Pope John Paul II assumes the pontiff on October 16 after Pope John Paul I dies after only 34 days in office. Pope John Paul II is the first Polish Pope and the first non Italian pope since the 16th century.  He becomes the most traveled and popular Pope's in history until his death in April of 2005.

• The United States agrees to turn control of the Panama Canal over to Panama by the year 2000.

• The first portable stereo is introduced to the public as Sony's releases the walkman.

• The top movies of 1978 included the Deer Hunter, Annie Hall and Midnight Express

#1 Le Freak- Chic
#2 Shadow Dancing- Andy Gibb
#3 Stayin' Alive- Bee Gees
#4 Night Fever- Bee Gees
#5 I Go Crazy- Paul Davis
#6 Kiss You All Over- Exile
#7 (Love Is) Thicker Than Water- Andy Gibb
#8 Boogie Oogie Oogie-A Taste Of Honey
#9 Hot Child In The City- Nick Gilder
#10 Baby Come Back- Player

• Baseball: After being down as much as 14 games The New York Yankees surpass the Boston Red Sox and steamroll through the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series four games to two.

• Football: The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos 27 to 10 in Super Bowl XII at the Superdome in New Orleans.

• Basketball: The Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Los Angels Lakers four games to none in the NBA championship.

• Hockey: The Montreal Canadians defeat the Boston Bruins four games to two to capture the Stanley Cup.

Hubert Humphrey & Norman Rockwell are among the notable deaths of 1978.