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('''
MCMLXXII ''') was a
Leap Year Starting On Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar).
- Designated ''International year of the book'' by UNESCO
- January 2 - The Pierre Hotel Heist - Six men rob the Safe Deposit Boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City . Loot is at least $4 million.
- January 4 - Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge at the Old Bailey in London .
- January 4 - Kurt Waldheim becomes the Secretary General Of The United Nations .
- January 5 - President Of The United States Richard Nixon orders the development of a Space Shuttle program.
- January 7 - Iberian Airlines passenger planes crashes into an 800' peak on island of Ibiza - 104 dead.
- January 9 - Howard Hughes speaks by telephone to denounce Clifford Irving 's supposed biography about him.
- January 9 - RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' is destroyed by fire ( Hong Kong harbor).
- January 11 - East Pakistan becomes independent with the name Bangladesh .
- January 14 - King Frederick IX Of Denmark dies - his daughter Queen Margaret II Of Denmark ascends to the throne on January 16 .
- January 19 - Libertarian enclave Minerva on a platform in the South Pacific , sponsored by the Phoenix Foundation , declares Independence . Soon neighboring Tonga annexes the area and dismantles the platform
- January 22 - Denmark , Ireland and the United Kingdom join the EEC .
- January 23 - New Delhi Bootlegger sells Wood Alcohol to a Wedding party - 100 dead
- January 24 - Japan ese soldier Shoichi Yokoi is discovered in Guam . He had spent 28 years in the jungle.
- January 25 - Shirley Chisholm , the first African American woman elected to US Congress, announces her candidacy for US president.
- January 26 - Yugoslavian air stewardress Vesna Vulovic is the only survivor when her plane crashes in Czechoslovakia . She survives after falling about 30,000' in the tail section of the aircraft.
- January 28 - Richard Chanfray claims he is Count Of St Germain on French television.
- January 30 - Bloody Sunday - the British Army kills 13 unarmed Roman Catholic civil rights marchers in Derry , Ireland .
- January 30 - Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth Of Nations .
- January 31 - King Mahendra Of Nepal dies, becoming the second king to die that month, and is succeeded by his son, Birendra .
- February 1 - First scientific hand-held calculator ( HP-35 ) introduced (price $395).
- May 5 - An Alitalia DC-8 crashes west of Palermo , Sicily – 115 dead.
- May 13 - Fire in a nightclub atop the Sennichi department store in Osaka , Japan – 115 dead.
- May 15 - Governor George Wallace of Alabama is shot by Arthur Herman Bremer at a Laurel, Maryland political rally.
- May 17 - The closing notice is posted for the Broadway musical ''Hair''.
- May 18 - Four troopers of both SAS and SBS are parachuted onto the ''HMS Queen Elizabeth II'', 1000 miles off Britain in the Atlantic, after a bomb threat and demand for ransom. It turns out to be bogus.
- May 19 - Three out of six bombs explode in the Springer Press building in Hamburg , Germany - 17 injured. The Red Army Faction claims responsibility.
- May 21 - In Rome , Laszlo Toth attacks Michelangelo 's Pieta statue with a Sledgehammer shouting that he is Jesus Christ
- May 22 - Earthquake lasting 20 seconds destroys most of Bingol , Turkey - more than 1000 dead, 10.000 made homeless
- May 22 - Ceylon becomes the republic of Sri Lanka under prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike when its new Constitution is ratified.
- May 24 - A RAF bomb explodes in the Campbell Barracks of the US Army Supreme European Command in Heidelberg . Three US soldiers Clyde Bonner , Ronald Woodard and Charles Peck are killed.
- May 26 - Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT I Treaty in Moscow (including Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ; also other agreements were made).
- May 26 - First failed attempt at Watergate First Break-in : the "Ameritas dinner" at the Watergate.
- May 26 - Willandra National Park is established in Australia .
- May 27 - Second failed attempt at Watergate First Break-in .
- May 28 - Watergate First Break-in .
- May 30 - The Angry Brigade goes on trial.
- May 30 – 3 members of Japanese Red Army kill 24 and injure 100 in Lod Airport , Israel .
, center left, running down a road near Trang Bang after an
ARVN napalm chemical attack in the
Vietnam War . (©Nick Ut/Associated Press).]]
kidnappers taking part in the
Munich Massacre at the
1972 Summer Olympics .]]
- Prime minister of Sweden , Olof Palme compares the American bombings of North Vietnam to Nazi massacres. The US breaks diplomatic contact with Sweden.
- February 1 - Yoshi DeHerrera , American television personality
- February 2 - Klára Dobrev , wife of Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány
- February 4 - Giovanni Silva De Oliveira , Brazilian footballer
- February 5 - Mary, Crown Princess Of Denmark
- February 5 - Koriki Choshu , Japanese comedian
- February 7 - Alex Bassi , American race car driver
- February 8 – Paul Wight , American professional wrestler (billed as The Big Show)
- February 11 - Steve McManaman , British footballer
- February 14 - Drew Bledsoe , American football player
- February 14 - Hiroshi , Japanese comedian
- February 15 - Jaromir Jagr , Czech hockey player
- February 16 - Jerome Bettis , American football player
- February 17 - Billie Joe Armstrong , American musician ( Green Day )
- February 17 - Philippe Candeloro , French figure skater
- February 21 - Seo Taiji , Korean musician
- February 24 - Richard Chelimo , Kenyan athlete (d. 2001 )
- February 29 - Antonio Sabato Jr. , Italian actor
- March 6 - Terry Murphy , Northern Irish snooker player
- March 6 - Shaquille O'Neal , American basketball player
- March 8 - Angie Hart , Australian pop singer
- March 10 - Takashi Fujii (Matthew Minami), Japanese television performer
- March 10 - Matt Kenseth , American race car driver
- March 10 - Eugene Roshal , Russian-born computer programmer
- March 15 - Mark Hoppus , American musician ( Blink-182 )
- March 17 - Mia Hamm , American soccer player
- March 20 - Alexander Kapranos , British singer and guitarist ( Franz Ferdinand )
- March 22 - Shawn Bradley , American basketball player
- March 22 - Elvis Stojko , Canadian figure skater
- March 23 - Judith Godrèche , French actress
- March 27 - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink , Dutch footballer
- April 3 - Jennie Garth , American actress
- April 4 - Adam Clayton Powell Jr. , American politician
- April 5 - Krista Allen , American actress
- April 11 - Jason Varitek , American baseball player
- April 13 - Mariusz Czerkawski , Polish ice hockey player
- April 17 - Tony Boselli , American football player
- April 17 - Jennifer Garner , American actress
- April 17 - Muttiah Muralitharan , Sri Lankan cricketer
- April 19 - Rivaldo , Brazilian footballer
- April 24 - Chipper Jones , American baseball player
- April 29 - Roman Dirge , American artist, writer and cartoonist
- June 4 - Derian Hatcher , American hockey player
- June 5 - Justin Smith , American drummer, The Seeds
- June 7 - Karl Urban , New Zealand actor
- June 15 - Andy Pettitte , American baseball player
- June 19 - Brian McBride , American soccer player
- June 21 - Irene Van Dyk , South African-born netball player
- June 23 - Zinédine Zidane , French footballer
- June 25 - Carlos Delgado , Puerto Rican baseball player
- June 29 - Samantha Smith , American activist (d. 1985 )
- September 2 - Sergei Zholtok , Russian hockey player (d. 2004 )
- September 8 - Lisa Kennedy , American disc jockey and political satirist
- September 10 - Ghada Shouaa , Syrian athlete
- September 12 - Jason Statham , British actor
- September 17 - Bobby Lee , American comedian
- September 21 - Liam Gallagher , British singer ( Oasis )
- September 21 - Jon Kitna , American football player
- September 22 - Bob Sapp , American boxer and kickboxer
- September 24 - Karyn Bosnak , American author
- September 28 - Gwyneth Paltrow , American actress
- September 28 - Dita Von Teese , American Burlesque artist
- September 30 - Ari Behn , Norwegian author
- December 4 - Nikki Tyler , American actress
- December 7 - Hermann Maier , Austrian skier
- December 9 - Tre Cool , German drummer ( Green Day )
- December 10 - Brian Molko , Belgian singer ( Placebo )
- December 12 - Joel Cahen , Israeli artist
- December 13 - Chris Grant , Australian footballer
- December 19 - Alyssa Milano , American actress
- December 19 - Warren Sapp , American football player
- December 22 - Vanessa Paradis , French Singer and actress
- December 28 - Patrick Rafter , Australian tennis player
- December 29 - Jason Kreis , American soccer player
- December 29 - Jude Law , British actor
- December 30 - Kerry Collins , American football player