About the day » Saturday December 16, 1978Calender converter

• michael william Vandenberg († 1998)

• Catharina Maria Francisca van Holsteijn (69), Wateringen
• Dingel Geert Wezeman (75), Delfzijl
• Adriana, Maria (Jana) van Iersel (77), Tilburg
• Anna Hylkes de Jong (88), Heerenveen, 8440, Nederland
• Abraham Vermeer (68), Naaldwijk, Nederland
• Atze van der Bos (86)
• Aukje Kuipers (68), Drachten, Friesland, Nederland
• Antonius Hubertus Naus (50), Nederweert
• Alida Elisabeth Grande (68), Amsterdam
• Anthonia Wilhelmina Ouwendijk (82), Leiden

• 1976 » Jen Golbeck, American computer scientist and academic
• 1977 » Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 » Sylvain Distin, French footballer
• 1978 » Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1978 » John Morris, Canadian curler and firefighter
• 1979 » Daniel Narcisse, French handball player
• 1979 » Jessie Ward, American wrestler and producer
• 1979 » Luke Harper, American wrestler
• 1979 » Mihai Trăistariu, Romanian singer-songwriter
• 1979 » Trevor Immelman, South African golfer

• 1974 » Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (b. 1884)
• 1976 » Réal Caouette, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
• 1977 » Risto Jarva, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 1980 » Colonel Sanders, American businessman, founded KFC (b. 1890)
• 1980 » Hellmuth Walter, German-American engineer (b. 1900)
• 1982 » Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (b. 1928)
• 1983 » Debs Garms, American baseball player (b. 1907)
• 1984 » Karl Deichgräber, German philologist and academic (b. 1903)
• 1985 » Paul Castellano, American mobster (b. 1915)
• 1985 » Thomas Bilotti, American mobster (b. 1940)

1. Jan
2. Martijn
3. Jeroen
4. Mark
5. David
6. Dennis
7. Johannes
8. Peter
9. Patrick
10. Michael
11. Robert
12. Pieter
13. Richard
14. Paul
15. Bart
16. Willem

1. Maria
2. Johanna
3. Sandra
4. Patricia
5. Marieke
6. Linda
7. Monique
8. Jessica
9. Jennifer
10. Esther
11. Wendy
12. Kim
13. Anna
14. Bianca
15. Cornelia
16. Cindy

• Koningin Juliana (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from September 4, 1948 till April 30, 1980 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from Monday, December 19, 1977 to Friday, September 11, 1981 the cabinet Van Agt I, with Mr. A.A.M. van Agt (CDA/KVP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 13.9 million citizens.
• January 24 » Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
• April 17 » Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking a communist coup d'état in Afghanistan.
• May 3 » The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as "spam") is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
• July 1 » The Northern Territory in Australia is granted self-government.
• August 19 » In Iran, Cinema Rex fire caused more than 400 deaths.
• December 6 » Spain ratifies the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum.

The temperature on December 16, 1978 was between -1.1 °C and 7.0 °C and averaged 2.4 °C. There was 3.1 mm of rain during 2.8 hours. There was 0.3 hours of sunshine (4%). The partly clouded was. The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the northeast.