January 5
January 5
President Nixon threatens President Thieu
On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon warns South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu in a private letter that his refusal to sign any negotiated peace agreement would render it…
A Year In History: 1972
This Year in History:
1972
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 5
January 5
President Nixon launches space shuttle program
Richard Nixon signs a bill authorizing $5.5 million in funding to develop a space shuttle. The space shuttle represented a giant leap forward in the technology of space travel. Designed…
January 8
January 8
NCAA grants freshmen eligibility in football, basketball
On January 8, 1972, the NCAA grants freshmen eligibility in its two biggest team sports, basketball and football. An overwhelming majority of representatives at the annual NCAA convention vote for…
January 9
January 9
Laker winning streak comes to an end
On January 9, 1972, the 24‑year‑old Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar leads the Milwaukee Bucks in a 120‑104 victory over Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers, breaking the Lakers’ record 33‑game winning…
January 9
January 9
Fire breaks out on former RMS Queen Elizabeth
On January 9, 1972, the ship Seawise University (formerly the RMS Queen Elizabeth) sinks in Hong Kong Harbor despite a massive firefighting effort over two days. The Queen Elizabeth, named…
January 9
January 9
Los Angeles Lakers’ record winning streak ends
On January, 9, 1972, the longest winning streak in major professional sports is snapped at 33 games when the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 120‑104. A 39‑point performance…
January 9
January 9
Queen Elizabeth destroyed by fire
In Hong Kong harbor, a fire breaks out aboard the Queen Elizabeth, and by the next morning the famous vessel lies in a wreck on the bottom of the sea…
January 10
January 10
Hubert Humphrey criticizes President Nixon
Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey criticizes President Richard Nixon, saying that it was taking longer for President Nixon to withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam than it did to defeat Hitler.…
January 13
January 13
Nixon announces additional troop withdrawals
President Nixon announces that 70,000 U.S. troops will leave South Vietnam over the next three months, reducing U.S. troop strength there by May 1 to 69,000 troops. Since taking office,…
January 15
January 15
“American Pie” hits #1 on the pop charts
On January 15, 1972, “American Pie,”, an epic poem in musical form that has long been etched in the American popular consciousness, hits #1 on the Billboard charts. The story…
January 19
January 19
Sandy Koufax becomes youngest player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
On January 19, 1972, 36‑year‑old Sandy Koufax, the former Los Angeles Dodgers star, becomes the youngest player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. “This is the only thing that’s made…
January 20
January 20
New communist offensive anticipated
In continued efforts to disrupt an anticipated communist offensive, a contingent of more than 10,000 South Vietnamese troops begin a sweep 45 miles northwest of Saigon to find and destroy…
January 24
January 24
Japanese soldier found hiding on Guam
On January 24, 1972, local farmers on Guam discover Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who fought in World War II, still hiding in the jungle—26 years after the official end of…
January 25
January 25
Nixon reveals information about secret negotiations
President Richard Nixon, in response to criticism that his administration has not made its best efforts to end the war, reveals that his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger has held…
January 26
January 26
North Vietnam rejects U.S. peace proposal
Radio Hanoi announces North Vietnam’s rejection of the latest U.S. peace proposal. Revealing more details of the secret Paris peace talks, Henry Kissinger responds publicly, condemning the North Vietnamese announcement…
January 30
January 30
“Bloody Sunday” in Northern Ireland
In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 unarmed civil rights demonstrators are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an event that becomes known as “Bloody Sunday.” The protesters, all Northern Catholics,…
January 31
January 31
North Vietnam presents nine‑point peace proposal
In a communiqué charging President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger with “unilaterally” divulging the substance of the secret talks, creating the impasse at the secret meeting, and distorting the facts,…
February 4
February 4
Last Thai contingent departs South Vietnam
A force of 824 soldiers, the last of Thailand’s 12,000 troops serving in South Vietnam, departs. The Thai contingent, which had first arrived in country in the fall of 1967,…
February 9
February 9
USS Constellation arrives off coast of Vietnam.
The aircraft carrier USS Constellation joins aircraft carriers Coral Sea and Hancock off the coast of Vietnam. From 1964 to 1975, there were usually three U.S. carriers stationed in the…
February 10
February 10
Ziggy Stardust makes his earthly debut
On February 10, 1972, a relatively minor rocker named David Bowie debuts the spaceman character Ziggy Stardust during a concert at Greater London’s Toby Jug pub. It’s one of those…
