The birth of the first "test-tube" baby, the murder-suicides
of the followers of Jim Jones, and the signing of the Panama Canal Treaty
were the major stories of 1978.
February 19: In a tragic mix-up, Cypriot
National Guard members fired on and killed 15 Egyptian commandos trying to
rescue those aboard a Cypriot airliner held hostage by Palestinian
terrorists.
March 17: In the worst oil spill on record,
Amoco's Cadiz runs aground near Brest, France.
April 6: President Carter signs a bill raising
the mandatory retirement age to 70.
May 9: Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro,
who had been kidnapped on March 16, is found dead in Rome.
June 6: Proposition 13 passes in California
ensuring new residents will pay more than their fair share of property
taxes.
June 16: President Carter and Panamanian
President Torrijos formally sign an agreement which will cede control of
the Panama Canal to the Panamanias.
July 25: Louise Brown, the first
"test-tube" baby, is born in Britain.
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