1978 - A Year In Review...

I celebrated my 31st birthday this past Thursday, January 15th. As I reflected back over my life so far it’s obvious that I am blessed beyond comprehension. God has been so good to me. I’ve had a lifetime of great family and friends that have been absolutely amazing and filled these 31 years with love, happiness, and fantastic memories. As I looked back, I thought it would be cool to take a look at what was going on during the month and year I came into this world. Check it out:


January 1978:

• I share my birth month and year with folks like Kimberly Locke, Chad Ocho Cinco, and Jeremy Camp.
• I share my birthday with the anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys Superbowl victory over the Denver Broncos. My mom and I were lucky enough to have my dad at least come see us at the hospital during half-time and stay through the third quarter...Thanks pops!

Entertainment of 1978:

• Top movies of the year included Superman, Greece, Saturday Night Fever, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2, Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke, and Animal House.
• 1978 was also the year of the inaugural Sundance Film Festival.
• Popular musicians of the year included the Bee Gees, Paul McCartney & Wings, John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, The Rollingstones, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb and The Commodores.
• The year's top songs included You're The One That I Want, Shadow Dancing, Night Fever, You Light Up My Life, Staying Alive, Kiss You All Over, Lay Down Sally, and Three Times A Lady.

• Some of television's top shows in 1978 were Chips, Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, Charlie's Angels, Saturday Night Live, Three's Company, and The Love Boat. By the way, John and Ponch from Chips were some of my childhood heroes!

Sports in 1978:

• As I previously stated, the Dallas Cowboys won the Superbowl on my actual birthday.
• My New York Yankees won the world series defeating the LA Dodgers 4-2. Maybe that's why they've always been my favorite.


• The Washington Bullets were atop the NBA, defeating Seattle in the championship series 4-3.

Money in 1978:

• The average cost of a new house in 1978 was around $54,000.
• One pound of bacon would have cost you $1.20.
• You could get a gallon of gas for 63 cents.
• A dozen eggs would set you back a whole 48 cents.
• The average monthly rent for a home was $260.
• 1978's annual income was around $17,000.
• The Dow Jones year end close was 805.

Other Random Facts About 1978:

• Cult leader Jim Jones convinced 400 members of his "church" the People's Temple into committing mass suicide in Guyana.
• After 30 years, the Volkswagen Beetle stops production after manufacturing 20 million cars.
• Serial killer David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam," is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
• Sony manufactured the first ever walkman.

• Space Invaders launches the first craze for computer video games.
• The first ever Cellular Mobile Phone is introduced by the Illinois Bell Company, even though it wouldn't be made available to the general public for another five years.