1978 deaths

Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974

pope of the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978 (1897–1978)

pope of the Catholic Church in 1978

Austrian-American logician, mathematician, and philosopher of mathematics (1906-1978)

American anthropologist (1901-1978)

Italian politician (1916-1978)

first Prime Minister (1963 to 1964) and President (1964 to 1978) of self-governing Kenya

Swedish writer (1904–1978)

Belgian singer (1929–1978)

Soviet Armenian composer (1903–1978)

Swedish physicist (1886-1978)

vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969

Soviet revolutionary and statesman (1895–1978)

Italian artist (1888–1978)

American politician and gay rights activist (1930–1978)

Head of State of Algeria from 1965 to 1978

British chemist

3rd President of Italy (1887-1978)

Spanish footballer (1895-1978)

American biochemist (1901–1978)

Russian ballet dancer

Japanese association football player (1940–1978)

French actor (1899–1978)

American cult leader (1931–1978)

American painter and illustrator (1894–1978)

politician, first President of Afghanistan (1973-1978)

Japanese association football player (1903-1978)

German entrepreneur, founder of Adidas shoe company (1900–1978)

Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer (1885-1978)

Australian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (1894-1978)

American actor (1935–1978)

American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor

British actor and writer (1927–1978)

Spanish association football player

English rock musician, drummer of The Who (1946–1978)

German Luftwaffe general (1890–1978)

French historian and philosopher (1884-1978)

First President of Madagascar (1959-1972)

Italian writer and politician (1900-1978)

NKVD agent, murderer of Leon Trotsky

American actor (1913–1978)

French pop singer, songwriter and dancer (1939–1978)

Chinese writer (1892-1978)

Japanese politician (1887-1978)

German aircraft designer and manufacturer (1898-1978)

German general and politician (1897-1978)

German chemist (1896–1978)

Soviet mathematician and physicist (1911-1978)

Bulgarian musician (1899-1978)

Dutch-American physicist (1902–1978)

Bulgarian dissident writer (1929-1978)

Swedish racing driver (1944-1978)

German artist (1889–1978)

American musician (1910–1978)

Nigerian educator, political campaigner, suffragist, and women's rights activist

muse of Vladimir Mayakovsky

American political scientist (1902-1978)

Uruguayan footballer (1908-1978)

Italian footballer (1903-1978)

Spanish diplomat, writer and historian (1886-1978)