1972

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Clockwise from top-left: an earthquake in Nicaragua kills 4,000–11,000 people; the first commercial home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, is released; a photo of the Earth known as The Blue Marble is taken during Apollo's final mission; during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, a terrorist attack carried out; Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is signed; Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes at the Andes, survivors resort to cannibalism to survive; President Ferdinand Marcos announces on television that the entirety of the Philippines is under martial law (eventually lifted in 1981); US President Richard Nixon is implicated in a scandal involving the theft of documents from the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.

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Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (If its start and end are defined using mean solar time [the legal time scale], its duration was 31622401.141 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or Ephemeris Time), which is slightly shorter than 1908).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:TOC limit

Events

January

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January 1 – Kurt Waldheim becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
January 4 – The first scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) is introduced (price $395).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 7 – Iberia Airlines Flight 602 crashes into a 462-meter peak on the island of Ibiza; 104 are killed.
January 9 – The RMS Queen Elizabeth catches fire and sinks in Hong Kong's Victoria harbor while undergoing conversion to a floating university.
January 10 – Independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns to Bangladesh after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan.<ref name="Johari1991">Template:Cite book</ref>
January 11 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declares a new constitutional government in Bangladesh, with himself as president.<ref name="Johari1991"/>
January 12 – In a 10-hour siege, a cell of 4 left-wing insurgents hold off a task force of 2500 army soldiers and police agents in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: eight members of the security forces and the entire insurgent cell are killed in the course of the siege.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 13 – Prime Minister of Ghana Kofi Abrefa Busia is overthrown in a military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 14 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark succeeds her father, King Frederik IX, on the throne of Denmark, the first queen regnant of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
January 18 – Members of the Mukti Bahini lay down their arms to the government of the newly independent Bangladesh, 33 days after winning the war against the occupying Pakistan Army.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
January 19 – The 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 20 – President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto announces that Pakistan will immediately begin a nuclear weapons program.
January 21
- A New Delhi bootlegger sells wood alcohol to a wedding party; 100 people die.
- Tripura, part of the former independent Twipra Kingdom, becomes a full state of India.
January 24 – Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi is discovered in Guam; he has spent 28 years in the jungle, having failed to surrender after World War II.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 26
- Yugoslavian air stewardess Vesna Vulović is the only survivor when her plane crashes in Czechoslovakia. She survives after falling Template:Convert in the tail section of the aircraft.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is set up on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 30
- Bloody Sunday: The British Army kills 14 unarmed nationalist civil rights marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland.
- Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
January 31 – King Birendra succeeds his father as King of Nepal.

February

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February 2
- A bomb explodes at the British Yacht Club in West Berlin, killing Irwin Beelitz, a German boat builder.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The German militant group June 2 Movement claims responsibility, announcing its support of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
- Anti-British riots take place throughout Ireland. The British Embassy in Dublin is burned to the ground, as are several British-owned businesses.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 3–13 – The 1972 Winter Olympics are held in Sapporo, Japan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 4 – Mariner 9 sends pictures as it orbits Mars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 15 – President of Ecuador José María Velasco Ibarra is deposed for the fourth time.
February 17 – Volkswagen Beetle sales exceed those of the Ford Model T when the 15,007,034th Beetle is produced.
February 19 – Asama-Sansō incident: Five United Red Army members break into a lodge below Mount Asama in Japan, taking the wife of the lodgekeeper hostage.
February 21 – The Soviet uncrewed spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
February 21–28 – U.S. President Richard M. Nixon makes an unprecedented 8-day visit to the People's Republic of China and meets with Mao Zedong.
February 22
- The Troubles: 1972 Aldershot bombing – A car bomb planted by the Official Irish Republican Army kills seven people outside a British military base in Aldershot, England.<ref>"From the archives: IRA kills 7 in raid on Paras' English base" – The Guardian (February 23, 1972)</ref>
- Lufthansa Flight 649 is hijacked and taken to Aden. Passengers are released the following day after a ransom of 5 million US dollars is agreed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 23 – US activist Angela Davis is released from jail. Rodger McAfee, a farmer from Caruthers, California, helps her make bail.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 26 – Luna 20 comes back to Earth with Template:Convert of lunar soil.
February 28 – The Asama-Sansō incident ends in a standoff between 5 members of the Japanese United Red Army and the authorities, in which two policemen are killed and 12 injured.

