Superman and Grease were in the theaters and Star Wars merchandise was still flying off the shelves in 1978 when Space Invaders single-handedly launched the video game revolution that continues to this day.

Based on a futuristic dream he had, Toshihiro Nishikado of the Taito Corporation designed the game which, after creating a coin shortage in Japan, was licensed by Midway for release in the U.S where arcade culture quickly took root. In 1980 a version was ported over to work with the Atari 2600 game system. Since its release, Space Invaders has generated more than $500 million in revenue.

More news from 1978
Louise Brown, the first test tube baby, was born in Britain.
Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David Peace Treaty.