Editing 1972 (section)

=== October ===
{{Main|October 1972}}
* [[October]] – In [[Somali Democratic Republic|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>{{cite journal|last1=Jackson|first1=David A.|last2=Symons|first2=Robert H|last3=Berg|first3=Paul|year=1972|title=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|journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]]|volume=69|issue=10|pages=2904–2909|doi=10.1073/pnas.69.10.2904|pmid=4342968|pmc=389671|bibcode=1972PNAS...69.2904J|doi-access=free}}</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 church|Congregational]] and [[Presbyterian]] Churches.
* [[October 6]] – A train crash in [[Saltillo]], Mexico, kills 208 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.onthisday.com/date/1972/october/6|title=What Happened on October 6, 1972|work=OnThisDay.com|access-date=2018-09-12}}</ref>
* [[October 8]] – A major breakthrough occurs in the [[Paris Peace Accords#Breakthrough and agreement|Paris peace talks]] between [[Henry Kissinger]] and [[Lê Đức Thọ]].
* [[October 13]] – [[Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571]]: A [[Fairchild Aircraft|Fairchild FH-227D]] passenger [[aircraft]] transporting a [[rugby union]] team crashes at about {{convert|14000|ft|m}} 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 [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] to survive.
* [[October 22]] – The [[Oakland Athletics]] defeat the [[Cincinnati Reds]] four games to three to capture [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[1972 World Series|World Series]]. It is the Athletics' first championship since [[1930 World Series|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.