March

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March 1 – Juan María Bordaberry is sworn in as President of Uruguay amid accusations of electoral fraud.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
March 2
- The Club of Rome presents the research results leading to its report The Limits to Growth, published later in the month.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- The Pioneer 10 spacecraft is launched from Cape Kennedy, to be the first man-made spacecraft to leave the Solar System.
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa becomes President of the Central African Republic.
March 4
- Libya and the Soviet Union sign a cooperation treaty.
- The Organisation of the Islamic Conference Charter is signed (effective February 28, 1973).
March 19 – India and Bangladesh sign the Indo-Bangladeshi Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace.
March 22
- The 92nd U.S. Congress votes to send the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
- Eisenstadt v. Baird: The Supreme Court of the U.S. rules that unmarried people have the right to access contraception on the same basis as married couples
March 25 – "Après toi" sung by Vicky Leandros (music by Klaus Munro & Mario Panas, lyric by Klaus Munro & Yves Dessca) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 (staged in Edinburgh) for Luxembourg.
March 26 – An avalanche on Mount Fuji in Japan kills 19 climbers.
March 27 – The First Sudanese Civil War ends.
March 30 – Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of South Vietnam

April

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April 4 – The U.S. formally recognizes Bangladesh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
April 10
- The U.S. and the Soviet Union join some 70 nations in signing the Biological Weapons Convention, an agreement to ban biological warfare.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu's Art of War and Sun Bin's lost military treatise, are accidentally discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
- The 6.7 Template:M Qir earthquake shakes southern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 5,374 people in the province of Fars.
- The 44th Annual Academy Awards are held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.
April 13 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
April 16
- Apollo 16 (John Young, Ken Mattingly, Charlie Duke) is launched.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the mission, the astronauts, driving the Lunar Roving Vehicle, achieve a lunar rover speed record of 18 km/h.Template:Citation needed
- Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – Prompted by the North Vietnamese offensive, the United States resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong.
April 26 – The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar enters service with Eastern Airlines.
April 27
- Ikiza: Burundi government forces begin a 4-month genocide against the Hutu people, killing 100,000–300,000.
- A no-confidence vote against German Chancellor Willy Brandt fails under obscure circumstances.
April 29 – The fourth anniversary of the Broadway musical Hair is celebrated with a free concert at a Central Park bandshell, followed by dinner at the Four Seasons. There, 13 Black Panther protesters and the show's co-author, Jim Rado, are arrested for disturbing the peace and for using marijuana.

May

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May 2 – Fire at the Sunshine Mine, a silver mine in Idaho, kills 91.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 5 – An Alitalia DC-8 crashes west of Palermo, Sicily; 115 die.
May 7 – General elections are held in Italy.
May 10 – Operation Linebacker and Operation Custom Tailor begin with large-scale bombing operations against North Vietnam by tactical fighter aircraft.
May 13 – A fire in a nightclub atop the Sennichi department store in Osaka, Japan, kills 115.
May 21 – In St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican City), Laszlo Toth attacks Michelangelo's Pietà statue with a geologist's hammer, shouting that he is Jesus Christ.
May 22
- The Dominion of Ceylon becomes the republic of Sri Lanka under prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, when its new constitution is ratified.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Ferit Melen forms the new (interim) government of Turkey (35th government)
May 23 – The Tamil United Front (later known as Tamil United Liberation Front), a pro-Tamil organization, is founded in Sri Lanka.
May 26
- Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT I treaty in Moscow, as well as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and other agreements.
- Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
May 27 – Mark Donohue wins the Indianapolis 500 in a Penske Racing McLaren–Offenhauser.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
May 30
- Lod Airport massacre: Three Japanese Red Army members operating on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations kill 26 and injure 80 people at Lod Airport, Israel.<ref>Jeffrey D. Simon, The Terrorist Trap: America's Experience with Terrorism, Indiana University Press, p. 324. Template:ISBN</ref>
- The Troubles: The Official Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

