On this day

August 12, 1978

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

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of August 9, 1978, covering August 12, 1978.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Grease by Soundtrack

    Grease

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    13
  2. 2
    Album cover for Some Girls by The Rolling Stones

    Some Girls

    The Rolling Stones

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    8
  3. 3
    Album cover for Natural High by Commodores

    Natural High

    Commodores

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    12
  4. 4
    Album cover for Double Vision by Foreigner

    Double Vision

    Foreigner

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    6
  5. 5
    Album cover for Darkness On The Edge Of Town by Bruce Springsteen

    Darkness On The Edge Of Town

    Bruce Springsteen

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    9

Notable Births

Chris Chambers

1978Chris Chambers, American football player[†]

Christopher J. Chambers is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, and also played for the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Hayley Wickenheiser

1978Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player[†]

Hayley Wickenheiser is a Canadian former ice hockey player, physician and assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs. She was the first woman to play full-time professional men’s hockey in a position other than goalie. Wickenheiser was a member of Canada women's national ice hockey team for 23 years, from 1994 until announcing her retirement on January 13, 2017, and is the team's career points leader with 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games. She represented Canada at the Winter Olympics five times, capturing four gold and one silver medal and twice being named tournament MVP, and one time at the Summer Olympics in softball, and is a seven-time winner of the world championships. She is tied with teammates Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford for the record for the most gold medals of any Canadian Olympian, and is widely considered to be the greatest women's ice hockey player of all time. On February 20, 2014, Wickenheiser was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission. In 2019, she was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, in her first year of eligibility. She was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

Notable Deaths

John Williams (motorcyclist)

1978John Williams, English motorcycle racer (born 1946)[†]

John Glen Williams was an English motorcycle short-circuit road racer who also entered selected Grands Prix on the near-continent. He mostly raced as a "privateer" having a personal sponsor, Gerald Brown. Williams died in Northern Ireland, following an accident when racing at an event held on closed public roads near Dundrod.

Historical Context for August 12, 1978

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