Featured moment
Space Invaders Released
Taito's arcade game launched the golden age of arcade gaming and the shoot 'em up genre.
Space Invaders and test-tube babies.
Space Invaders caused a coin shortage, Superman flew into theaters, and IVF made medical history.
The Cost of Living in 1978
Gallon of Gas
$0.94
Loaf of Bread
$0.44
Gallon of Milk
$1.92
World Population
4.30 billion
Featured moment
First IVF Baby Born
Louise Brown was the first human born after conception by in vitro fertilisation, a medical breakthrough.
Featured moment
Superman Released
Christopher Reeve made the world believe a man could fly in the first modern big-budget superhero film.
The wider picture
More from 1978
A few more things worth remembering.
World Events
Camp David Accords
A historic peace treaty was brokered by Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel.
World Events
Jonestown Massacre
Over 900 members of the Peoples Temple cult died in a mass murder-suicide in Guyana.
Technology
GPS Project Launched
The US Department of Defense launched the first satellite for what would become the Global Positioning System.
Cinema & TV
Grease Released
The musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John became a massive box office and soundtrack hit.
Pop Culture
Garfield Comic Strip Debuts
Jim Davis's comic about a cynical, lasagna-loving cat debuted in 41 US newspapers.
You arrivedin 1978.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1978 to today.