June

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June – Iraq nationalizes the Iraq Petroleum Company.
June 3 – Sally Priesand becomes the first American woman (and the second known woman anywhere) to be ordained as a rabbi within Judaism.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
June 5–16 – The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment is held in Stockholm, Sweden
June 8
- Seven men and three women hijack a plane from Czechoslovakia to West Germany.
- Vietnam War: Associated Press photographer Nick Ut takes his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a naked nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc running down a road after being burned by napalm.
June 9 – The Black Hills flood kills 238 in South Dakota.
June 11 – Henri Pescarolo (France) and co-driver former World Drivers' Champion Graham Hill (Britain) win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Equipe Matra MS670.
June 12 – Popeyes was formed in Arabi, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana, in St. Bernard Parish.
June 14–23 – Hurricane Agnes kills 117 on the U.S. East Coast.
June 14 – Japan Airlines Flight 471 crashes outside New Delhi airport, killing 82 of 87 occupants.
June 16 – 108 die as two passenger trains hit the debris of a collapsed railway tunnel near Soissons, France.
June 17
- Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
- Chilean president Salvador Allende forms a new government.
June 18
- Staines air disaster: 118 die when a British European Airways Trident 1 jet airliner crashes two minutes after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- West Germany beats the Soviet Union 3–0 in the final to win Euro '72.
- Hong Kong's worst flooding and landslides in recorded history with Template:Convert of rainfall in the previous three days. 67 people die due to building collapses in Mid-levels districts landslide and building collapses, with a further 83 due to flooding-related fatalities. It is the second worst fatality due to building collapses, and the worst flooding in Hong Kong's recorded history.
June 23
- Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House chief of staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the C.I.A. to obstruct the investigation by the F.B.I. into the Watergate break-ins.
- The United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anthony Barber, announces a decision for the pound sterling to move to a floating exchange rate. Although intended to be temporary, this remains permanent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Foreign exchange controls are applied to most members of the sterling area.
June 30 – The International Time Bureau adds the first leap second (23:59:60) of this year to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

July

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July 1 – The Canadian ketch Vega, flying the Greenpeace III banner, collides with the French naval minesweeper La Paimpolaise while in international waters to protest French nuclear weapon tests in the South Pacific.
July 2 – Following Pakistan's surrender to India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, both nations sign the historic Simla Agreement, agreeing to settle their disputes bilaterally.
July 4 – The first Rainbow Gathering is held in Colorado.
July 10 – At least 24 people have been killed by elephants crazed by heat and drought in separate incidents in the Chandka Forest of India, according to news agency reports.
July 11
- The long anticipated chess match between world champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union, and United States champion Bobby Fischer, begins in Iceland at Reykjavík.
- Curtis Mayfield releases the soundtrack to the 1972 film, Super Fly.
July 10–14 – The Democratic National Convention meets in Miami Beach. Senator George McGovern, who backs the immediate and complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Vietnam, is nominated for president. He names fellow Senator Thomas Eagleton as his running mate.
July 18 – Anwar Sadat expels 20,000 Soviet advisors from Egypt.
July 21
- The Troubles: Bloody Friday – 22 bombs planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army explode in Belfast, Northern Ireland; nine people are killed and 130 seriously injured.<ref name="CAIN1972">Template:Cite web</ref>
- A collision between two trains near Seville, Spain, kills 76 people.
July 23 – The United States launches Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources satellite.
July 24 – Jigme Singye Wangchuck succeeds his father Jigme Dorji Wangchuck as King of Bhutan.
July 25 – U.S. health officials admit that African-American men were used as guinea pigs in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study without their informed consent.
July 27 – The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft makes its first flight in the United States.
July 31 – The Troubles, Northern Ireland:
- Operation Motorman 4:00 AM: The British Army begins to regain control of the "no-go areas" established by Irish republican paramilitaries in Belfast, Derry ("Free Derry") and Newry.<ref name="CAIN1972" />
- Claudy bombing ("Bloody Monday"), 10:00 AM: Three car bombs in Claudy, County Londonderry, kill nine. It becomes public knowledge only in 2010 that a local Catholic priest was an IRA officer believed to be involved in the bombings but his role was covered up by the authorities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

