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Events on Sunday 31 December 1978 9
1964 – 1978University of IllinoisMoved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he continued developing theoretical frameworks for chemical reactions.
1971 – 1978Cincinnati Politics and MayorServed on the Cincinnati City Council and as the city's 56th Mayor from 1977 to 1978. Had earlier resigned from the council in 1974 over a prostitution scandal but was re-elected at the next election.
1976 – 1978Discovery of V(D)J RecombinationMade the Nobel Prize-winning discovery that immune cells physically rearrange segments of their DNA — cutting and splicing gene fragments — to generate the enormous diversity of antibodies needed to fight disease. This overturned the prevailing dogma that DNA was static in somatic cells.
1976 – 1978Leaving Ike TurnerLeft Ike Turner in 1976, fleeing their Dallas hotel room with 36 cents in her pocket. Their divorce was finalised in 1978. She later revealed years of horrific physical abuse during their marriage.
1976 – 1978War Films of the 1970sAppeared in a run of major World War II films: The Eagle Has Landed (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Force 10 from Navarone (1978), establishing him as a go-to actor for military roles.
1977 – 1978Here You Come Again — Crossover SuccessReleased Here You Come Again, which topped the country charts for five weeks and crossed over to number three on the pop charts. The album went platinum, making her the first female country artist to sell a million copies. Won her first Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance.
19781978: Mario AndrettiLotusItalian-born American Andretti won the title in Colin Chapman's revolutionary ground-effect Lotus 79, the season's dominant car.
1978Co-founded BiogenCo-founded Biogen, one of the first biotechnology companies, alongside Walter Gilbert and other scientists. Biogen would grow into one of the world's largest biotech firms, focused on neurological diseases. Sharp served as Chairman of the Scientific Board.
1978Joined CaltechAppointed to the California Institute of Technology as the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry, where he would remain for the rest of his career.