What Happened in 1972

Significant Events

  • Jan 30 'Bloody Sunday': 27 unarmed civilians are shot (of whom 14 were killed) by the British Army during a civil rights march in Derry; this is the highest death toll from a single shooting incident during 'the Troubles'
  • Feb 9 British government declares state of emergency after month-long coal miners' strike
  • Feb 17 British Parliament votes to join the European Common Market
  • Mar 30 Northern Ireland's Government and Parliament dissolved by the British Government and 'direct rule' from Westminster is introduced
  • Apr 10 US, USSR & 70 other nations agree to ban biological weapons
  • May 28 White House "plumbers" first break in at the Democratic National Headquarters at Watergate Complex in Washington D.C.
  • Jun 23 Hurricane Agnes becomes America's costliest natural disaster, effecting 15 states, with 119 deaths and $3 billion in damage
  • Aug 3 U.S. Senate ratifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
More Historical Events

1972 in Film & TV

  • Sep 17 "M*A*S*H," premieres on NBC TV

1972 in Sport

  • Jan 7 LA Lakers win their 33rd straight game, setting a still standing NBA record for longest streak
  • Jan 13 Bernice Gera wins anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congressl, initiated March 15, 1971 to be allowed to umpire
  • Feb 5 Bob Douglas is 1st African American elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Aug 28 Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut becomes media darling at the Munich Olympics; wins gold in the teams all-round ; follows with 2 gold and a silver
  • Sep 1 American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer beats Russian champion Boris Spassky 12.5-8.5 in Reykjavik, Iceland; most publicised world title match ever played; Fischer 1st American to win title

Did You Know?

Co-founder of Atari, Nolan Bushnell releases Pong, first commercially successful video game in Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, California

On November 29, 1972


World Leaders in 1972

Famous People in 1972

Famous People Born in 1972

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Would You Believe?

Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense, is almost thrown overboard on a ferry by an artist wanting to confront him on his role in escalating US involvement in the Vietnam war (no charges pressed)

On September 29, 1972

Famous Weddings

Famous Divorces

  • Jun 26 NFL quarterback Johnny Unitas (39) divorces first wife Dorothy Hoelle after nearly 2 decades of marriage
  • Sep 19 Actor Phil Hartman (23) divorces Gretchen Lewis after 2 years of marriage
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Famous Deaths

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