Viv Anderson became the first black British footballer to play for England in an international tournament against Czechoslovakia.
Sony introduces the Walkman, the first portable stereo.
South African white activist Donald Woods arrived in London after fleeing South Africa. He had been placed under house arrest by the National Party government and banned from working, travelling, writing or speaking publicly for five years.
Diff'rent Strokes, the popular US sitcom, premiered on television.
After 20 years on air the Black and White Minstrel show was cancelled after complaints of it being racist.
Grease premiered at the cinema.
Having lost to Leon Spinks earlier in the year, Muhammad Ali beats him to win the heavyweight boxing title and becomes the first ever boxer to regain the championship twice.
Harriet Tubman becomes the first black woman to be honoured on a US stamp. She escaped from slavery in Maryland in the late 1800s. After freeing herself from slavery, she returned to lead more than 300 people to freedom in North America.
Rose Royce released their third album, entitled Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!. It features I'm In Love and Love Don't Live Here Anymore. Both singles cracked the US RnB top five.
The Euro-disco group Boney M was at the height of its popularity with the release of their double A-sided single Rivers Of Babylon and Brown Girl In The Ring. It became the second-biggest selling single in UK chart history. The album, Nightflight To Venus, also topped the UK charts. Rasputin was another UK top ten hit, followed by the seasonal chart-topper Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord, which became the fifth-biggest selling single in UK history.
The Commodores' Three Times A Lady became the first single to achieve the hat-trick - the No 1 spot in the US pop, RnB and adult charts.
