1972 Facts: Olympic Games, Presidency & Other Fun Facts!

The year 1972 is the longest in history due to a leap day and two leap seconds.

In history, the year 1972 was marked as a black year. It was the year in which at least eight Arab terrorists attacked the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany, killing 11 Israeli athletes.

The world population in 1972 was 3,791,000,000. This year is also the commencement of the Watergate Scandal, which is the most significant political scandal in modern history. Trouble between the IRA and the British government grow, resulting in wrongdoing on both sides and loss of innocent lives.

The significant events that happened in 1972 are Britain controls Northern Ireland, Nixon visits China, the US withdraws from Vietnam, Summit meeting, Arab terrorists murder 11 athletes, Bosporus bridge, Sear tower, Yom Kippur war, Ford is sworn in as Vice President, Managua leveled by Earthquake, Bahamas independent, severe drought in Africa, President Allende killed, cat scan.

If you enjoy reading such interesting and fun facts, check out the articles on 1968 facts and 1970s facts. 

United States Presidential Election Of 1972

After the Unionist administration refuses to yield security powers, the British government announces the prorogation of the Northern Ireland Parliament and the implementation of 'Direct Rule' in Northern Ireland. Lon Nol broke with Sihanouk's policy of neutrality in the Indochina conflict and formed close ties with the US and South Vietnam, allowing their forces to operate on Cambodian soil.

He seized ultimate power over Cambodia on 10th March 1972 and became President two days later.

President Richard Nixon was born into a poor Quaker household in a small town in Southern California. He served the United States from 1969 to 1974, and he was the 37th President of the country. Before this, Nixon served as a Vice President after rising to a senator and national prominence as a California representative.

From Duke University School of Law, Richard Nixon completed his law degree and returned to California to practice law in 1937. Richard Nixon and his wife worked for the government in 1942, and he was also a member of Naval Reserves during World War II.

In the Watergate complex, President Richard Nixon broke into the Democratic National Committee office. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1972, George Carlin was arrested for breaching obscenity laws.

During summer in 1972, on 17th June, five operatives from President Richard Nixon's (Republican) White House and the Nixon reelection campaign were arrested while breaking into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office, which was in the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C. Jane Fonda traveled to North Vietnam to help the communist cause, receiving the moniker Hanoi Jane.

The White House Chief Staff and President Nixon were caught on tape discussing employing the CIA to disrupt the FBI's investigation into the Watergate break-ins.

After a border dispute with the Soviet Union nearly turned into a war, China reacted to the American approach. At the same time, the US decommissioned a 19-year-old Taiwan Straits patrol.

In April, the Chinese invited the American ping-pong team to China, which became known as ping-pong diplomacy. Dr. Henry Kissinger, the President's National Security Advisor, flew to China in July 1971 to negotiate an opening with the Chinese. Nixon announced his impending summit in Peking upon Kissinger's return.

President Richard M. Nixon landed in Peking on 21st February 1972 for a seven-day visit. Even though no significant agreements were made during the summit, the event signaled the start of a new era in US diplomacy.

He tried to make agreements with the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China, easing Cold War tensions between the two countries. Nixon made two significant deals: SALT I and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union as part of the program.

According to Pop culture history, on 30th January 1972, the day is called Bloody Sunday. There was an open fire on the crowd of anti-detention by the British soldiers traveling through Derry, Northern Ireland. Twenty-six people were injured, with thirteen of them dying immediately and one dying four months later due to his injuries.

The first African American named Bob Douglas became the first person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year in Pop culture history.

This Bloody Sunday is widely regarded as one of the most heinous acts of brutality perpetrated by British troops in the entire face of the people and the press during the Troubles. Soon after, the Widgery Report, a whitewashed probe, was released, siding with the British Army.

Years later, the Saville Inquiry found all victims innocent, prompting then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair to apologize publicly. The troops' legacy is still contentious, as some believe they should be prosecuted, while the official British government opinion is that they should not.

The Iran Blizzard was the deadliest in recorded history, killing almost 4,000 people.

