On this day

April 21, 1978

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from April 21, 1978

PintosWithdrawn in Oregon In Dispute Over Tank Safety

By Reginald Stuart Special to The New York Times

Hundreds of Ford Pintos in fleets operated by State of Ore, several munic agencies and at least 1 private co in Salem are being removed from service because of dispute over car's safety; at issue is whether '71-76 models have design defect that causes gasoline tanks to burst into flames in event of rear-end collisions; illus (M)

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Grass‐Roots Lobbying

By Unknown Author

Tin’ surge in grass‐roots, or indirect,. lobbying by companies and interest groups is drawing a tie ntion in Washington as Congress and the Internal Revenue Service study questions of disclosure and tax deductibility. Page n5.

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First Boston Names Buchanan, 43, as New President

By Leonard Sloane

Names Peter T Buchanan pres succeeding Paul L Miller, who will continue with co in 'senior advisory capacity'; names Alexander C Tomlinson exec com chmn; chmn George Shinn says Miller requested change, news conf; John S Wadsworth Jr, Gary L Swenson, Robert M Baylis and H James Toffey are named exec vps; Buchanan and Shinn illus (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of April 19, 1978, covering April 21, 1978.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Saturday Night Fever by Soundtrack

    Saturday Night Fever

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    35
  2. 2
    Album cover for Slowhand by Eric Clapton

    Slowhand

    Eric Clapton

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    22
  3. 3
    Album cover for Even Now by Barry Manilow

    Even Now

    Barry Manilow

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    9
  4. 4
    Album cover for The Stranger by Billy Joel

    The Stranger

    Billy Joel

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    29
  5. 5
    Album cover for Weekend In L.a. by George Benson

    Weekend In L.a.

    George Benson

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    11

Notable Deaths

Sandy Denny

1978Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (born 1947)[†]

Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "[a]rguably the pre-eminent British folk-rock singer/songwriter of her time".

Thomas Wyatt Turner

1978Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (born 1877)[†]

Thomas Wyatt Turner was an American civil rights activist, biologist, and educator. He was the first Black American to receive a Ph.D. in botany, and helped found both the NAACP and the Federated Colored Catholics.

Historical Context for April 21, 1978

In 1978, the world population was approximately 4,292,097,502 people[†]