August

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August 4
- Expulsion of Asians from Uganda: Dictator Idi Amin declares that Uganda will expel 50,000 Asians with British passports to Britain within 3 months.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Most of their property is confiscated.
- August 1972 solar storms: A huge solar flare (one of the largest ever recorded) knocks out cable lines in the U.S. It begins with the appearance of sunspots on August 2; an August 4 flare kicks off high levels of activity until August 10.
August 10 – 1972 Great Daylight Fireball: A brilliant meteor is seen in the western U.S. and Canada as an Apollo asteroid skips off the Earth's atmosphere.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
August 12 – Oil tankers Oswego-Guardian and Texanita collide near Stilbaai, South Africa.
August 14 – An East German Ilyushin airliner crashes near East Berlin; all 156 on board perish.
August 16 – As part of a coup attempt, members of the Royal Moroccan Air Force fire upon, but fail to bring down, Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
August 19 – The first daytime episode of the second incarnation of the American game show The Price Is Right is taped at CBS Television City, to be aired on September 4.<ref>Template:Citation Template:Cbignore</ref>
August 21 – The Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida, renominates U.S. President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew for a second term.
August 22
- Rhodesia is expelled by the International Olympic Committee for its racist policies.
- In the Almirante Zar Naval Base, Argentina, 16 detainees are executed by firing squad in the Trelew massacre.
August 26–September 10 – The 1972 Summer Olympics are held in Munich, West Germany.

September

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September 1
- Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in a chess match in Reykjavík, Iceland, becoming the first American world chess champion.
- The Second Cod War begins between the United Kingdom and Iceland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
September 5–6 – Munich massacre: Eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich are murdered after eight members of the Arab terrorist group Black September invade the Olympic Village; five guerillas and one policeman are also killed in a failed hostage rescue.
September 10 – Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and becomes the youngest Formula One World Champion at the age of 25.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
September 14 – West Germany and Poland renew diplomatic relations.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
September 23 – Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos announces on national television the issuance of Proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire country under martial law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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September 23: Martial law in the Philippines.
September 24 – An F-86 fighter aircraft leaving an air show at Sacramento Executive Airport fails to become airborne and crashes into a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, killing 12 children and 11 adults.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
September 25 – 1972 Norwegian EC referendum: Norway rejects membership of the European Economic Community.
September 28 – The Canada men's national ice hockey team defeats the Soviet national ice hockey team in the eighth and final game of the 1972 Summit Series 6–5 to win the series 4–3–1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
September 29 – China–Japan relations: The Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China is signed in Beijing, which normalizes Japanese diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China after breaking official ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

October

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October – In Somalia, the government of President Siad Barre formally introduces the Somali alphabet as the country's official writing script.<ref>Economist Intelligence Unit (Great Britain), Middle East annual review, (1975), p.229</ref>
October 1
- The first publication reporting the production of a recombinant DNA molecule, by Paul Berg and colleagues, marks the birth of modern molecular biology methodology.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Alex Comfort's bestselling manual The Joy of Sex is published.
October 2 – Denmark joins the European Community; the Faroe Islands stay out.
October 5 – The United Reformed Church in England is founded out of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches.
October 6 – A train crash in Saltillo, Mexico, kills 208 people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
October 8 – A major breakthrough occurs in the Paris peace talks between Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ.
October 13 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571: A Fairchild FH-227D passenger aircraft transporting a rugby union team crashes at about Template:Convert in the Andes mountain range, near the Argentina/Chile border. Sixteen of the survivors are found alive December 20 but they have had to resort to cannibalism to survive.
October 22 – The Oakland Athletics defeat the Cincinnati Reds four games to three to capture Major League Baseball's World Series. It is the Athletics' first championship since 1930, when the franchise was in Philadelphia.
October 25 – Belgian Eddy Merckx sets a new world hour record in cycling in Mexico City.
October 26 – A coup in the Republic of Dahomey (later Benin) led by Mathieu Kérékou removes a civilian government (which has been headed by a triumvirate consisting of Ahomadégbé, Apithy and Maga).
October 28 – The Airbus A300 flies for the first time.