In American history, on 2 January 1972, the robbery took place in the Pierre Hotel, where six men robbed the safety deposit boxes of The Pierre Hotel in New York City of at least $4 million.

On 5 January 1972, US President Richard Nixon ordered a space shuttle program, and on 16 January, Super Bowl VI: The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24–3.

In Australian history, in 1972 on 2nd December during the federal election, the Liberal/Country Coalition Government by the then Prime Minister William McMahon was defeated by the Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam. Whitlam became the first Prime Minister of Australia from the Labor party after the defeat of Ben Chifley in 1949.

Three persons were killed in 1972 in the Taroom explosion, Queensland when a burning vehicle laden with ammonium nitrate exploded. On 6 October, six students and their teacher were kidnapped for a $1 million ransom in Victoria, and on 15 November, Australia's first airplane hijack happened.

For many Canadians, the eight-game series between Team Canada and the Soviet Union's national team in 1972 was the most memorable sporting event in the country's history. Most people expected Canada to trounce the Soviet Union, but their optimism was dashed when Canada lost the first game.

The series was deadlocked going into the final game in Moscow, which Canada won dramatically with a goal by Paul Henderson in the last seconds. The series would leave an indelible mark on hockey in Canada and around the world.

In March 1972, Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 collided with a home on Edgewood Avenue in Albany, killing 16 of the 47 people on board and one in an upstairs apartment. After losing power during a snowfall, the commuter plane collided at 8:48 p.m.

Olympic Games

The first Olympics were held in Greece, Athens. Baron Pierre, a Frenchman, proposed the notion in 1894, and he was responsible for the start of the Olympics. In 1896, in Athens, Greece, the first Olympic games were held.

To honor the historical beginnings of the Olympic Games, held every four years at Olympia, the Olympic Games are held every four years.

Upper Volta, Togo, Dahomey (now Benin), Somalia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Gabon, Albania and were the countries who made their Olympic debuts in Munich (now Burkina Faso) in the year 1972.

The country that won the highest number of gold medals in the 1972 Olympics was the Soviet Union—followed by the United States, which won 33 gold medals, and East Germany, with 20 gold medals.

Mark Spitz joked with the Russian swim team coach that his mustache helped him swim faster by deflecting water away from his mouth. Mark Spitz was a nine-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming in 1972.

The US team did not attend the victory ceremony, refused their silver medals, and filed an official protest, claiming unfairness of the outcome. Despite sworn testimony from the referee and timekeeper that the Soviet triumph was illegitimate, the US protest was denied by a five-person appeals jury.

The Battle of the Sexes finally finished when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Rigg in three straight tennis sets.

Palestinian terrorists raided the Israeli athletes' Olympic Village residence early on September 5, 1972, during the Munich Summer Olympics, murdering two and kidnapping nine others. The officials of the Olympics suspended the games for 24 hours to allow for memorial services for the athletes who had died.

Israel's Prime Minister, Golda Meir, appealed to other countries on September 5 to rescue our citizens and denounce the horrible criminal atrocities done. The kidnappers demanded the release of the 234 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. An unsuccessful attempt to rescue the hostages resulted in five of the eight Black September members.

Aziz Sedki, Prime Minister of Egypt, had already assured West German authorities that the Egyptians did not want to become engaged in the hostage crisis; the authorities pretended to comply with the Cairo demand.

The Independent Country: Jamaica

Most of the Jamaicans speak Patois, an English-based dialect; however, their official language is English.

Jamaica gained full dominion status within the Commonwealth on August 6, 1962, under a constitution that preserved the British monarch as head of state. Infrastructure, technical, vocational, and teacher education all advanced significantly between 1962 and 1972.

Bustamante was appointed Prime Minister. Hugh Lawson Shearer, a protégés of Bustamante, succeeded Donald Sangster and served from 1967 to 1972, succeeding Bustamante, who died just a month after leading the JLP to electoral victory. Jamaica joined the International Monetary Fund the following year (IMF).

Marcus Garvey was named a national hero in 1964, and George William Gordon and Paul Bogle were named heroes in 1965. In 1969, national honors took the place of British honors. Sugar and banana exports remained to be protected in the United Kingdom.

The Cold War impacted Jamaica's relations with the US, which was the country's most important trade partner and bauxite and tourism investor.

The 1972 U.S. Open (golf) was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, in which the Open golf Jack Nicklaus was the winner.

In the same year, when one Austrian skier was excluded from the games owing to commercial advertising, full-time ice hockey players from other countries were allowed to compete, controversy developed over the usage of professional athletes.

Bishop v. Wood (law case)

The court (supreme) of North Carolina ruled that an enforceable expectation of ongoing public employment can only exist if the employer guarantees through statute or contract. Only an analysis of the specific statute or ordinance in question can determine if such a promise is made.

One such law case is of Carl Bishop, who was fired from his employment as a police officer in Marion, North Carolina, by the city manager in 1972, on the suggestion of the city's chief of police, W.H. Wood. Bishop was denied a hearing in which he may have contested his dismissal's grounds.

Instead, the municipal manager told him in private that he was being fired for allegedly breaking departmental rules and regulations and neglecting to attend training seminars regularly, among other things.

Bishop then filed a federal lawsuit in which the head of police and others were named as defendants. Bishop claimed that his dismissal had stripped him of his property interest in his current job.

He further claimed that the claims against him were false and defamatory and that they had harmed his reputation, robbing him of his freedom (liberty) to seek alternative employment.

There is so much trivia and fun facts that happened in 1972. Many new inventions were made, people came with different ideas in different fields of entertainment, automobiles, household things. Let us know more about them.

At $395.00, the first scientific hand-held calculator (Hewlett-Packard, later designated the HP-35) was released. Peter Powell, an English inventor, creates a steerable dual-line kite.

The year 1972 was also famous for the invention of the compact disc CD, and the channel MTV was launched where the videos of Michael Jackson were played where he got famous.

Dawn dolls were very famous during 1970-1973, tiny fashion dolls with rooted hair and eyelashes.

In pop culture history, Pong was the first widely distributed video game. Time-Warner launched HBO (Home Box Office).

Sandy Koufax, the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 19, 1972, at 36.

In September 1969, the show was renamed, 'The Wonderful World of Disney'. The color distinction was no longer necessary because all three major networks were broadcasting in color. Between 1970-1975, the show maintained high ratings, frequently ranking in the top 20.

Ted Arison founded the Carnival Cruise Lines, which began sailing in the same year from Miami with Mardi Gras.

In December 1972, Commander (Eugene Cernan) of Apollo 17 was the last person to walk on the moon. On the moon, his parting words were, "We leave as we came and will return, God willing, with peace and hope for all humanity.

In 1972, Chrysler launched Electronic Ignition for automobiles.

The household dishwasher 'Dawn' was produced in 1972, although initial planning began in the '20s.

In the same year, Bounce dryer sheets were introduced, and clothes had less static cling.

DC Comics has controlled the rights to the original Captain Marvel since 1972. However, due to a trademark dispute with Marvel, DC is now selling the hero as Shazam.

A famous television commercial called life cereal ad released were two elder brothers of Mikey made him try Life cereal. After enjoying, they say, 'He likes it. Mikey likes it!

The famous American singer and guitarist Chuck Berry's single live recording of a raunchy new Orleans tune called My Ding-a-ling was number one.

Melanie's pop song Brand New key was also a very famous and top song. The song 'Black & White', Three Dog Night, was the top of Billboard hot 100.

Days after releasing the title tune, Guns N' Roses have announced the release of a new EP, 'Hard Skool.' Both Billboard charts were topped by The Staple Singers, who sang 'I'll Take You There.'

The F-15 Eagle fighter plane debuted in 1972 and has never been defeated in air-to-air combat as of the 20th century. The aircraft is credited with more than 100 victories.

Clemente (professional baseball player) was interested in charity activities in Latin America and Caribbean countries during the off-seasons. He used to distribute food and baseball-related items to the people in need. However, he died in a plane crash at the age of 38.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1972 facts, why not look at 1981 facts or 1980 fun facts.