On this day

October 23, 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 October 18, 1978, covering October 23, 1978.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Grease by Soundtrack

    Grease

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    23
  2. 2
    Album cover for Who Are You by The Who

    Who Are You

    The Who

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    7
  3. 3
    Album cover for Don't Look Back by Boston

    Don't Look Back

    Boston

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    8
  4. 4
    Album cover for Living In The U.S.A. by Linda Ronstadt

    Living In The U.S.A.

    Linda Ronstadt

    Last week
    10
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    3
  5. 5
    Album cover for Double Vision by Foreigner

    Double Vision

    Foreigner

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    16

Notable Births

Jimmy Bullard

1978Jimmy Bullard, English footballer[†]

James Richard Bullard is an English former professional footballer, coach and television personality. He was the co-host of the Saturday morning Sky Sports show Soccer AM.

Steve Harmison

1978Steve Harmison, English cricketer and sportscaster[†]

Stephen James Harmison, is an English former first-class cricketer, who played all formats of the game. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODIs, and 2 T20s. He also played county cricket for Durham and Yorkshire.

John Lackey

1978John Lackey, American baseball player[†]

John Derran Lackey is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. A three-time World Series champion with three different teams, Lackey is regarded as a key figure in his clubs' postseason success, winning the title-clinching games of two out of the three Series. Selected to the MLB All-Star Game in 2007, he won that year's American League (AL) earned run average (ERA) title. After missing the 2012 season due to ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery in his pitching elbow, and helping the Red Sox win the 2013 World Series, Lackey was named the winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award.

Archie Thompson

1978Archie Thompson, New Zealand-Australian footballer[†]

Archie Gerald Thompson is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is also currently serving as a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory FC.

Notable Deaths

Carter Family

1978Maybelle Carter, American singer and autoharp player (Carter Family) (born 1909)[†]

The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, country, southern gospel, pop, and rock, as well as the American folk revival in the 1960s.

Historical Events

Aeroflot Flight 6515

1978Aeroflot Flight 6515 crashes off Syvash, killing all 26 people aboard.[†]

Aeroflot Flight 6515 was an scheduled flight operated by Aeroflot that crashed on October 23, 1978, in Sivash Bay due to engine failure caused by icing and crew error, resulting in the deaths of all 26 people on board.

Historical Context for October 23, 1978

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