January 4 » Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.
January 17 » El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
September 27 » The Wreck of the Old 97, an American rail disaster that became the subject of a popular ballad.
December 14 » The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
December 16 » Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in Bombay first opens its doors to guests.
December 30 » A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.
Day of death October 4, 1978
The temperature on October 4, 1978 was between 3.7 °C and 14.9 °C and averaged 9.9 °C. There was 0.2 mm of rain during 0.1 hours. There was 4.7 hours of sunshine (41%). The partly clouded was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the west-northwest. Source: KNMI
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.
March 28 » The US Supreme Court hands down 5–3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
July 25 » Puerto Rican police shoot two nationalists in the Cerro Maravilla murders.
August 22 » The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FLSN) occupies national palace in Nicaragua.
September 8 » Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 700–3000 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran.
September 19 » The Solomon Islands join the United Nations.
November 15 » A chartered Douglas DC-8 crashes near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 183.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Peter Menting, "Family tree Menting", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-menting/I18078.php : accessed January 12, 2026), "Matheus Baaijens (1903-1978)".
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