List of Famous people who died at 78

Detlev Wulf Bronk was a prominent American scientist, educator, and administrator. He is credited with establishing biophysics as a recognized discipline. Bronk served as President of Johns Hopkins University from 1949 to 1953 and as President of The Rockefeller University from 1953 to 1968. Bronk also held the presidency of the National Academy of Sciences between 1950 and 1962.

Marie Eline was an American child actress in silent films and sister of Grace Eline. Nicknamed The Thanhouser Kid, she began acting for the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York at the age of 8 and starred in exactly 100 films from 1910 to 1914.

Alfred Gilks, sometimes credited as Alf Gilks, was an American cinematographer from 1920 through to 1956.

Laurens Hammond, was an American engineer and inventor. His inventions include, most famously, the Hammond organ, the Hammond clock, and the world's first polyphonic musical synthesizer, the Novachord.

Domenico Padovano was an Italian Catholic prelate.

Marva Delores Collins was an American educator. Collins is best known for creating Westside Preparatory School, a private elementary school in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois which opened in 1975.