On this day

December 20, 1978

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

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Headlines from December 20, 1978

Parliament Vote Jails Mrs. Gandhi For Harassing Officials as Premier

By William Borders Special to The New York Times

Parliament votes, 279 to 138, to expel Indira Gandhi and send her to Tihar Jail for remainder of current session, which is only matter of couple of days, as punishment for harassing officials in 75 in connection with inquiry into her son Sanjay's business affairs; Gandhi is free to run again for Parliament despite her expulsion; Gandhi illus; demonstrations continue (M)

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Power Blackout Spreads Disruption Across France

By Unknown Author

Vast power blackout strikes France on Dec 19, depriving most areas of elec for at least 2 hrs; Indus Min Andre Giraud blames cold weather, which caused demand to surge, and 'fundamental problem' in country's ability to insure sufficient energy capacity; 2 major labor confeds charge state elec agency with having neglected nonnuclear plants; orgn of users of public transport systems criticizes ecologists; illus; map (M)

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ISRAELI PARLIAMENT BACKS BEGIN'S STAND AND CRITICIZES U.S

By Paul Hofmann Special to The New York Times

Israeli Parliament endorses Begin's stand; says US position is 'one-sided'; denounces US for charging Israel with responsibility for failure to sign peace treaty; Begin says Israel will never accept Egypt's demand that its commitments to other Arab nations take priority over treaty with Israel; says Israel cannot agree to proposal for setting Dec '79 as target date for Palestinian elections on West Bank and in Gaza Strip; Begin illus (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 20, 1978, covering December 20, 1978.

  1. 1
    Album cover for 52nd Street by Billy Joel

    52nd Street

    Billy Joel

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    9
  2. 2
    Album cover for A Wild And Crazy Guy by Steve Martin

    A Wild And Crazy Guy

    Steve Martin

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    8
  3. 3
    Album cover for Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits; Volume 2 by Barbra Streisand

    Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits; Volume 2

    Barbra Streisand

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    4
  4. 4
    Album cover for C'est Chic by Chic

    C'est Chic

    Chic

    Last week
    8
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    4
  5. 5
    Album cover for Grease by Soundtrack

    Grease

    Soundtrack

    Last week
    6
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    32

Notable Births

Yoon Kye-sang

1978Yoon Kye-sang, South Korean singer[†]

Yoon Kye-sang is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting debut in the film Flying Boys (2004), for which he won Best New Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Yoon became active in both television and film, with leading roles in romantic comedies such as My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law (2004) and Who Are You? (2008) and the melodrama Crazy for You (2007), as well as more serious fare in The Moonlight of Seoul (2008) and The Executioner (2009). After a supporting turn in the hit series The Greatest Love (2011), he returned to the big screen in the well-received indie Poongsan (2011).

Andrei Markov (ice hockey)

1978Andrei Markov, Russian-Canadian ice hockey player[†]

Andrei Viktorovich Markov is a Russian-Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Nicknamed "the General", Markov formerly played from 2000 to 2017 with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He holds both Russian and Canadian citizenship.

Geremi

1978Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer[†]

Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso, known simply as Geremi, is a Cameroonian former professional footballer. He was a versatile player able to play at right back, right midfield or defensive midfielder, known for his power, pace, combative style and free-kick ability.

Bouabdellah Tahri

1978Bouabdellah Tahri, French runner[†]

Bouabdallah "Bob" Tahri is a retired middle-distance and long-distance French runner, who was born in Metz. He competed mainly in the 3000 m steeplechase distance. He also competes in the 2000 m steeplechase, 1500 m, mile, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10000 m and cross-country running. He has won several medals at major international championships such as the World Championships, European Championships and the European Indoor Championships. Moreover, he has won medals in the European Cup, European Team Championships, IAAF World Cup, IAAF Continental Cup and the IAAF World Athletics Final.

Historical Context for December 20, 1978

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