28 – Harry Winston, diamond dealer (born 1896)
See also
1978 in American soccer
1978 in American television
List of American films of 1978
Timeline of United States history (1970–1989)
References
External links
1970s in the United States
United States
United States
Years of the 20th century in the United States