1972

Year 1972 () was a (link will display full calendar) of the.

January

 * - The Pierre Hotel Heist: Six men rob the es of in, of at least $4 million.


 * - becomes the first woman judge at the  in.
 * - becomes the.
 * - U.S. President orders the development of a  program.
 * - An Iberian Airlines passenger plane crashes into a 250-meter peak on the island of Ibiza; 104 dead.
 * - speaks by telephone to denounce 's supposed biography about him.
 * - is destroyed by fire in  harbor.
 * - East Pakistan wins independence with the name.
 * - Prime Minister of  is overthrown in a military coup.
 * - King dies; he's succeeded by his daughter Queen.
 * - The enclave  on a platform in the, sponsored by the , declares . Soon neighboring  annexes the area and dismantles the platform.
 * - A  sells  to a  party - 100 dead.
 * - ese soldier is discovered in .   He had spent 28 years in the jungle.
 * -, the first Congresswoman, announces her candidacy for President.
 * - air stewardress  is the only survivor when her plane crashes in .   She survives after falling 9,000 meters in the tail section of the aircraft.
 * - claims he is the  on French television.
 * - : - the kills 13 unarmed / civil rights marchers in,.
 * - withdraws from the.
 * - King dies (the second king to die that month) and is succeeded by his son,.

February

 * - First scientific hand-held calculator is introduced (price $395).
 * - A bomb explodes at the British Yacht Club in .  The only casualty is Irwin Beelitz, a German boat builder.
 * - The German militant group announces its support of the.
 * - Anti- riots throughout take place. The British Embassy in  is burned to the ground, as are several British-owned businesses.
 * -  sends pictures from.
 * - U.S. airlines begin mandatory inspection of passengers and baggage.
 * - becomes the first  elected to the.
 * - The British government declares a over a miners' strike.
 * - President of  is deposed for the fourth time.
 * - s are granted U.S. Federal protection for the first time.
 * - sales exceed those of the  when the 15,007,034th Beetle is produced.
 * - The voids the state's,  commuting all death sentences to life in prison.
 * - The unmanned   lands on the.
 * - - U.S. President makes an unprecedented  to the  and meets with.
 * - - an  bomb kills 7 in,.
 * - is released from jail.   A  farmer, Rodger McAfee, helps her make bail.
 * - A plane is hijacked and taken to . Passengers are released after a ransom of 16 million s is agreed.
 * - North Vietnamese negotiators walk out of the Paris Peace Talks to protest U.S. air raids.
 * - A kills 125 in,.
 * -  comes back to Earth with a cargo of moon rocks.

March

 * - The Thai province is created after being split off from the.
 * - British schoolboy, 14, is sentenced in Turkey for "conspiring to sell ".
 * - The publishes its report .
 * - The  spacecraft is launched from, to be the first man-made satellite to leave the solar system.
 * - becomes President of the.
 * - Sculpted figures of, , and are completed at ,.
 * - and the  sign a cooperation treaty.
 * - Greek composer leaves the.
 * - The and the  elevate diplomatic exchanges to the ambassadorial level after 22 years.
 * - admits to a  court that he had fabricated ' "autobiography".
 * - The first building of the housing development is destroyed.
 * - and  sign a friendship.
 * - The 92nd votes to send the proposed  to the states for ratification.
 * -  is released in cinemas in the.
 * - The government announces the prorogation of the  and the introduction of '' of, after the  government refuses to cede security powers.
 * - An on  kills 19 climbers.
 * - : The begins after ese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of.

April

 * - U.S.  is shot in Umberto's Clam House in.
 * - The U.S. and the Soviet Union join some 70 nations in signing an agreement to ban.
 * - A 7.0  kills 5,000 people in the ian province of.
 * - The 44th Annual Academy Awards are held at the in Los Angeles.
 * - The decides to recognize the  as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the  administering.
 * -  is launched.   During the mission, the astronauts achieve a  speed record of 18 km/h.
 * - : Nguyen Hue offensive - Prompted by the ese offensive, the resumes bombing of  and.
 * - The is founded in.
 * - Sylvia Cook and finish rowing across the.
 * - A no-confidence vote against  fails under obscure circumstances.
 * - The fourth anniversary of the Broadway musical  is celebrated with a free concert at a Central Park bandshell, followed by dinner at the Four Seasons. There, 13 protesters and the show's co-author,, are arrested for disturbing the peace and marijuana use.

May

 * - Burundian Genocide against begins. More than 500,000 Hutus die.
 * - The video game system is released, thus marking the dawn of the video game age.
 * - Fire in a mine in,  kills 91.
 * - An  crashes west of,  (115 dead).
 * - are held in.
 * - U.S. President orders the mining of  Harbor in.
 * - Fire in a nightclub atop the Sennichi department store in, , leaves 115 dead.
 * - Governor of  is shot by  at a  political rally.
 * - Four troopers of both and  are parachuted onto the , 1,000 miles off Britain in the Atlantic, after a bomb threat and ransom demand, which turns out to be bogus.
 * - Three out of 6 bombs explode in the building in, , injuring 17 (the  claims responsibility).
 * - In, attacks 's "" statue with a sledgehammer, shouting that he is.
 * - Tamil United Front (now known as, a pro- organization, is founded.
 * - becomes the republic of  under prime minister, when its new  is ratified.
 * - lift the, defeating  in the  at the . Their supporters cause a , with the team banned from defending the trophy the following season.
 * - A bomb explodes in the  of the U.S. Army Supreme European Command in, . Three U.S. soldiers (Clyde Bonner, Ronald Woodard and Charles Peck) are killed.
 * - and  sign the  in, as well as the  and other agreements.
 * - First failed attempt at : the "Ameritas dinner" at the Watergate.
 * - retires from, frustrated by the agency's unwillingness to pursue a manned trans-orbital space program.
 * - is established in.
 * - Second failed attempt at.
 * - goes on trial in the.
 * - Three members kill 24 and injure 100 in,.
 * - Three members kill 24 and injure 100 in,.

June

 * June -  the.
 * -, , and some other members of  are arrested in  after a shootout.
 * - becomes the first female U.S. rabbi.
 * - is found not guilty of murder.
 * - - kills 117 on the U.S. East Coast.
 * - and  of  are arrested in a teacher's apartment in, West Germany.
 * - - The first U.S. National Convention is held in Denver,.
 * - 108 die as two passenger trains hit debris of a collapsed railway tunnel near,.
 * - : Five operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the.
 * - The returns, occupied and governed since the  , back to the government of.
 * - an president forms a new government.
 * - A  jet airliner crashes alongside the busy  Staines bypass, killing all 118 passengers and crew.
 * - beats the  3-0 to win.
 * - : U.S. President and  chief of staff  are taped talking about using the  to obstruct the 's investigation into the  break-ins.
 * - and  co-found.
 * - U.S. President announces that no new draftees will be sent to.
 * - : The rules that the  is unconstitutional.

July

 * - U.S. actress tours, during which she is photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun.
 * - The Canadian ketch , flying the Greenpeace III banner, collides with the French naval minesweeper La Paimpolaise while in to protest French nuclear weapon  in the.
 * - The becomes independent from the.
 * - Following 's surrender to in the, both nations sign the historic , agreeing to settle their disputes bilaterally.
 * - The first is held in.
 * - The U.S. sells to the Soviet Union for $750 million.
 * - A of elephants kills 24 in the Chandka Forest in India.
 * - - The meets in .   Senator, who backs the immediate and complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from , is nominated for President. He names fellow Senator  as his running mate.
 * - The housing development is demolished in.
 * - expels 20,000 Soviet advisors from.
 * - : 22 bombs planted by the explode in, ; 9 people are killed and 130 seriously injured.
 * - Comedian is arrested by  police for public, for reciting his “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” at.
 * - Collision between two trains near, kills 76.
 * - The launches, the first Earth-resources.
 * - U.S. health officials admit that blacks were used as guinea pigs in a experiment.
 * - A national dock strike begins in Britain.

August

 * - U.S. Senator, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, withdraws from the race after revealing he was once treated for mental illness. He was eventually replaced by.
 * - is jailed for 63 years for shooting.
 * - Dictator declares that  will expel 50,000 Asians with British passports to Britain within three months.


 * - Huge  knocks out cable lines in U.S. One of the largest flares ever recorded. Event begins with appearance of sunspot on Aug 2, Aug 4 flare kicks off high levels of activity until Aug 10, 1972.


 * - A brilliant, daytime skips off the  atmosphere due to an  streaking over the western  into.
 * - The last U.S. ground troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
 * - An  airliner crashes near  killing all 156 onboard.
 * - The mistakenly fires upon, but fails to bring down, 's plane while he is traveling back to.
 * - The in,  renominates U.S. President  and Vice President  for a second term.
 * -, 27, and Sal Naturile, 18, hold several Chase Manhattan Bank employees hostage for 17 hours in Flatbush, Brooklyn, N.Y.
 * - makes an antiwar broadcast from a hotel room in.
 * - - The are held in,.
 * - dies in an air crash.

September

 * - defeats  in a  match at, Iceland, becoming the first American chess champion (see ).
 * - The first episode of is hosted on  by .  Gambit and The Joker's Wild also premiere.
 * - - : Eleven i athletes at the in  are murdered after 8 members of the   group  invade the Olympic Village; 5 guerillas and 1 policeman are also killed in a failed  rescue.
 * - West Germany and Poland renew diplomatic relations.
 * - announces that there are n troops in its territory.
 * - is inaugurated in.
 * - A sent to the i Embassy in  kills 1 diplomat.
 * -   issues  placing the entire country under.
 * - An fighter aircraft leaving an air show at  Executive Airport fails to become airborne and crashes into a, killing 12 children and 11 adults.
 * - : Norway rejects membership in the European Economic Community.
 * - The is signed in.
 * - The defeats the  in game eight of the 1972  (La Série du Siècle), 6-5, to win the series 4-3-1.
 * - : normalizes diplomatic relations with the  after breaking official ties with the  (Taiwan).

October

 * - The first publication reporting the production of a recombinant molecule, marks the birth of modern  methodology.
 * Jackson, David A.; Symons, Robert H.; and Berg, Paul. (1972). Biochemical Method for Inserting New Genetic Information into DNA of Simian Virus 40: Circular SV40 DNA Molecules Containing Lambda Phage Genes and the Galactose Operon of Escherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 69(10), 2904-2909.


 * - joins the . The  stay out.
 * - The is founded out of the  and  Churches.
 * - A in,  kills 208.
 * - is chosen to replace  as the U.S. vice-presidential nominee of the.
 * - En route to her station in the, a brawl involving more than 100 sailors breaks out aboard the  aircraft carrier . Nearly 50 sailors are injured.
 * - : A passenger  transporting a  team crashes at about 14,000' in the  mountain range, near the Argentina/Chile border. Sixteen of the survivors are found alive  but they have had to resort to  to survive.
 * - A plane carrying U.S. Congressman of Louisiana and 3 other men vanishes in Alaska. The wreckage has never been found, despite a massive search at the time.
 * - Rioting inmates cause a fire that destroys most of the camp.
 * - Queen visits.
 * - The first female agents are hired.
 * - Belgian sets a new world  in  in.
 * - Following a visit to,  suggests that "peace is at hand."
 * - The first flight of the, the first airliner built by Airbus
 * - The group hijacks a   over, and demands the release of 3 of their comrades still held for the massacre of i s at the.
 * - U.S. President approves legislation to increase  spending by US$5.3 billion.
 * - A collision in  kills 45, injures hundreds.

