1978

Events

 * March 6 - Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist and serial killer, attempts to kill Larry Flynt, founder and publisher of pornographic magazine Hustler. Flynt survived the attack, but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
 * June 15 - William Luther Pierce publishes The Turner Diaries.
 * October 9 - Idi Amin invades Tanzania.
 * November 18 - Jim Jones and his People's Temple cult commit mass suicide in their private settlement of Jonestown in Guyana by drinking poison-laced Flavor Aid. A total of 918 people die.
 * November 27 - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is founded.
 * December 2 - NAMbLA is founded.

Villain births

 * January 5 - Sabrina Harman
 * January 21 - Diane Zamora
 * March 8 - Mohammed Bouyeri
 * May 9 - Marwan al-Shehhi
 * July 27 - Lauren Debenedetta
 * August 12 - Pazuzu Algarad
 * October 15 - DeWayne Craddock
 * December 11 - Éric Borel
 * December 20 - Waleed al-Shehri

Victim births

 * Febraury 17 - Jacob Wetterling

Villain deaths

 * February 9 - Herbert Kappler
 * July 1 - Kurt Student
 * September 11 - Robert Garrow
 * November 18 - Jim Jones

Victim deaths

 * November 18 - Leo Ryan