[78-L] Covering terminology

[Harold Aherne]

I think these debates about correct terminology as applied the record business
really is interesting and illuminating. That said, instead of using the apparently loaded
term "cover" I'll just stick to words like "rendition" or "version". Can I assume that those
words are more neutral and always correct (sort of like "Ms.", I guess)? 
 
By the same token, several years ago on a film-related group there was a spirited debate
on what to call the printed words that appear in silent films. Today they're usually called
"intertitles" but at least one person argued that the term was inauthentic (as they were 
always called "titles" "sub-titles" or even "captions" back in the 20s) and also incorrect:
if an "interregnum" is the time between two reigns, then an "intertitle" is the material 
between two titles, i.e. the picture itself! My own antediluvian inclinations prompt me
to call intertitles "sub-titles" and to call the little words in foreign-language films "captions".
And if I ever get elected to office, my own usage of those terms will be made into binding
law. ;-)
 
Does anyone know exactly when "78" came into use as a noun? I don't mean "78 rpm
record", as undoubtedly appeared already in 1949 or so, but just "78". 
 
-Harold