November

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November – The Nishitetsu Lions baseball club, part of the NPB's Pacific League, is sold to the Fukuoka Baseball Corporation, a subsidiary of Nishi-Nippon Railroad. The team is renamed the Taiheiyo Club Lions.
November 7 – 1972 United States presidential election: Republican incumbent Richard Nixon defeats Democratic Senator George McGovern in a landslide. The election has the lowest voter turnout since 1948, with only 55 percent of the electorate voting.
November 11 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization – The United States Army turns over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
November 14 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 1,000 (1,003.16) for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
November 16 – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization adopts the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
November 19 – Seán Mac Stíofáin, a leader of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, is arrested in Dublin after giving a radio interview to RTÉ and charged with being a member of the IRA.
November 28 – The last executions in Paris, France. Roger Bontems and Claude Buffet – the Clairvaux Mutineers – are guillotined at La Santé Prison by chief executioner André Obrecht. Bontems, found not guilty of murder by the court, is condemned as Buffet's accomplice. President Georges Pompidou, in private an abolitionist, upholds both death sentences in deference to French public opinion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
November 29
- The "tea house" Mellow Yellow opens on the river Amstel in Amsterdam, pioneering the legal sale of cannabis in the Netherlands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Atari in the United States release the production version of Pong, one of the first video games to achieve widespread popularity in both the arcade and home console markets, devised by Nolan Bushnell and Allan Alcorn.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

December

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December 2 – 1972 Australian federal election: The Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam defeats the Liberal/Country Coalition government led by Prime Minister William McMahon. Consequently, Whitlam becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia since the defeat of Ben Chifley in 1949. Whitlam will be sworn in on December 5; his first action using executive power is to withdraw all Australian personnel from the Vietnam War. McMahon resigns from the Liberal leadership almost immediately; he will be replaced by outgoing Treasurer Billy Snedden.
December 7
- Apollo 17 (Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Harrison Schmitt), the last crewed Moon mission for more than 50 years, is launched and The Blue Marble photograph of the Earth is taken. The mission also includes five mice.
- Imelda Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines, is stabbed and seriously wounded by an assailant; her bodyguards shoot the assailant.
December 8
- United Airlines Flight 553 crashes short of a runway in Chicago, killing 43 of 61 passengers and two people on the ground. A day later, over $10,000 cash is found in the purse of Watergate conspirator Howard Hunt's wife, who was on board.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- International Human Rights Day is proclaimed by the United Nations.
December 11 – Apollo 17 lands on the Moon.
December 14 – Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the Moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17. The next person to set foot on the Moon will not do so before 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
December 15
- The Commonwealth of Australia ordains equal pay for women.
- The United Nations Environment Programme is established as a specialized agency of the United Nations.
December 16
- The Constitution of Bangladesh comes into effect.
- The Portuguese army kills 400 Africans in Tete, Mozambique.
December 19 – Apollo program: Apollo 17 returns to Earth, concluding the program of lunar exploration.
December 21 – ZANLA troopers attack Altera Farm in north-east Rhodesia.
December 22
- Australia establishes diplomatic relations with China and East Germany.
- A peace delegation that includes singer-activist Joan Baez and human rights attorney Telford Taylor visit Hanoi to deliver Christmas mail to American prisoners of war (they will be caught in the Christmas bombing of North Vietnam).
December 23
- The 6.2 Template:M Nicaragua earthquake kills 5,000–11,000 people in the capital Managua. President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is later accused of not distributing millions of dollars worth of foreign aid.
- Swedish Prime minister Olof Palme compares the American bombings of North Vietnam to Nazi massacres. The U.S. breaks diplomatic contact with Sweden.
- Asker accident: Braathens SAFE Flight 239 crashes during approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu, Norway; forty people on board are killed.
December 28 – The bones of Nazi Party official Martin Bormann are discovered in Berlin during construction work.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
December 29 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes into the Everglades in Florida, killing 101 of 176 on board. It is the first hull loss of a wide-body aircraft.
December 31 – For the first and last time, a 2nd leap second is added (23:59:60) to a year, making 1972 366 days and two seconds long, the longest year ever within the context of UTC.