November

 * (exact date not known) - At a scientific meeting in, and  conceive the concept of . They publish their results in November 1973 in . Separately in 1972,  also recombines DNA in a test tube. Recombinant DNA technology has dramatically changed the field of biological sciences, especially , and opened the door to.
 * - A group of Amerindians occupies the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
 * - : incumbent  defeats  Senator  in a landslide (the election had the lowest voter turnout since 1948, with only 55 percent of the electorate voting).
 * - : - The  turns over the massive Long Binh military base to.
 * - The closes above 1,000 (1,003.16) for the first time.
 * - The adopts the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
 * -, a leader of the , is arrested in after giving an interview to.
 * - : The loses its first  of the war.
 * - kicks off the first generation of  with the release of their seminal  version of , the first game to achieve commercial success.
 * - Vietnam War: Press Secretary  tells the press that there will be no more public announcements concerning  troop withdrawals from  due to the fact that troop levels are now down to 27,000.
 * - :  Sir  says that  ships would be stationed to protect British trawlers off.

December

 * - becomes the first   for 23 years. He is famously sworn in on the election night and his first action using executive power is to withdraw all Australian personnel from the.
 * - , the last manned mission to the to date, is launched.
 * - kidnaps  in.
 * - is stabbed and seriously wounded by an assailant; her bodyguards shoot him.
 * -  from  to  crashes short of the runway, killing 43 of 61 onboard and 2 on the ground.
 * - Over $10,000 cash is found in the purse of conspirator 's wife.
 * - is proclaimed by the.
 * - lands on the.
 * - The Commonwealth of ordains equal pay for women.
 * - The comes into effect.
 * - army kills 400 Africans in,.
 * - :  returns to, concluding the program of lunar exploration.
 * - and  recognize each other.
 * - troopers attack Altera Farm in north-east.
 * - Two small earthquakes are felt at about 9:30 and 10:15 local time in,.
 * - Australia establishes diplomatic relations with China and West Germany.
 * - A 6.25   in  kills 5,000-12,000 in the capital, ; President  will later be accused of pocketing millions of dollars worth of  intended for relief.
 * - The Pittsburgh Steelers win their first ever post-season game, defeating the Oakland Raiders 13-7, on a last second play that would become known as The.
 * - The highest recorded temperature in Australia is recorded in, of 49.5C (121.1F).
 * - The bombing of  causes widespread criticism of the U.S. and President.
 * - Former  dies in.
 * - The bones of are identified in Berlin.
 * - An Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 crashes into the in Florida, killing 101 of 163 onboard.
 * - dies in a plane crash off the coast of  while en route to deliver aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

Undated

 * breaks up.
 * starts his solo Career.
 * Starts his solo career a few months after as
 * Designated International Year of the Book by.
 * was renamed.
 * The breaks out in.
 * Prime minister of, compares the American bombings of North  to  massacres. The US breaks diplomatic contact with Sweden.
 * The begin to train  for anti-terrorist duties.
 * graduates from and enrolls in  in  but drops out after one semester.
 * The ese government begins building a railway tunnel between and.
 * is confined to a wheelchair due to.
 * The "tea house" Mellow Yellow opens on the in, pioneering the legal sale of  in the.
 * The founded on the lawn of  in.
 * First women admitted to.
 * n looters find but keep it a secret until government reveals it.
 * exposes corruption in police.
 * veteran hijacks a  jet and extorts $500,000 – he is later captured.
 * The dries up for the first time in known history.
 * language gets a written form.
 * Assassination of 's leader.
 * Worship of Norse gods officially approved in.
 * Women are allowed to compete in the for the first time.
 * The between the  and.
 * First use of the term.

Fictional
The following are references to year 1972 in fiction:
 * The sons of are born in the.
 * The year the is sent to prison and escapes
 * loses his after  travels back in time to prevent this from happening.
 * publishes Surfacing.
 * Sagdiyev is born.
 * The events of take place.

January-February

 * -, French football player
 * -, American actor
 * -, South Korean actor
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, American ice hockey player
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, Norwegian hockey player
 * -, American actress
 * -, Japanese singer and songwriter
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, American actress
 * -, (voice actress)
 * -, Stottish actor
 * -, Dutch swimmer
 * -, bodyguard to pro-skater and rapper
 * -, Mexican American talk show personality
 * -, British singer and member
 * -, Irish rugby player


 * -, American television personality
 * -, wife of Hungarian Prime Minister
 * -, Brazilian footballer
 * -, Japanese comedian
 * -, American race car driver
 * -, American actress
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, a member of the band
 * -, British footballer
 * -, American football player
 * -, Japanese comedian
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, Czech hockey player
 * -, American football player
 * -, American musician and lead singer
 * -, Japanese singer
 * -, French figure skater
 * -, Scottish footballer
 * -, Korean musician
 * -, American tennis player
 * -, American country singer
 * -, Kenyan athlete (d. )
 * -, English football player
 * -, Italian actor
 * -, Italian actor

March-April

 * -, English footballer
 * -, American composer and singer
 * -, Dutch race car driver
 * -, North Korean gymnast
 * -, Northern Irish snooker player
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American musician
 * -, Australian pop singer
 * -, Australian radio announcer
 * - (Matthew Minami), Japanese television performer
 * -, American race car driver
 * -, American musician
 * -, American soccer player
 * -, American comedian
 * -, British singer and guitarist
 * -, American professional wrestler (d. )
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Canadian figure skater
 * -, American baseball player (d.)
 * -, French actress
 * -, Dutch footballer
 * -, English comedian actor
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, Czech Republic football player


 * -, American actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, Japanese voice actress
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, Turkish singer and song-writer
 * -, American actress
 * -, Polish ice hockey player
 * -, American football player
 * -, American actress
 * -, Sri Lankan cricketer
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * -, Brazilian footballer
 * -, American actress and singer
 * -, Vietnamese footballer
 * -, British actress
 * -, American baseball player
 * - ,Juggalo Rapper
 * -, American artist, writer and cartoonist

May-June

 * -, American professional wrestler and actor (birth name – Dwayne Johnson)
 * -, English footballer
 * -, American musician
 * -, British Olympic winning rower
 * -, Australian musician
 * -, Polish goalkeeper
 * -, Swedish singer
 * -, American musician and actor
 * -, American musician (d. )
 * -, American actress
 * -, Brazilian racecar driver
 * -, Dutch cyclist
 * -, Dominican baseball player
 * -, player


 * -, American comedian
 * -, American hockey player
 * -, American comedian
 * -, English actress
 * -, Polish conductor
 * -, American drummer
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, Italian singer
 * -, New Zealand actor
 * -, computer scientist who founded the project
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, boxer, rapper
 * -, rapper, actor (d. )
 * -, Slovenian rower
 * -, American soccer player
 * -, South African-born netball player
 * -, English musician
 * -, Mexican baseball player
 * -, French footballer
 * -, Australian professional road bicycle racer
 * -, Slovenian rower
 * -, Puerto Rican baseball player
 * -, Canadian bass guitarist
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, American activist (d. )

July-August

 * -, British-born television host
 * -, British concert pianist
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Indian cricketer
 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, British singer
 * -, American actress, painter and poet
 * -, American football reporter
 * -, American actress
 * -, former actress


 * -, American professional wrestler
 * -, Canadian actress
 * -, Canadian contemporary artist
 * -, professional football player
 * -, British musician
 * -, British television presenter
 * -, Taiwanese singer
 * -, American actress
 * -, American model and actor
 * -, Turkish rock musician and songwriter
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American actor
 * -, American country music performer
 * -, Hong Kong actor and singer
 * -, Hong Kong singer and actress
 * -, American football player
 * -, American musician
 * -, American actress
 * -, Czech footballer
 * -, American comedian

September-October

 * -, Latvian hockey player (d. )
 * -, American actor
 * -, South African rugby player
 * -, American disc jockey and political satirist
 * -, Japanese (voice actor)
 * -, Syrian athlete
 * -, Indonesian journalist, writer and blogger
 * -, British actor
 * September 14  -   David Clabaugh, American DJ and Artist son of Puerto Rican Political Activist Carlos Santiago Soto
 * -, American comedian
 * -, British singer
 * -, American football player
 * -, American boxer and kickboxer
 * -, American author
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, American actress
 * -, American artist
 * -, Norwegian author


 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Canadian baseball player
 * -, American actress
 * -, disappeared school boy
 * -, a.k.a. American rapper and actor
 * -, Haitian rapper
 * -, singer
 * -, American actress
 * -, (voice actor)
 * -, Ukrainian professor of international law
 * -, American football player
 * -, American football player
 * -, American country music performer
 * -, American television personality
 * -, Japanese entrepreneur
 * -, American actress
 * -, French actress

November-December

 * -, Australian actress
 * -, Russian ice hockey player
 * -, Portuguese footballer
 * -, British rugby player
 * -, British actress
 * -, American radio personality
 * -, American musician
 * -, American baseball player
 * -, Japanese actor
 * -, American wrestler (billed currently as Giant Bernard and Rusher Road)
 * -, American actor, model
 * -, American songwriter, voice talent, cover model
 * -, American stage actor


 * -, Polish historian and theologian
 * -, American actress
 * -, Austrian skier
 * -, American wrestling valet and topless model
 * -, American drummer
 * -, British singer
 * -, Israeli artist
 * -, Australian footballer
 * -, American musical theatre actor
 * -, American football player
 * -, Lead singer of the Canadian Band.
 * -, member of and
 * -, American actress
 * -, American football player
 * -, French singer and actress
 * -, Australian tennis player
 * -, American soccer player
 * -, British actor
 * -, cie  (DJ)
 * -, American football player

January - March

 * -, French entertainer (surgical complications) (b. )
 * -, Chinese communist military commander and politician (b. )
 * -, American poet and scholar (b. ); suicide
 * -, American poet and painter (b. )
 * -, Danish politician (b. )
 * - King (b. )
 * -, American record producer and creator of (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )


 * -, Dutch architect (b. )
 * -, Scottish documentary filmmaker (b. )
 * -, German physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American journalist (b. )
 * -, American animator (b. )


 * -, British photographer (b. )
 * -, British violinist and the father of (b. )
 * -, Spanish couturier (b. )
 * -, American jazz musician (b. )
 * -, Dutch artist (b. )
 * -, British industrialist and film producer (b. )

April - June

 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, American composer (b. )
 * -, German-born composer (b. )
 * -, American actress (suicide) (b. )
 * -, American screenwriter (b. )
 * -, Japanese writer, laureate (b. )


 * -, American Federal Bureau of Investigation director (b. )
 * -, American chemist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, English poet (b. )
 * -, English actress (b. )
 * - King (b. )


 * -, Hungarian biophysicist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, Austrian-born German World War II spy (b. )
 * -, Serbian footballer (killed by a Swiss police officer) (b. )

July - September

 * -, tenth president of (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, American missionary (b. )
 * -, American athlete (b. )
 * -, American soprano (b. )


 * -, South African virologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American pianist and actor (b. )
 * - (air crash) (b. )


 * -Andrew Armstrong
 * -, (b. )
 * -, French pianist (b. )
 * -, French writer (b. ); suicide

October - December

 * -, British paleontologist (b. )
 * -, Soviet paleontologist and science fiction author (b. )
 * -, American actress (b. )
 * -, American astronomer (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, Russian aviation engineer (b. )


 * -, American poet (b. )
 * -, American politician (b. )
 * -, Romanian aerodynamics pioneer (b. )
 * -, English composer (b. )


 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, Italian-American and  performer
 * -, English art historian (b. )
 * -, 33rd (heart failure) (b. )
 * - 14th, recipient of the  (b. )
 * -, Puerto Rican player (b. )

Nobel prizes

 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded