Centuries: Year in Review 20th Century (19th century - 20th century - 21st century)
Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years: 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 - 1983 - 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Births
Deaths
- Buckminster Fuller, American architect
Events
- Barbara McClintock receives Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of the first transposons in corn (zea mays) in 1940.
- Democratic reform in power in Argentina.
Sport
- January 30 - Super Bowl XVII Washington Redskins (27) def. Miami Dolphins (17)
- Physics - Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, William Alfred Fowler
- Chemistry - Henry Taube
- Medicine - Barbara McClintock
- Literature -William Golding
- Peace - Lech Walesa
- Economics - Gerard Debreu