Date unknown

Colombian looters find the lost 1st millennium city of Ciudad Perdida; it is not reached by official archaeologists until 1976.

Births

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January

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Lilian Thuram

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Sakis Rouvas

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Amanda Peet

January 1 – Lilian Thuram, French football player<ref>Template:LFP Ligue 1</ref>
January 2 – Shiraz Minwalla, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 5
- Ariel McDonald, American-Slovenian basketball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Sakis Rouvas, Greek recording, film and television artist, athlete and businessman<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 10 – Thomas Alsgaard, Norwegian cross-country skier<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 11 – Amanda Peet, American actress
January 12 – Toto Wolff, Austrian racing driver and team principal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 13
- Nicole Eggert, American actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 16
- Salah Hissou, Moroccan long-distance runner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Greg Page, Australian singer, musician and actor (The Wiggles)
January 20 – Nikki Haley, Indian-American politician, Governor of South Carolina (2010–2017) and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 21 – Billel Dziri, Algerian footballer and manager<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 22 – Gabriel Macht, American actor<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 23 – Marcel Wouda, Dutch swimmer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 27
- Bibi Gaytán, Mexican singer and actress<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
- Mark Owen, British pop singer (Take That)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Keith Wood, Irish rugby player<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
January 28 – Amy Coney Barrett, American attorney, jurist and associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
January 30 – Mike Johnson, 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

February

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Leymah Gbowee

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Rob Thomas

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Jaromír Jágr

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Billie Joe Armstrong

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Keith Ferguson

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Pedro Sánchez

February 1
- Tego Calderón, Puerto Rican hip hop musician and actor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 2
- Klára Dobrev, Hungarian politician
- Hendrick Ramaala, South African long-distance runner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 3 – Michael Kovrig, Canadian diplomat and hostage victim<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 5 – Queen Mary of Denmark<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 8 – Big Show, American professional wrestler
February 9 – Norbert Rózsa, Hungarian swimmer
February 11
- Craig Jones, American sampler / keyboardist
- Steve McManaman, British footballer
- Kelly Slater, American professional surfer
February 13
- Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuanian discus thrower
- Ana Paula Connelly, Brazilian beach volleyball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 14 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter (Matchbox Twenty)
February 15 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player<ref>Template:Ice hockey stats</ref>
February 17
- Billie Joe Armstrong, American rock musician and lead singer/guitarist (Green Day)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Taylor Hawkins, American musician (d. 2022)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model and businesswoman
February 18 – Olexandra Timoshenko, Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast
February 22
- Michael Chang, American tennis player
- Claudia Pechstein, German speed-skater<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Haim Revivo, Israeli footballer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 24
- Pooja Bhatt, Indian actress
- Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (d. 2001)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
February 26 – Keith Ferguson, American voice actorTemplate:Citation needed
February 29
- Dave Williams, American singer (d. 2002)
- Pedro Sánchez, Spanish politician, Prime Minister 2018–<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

March

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Shaquille O'Neal

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Timbaland

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Leslie Mann

March 4 – Pae Gil-su, North Korean gymnast<ref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>
March 6
- Shaquille O'Neal, American basketball player<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Marianne Thieme, Dutch politician and activist
March 10 – Timbaland, American record producer, songwriter and rapper<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March 13
- Leigh-Allyn Baker, American actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Common, African-American rapper and actorTemplate:Citation needed
March 15 – Mark Hoppus, American musician and bassist (blink-182)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March 17 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player
March 18 – Dane Cook, American comedian
March 20 – Segundo Cernadas, Argentine actor
March 21
- Balázs Kiss, Hungarian Olympic athlete<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Derartu Tulu, Ethiopian long-distance runner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March 22
- Shawn Bradley, American basketball player
- Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March 23
- Joe Calzaghe, Welsh boxer<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
- Judith Godrèche, French actress
March 25 – Naftali Bennett, Israeli politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
March 26 – Leslie Mann, American actress
March 27
- Kieran Modra, Australian Paralympic swimmer and cyclist (d. 2019)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Charlie Haas, American professional wrestler<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dutch footballer
March 28 – Nick Frost, English actor, comedian and screenwriter
March 29
- Hera Björk, Icelandic singer
- Rui Costa, Portuguese footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Priti Patel, British Indian politician, Secretary of State for the Home Department
March 30 – Karel Poborský, Czech footballer

April

File:Jennifer Garner 2013.jpg

Jennifer Garner

File:Carmen Electra 2013.jpg

Carmen Electra

File:Željko Joksimović (Eurovision Song Contest 2012) 2.jpg

Željko Joksimović

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Sergio Massa

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Violent J

April 2 – Eyal Berkovic, Israeli footballer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
April 3 – Jennie Garth, American actress<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
April 4 – Jill Scott (singer), American singer-songwriter and model
April 7 – Tim Peake, British astronaut<ref>Template:Who's Who</ref>
April 10 – Vincent Zhao, Chinese actor and martial artist
April 12 – Marco Goecke, German choreographer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
April 13 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player
April 15 – Arturo Gatti, Canadian boxer (d. 2009)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
April 16 – Conchita Martínez, Spanish tennis player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
April 17
- Jennifer Garner, American actress
- Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
April 19 – Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
April 20
- Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer<ref>Template:NFT player</ref>
- Carmen Electra, American actress and singer
- Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer, composer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
- Stephen Marley, American musician
April 21 – Narges Mohammadi, Iranian human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
April 26 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
April 28
- Sergio Massa, Argentine lawyer and politician
- Violent J, American rapper actor and one-half of the Insane Clown Posse

May

File:Julie Benz (26496282963).jpg

Julie Benz

File:Dwayne Johnson 2, 2013.jpg

Dwayne Johnson

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Martin Brodeur

File:Maia Sandu (2019).jpg

Maia Sandu

May 1 – Julie Benz, American actress
May 2 – Dwayne Johnson, American professional wrestler and actor
May 3 – Steve Barclay, British politician
May 4 – Mike Dirnt, American rock musician and bassist (Green Day)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
May 5
- Devin Townsend, Canadian musician
- James Cracknell, British Olympic rower<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 6
- Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey goaltender<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Naoko Takahashi, Japanese long-distance runner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 7 – Asghar Farhadi, Iranian film director<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
May 8 – Darren Hayes, Australian musician<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
May 9 – Daniela Silivaș, Romanian gymnast<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 10 – Katja Seizinger, German alpine skier<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 15 – Élisa Martin, French politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 19
- Jenny Berggren, Swedish rock singer (Ace of Base)
- Özcan Deniz, Turkish actor, singer and composer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Claudia Karvan, Australian actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 20 – Busta Rhymes, African-American rapper and actor
May 21 – The Notorious B.I.G., African-American rapper (d. 1997)
May 22 – Max Brooks, American horror author and screenwriter<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
May 23
- Rubens Barrichello, Brazilian racing driver<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Kevin Ullyett, Zimbabwean tennis player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 24 – Maia Sandu, Prime Minister of Moldova<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
May 25
- Karan Johar, Indian film director, producer and screenwriter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Cung Le, Vietnamese-born American actor and mixed martial artist
May 26 – Dhani Muhammad Prasetyo, Indonesian singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record executive, entrepreneur, and politician
May 28 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist
May 29 – Laverne Cox, American actress and LGBTQ+ advocate
May 30 – Manny Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
May 31 – Frode Estil, Norwegian cross-country skier

