December 1972
Encyclopedia
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The following events occurred in December 1972.
January 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in January 1972.-January 1, 1972 :...
– February
February 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in February 1972.-February 1, 1972 :...
– March
March 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November-DecemberThe following events occurred in March, 1972.-March 1, 1972 :...
– April
April 1972
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November –DecemberThe following events occurred in April 1972.-April 1, 1972 :...
– May
May 1972
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November –DecemberThe following events occurred in May 1972.-May 1, 1972 :...
– June
June 1972
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in June 1972.-June 1, 1972 :...
– July
July 1972
January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in July 1972.-July 1, 1972 :...
– August
August 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in August 1972.-August 1, 1972 :...
– September
September 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in September 1972:-September 1, 1972 :...
– October
October 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November–DecemberThe following events occurred in October 1972:-October 1, 1972 :...
– November
November 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in November 1972.-November 1, 1972 :...
– December
The following events occurred in December 1972.
December 1, 1972 (Friday)
- India and Pakistan exchanged prisoners of war taken during the 1971 war between the two nations. In all, 542 Pakistanis and 639 Indians were repatriated.
- Died: Antonio SegniAntonio SegniAntonio Segni was an Italian politician who was the 35th Prime Minister of Italy , and the fourth President of the Italian Republic from 1962 to 1964...
, 81, former President and Pirme Minister of Italy.
December 2, 1972 (Saturday)
- Australian federal election, 1972Australian federal election, 1972Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party...
: The Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP), led by Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
, won 67 of the 125 seats in the House of Representatives, to take control of the government from the coalition of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
(headed by Prime Minister William McMahonWilliam McMahonSir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...
) and the Country PartyNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, removing the Liberals from a majority for the first time in 23 years. The Liberals retained control of the Senate. Whitlam was sworn in as Prime Minister three days later and introduced dramatic economic, social and political reforms, including withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, freeing imprisoned draft protesters, and setting up ties with China, North Vietnam and East Germany. - One of the most spectacular examples of a sinkholeSinkholeA sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
was formed in a matter of hours in Shelby County, AlabamaShelby County, AlabamaShelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...
. The "December Giant", also known as the "Golly Hole" sank to a depth of 150 feet and left a 450 by crater. - Died: José LimónJosé LimónJosé Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
, 64, Mexican choreographer; and Yip ManYip ManYip Man , also spelled as Ip Man, and also known as Yip Kai-Man, was a Chinese martial artist. He had several students who later became martial arts teachers in their own right, including Bruce Lee.-Early life:...
, 79, master of Wing ChunWing ChunWing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
Kung Fu
December 3, 1972 (Sunday)
- A SpantaxSpantaxSpantax S.A. was a Spanish airline that operated from 1959 to 1988. Its head office was located in Madrid.-Formative years:Spanish Air Taxi Líneas Aéreas S.A. was founded on 6 October 1959 by ex-Iberia pilot Rodolfo Bay Wright and ex-Iberia flight attendant Marta Estades Sáez...
Airlines jet crashed shortly after takeoff from TenerifeTenerifeTenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, killing all 155 persons on board. Of the 148 passengers, 143 were West German travelers returning to MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
following the end of a South Atlantic ocean liner cruise. - Died: Bill Johnson, 100, American jazz musician
December 4, 1972 (Monday)
- Steven StaynerSteven StaynerSteven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnap victim. Stayner was abducted from the Northern California city and county of Merced, California at the age of seven and held until he was 14, when he escaped and rescued another victim, Timothy White, in 1980...
, age 7, was kidnapped while walking home from school in Merced, CaliforniaMerced, CaliforniaMerced is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 78,958. Incorporated in 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council-manager government...
. For more than seven years, Steven would lived as "Dennis Parnell" with his kidnapper, Kenneth ParnellKenneth ParnellKenneth Eugene Parnell was an American convicted sex offender, known infamously for his kidnapping of seven-year-old Steven Stayner in Merced, California.-Early life:...
, until Parnell kidnapped another child, Timmy White. Stayner would be reunited with his family at age 14 after he and White went to the police in Ukiah, CaliforniaUkiah, CaliforniaThe average high temperature is 73.5 °F . Average low temperature is 46.1 °F . Temperatures reach 90 °F on an average of 65.6 days annually and 100 °F on an average of 14.4 days annually. Due to frequent low humidity, summer temperatures normally drop into the fifties at night. Freezing...
. The story became a book and a 1988 television movie, with the title I Know My First Name Is Steven - Ramón Ernesto Cruz, who had been elected President of HondurasPresident of HondurasThis page lists the Presidents of Honduras.Colonial Honduras declared its independence from Spain on 15 September 1821. From 5 January 1822 to 1 July 1823, Honduras was part of the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide....
in 1971, was overthrown in a coup led by the Army. General Oswaldo López ArellanoOswaldo López ArellanoOswaldo Enrique López Arellano was a two-time President of Honduras, first from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1972 to 1975. He gained power both times via military force....
, who had handed power over to Cruz following the election, returned to office as President.
December 5, 1972 (Tuesday)
- Screening of all passengers and carry-on luggage would be required in all American airports by January 5, 1973, under emergency regulations announced the United States Department of TransportationUnited States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
. Federal funds would pay for the equipment, and the additional personnel would be paid for by the airlines and airport operators. There had been 29 hijackings in the United States in 1972. In 1973 there were two. - A United States appellate court panel set aside a regulation that would have required airbags in motor vehicles made on or after August 15, 1975.
- A U.S. government spokesman, who asked not to be identified, announced that for the first time in United States history, the fertility rate had dropped below the zero population growthZero population growthZero population growth, sometimes abbreviated ZPG , is a condition of demographic balance where the number of people in a specified population neither grows nor declines, considered as a social aim....
(ZPG) standard of 2.11 births for every woman, from 2.28 in 1971 to 2.04 in 1972.
December 6, 1972 (Wednesday)
- The United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, through UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, voted to fund the restoration of BorobudurBorobudurBorobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
, a Buddhist shrine constructed in the 9th century in Indonesia. The work was completed in 1983. - Died: Janet MunroJanet Munro-Career:Munro starred in three Disney motion picture releases, Darby O'Gill and the Little People , Third Man on the Mountain and Swiss Family Robinson , as well as The Horsemasters , which aired on Disney's weekly television series...
, 38, British actress, of alcohol-related myocarditis
December 7, 1972 (Thursday)
- Apollo 17Apollo 17Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
was launched from Cape Kennedy at EST after a delay of nearly three hours. Carrying astronauts Gene Cernan, Ronald EvansRonald EvansRonald Ellwin Evans, Jr. was a NASA astronaut and one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon. He also served as a captain in the United States Navy....
, and Harrison SchmittHarrison SchmittHarrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt is an American geologist, a retired NASA astronaut, university professor, and a former U.S. senator from New Mexico....
, the mission was the last manned trip to the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. With an orbital trajectory that permitted a fully illuminated view of the entire planet, the crew snapped a famous image of the globe, colloquially called "The Blue MarbleThe Blue MarbleThe Blue Marble is a famous photograph of the Earth taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft at a distance of about ....
" :File:The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg After three hours, rockets were fired and the three astronauts of Apollo 17 became the last persons to go beyond the orbit of the Earth. - Imelda MarcosImelda MarcosImelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
, First Lady of the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, was slashed repeatedly by a bolo knife wielding assassin, who attacked her at an awards ceremony at the Nayong Pilipino theme park in Pasay CityPasay CityThe City of Pasay is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines. It is bordered on the north by the country's capital, Manila, to the northeast by Makati City, to the east by Taguig City, and Parañaque City to the south.Pasay City was one of the original four...
. Mrs. Marcos required 75 stitches. - Born: Hermann MaierHermann MaierHermann Maier is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, having won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , and three World Championship titles...
, Austrian skier, in Altenmarkt im PongauAltenmarkt im PongauAltenmarkt im Pongau is a small town in the Salzburg state of Austria. Altenmarkt is situated 65 km South East of Salzburg. The town occupies an area of approximately 48 km² and sits at 842 metres above sea level.The town is principally known for its winter tourism...
December 8, 1972 (Friday)
- United Airlines Flight 553United Airlines Flight 553United Airlines Flight 553 was a Boeing 737-222 that crashed on approach to Chicago Midway International Airport at 2:28 p.m. CST, on December 8, 1972. After the crew was told to go around and abort their first landing attempt on runway 31L at Midway Airport, the aircraft struck trees and then...
Boeing 737 from Washington to Chicago crashed at while attempting to land at Chicago Midway Airport during an ice storm. Killed were 43 of 61 persons on board, and two people in a house at 3722 W. 70th Place. The dead included Dorothy HuntDorothy HuntDorothy Wetzel Day Goutiere Hunt was an American employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. Hunt was the first wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt...
(a CIA employee and the wife of WatergateWatergate scandalThe Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
conspirator E. Howard HuntE. Howard HuntEverette Howard Hunt, Jr. was an American intelligence officer and writer. Hunt served for many years as a CIA officer. Hunt, with G...
), CBS News reporter Michelle Clark, and Illinois Congressman George W. CollinsGeorge W. CollinsGeorge Washington Collins was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.Collins was born in Chicago, and served with the Army engineers in the South Pacific during World War II...
. - FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
became the first state, since the June 29June 1972January – February – March. – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in June 1972.-June 1, 1972 :...
U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Furman v. Georia, to reinstate capital punishmentCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. Governor Reubin Askew signed the bill into law a week after it had passed both houses of the State Legislature. - Dr. Mahmoud Hamshari, the PLO representative in France, was fatally wounded by a bomb, planted near his telephone by agents of Israel's Mossad, in retaliation for his suspected role in the 1972 Munich Massacre. After the explosive had been placed during Hamshari's absence, an agent telephoned him and asked enough questions to confirm his identity. The bomb was then detonated by remote control, possibly by a signal through the telephone line.
December 9, 1972 (Saturday)
- Pilot Marin Hartwell was rescued in the Canadian Arctic more than a month after he and three other persons had crashed near Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. The plane's disappearance had led to the largest aviation search in Canada's history.
- Died Louella ParsonsLouella ParsonsLouella Parsons was the first American news-writer movie columnist in the United States. She was a gossip columnist who, for many years, was an influential arbiter of Hollywood mores, often feared and hated by the individuals, mostly actors, whose careers she could negatively impact via her...
, 91, American gossip columnist
December 10, 1972 (Sunday)
- In Japan's parliamentary election, the Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
won again, losing 24 seats but retaining 271 of the 491 in the lower house of the Diet. - Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
launched its first worldwide Campaign for the Abolition of Torture. - Richard Fliehr made his professional wrestling debut in Rice Lake, WisconsinRice Lake, WisconsinRice Lake is a city in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,320. The city is located mostly within the Town of Rice Lake.-Geography:Rice Lake is located at ....
, under the name of Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
. - The American LeagueAmerican LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
adopted the designated hitterDesignated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
rule, initially on a three-year trial.
December 11, 1972 (Monday)
- Mankind landed on the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
for the sixth and last time, as the Apollo 17Apollo 17Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
lunar module Challenger touched down at 1955 GMT at the Taurus-Litrow crater at Houston time (1954 GMT). - Soviet and Chinese soldiers clashed at the border, with several of the Soviet soldiers being killed.
- "Don't Buy Farah Day" was declared by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers union, which asked Americans nationwide to boycott the non-union Farah Manufacturing, in protest over low wages and benefits paid by one of the largest clothing makers in the United States. During the course of a strike that lasted from May 1972 to March 1974, Farah's sales dropped by twenty million dollars.
- Born: Daniel AlfredssonDaniel AlfredssonDaniel Alfredsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. He is the captain of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League . He is considered a leader by example and has been compared to former Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman in his value to the Senators...
, Swedish NHL player, in GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
December 12, 1972 (Tuesday)
- A boatload with 65 Haitian refugees, mostly black, landed in Florida, the first "boat people" to flee from Haiti to the United States. Landings were sporadic until 1978, when thousands of Haitians, fleeing the Duvalier regime, began seeking sanctuary in the U.S.
- MCA Inc. unveiled Disco-VisionDiscoVisionDiscoVision is the name of several things related to the video laserdisc format. It was the original name of the "Reflective Optical Videodisc System" format later known as LaserVision or LaserDisc....
, a videodiscVideodiscVideodisc is a general term for a laser- or stylus-readable random-access circular disc that contains both audio and analog video signals recorded in an analog form...
system to rival RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
's SelectaVisionSelectaVisionThe Capacitance Electronic Disc was an analog video video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special needle and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records....
. The picture quality was poor and the system never went on sale. - Born: Chris SennChris Senn (skateboarder)Chris Senn is a professional skateboarder, known for his aggressive and spontaneous style. Current and past sponsors include Powell Skateboards Channel one Adrenalin Skateboards Emerica, Ace, Type-S, Paradox, Kamanu Charters and Toy Machine Skateboards...
, professional skateboarder, in Grass Valley, CA
December 13, 1972 (Wednesday)
- North VietnamNorth VietnamThe Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
's negotiators walked out of the Paris Peace Talks. President Nixon issued an ultimatum to the North Vietnamese to return to the talks within 72 hours, or face severe measures. On December 18, the United States began Operation Linebacker II, the most massive aerial bombardment ever made of North Vietnam. - Born: Chris GrantChris GrantChristopher Lee "Chris" Grant is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, and a legend of the Western Bulldogs Football Club...
, Australian rules football star, in Daylesford, VictoriaDaylesford, VictoriaDaylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
December 14, 1972 (Thursday)
- Eugene Cernan climbed into the lunar module Challenger, following after Harrison SchmittHarrison SchmittHarrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt is an American geologist, a retired NASA astronaut, university professor, and a former U.S. senator from New Mexico....
, to become the last person to have set foot on the moon, shortly after midnight EST (the scheduled end of the moonwalk had been 0433 GMT). At 2255 GMT ( EST), the cabin of the Challenger lunar module lifted off from the surface of the Moon with, to return to lunar orbit. - Willy BrandtWilly BrandtWilly Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
was re-elected as Chancellor of West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, needing 247 votes in the 493 member Bundestag, and receiving 269.
December 15, 1972 (Friday)
- The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was created by a 112–0 vote of the UN General Assembly.
- Died: Adrian StokesAdrian Stokes (critic)Adrian Stokes was a British writer and painter, known principally as an influential art critic. He was also a published poet.- Background :...
, 70, British writer, painter and art critic; and Bob MosherBob MosherRobert "Bob" Mosher was a television and radio scriptwriter born in Auburn, New York. He was best known for his work on Amos and Andy, Meet Mr. McNutley, Leave It To Beaver, Ichabod and Me, Bringing Up Buddy, and The Munsters, along with his co-writer Joe Connelly who is buried in Culver City's...
, 57, sitcom writer (Leave it To Beaver, The Munsters) - The Commonwealth of Australia ordains equal pay for women.
December 16, 1972 (Saturday)
- At the village of Wiriamu in MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, at that time a colony of PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Portuguese troops executed a massacre of the residents —men, women and children— in retaliation for the ambush of a patrol the day before. At least 328 bodies were buried later, although observers concluded that the number of persons killed was more than 400. Like LidiceLidiceLidice is a village in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was on orders from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal...
, Wiriamu was razed. Unlike Lidice, it was never rebuilt. - The Apollo 17Apollo 17Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
orbiter began its return to Earth, as the America became the last manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon. - Six people are killed in a small plane crash in Cheektowaga, NY. The pilot of a twin engine Cessna 421Cessna 421-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3....
was unable to return to the Buffalo Niagara International AirportBuffalo Niagara International AirportBuffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...
and slammed into two homes killing his two passengers and 3 people on the ground.
December 17, 1972 (Sunday)
- Running back Dave HamptonDave HamptonDavid Hampton is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles.-College career:...
became the first player for the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, as Atlanta closed its season against the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. On his next carry, Hampton was tackled for a five yard loss, and finished 1972 with 995 yards rushing. - Died: Rodolfo CadenaRodolfo CadenaRodolfo Cadena was a Mexican-American mob boss and legendary figure in the Mexican Mafia prison gang.-Biography:"Chy" Cadena was a wayward youth and a member of the "Varrio Viejo" Gang from Bakersfield, California...
, 30, founder of the Mexican MafiaMexican MafiaThe Mexican Mafia , also known as La Eme , 13 is a Mexican American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-Foundation:...
prison gang at the California Institution for MenCalifornia Institution for MenCalifornia Institution for Men is a male-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. It is often colloquially referenced as "Chino." In turn, locals call the prison "Chino Men's" or just "Men's" to avoid confusion with the city itself...
, after being stabbed 70 times by members of a rival gang.
December 18, 1972 (Monday)
- Operation Linebacker IIOperation Linebacker IIOperation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War...
, described more generally as the Christmas Bombing and sometimes as "The Eleven-Day War", began at as the first of 87 B-52 bombers, piloted by Major Bill Stocker, lifted off from Andersen AFB in GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. These were joined by 42 more B-52s flying from Thailand, along with 400 fighters and refueling tankers. At Hanoi time, from an altitude of 35,000 feet, the bombers began dropping their payloads on targets in North Vietnam, and were met by hundreds of SAM missiles and some MiG-21 fighters. There were 121 bombing runs in the first 24 hours. - Neilla Biden, the wife of U.S. Senator-elect (and future U.S. Vice-President) Joe BidenJoe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
was killed in a traffic accident, along with the couple's 18-month old daughter, Amy. Mrs. Biden's car was struck by a tractor-trailer at as she pulled into an intersection near Hockessin, DelawareHockessin, DelawareHockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...
. The Bidens' two sons, aged three and four, were injured.
December 19, 1972 (Tuesday)
- The supertanker Sea Star collided with another ship and spilled 144,000,000 litres of petroleum into the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. - Apollo 17Apollo 17Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
returned to EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, concluding the program of lunar exploration. - Born: Warren SappWarren SappWarren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
, American NFL defensive tackle, in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; and Alyssa MilanoAlyssa MilanoAlyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
, American actress (Charmed and Who's the Boss?), in BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
; Nora Jean Lee, was born in, *Louisburg, North CarolinaLouisburg, North CarolinaLouisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,111. It is the county seat of Franklin County...
, Ran *track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
for *Varina High SchoolVarina High SchoolVarina High School is located in eastern Henrico County, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. The current principal of the school is Tracie Omohoundro.-Programs:...
in *Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, one of the best long jumper their was that year attended.
December 20, 1972 (Wednesday)
- Neil SimonNeil SimonNeil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's play The Sunshine BoysThe Sunshine BoysThe Sunshine Boys is a play by Neil Simon that was produced on Broadway in 1972 and later adapted for film and television.-Plot:The play focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate...
, was first performed, at the Broadhurst TheatreBroadhurst TheatreThe Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
on Broadway. - The Northrop M2-F3Northrop M2-F3The Northrop M2-F3 was a heavyweight lifting body rebuilt from the Northrop M2-F2 after it crashed at the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1967. It was modified with an additional third vertical fin - centered between the tip fins - to improve control characteristics...
, the "wingless airplane", made its final flight, achieving an altitude of 71,500 feet. - The last Australian servicemen to have served in the Vietnam War were brought home.
- North Central AirlinesNorth Central AirlinesNorth Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early history:...
Flight 575 was cleared for takeoff by an air traffic controller at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, but Delta Air Lines Flight 954 had not yet cleared the runway. Eleven of the 41 people on board the North Central DC-9 were killed ih the collision.
December 21, 1972 (Thursday)
- The Grundlagenvertrag, or Basic Treaty, between the Federal Republic of Germany (West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), was signed in East BerlinEast BerlinEast Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. The two nations agreed to "develop normal good-neighbourly relations" and to "reaffirm the inviolability now and in the future of the border existing between them", as well as resolving that "neither of the two States can represent the other". - Died: Gen. Paul HausserPaul HausserPaul "Papa" Hausser was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high rank of lieutenant-general in the inter-war Reichswehr. After retirement from the regular Army he became the "father" of the Waffen-SS and one of its most eminent leaders...
, 92, "Papa" of the German Waffen SS
December 22, 1972 (Friday)
- Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado emerged from the Andes mountains to give the news that they and 14 others had survived the October 13October 1972January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November–DecemberThe following events occurred in October 1972:-October 1, 1972 :...
Uruguayan plane crash in the Andes. A Chilean Air Force helicopter picked up six of the men, and the other eight were rescued the next day. - The Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) children's television show Adventure IslandAdventure Island (TV series)Adventure Island is an Australian television series for children which screened on the ABC from 11 September 1967 to 22 December 1972 . It was jointly created by Godfrey Philipp, who produced the series, and actor-writer John Michael Howson, who also co-starred in the show...
, broadcast its 1,175th and final episode after a run of five years. - The Bach Mai HospitalBach Mai HospitalBach Mai Hospital is a multi-field medical facility in Hanoi and is considered one of the largest in Vietnam. The hospital was established in 1911 during the French colonial rule. It played important role in the health system of Vietnam and is one of three high specialized medical centers,...
in HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
was struck by seven bombs dropped by American airplanes on the fifth day of Operation Linebacker II. Eighteen people— physicians, medical students, nurses and patients— were killed. - Born: Vanessa ParadisVanessa ParadisVanessa Chantal Paradis is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi"...
, French singer and actress; in Saint-Maur-des-FossésSaint-Maur-des-FossésSaint-Maur-des-Fossés is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.7 km. from the center of Paris.-The abbey:...
December 23, 1972 (Saturday)
- At 12:29 a.m., an earthquake1972 Nicaragua earthquakeThe 1972 Nicaragua earthquake was an earthquake that occurred at 12:29 a.m. local time on Saturday, December 23, 1972 near Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It had a magnitude of 6.2 and occurred at a depth of about 5 kilometers beneath the centre of the city. Within an hour after the main...
of 6.2 magnitude leveled the ManaguaManaguaManagua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, the capital of NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and killed more than 10,000 people, destroyed 589 city blocks, and left 400,000 homeless. - Braathens Flight 239Braathens Flight 239- External links :*...
, a Norwegian airplane flight from ÅlesundÅlesundis a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
to OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, crashed while attempting a landing, killing 40 of the 45 persons on board. - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13–7, on a last second play that became known as "The Immaculate ReceptionImmaculate ReceptionThe Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1972...
". The term was used on WTAE-TV's 11 o'clock news by Steelers announcer Myron Cope, who gave credit to a fan, Michael Ord, for coining it, and Sharon Levosky, a friend of Ord's, who called Cope. With 0:22 left, the Steelers trailed 7–6, and were at fourth and 10 on their own 40 yard line. Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
threw a pass that was deflected, and then caught by Franco HarrisFranco HarrisFranco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
, who ran 60 yards for the winning touchdown.
December 24, 1972 (Sunday)
- U.S. bombing of North Vietnam was temporarily halted for 36 hours at local time on Christmas Eve, although Radio Hanoi reported that raids had continued as late as .
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar KhanKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India...
, leader of the Pakhtoon people, was allowed to return to PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
after an exile of eight years, after he agreed to drop calls for an independent "Pakhtoonistan". - Born: Klaus SchnellenkampKlaus SchnellenkampKlaus Schnellenkamp is an established Chilean author. He gained worldwide fame after his spectacular escape from the Colonia Dignidad to Germany in December 2005. His book in German Geboren im Schatten der Angst; Ich überlebte die Colonia Dignidad...
, German-Chilean author; in Colonia DignidadColonia DignidadVilla Baviera , formerly known as Colonia Dignidad is a hamlet in Parral Commune, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile. Located in an isolated area of central Chile, it lies 35 km southeast of the city of Parral, on the north bank of the Perquilauquén River. It was founded by a group of German...
, ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... - Died: Charles AtlasCharles AtlasCharles Atlas, born Angelo Siciliano , was the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program that was best known for a landmark advertising campaign featuring Atlas's name and likeness; it has been described as one of the longest-lasting and most memorable ad campaigns of all...
(Angelo Sicilano), 80, American bodybuilder and developer of dynamic tensionDynamic tension"Dynamic Tension" is the name Charles Atlas gave to the system of exercises that he first popularized in the 1920s.Dynamic Tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits muscle against muscle. The practitioner tenses the muscles of given body part and then moves the body part against the...
program sold by mail.
December 25, 1972 (Monday)
- An unpublished decree took effect in the U.S.S.R., making it illegal for Soviet residents to meet with foreigners "for the purpose of disseminating false or slanderous information about the Soviet Union", a definition that covered most dissidents.
- Yuri AndropovYuri AndropovYuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 12 November 1982 until his death fifteen months later.-Early life:...
, the Director of the KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, recommended that the Soviet Politburo allocate $100,000 in U.S. currency to influence the March parliamentary elections in ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The Politburo approved the transfer on February 7, 1973. - Born: Qu YunxiaQu YunxiaQu Yunxia is a Chinese Olympic athlete who specialized in the 1500 metres.At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona she won a bronze medal on 1500 m. In 1993 she achieved the still standing world record in the 1500 metres at 3:50.46 minutes while running in the National Games of the People's...
, Chinese middle-distance runner; holder of women's world record (3:50.46) since 1993 - Died: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, 94, Indian freedom-fighter; last Governor-General of India (1948–50)
December 26, 1972 (Tuesday)
- In what has been described as the airstrike that "decided the entire air war over North Vietnam", Operation Linebacker II saw 220 American aircraft strike targets over a fifteen minute period, destroying a missile assembly facility, and crippling radar stations and airbases. The North Vietnamese agreed to resume peace talks after three more days of bombing. The bombings on the day after Christmas also destroyed residences and businesses on HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
's Kham Tien Street, killing 215 civilians. - The Santiago, ChileSantiago, ChileSantiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, newspaper El Mercurio broke the story that the 16 survivors of the Uruguayan plane crash in the Andes mountains had turned to cannibalism to avoid starvation. - Died: Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, 88, the 33rd President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, died at in Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
December 27, 1972 (Wednesday)
- The Environmental Protection Agency issued new regulations requiring unleaded gasoline to be available in all American stations no later than July 1, 1974, with a limit 0.05 grams of lead per gallon.
- Nineteen people were killed near Fort Sumner, New MexicoFort Sumner, New MexicoFort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...
, when a church bus was struck by a cattle truck. The bus was one of two the Woodlawn Baptist Church of Austin, Texas, carrying a youth group to a ski resort. - New constitutions took effect, independently of each other, in both South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. - Born: Colin CharvisColin CharvisColin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no...
, Welsh rugby player, in Sutton ColdfieldSutton ColdfieldSutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census... - Died: Lester B. PearsonLester B. PearsonLester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
, 75, 14th Prime Minister of CanadaPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
(1963–1968); Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner in 1957.
December 28, 1972 (Thursday)
- At the age of 20, Prince Vajiralongkorn was designated as Crown Prince of Thailand by his father, King Bhumibol AdulyadejBhumibol AdulyadejBhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
. - Kim Il-sungKim Il-sungKim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
, who was already the (since 1948) Prime Minister of North Korea and General Secretary of its Workers' Party, became the nation's first President, when the office was created as part of a new Constitution. - Born: Patrick RafterPatrick RafterPatrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006. He was known for his natural serve-and-volley style of...
, Australian tennis player, ranked No. 1 in the world 1999; U.S. Open champion 1997 and 1998; in PembrokePembroke Parish, BermudaPembroke Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after English aristocrat William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke ....
, BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
December 29, 1972 (Friday)
- At 11:42 p.m., Eastern Air Lines Flight 401Eastern Air Lines Flight 401Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades on the night of December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities...
crashed into the EvergladesEvergladesThe Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
in Florida, killing 101 of 176 on board. The cockpit crew had been preoccupied with checking the L-1011's landing gear when a light on the instrument panel had failed to come on. Distracted, nobody realized that the autopilot had become disengaged, and that they were slowly losing altitude. The last recorded words were the co-pilot saying "We did something to the altitude. We're still at 2000, right?" and the pilot responding, "Hey, what's happening here?" Ghosts of the dead are said to have been seen by others, as described in John G. Fuller's bestseller Ghost of Flight 401. - Edward Lorenz proposed the now-famous butterfly effectButterfly effectIn chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state...
in a paper delivered to the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, entitled "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?" - Life magazineLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
's final weekly issue carried the December 29, 1972, date, though it was on newsstands the week before, the first issue having been on November 23, 1936. - The U.S. Army received its last draftees. After the close of the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
conscription of Americans into the service ceased, and all services were composed of volunteers. - The takeover of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's embassy in Thailand, by Palestinian terrorists, ended peacefully after intervention by EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
's ambassador and Thai officials. The four Arab gunmen, granted safe passage to Cairo, released their Israeli hostages, including the ambassador. Before everyone departed, the Egyptian and Israeli ambassadors, the four gunmen and five diplomats all ate dinner together inside the embassy. - Died: Joseph CornellJoseph CornellJoseph Cornell was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage...
, 69, American sculptor and philosopher.
December 30, 1972 (Saturday)
- The "Christmas Bombing" of North Vietnam halted by order of U.S. President Nixon, after the North Vietnamese agreed to resume negotiations with Henry Kissinger beginning on January 8. A total of 20,370 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam over eleven days. In an oft-quoted passage from The Lessons of Vietnam, Sir Robert Thompson wrote "after eleven days of those B-52 attacks on the Hanoi area, you had won the war! It was over!" South Vietnam would be conquered by the North forty months later.
- Born: Kerry CollinsKerry CollinsKerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
, American NFL quarterback, in Lebanon, PA
December 31, 1972 (Sunday)
- Died: Roberto ClementeRoberto ClementeRoberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
, 38, star of the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, killed along with five other people while on an errand of mercy to earthquake victims in Managua. At , his DC-7 crashed into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Clemente's body was never found. Clemente was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1973. - The barangayBarangayA barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
system was created in the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
by decree Number 86 of President Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. - Born: Joey McIntyre, American actor and singer, in Needham, MA
- Another leap secondLeap secondA leap second is a positive or negative one-second adjustment to the Coordinated Universal Time time scale that keeps it close to mean solar time. UTC, which is used as the basis for official time-of-day radio broadcasts for civil time, is maintained using extremely precise atomic clocks...
(23:59:60) was added to end of the year, making 1972 the only year to have two leap seconds, and thus the longest year in human history.