Historical Events
AFC Championship
AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Oakland Raiders, 20-17
- Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213
Musical Finale
Alex Bradford, Vinnette Carroll, and Micki Grant's musical "Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God" closes at Lyceum Theatre, NYC, after 429 performances and 1 Tony Award
- Los Angeles Police chief Edward Davis retires from police force
- News editor Donald Woods finally arrives in London after escaping the apartheid regime in South Africa
- NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-6
Famous Birthdays
- Nina Bott, German actress
- Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist
- Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish soccer midfielder (27 caps; Norwich City) and Dominican friar and priest, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Tarik O'Regan, British contemporary classical composer (Threshold of Night; Heart of Darkness), born in London, England
About January 1, 1978
Day of the Week: Sunday
How Long Ago? 45 years, 5 months and 5 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Snake
Star Sign: Capricorn
Holidays: New Year's Day (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States)
Music Charts
#1 Song: How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
#1 Song: Mull Of Kintyre/Girls' School - Wings