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1978 in Michigan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1978
in
Michigan

Decades:
See also:

Events from the year 1978 in Michigan.

The Associated Press (AP) rated the top Michigan news stories of 1978 as follows:[1]

  1. The Great Blizzard of 1978 leaving 400,000 homes and businesses without power;
  2. The passage of one of three tax proposals on the November ballot—a measure requiring voter approval for new tax increases above authorized levels;
  3. The reelection of William Milliken as Governor, easily defeating challenger William Fitzgerald, and Carl Levin's defeat of Robert P. Griffin in the election for a U.S. Senate seat from Michigan;
  4. The ruling of Wexford County Circuit Judge William Peterson dismissing all charges against three defendants in the first PBB lawsuit, a 14-month trial that was the longest in Michigan history;
  5. The recall of 1.5 million pre-1977 Ford Pintos for modifications to the fuel tanks;
  6. The passage of a ballot proposal in November increasing Michigan's legal drinking age to 21;
  7. The implementation of Michigan's deposit law following the 1976 measure banning throwaway bottles and cans;
  8. Disclosures of patient abuse at Michigan's state mental health facilities beginning with a series of articles published in February in the Detroit Free Press and resulting in the resignation of the state's mental health director;
  9. The conviction of Congressman Charles Diggs for mail fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme in which staffers were required to kick back a portion of their pay to Diggs; and
  10. The passage of $168.5 million in transportation spending funded by an additional two cent per gallon tax on gasoline and increased vehicle registration fees.

The AP also selected the state's top sports stories as follows:[2]

  1. The 1977–78 Detroit Red Wings season which rebounded from the worst record in the NHL one year earlier and won a berth in the playoffs for the first time in a decade;
  2. The 1977–78 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team led by Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser that compiled a 25–5 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament;
  3. Michigan State's upset victory on October 14 over Michigan in football;
  4. Improvements in the Detroit Lions under head coach Monte Clark;
  5. The hiring of Dick Vitale as head coach of the Detroit Pistons;
  6. The selection of Detroit Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker as the American League Rookie of the Year;
  7. The resignation of Ralph Houk as manager of the Detroit Tigers;
  8. Rick Leach finishing his four-year career as Michigan's quarterback;
  9. The Detroit Tigers' signing of Michigan State football star Kirk Gibson; and
  10. Former Dearborn prep player Gary Danielson taking over as quarterback of the Detroit Lions.

Office holders

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State office holders

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Gov. Milliken
Sen. Griffin
Sen. Riegle

Mayors of major cities

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Federal office holders

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Population

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In the 1970 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 8,875,083 persons, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1980, the state's population had grown 4.4% to 9,262,078 persons.

Cities

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The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 70,000 based on 1970 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1960 and 1980 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1970
Rank
City County 1960 Pop. 1970 Pop. 1980 Pop. Change 1970-80
1 Detroit Wayne 1,670,144 1,514,063 1,203,368 −20.5% Decrease
2 Grand Rapids Kent 177,313 197,649 181,843 −8.0% Decrease
3 Flint Genesee 196,940 193,317 159,611 −17.4% Decrease
4 Warren Macomb 89,246 179,260 161,134 −10.1% Decrease
5 Lansing Ingham 107,807 131,403 130,414 −0.8% Decrease
6 Livonia Wayne 66,702 110,109 104,814 −4.8% Decrease
7 Dearborn Wayne 112,007 104,199 90,660 −13.0% Decrease
8 Ann Arbor Washtenaw 67,340 100,035 107,969 7.9% Increase
9 Saginaw Saginaw 98,265 91,849 77,508 −15.6% Decrease
10 St. Clair Shores Macomb 76,657 88,093 76,210 −13.5% Decrease
11 Westland Wayne 60,743 86,749 84,603 −2.5% Decrease
12 Royal Oak Oakland 80,612 86,238 70,893 −17.8% Decrease
13 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 82,089 85,555 79,722 −6.8% Decrease
14 Pontiac Oakland 82,233 85,279 76,715 −10.0% Decrease
15 Dearborn Heights Wayne 61,118 80,069 67,706 −15.4% Decrease
16 Taylor Wayne na 70,020 77,568 10.8% Increase

Counties

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The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 120,000 based on 1970 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1960 and 1980 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1970
Rank
County Largest city 1960 Pop. 1970 Pop. 1980 Pop. Change 1970-80
1 Wayne Detroit 2,666,297 2,666,751 2,337,891 −12.3% Decrease
2 Oakland Pontiac 690,259 907,871 1,011,793 11.4% Increase
3 Macomb Warren 405,804 625,309 694,600 11.1% Increase
4 Genesee Flint 374,313 444,341 450,449 1.4% Increase
5 Kent Grand Rapids 363,187 411,044 444,506 8.1% Increase
6 Ingham Lansing 211,296 261,039 275,520 5.5% Increase
7 Washtenaw Ann Arbor 172,440 234,103 264,748 13.1% Increase
8 Saginaw Saginaw 190,752 219,743 228,059 3.8% Increase
9 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 169,712 201,550 212,378 5.4% Increase
10 Berrien Benton Harbor 149,865 163,875 171,276 4.5% Increase
11 Muskegon Muskegon 129,943 157,426 157,589 0.1% Increase
12 Jackson Jackson 131,994 143,274 151,495 5.7% Increase
13 Calhoun Battle Creek 138,858 141,963 141,557 −0.3% Decrease
14 Ottawa Holland 98,719 128,181 157,174 22.6% Increase
15 St. Clair Port Huron 107,201 120,175 138,802 15.5% Increase
16 Monroe Monroe 101,120 118,479 134,659 13.7% Increase
17 Bay Bay City 107,042 117,339 119,881 2.2% Increase

Sports

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Baseball

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American football

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Basketball

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Ice hockey

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Other

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Music

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Albums and singles by Michigan artists or centered on Michigan topics that were released or became hits in 1978 include the following:

Chronology of events

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January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Births

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  • January 26 - Corina Morariu, tennis player and winner of Wimbledon women's doubles title in 1999, in Detroit
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Deaths

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References

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  1. ^ "Brutal blizzard was year's top story in Michigan". The Lansing State Journal. December 26, 1978. p. B7 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Red Wings' playoff berth selected top sports story". The Times Herald. December 31, 1978. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "1978 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "1978 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "1978 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "1978 Michigan State Spartans Stats". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ^ "1977–78 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "1977–78 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "1977–78 Detroit Titans Roster and Stats". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "1977–78 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  11. ^ "1977–78 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2017.