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.
1972 in Film & TV
- Feb 13 "Cabaret", directed by Bob Fosse, based on the musical of the same name and starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York, is released
- Feb 17 TV comedy M*A*S*H, adapted from the movie, starring Alan Alda, Loretta Swit and Wayne Rogers debuts on CBS in the US
- Mar 15 "The Godfather", based on the book by Mario Puzo, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premieres in NYC (Academy Awards Best Picture 1973)
- Sep 17 "M*A*S*H," premieres on CBS TV
1972 in Music
- Feb 13 "Cabaret", directed by Bob Fosse, based on the musical of the same name and starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York, is released
- Jun 6 David Bowie releases his breakthrough album "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"
- Jun 7 Musical "Grease" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 3,388 performances
- Jul 15 "Honky Chateau" becomes Elton John's first No. 1 album in the US, includes hit "Rocket Man"
1972 in Sport
- Jan 7 Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports
- 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
- Mar 12 NHL great Gordie Howe retires after 26 seasons
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
Cameron Diaz
Carmen Electra
Eminem
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jennifer Garner
The RockWorld Leaders in 1972
Leonid Brezhnev
Soviet General Secretary
Mao Zedong
Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist Party
Richard Nixon
37th US President
Famous People in 1972
Billie Jean King
Sportsperson
of the Year
Henry Kissinger
Time Person
of the Year
Marlon Brando
Oscar for Best Actor
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
- Jan 1 Politician Aung San Suu Kyi (26) weds author Michael Aris (25)
- Feb 11 Playwright Tom Stoppard (34) weds doctor and author Miriam Moore-Robinson (34)
- Apr 25 Comedic actor Bob Denver (37) weds third wife Carole Abrahams
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
Edward VIII
Ezra Pound
Harry Truman
Igor Sikorsky
Jackie Robinson
Roberto Clemente