June

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Karl Urban

File:Christophe Lambert et Jean Dujardin (Cropped).jpg

Jean Dujardin

File:Zinedine Zidane by Tasnim 03.jpg

Zinedine Zidane

File:Poet Geeta Tripathee.jpg

Geeta Tripathee

File:Бутырская Мария.jpg

Maria Butyrskaya

June 2 – Wentworth Miller, British-born American actor and screenwriter<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
June 4 – Stoja, Serbian singer
June 5 – Yogi Adityanath, Indian priest and politician<ref>Shri Yogi Adityanath: Members bioprofile Template:Webarchive, Sixteenth Lok Sabha, retrieved March 19, 2017.</ref>
June 6
- Noriaki Kasai, Japanese ski jumper<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Natalie Morales, American journalist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Cristina Scabbia, Italian singer
June 7 – Karl Urban, New Zealand actor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
June 15 – Poppy Montgomery, Australian-American actress
June 16 – John Cho, Korean-American actor and musician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
June 17 – Iztok Čop, Slovenian rower<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
June 18 – Michal Yannai, Israeli actress
June 19 – Jean Dujardin, French actor, comedian and film director<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
June 21 – Irene van Dyk, South African born New Zealand netball player
June 23 – Zinedine Zidane, French footballer and manager<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
June 24
- Robbie McEwen, Australian professional bicycle road racer
- Kim Yeo-jin, South Korean actress and activist
June 28
- Geeta Tripathee, Nepali poet, lyricist and literary critic
- Maria Butyrskaya, Russian figure skater
June 29
- DJ Shadow, American DJ and record producer<ref>Template:Cite Grove</ref>
- Samantha Smith, American peace activist (d. 1985)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
June 30
- Molly Parker, Canadian actress<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>

July

File:LisaLeslieDec10.jpg

Lisa Leslie

File:Sofía Vergara 2019 by Glenn Francis.jpg

Sofía Vergara

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Maya Rudolph

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Wil Wheaton

July 1 – Steffi Nerius, German javelin thrower<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 2 – Darren Shan, Irish author
July 4
- Nina Badrić, Croatian pop singer
- Alexei Shirov, Spanish chess Grandmaster<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Craig Spearman, New Zealand cricketer
July 5
- Robert Esmie, Canadian Olympic athlete<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Gary Shteyngart, Soviet-born American writer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 6
- Isabelle Boulay, French Canadian singer
- Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, Ukrainian sprinter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 7
- Lisa Leslie, American basketball player
- Kirsten Vangsness, American actress and writer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 8 – Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
July 10
- Sofía Vergara, Colombian-American actress, television producer, comedian, presenter and model<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Julián Legaspi, Uruguayan-Peruvian actor
July 11 – Michael Rosenbaum, American actor,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> producer, singer and comedianTemplate:Citation needed
July 17 – Jaap Stam, Dutch football player and coach<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 20 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak professional ice hockey player
July 21 – Catherine Ndereba, Kenyan long-distance runner
July 22
- Andrew Holness, 9th Prime Minister of Jamaica<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Keyshawn Johnson, American football player
- Nataša Ninković, Serbian actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
July 23 – Marlon Wayans, American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter
July 25 – Carole Samaha, Lebanese singer and actress
July 27
- Clint Robinson, Australian kayaker
- Maya Rudolph, American actress, comedienne and singer
- Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Malaysian orthopaedic surgeon and the first commercial astronaut
July 28
- Elizabeth Berkley, American actress
- Evan Farmer, American television host, actor and musician
July 29 – Wil Wheaton, American actor, blogger and writer

August

File:D-Von Dudley WrestleMania 32 Axxess.jpg

Devon Hughes

File:SpiceGirlWembley150619-69 (49000357276) (cropped).jpg

Geri Halliwell

File:Ben Affleck by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg

Ben Affleck

File:Cameron Diaz WE 2012 Shankbone 4.JPG

Cameron Diaz

August 1 – Devon Hughes, American professional wrestler
August 4 – Audrey Azoulay, French politician and civil servant
August 6 – Geri Halliwell, British pop singer (Spice Girls)
August 7 – Chip Roy, American politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
August 9
- A-mei, Taiwanese singer
- Bang Si-Hyuk, South Korean Producer
August 10 – Angie Harmon, American actress
August 12 – Demir Demirkan, Turkish rock musician and songwriter
August 13 – Michael Sinterniklaas, French-American voice actor
August 14 – Yoo Jae-suk, South Korean comedian and television comedy show host
August 15 – Ben Affleck, American actor and film director
August 19
- Roberto Abbondanzieri, Argentine footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Sammi Cheng, Hong Kong singer and actress
August 27
- Denise Lewis, English track and field athlete
- The Great Khali, Indian promoter, actor, powerlifter and professional wrestler
August 29 – Bae Yong-joon, South Korean actor
August 30
- Cameron Diaz, American actress
- Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer