1972 in the United States

1972 in the United States
Events from the year 1972 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
President: Richard Nixon (R-California)
Vice President: Spiro Agnew (R-Maryland)
Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger (Minnesota)
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Carl Albert (D-Oklahoma)
Senate Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield (D-Montana)
Congress: 92nd
Events
January
January 5 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the development of a Space Shuttle program.
January 7 – Howard Hughes speaks to the press by telephone to denounce Clifford Irving's hoax biography of him.
January 16 – Super Bowl VI: The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Miami Dolphins 24–3.
January 24 – Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi is discovered in Guam; he had spent 28 years in the jungle and becomes the third-to-last Japanese soldier to surrender after World War II.
January 25 – Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Congresswoman, announces her candidacy for president.
January 27 – Two New York City Police Department officers, Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie, are assassinated by members of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) while on foot patrol in New York's East Village area.
February
February 2 – The last draft lottery is held, a watershed event in the wind-down of military conscription in the United States during the Vietnam era. These draft candidates are never called to duty.
February 4 – Mariner 9 sends pictures from Mars.
February 5 – Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
February 15 – Phonorecords are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
February 18 – The California Supreme Court voids the state's death penalty, commuting all death sentences to life in prison.
February 21–28 – U.S. President Richard Nixon makes an unprecedented 8-day visit to the People's Republic of China and meets with Mao Zedong.
February 23 – Activist Angela Davis is released from jail. A Caruthers, California, farmer, Rodger McAfee, helps her make bail.
February 24 – North Vietnamese negotiators walk out of the Paris Peace Talks to protest U.S. air raids.
February 26 – A coal sludge spill kills 125 people in Buffalo Creek, West Virginia.
March
March 2 – The Pioneer 10 spacecraft is launched from Cape Kennedy, to be the first man-made satellite to leave the solar system.
March 3
Sculpted figures of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson are completed at Stone Mountain in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes into a house on Edgewood Avenue in Albany, New York, killing 16 of the 47 people on board, and one person in an upstairs apartment. The impact happened at 8:48 pm after the commuter plane lost power during a snowstorm.
March 13 – Clifford Irving admits to a New York court that he had fabricated Howard Hughes' "autobiography".
March 15 – The Godfather has its premiere at the Loew's State Theatre in New York City.
March 16 – The first building of the Pruitt–Igoe housing development in St. Louis is destroyed.
March 22 – The 92nd U.S. Congress votes to send the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
March 24 – Gilchrest Road, New York crossing accident: A school bus crashes into a train in Congers, New York, killing five students.
March 26 – After 14 years, the last of Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts is telecast by CBS. This last concert is devoted to Gustav Holst's The Planets.
April
April 4 - The Wall Street Journal announced the Digital Watch was on sale.
April 7 – Vietnam War veteran Richard McCoy Jr. hijacks a United Airlines jet and extorts $500,000; he is later captured.
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.
The 44th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr. and Jack Lemmon, is held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. William Friedkin's The French Connection wins five awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Friedkin. The film is also tied with both Norman Jewison's Fiddler on the Roof and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show in receiving eight nominations.
April 12 – The X-rated animated movie Fritz the Cat is released.
April 16 – Vietnam War – Nguyen Hue Offensive: Prompted by the North Vietnamese offensive, the United States resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong.
April 17 – The first Boston Marathon in which women are officially allowed to compete.
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. On this day Kings Island in Mason Ohio opened to the public.
May
May 2 – A fire in the Sunshine Mine in northern Idaho kills 91.
May 8 – U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the mining of Haiphong Harbor in Vietnam.
May 11 – The Boston Bruins defeat the New York Rangers four games to two to win the Stanley Cup.
May 15
Okinawa is returned to Japan after 27 years of United States occupation.
Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama is shot and paralyzed by Arthur Bremer at a political rally in Laurel, Maryland, United States.
May 16 – The first financial derivatives exchange, the International Monetary Market (IMM), opens on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
May 24 – A Red Army Faction bomb explodes in the Campbell Barracks of the U.S. Army Supreme European Command in Heidelberg, West Germany; 3 U.S. soldiers (Clyde Bonner, Ronald Woodard and Charles Peck) are killed.
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.
The Watergate first break-in, the "Ameritas dinner", fails.
Wernher von Braun retires from NASA, frustrated by the agency's unwillingness to pursue a crewed trans-orbital space program.
May 27
Mark Donohue wins the Indianapolis 500 in the Penske Racing McLaren-Offenhauser. This was the first win for Team Penske in the 500.
A second Watergate break-in attempt fails.
June
June 3 – Sally Priesand becomes the first female rabbi in the U.S.
June 4 – Angela Davis is found not guilty of murder.
June 9 – The Black Hills flood kills 238 in South Dakota.
June 12 – The first Popeyes opens in Arabi, Louisiana.
June 14–23 – Hurricane Agnes kills 117 on the U.S. east coast.
June 15–18 – The first U.S. Libertarian Party National Convention is held in Denver, Colorado.
June 17
Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
The United States returns Okinawa, occupied and governed since the Battle of Okinawa, to Japan.
Main Street Electrical Parade debuts at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Parade was also cloned for other Disney Parks worldwide
June 23
Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon and White House chief of staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the C.I.A. to obstruct the F.B.I.'s investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
President Nixon signs Title IX into law as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibiting gender discrimination in any educational program receiving federal funds.
June 26 – Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney co-found Atari, Inc.
June 28 – U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that no new draftees will be sent to Vietnam.
June 29 – Furman v. Georgia: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the death penalty is unconstitutional, converting all death sentences to life imprisonment.
July
July – U.S. actress Jane Fonda tours North Vietnam, during which she is photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun.
July 1 – Ms. magazine begins publication.
July 1 – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms becomes independent from the IRS.
July 4 – The first Rainbow Gathering is held in Colorado.
July 8 – The U.S. sells grain to the Soviet Union for $750 million.
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 15 – The Pruitt–Igoe housing development is demolished in Saint Louis, Missouri.
July 20 - The Armstrong Air & Space Museum is dedicated to honor Neil Armstrong, first man on the Moon.
July 21 – Comedian George Carlin is arrested by Milwaukee, Wisconsin police for public obscenity, for reciting his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" at Summerfest.
July 23 – The United States launches Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources satellite.
July 25 – U.S. health officials admit that African Americans were used as guinea pigs in the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.
August
August 1 – U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, withdraws from the race after revealing he suffered from depression and had been hospitalized three times for its treatment.
August 4
Arthur Bremer is jailed for 63 years for shooting U.S. presidential primary candidate George Wallace.
A huge solar flare (one of the largest ever recorded) knocks out cable lines in 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 – A brilliant, daytime meteor skips off the Earth's atmosphere due to an Apollo asteroid streaking over the western US into Canada.
August 12 – The last U.S. ground troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
August 13–18 – The Special Olympics World Games take place in Los Angeles.
August 20 – One hundred thousand people attended the legendary Wattstax Black music concert in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California.
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 – John Wojtowicz, 27, and Sal Naturile, 18, hold several Chase Manhattan Bank employees hostage for 17 hours in Gravesend, Brooklyn, N.Y, an event later dramatized in the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.
September
September 1 – World Chess Championship 1972 ("Match of the century"): Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in a chess match at Reykjavík, Iceland, becoming the first American chess champion.
September 4 – The New Price is Right, a revival of the 1956-65 NBC and ABC game show of the same name premieres on CBS, along with Gambit and The Joker's Wild, overhauling the network's daytime schedule.
September 12 – Maude, the first in a series of spin-offs from All in the Family, premieres on CBS. Bea Arthur stars as the title character.
September 17 – The television series M*A*S*H begins its run on CBS.
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 Parlor, killing 12 children and 11 adults.
October
October 8 – R. Sargent Shriver is chosen to replace Thomas Eagleton as the U.S. vice-presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
October 12 – USS Kitty Hawk riot: En route to the Gulf of Tonkin, a racial brawl involving more than 100 sailors breaks out aboard the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk; nearly 50 sailors are injured.
October 15 – Baker v. Nelson is decided in the Minnesota Supreme Court, affirming that state law preventing same-sex marriage is constitutional.
October 16
October 16
A plane carrying U.S. Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana and three other men vanishes in Alaska. The wreckage has never been found, despite a massive search at the time.
Country singer Loretta Lynn makes history becoming the first female ever to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award. Her signature song, "Coal Miner's Daughter," is pivotal in earning her this award.
October 22 - The Oakland Athletics defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3, to win their sixth World Series title in baseball.
October 25 – The first female FBI agents are hired.
October 26 – Following a visit to South Vietnam, U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger suggests that "peace is at hand."
October 27 – Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Gateway National Recreation Area, & Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is established.
October 30
U.S. President Richard Nixon approves legislation to increase Social Security spending by US$5.3 billion.
1972 Chicago commuter rail crash: The accidental tripping of a signal at 27th Street station on the Metra Electric system in Chicago causes an IC Electric express train to telescope another, killing 45 and injuring over 300.
November
November – At a scientific meeting in Honolulu, Herbert Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen conceive the concept of recombinant DNA. They publish their results in November 1973 in PNAS. Separately in 1972, Paul Berg also recombines DNA in a test tube. Recombinant DNA technology has dramatically changed the field of biological sciences, especially biotechnology, and opened the door to genetically modified organisms.
November 7 – U.S. presidential election, 1972: Republican incumbent Richard Nixon defeats Democratic Senator George McGovern in a landslide (the election had the lowest voter turnout since 1948, with only 55 percent of the electorate voting).
November 8 – HBO begins operating as a pay television service.
November 11 – Vietnam War – Vietnamization: The United States Army turns over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam.
November 14 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 1,000 (1,003.16) for the first time.
November 22 – Vietnam War: The United States loses its first B-52 Stratofortress of the war.
November 29 – Atari, Inc. kicks off the first generation of video games with the release of their seminal arcade version of Pong, the first game to achieve commercial success.
November 30 – Vietnam War: White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler tells the press that there will be no more public announcements concerning United States troop withdrawals from Vietnam because troop levels are now down to 27,000.
December
December 8
United Airlines Boeing 737 from Washington National to Chicago Midway crashes short of the runway, killing 43 of 61 onboard and two on the ground.
Over $10,000 cash is found in the purse of Watergate conspirator Howard Hunt's wife.
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. This is the last crewed mission to the Moon of the 20th century.
December 19 – Apollo program: Apollo 17 returns to Earth, concluding the program of lunar exploration.
December 22 – 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.
December 23 – The Pittsburgh Steelers win their first ever postseason NFL game, defeating the Oakland Raiders 13–7, on a last-second play that becomes known as the Immaculate Reception.
December 24 – Swedish Prime minister Olof Palme compares the American bombings of North Vietnam to Nazi massacres. The U.S. breaks diplomatic contact with Sweden.
December 25 – The Christmas bombing of North Vietnam causes widespread criticism of the U.S. and President Richard Nixon.
December 26 – Former President Harry S. Truman dies in Kansas City, Missouri.
December 29 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes into the Everglades in Florida, killing 101 of 176 on board.
December 31
Baseball player Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while en route to deliver aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.
The US ban on the pesticide DDT takes effect.
Undated
The first women are admitted to Dartmouth College.
Women are allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon for the first time.
The Environmental Protection Agency bans the use of the pesticide DDT.
Pettit Marine Paint is established after the unification of three lines of marine paint manufactures.
Ongoing
Cold War (1947–1991)
Space Race (1957–1975)
Vietnam War, U.S. involvement (1964–1973)
Détente (c. 1969–1979)
Watergate scandal (1972–1974)
Capital punishment suspended by Furman v. Georgia (1972–1976)
DOCUMERICA photography project (1972-1977)
Births
January
January 1
Sharon Blynn, actress and cancer activist
Shane Carruth, director, producer, actor, composer and cinematographer
Barron Miles, American-born Canadian football player and coach
January 5 – Ariel McDonald, basketball player
January 6 – Cyia Batten, dancer, model, and actress
January 7 – Donald Brashear, hockey player
January 8
Jon Andersen, wrestler
Brandie Burton, golfer
Jacob Sager Weinstein, author and humorist
January 9
Mike Bettes, meteorologist and storm chaser
Mat Hoffman, BMX rider
Jay Powell, baseball player
Rawson Stovall, video game producer and author
January 10 – Randy Baumann, radio personality
January 11
Jermaine Allensworth, baseball player
Marc Blucas, actor
Greg Burgess, Olympic swimmer
Amanda Peet, actress
January 12
H. Peter Anvin, Swedish-born computer programmer
Lisa Brown, writer and illustrator
Zabryna Guevara, actress
January 13
Big Black, television personality, musician, and bodyguard
Nicole Eggert, actress
Kate Holbrook, historian and writer (d. 2022)
January 14 – Kyle Brady, football player
January 15
Errol Rajesh Arthur, lawyer and judge
Shelia Burrell, Olympic heptathlete
Eric Byler, director, screenwriter, and political activist
Ernie Reyes Jr., actor and martial artist
January 16 – Joe Horn, football player
January 18
Amy Black, singer/songwriter
Jason Gray, Christian singer/songwriter
Mike Lieberthal, baseball player
January 19
Drea de Matteo, actress
Jon Fisher, businessman and author
Tyrone Wheatley, American football player and college football coach
January 20
Matt Beech, baseball player
Nikki Haley, politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina, and 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
January 21
Alan Benes, baseball player
James Bonnici, baseball player
January 22
Reggie Barlow, football player
Darren Brass, tattoo artist and television personality
Gabriel Macht, actor
January 23 – Big Mike, rapper
January 24 – Beth Hart, singer
January 26 – Mia Bonta, politician
January 28
Amy Coney Barrett, attorney, jurist, judge, and justice for the U.S. Supreme Court
Carey Bender, football player
Gillian Vigman, actress, comedian, and screenwriter
January 29
Matt Brandstein, writer
Morgan Burkhart, baseball player and coach
Lisa Desjardins, journalist for PBS NewsHour
January 30
Tsagaan Battsetseg, Mongolian-born chess player
Mike Johnson, politician
Jill McGill, golfer
January 31
Zeyno Baran, Turkish-born scholar
Garret Graves, politician
February
February 1
Rich Becker, baseball player
Carlton Bruner, Olympic swimmer
Victor Buhler, director
February 2 – Lance Brown, football player
February 4
Kelvin Anderson, football player
Nicolle Wallace, television host and author
February 5
Chris Bailey, ice hockey player
Kristopher Carter, composer
February 6
David Binn, football player
Maurice Clemmons, convicted murderer (d. 2009)
February 7
Essence Atkins, actress
Robyn Lively, screen actress
Chad Weininger, businessman and politician
February 8 – Big Show, wrestler and actor
February 9
Monica Aldama, cheerleader and coach
Crispin Freeman, voice actor
February 10 – Michael Brescia, convicted bank robber
February 11
Cypheus Bunton, basketball player and coach
Craig Jones, musician
Kelly Slater, surfer
February 12
Sumya Anani, boxer
Darrell Asberry, football player
Richard Blais, chef, television personality, restaurateur, and author
February 13
Ron Berkowitz, entrepreneur, publicist and sports journalist, CEO and founder of Berk Communications
Ruben Brown, football player
February 14
Drew Bledsoe, football player
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, writer
Angie Craig, politician
Rob Thomas, singer/songwriter and frontman for Matchbox Twenty
February 16
Jerome Bettis, football player
Enrico Blasi, hockey player and coach
Sarah Clarke, actress
Wayne Clark (politician), member of the West Virginia House of Representatives
February 17
Billie Joe Armstrong, punk rock singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for Green Day
Lloy Ball, Olympic volleyball player
Taylor Hawkins, drummer for Foo Fighters (d. 2022)
Ralphie May, comedian and actor (d. 2017)
February 18
Atrios, blogger
Shane Beschen, surfer
February 20
Bink, hip hop producer
Todd Graves, entrepreneur, restaurateur, and founder of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
February 22
Eric Burks, basketball player
Michael Chang, tennis player
February 23
Mark Abene, information security expert and entrepreneur
Michael Ausiello, journalist, author, and actor
February 24 – Larry Amar, field hockey player (d. 2020)
February 26
damali ayo, artist and author
Keith Ferguson, voice actor
Maz Jobrani, Iranian-born actor, comedian, and director
February 28 – Adrian Autry, basketball player and coach
February 29
Cyrus Beasley, Olympic rower
Fabien Bownes, football player
Dave Williams, singer and frontman for Drowning Pool (d. 2002)
Saul Williams, singer, poet, and actor
Pedro Zamora, Cuban-born AIDS activist and television personality (d. 1994)
March
March 3 – Dennis Bonnen, businessman and politician
March 4
Bruce Aven, baseball player
Ivy Queen, Puerto Rican-born actress, singer/songwriter and record producer
March 6
Amanda Butler, basketball player and coach
Shaquille O'Neal, basketball player
Jaret Reddick, singer/songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for Bowling for Soup
March 7 – Tylene Buck, pornographic actress, model, camgirl, wrestler, and valet
March 9
Jodey Arrington, politician
AZ, rapper
Travis Lane Stork, emergency room physician and television personality
Kerr Smith, actor
Jean Louisa Kelly, actress
March 10
Matt Kenseth, race car driver
Timbaland, record producer, songwriter, and rapper
March 11
David J. Adelman, businessman and entrepreneur, CEO of Campus Apartments
Jennifer Barnhart, actress and puppeteer
March 12
George Arias, baseball player
Hector Luis Bustamante, Colombian-born actor
March 13
Leigh-Allyn Baker, screen and voice actress
James Bostic, football player
Common, actor and rapper
Trent Dilfer, American football player
March 14
Tom Barndt, football player
Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
March 15
Mark Hoppus, pop-punk singer/songwriter and bassist for blink-182
Erik S. Kristensen, U.S. Navy SEAL (d. 2005)
March 17
Ryan Burr, sports journalist
John Burrough, football player
Mia Hamm, soccer player
Paige Hemmis, television personality
Sean Price, rapper for Heltah Skeltah (d. 2015)
March 18
Travis Bracht, singer and guiaterist
Dane Cook, comedian and actor
Reince Priebus, politician
March 20 – Amir Abo-Shaeer, teacher and mechanical engineer
March 21
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, songwriter and lyricist
John Berman, news anchor
Chris Candido, wrestler (d. 2005)
March 22
Dottie Alexander, keyboardist
Houston Alexander, mixed martial artist
Shawn Bradley, German-born basketball player
Chris Broadwater, attorney and politician
Cory Lidle, baseball player (d. 2006)
March 23 – Brian Burrell, actor
March 25
Howard Battle, baseball player
Chris Brann, electronic music producer and remixer
March 26
Phil Berger Jr., judge
Leslie Mann, actress
March 27 – Charlie Haas, wrestler
March 28 – Tammy Modlin, convicted murderer (d. 2016)
March 31 – Evan Williams, Internet entrepreneur and co-founder of Twitter
April
April 1 – Erin Bow, American-born Canadian author
April 3
David Bostice, boxer
LaToya Cantrell, politician, mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana (2018–present)
Jennie Garth, actress
April 4
Kevin Brown, actor
Jill Scott, singer-songwriter
April 5 – Nima Arkani-Hamed, American-born Canadian theoretical physicist
April 6
Scott Martin Brooks, actor
Jason Hervey, actor
April 8
Roderick Anderson, basketball player
David Beall, soccer player
Paul Gray, bassist and vocalist for Slipknot (d. 2010)
Sung Kang, actor
April 11
Teri Byrne, model, fitness competitor, and dancer
Balls Mahoney, wrestler (d. 2016)
Jason Varitek, baseball player
April 12 – Wade Allen, director and stuntman
April 13 – John van Buskirk, soccer player and coach
April 14 – Dean Potter, free climber (d. 2015)
April 15 – Lou Romano, animator and voice actor
April 16 – Jim Ballard, football player
April 17
Gary Bennett, baseball player
Tony Boselli, football player
Jennifer Garner, actress
April 18 – Eli Roth, actor and filmmaker
April 20
Andy Boss, racing driver
Carmen Electra, model, singer, and actress
Stephen Marley, reggae musician
April 22 – Willie Robertson, television personality, businessman, author, news contributor, and CEO of Duck Commander
April 24
Zuill Bailey, cellist
Jamie Brown, football player
Chad I Ginsburg, guitarist and vocalist for CKY
Chipper Jones, baseball player
April 26
Brian Anderson, baseball player
Aubrey Ankrum, screenwriter and animator
April 27
Ethan Brooks, football player
David Lascher, actor
April 28
Matt Barton, politician
Violent J, singer, rapper, wrestler, actor and one-half of the Insane Clown Posse
April 29 – James Bonamy, pastor and musician
April 30 – Kendricke Bullard, football player
May
May 1
Julie Benz, actress
Mike Brown, motorcyclist
Tracy Hines, racing driver and stunt driver
May 2
Pandora Boxx, drag queen, comedian, and television personality
Dwayne Johnson, actor and wrestler
May 3 – Reza Aslan, Iranian-born scholar
May 4
Mike Dirnt, rock musician and bassist for Green Day
Chris Tomlin, Christian singer/songwriter and worship leader
May 5 – Barrett Brooks, football player
May 6
Kwatsi Alibaruho, flight director for NASA
Martin Brodeur, Canadian-born ice hockey player
May 8 – Izett Buchanan, basketball player
May 9
Lisa Ann, pornographic actress
Dave Barr, football player
Dana Perino, political commentator and White House Press Secretary (2005-2007)
May 10 – Gavin Arroyo, Olympic water polo player
May 11
Briny Baird, golfer
Jennifer Brown, author
Amanda Freitag, chef
May 12 – Rhea Seehorn, actress
May 13 – Stephanie Berman-Eisenberg, businesswoman and President/CEO of Carrfour Supportive Housing
May 14 – Kevin Allen, football player
May 15
Eric Aubriot, French-born chef
Bud'da, producer, songwriter, composer, and rapper
Albert Burditt, basketball player
May 16
Keith Burns, football player and coach
Derek Mears, actor and stuntman
Khary Payton, voice actor
May 18
Bryan Bender, reporter and journalist
Jaime Bluma, baseball player
Devin Bowen, tennis player
Mike Brennan, basketball player and coach
May 20 – Busta Rhymes, actor and rapper
May 21
Beau Baldwin, baseball player and coach
The Notorious B.I.G., rapper (d. 1997)
May 22
Max Brooks, horror author and screenwriter
Alison Eastwood, fashion designer and actress
May 23 – Ronnie Blake, trumpeter
May 24
Leah Andreone, musician
Greg Berlanti, screenwriter, producer, and director
May 25
Jules Jordan, pornographic movie director, actor, and producer
David O. Sacks, South African-born entrepreneur, author, and investor, founder of PayPal and Yammer
May 27
Brian Boland, tennis coach
Sibyl Buck, musician, yoga instructor, and fashion model
May 28
Steven Bryant, composer and conductor
Christine Drazan, politician
May 29
Laverne Cox, actress and LGBTQ+ advocate
M Lamar, composer, performer, and artist
May 31 – Dave Roberts, baseball player
June
June 1
Cheryl Abplanalp, Olympic handball player
Rick Gomez, actor
June 2
Wayne Brady, comedian
Wentworth Miller, British-born actor and screenwriter
June 3
Sharyn Alfonsi, journalist and correspondent for 60 Minutes
Matt Pike, singer/songwriter and guitarist for Sleep and frontman for High on Fire
June 4
Ted Berry, basketball player
Cinda Boomershine, entrepreneur, designer, and television personality
Derian Hatcher, ice hockey player
June 5
Chris Afarian, soccer player
Mike Bucci, wrestler
June 6
Michelle Bonner, journalist and businesswoman
Jeff Burris, football player and coach
Jeanette Nuñez, politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
June 7 – Ben Ray Luján, politician
June 8 – Casey Alexander, basketball player and coach
June 9
Alfunction, guitarist
Blue Raspberry, singer
Lorenzo Borghese, Italian-born businessman and television personality
Wes Scantlin, singer/songwriter and frontman for Puddle of Mudd
June 10
Brynja McDivitt Booth, lawyer and judge
Steven Thomas Fischer, producer and director
June 12
Elena Bennett, ecosystem ecologist
Kyle Lake, pastor (d. 2005)
June 14 – Rick Brunson, basketball player and coach
June 15
Rachel Brice, belly dancer
Andy Pettitte, baseball player
June 16 – John Cho, South Korean-born actor
June 17 – C. H. Greenblatt, animator
June 18 – Kimberly Potter, cop convicted in the killing of Daunte Wright
June 19 – Christopher T. Adams, politician
June 20
Yorgo Alexandrou, American-born Armenian Olympic bobsledder
Paul Bako, baseball player
Shane Hamman, Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter
June 21
Tony Berti, football player
Benjamin Byron Davis, actor, writer, director, and acting coach
June 22
DeWayne Burns, politician
David Rees, cartoonist and critic
June 23
Louis Van Amstel, Dutch-born ballroom dancer
Selma Blair, actress
June 24 – Mitch Berger, Canadian-born football player
June 27
Jimmy Adams, race car driver
Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, basketball player
Christian Kane, actor and singer/songwriter
June 28 – Jon Heidenreich, wrestler
June 29
Henry Baum, writer, blogger, and musician
DJ Shadow, DJ and record producer
Samantha Smith, peace activist (d. 1985)
June 30
Garret Anderson, baseball player
Tyrone Davis, football player (d. 2022)
July
July 1
Sunshine Becker, singer
Steve Little, actor and comedian
July 4
Donta Abron, football player
Lawrance Bohm, lawyer
William Goldsmith, drummer
July 5
Leo Allen, comedian
Doremus Bennerman, basketball player
July 7
Stoney Case, football player
Lisa Leslie, basketball player
Kirsten Vangsness, actress and writer
Michael Westbrook, football player and mixed martial artist
July 8
Jay Bellamy, football player
Angela Warnick Buchdahl, South Korean-born rabbi
July 9 – Ara Babajian, drummer
July 10
Salman Agah, skateboarder and entrepreneur
Sofía Vergara, Colombian-born actress, television producer, comedian, presenter, and model
John Viener, actor, voice actor, writer, and comedian
July 11 – Michael Rosenbaum, actor, producer, singer, and comedian
July 12
Elanna Allen, creator and director
Travis Best, basketball player
Bonnie Burton, author, journalist, comedian, actress, and show host
July 13 – Sean Waltman, wrestler
July 14
Joe Aska, football player
David ODB Baker, poker player
Mark Lamb, law enforcement officer and political candidate, Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona (2017–present)
July 15 – John Dolmayan, Lebanese-born drummer for System of a Down and Scars on Broadway
July 16
Robbie Beckett, baseball player
Kealii Blaisdell, musician
July 18 – Jesse Brock, bluegrass musician
July 19 – Daedalus Howell, writer and filmmaker
July 20
Jay Barker, football player
Matt Bragga, baseball player and coach
July 21
Kimera Bartee, baseball player (d. 2021)
Bruce W. Bannister, politician
July 22
Royd Anderson, Cuban-born filmmaker and historian
Seth Fisher, comic book artist (d. 2006)
Keyshawn Johnson, football player
July 23
Craig Barlow, golfer
Marlon Wayans, actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
July 25 – Arkady Bukh, Azerbaijani-born attorney
July 27
Jill Arrington, sportscaster and reporter
Robert Biswas-Diener, psychologist
Maya Rudolph, actress
July 28
Elizabeth Berkley, actress
Evan Farmer, television host, actor, and musician
July 29 – Wil Wheaton, actor
July 30
David Allen, game designer
Big B, rapper
GloZell, YouTuber
July 31 – DeAndrey Abron, boxer (d. 2020)
August
August 1
Todd Bouman, football player
D-Von Dudley, wrestler
August 2
Joaquín Badajoz, Cuban-born writer, editor, and journalist
Jacinda Barrett, Australian-born actress, model, and television personality
Chris Bender, R&B singer (d. 1991)
Brandon Bernstein, drag racer
Muriel Bowser, politician, mayor of Washington D.C.
August 3
Kory Blackwell, football player
Brigid Brannagh, actress
August 4 – Brian Aker, hacker and scientist
August 5 – Gabe Aul, engineer for Microsoft (1992-2019) and Facebook (2019–present)
August 6 – Paolo Bacigalupi, writer
August 7
Tony Bouie, football player
Heidi Cruz, businesswoman, managing director at Goldman Sachs, and wife of Ted Cruz
Karen Disher, director
Chip Roy, attorney and politician
August 9
Dusty Allen, baseball player
Ryan Bollman, actor
August 10
Peter Adamson, philosopher and intellectual historian
Devon Allman, guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer
Angie Harmon, actress
August 11 – Jonathon Prandi, model and actor
August 12 – Jonathan Coachman, WWE announcer
August 13
Crystal Allen, actress
Jon Baker, football player
Kevin Plank, entrepreneur and founder of Under Armour
August 14 – Ed O'Bannon, basketball player
August 15
Ben Affleck, actor, director, screenwriter, and producer
Omar Amanat, entrepreneur and filmmaker
Kristin Bahner, politician
Jason Black, mixed martial artist
Syd Butler, bassist for Les Savy Fav
August 16
Nidal Baba, soccer player
Brian Bates, soccer player
Emily Robison, country music performer and member of Dixie Chicks
August 17 – Jeff Abbott, baseball player
August 18
John Albers, politician
Bethany Barratt, political scientist
August 20
Derrick Alston, basketball player and coach
Melvin Booker, basketball player
Chaney Kley, actor (d. 2007)
August 21 – Bill Bedenbaugh, football player and coach
August 22
Pat Baldwin, basketball player and coach
Stephen Boyd, football player
August 24 – Todd Young, politician
August 25
Andy Abad, baseball player
Jessica Boevers, actress
Marvin Harrison, football player
August 26
Rufus Blaq, rap artist, singer/songwriter and record producer
Kim Burrell, gospel singer/songwriter and pastor
August 27
Chris Armas, soccer player and coach
Robin Bartleman, politician
Jimmy Pop, rock performer and rapper, frontman for Bloodhound Gang
August 28 – Robert Battle, dancer and choreographer
August 30
Shane Broadway, politician
Cameron Diaz, actress and model
September
September 1 – Amy Anderson, South Korean-born comedian, actor, and writer
September 2 – Eleanor Friedberger, singer/songwriter and lead vocalist for The Fiery Furnaces
September 3 – Bob Evans, wrestler and trainer
September 4
Lance Bangs, filmmaker and music video director
Robert Gregory Bowers, mass murderer
September 5
Bob Bees, football player
Jeff Boals, basketball player and coach
Dirk Copeland, Olympic cyclist
September 6
Tom Ackerman, football player
Dylan Bruno, actor and model
Anika Noni Rose, actress
September 7
Natasha Adair, basketball player and coach
Kevin Aguiar, politician
Sarah Anderson, politician
Slug, hip-hop musician and one-half of Atmosphere
September 8
Ramon Armendariz, MLB umpire
Sonia Arrison, author
Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, disc jockey and political satirist
September 9
Ben Bronson, football player
Bryan Bronson, Olympic hurdler
Goran Višnjić, Croatian-born actor
September 10
Sara Groves, Christian musician
Dan Milano, voice actor, puppeteer, writer, and director
September 11
Michael Baiardi, composer, songwriter, and music producer
Jacen Burrows, comic book artist
September 12 – Kimberly Breier, diplomat
September 13 – Chad Buchanan, basketball executive and general manager of the Indiana Pacers
September 14
Don Argott, filmmaker and musician
Notah Begay III, golfer
David Bell, baseball player and manager
Donnell Bennett, football player
September 15
Stephen Glass, disgraced journalist known for fabricating numerous stories
John Schwab, actor, voice actor, and musician
September 16
Mark Bruener, football player
Mike Doyle, actor
September 18
Melina Abdullah, academic and civic leader
Jenny Bhatt, Indian-born writer, literary translator, and literary critic
September 19
Cheryl B, poet and performance artist
Stephanie J. Block, actress and singer
Kevin Bramble, Paralympic skier
September 21
Erin Fitzgerald, Canadian-born voice actress
Jon Kitna, football player
September 22
Dennis Allen, football player
Rob Bonta, lawyer and politician
Matt Busch, artist and entertainment illustrator
Dana Vespoli, porn actress and director
Matthew Rush, gay pornographic actor
September 23 – Jermaine Dupri, rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ
September 25
Roxy Bernstein, sportscaster
Steven Gätjen, American-born German television host
September 26
Tony Buffomante, racing driver
Preston Burpo, soccer player and coach
Beto O'Rourke, politician
Shawn Stockman, singer and musician for Boyz II Men
September 27
Matthew Berry, politician and attorney
Sylvia Crawley, basketball player
Gwyneth Paltrow, actress, singer, and food writer
September 28 – Dita Von Teese, burlesque dancer
September 29 – Butler B'ynote', football player
September 30 – Jamal Anderson, football player
October
October 3
Guy Oseary, Israeli-born businessman
Lajon Witherspoon, singer and frontman for Sevendust
October 5
Luis Berbari, soccer player
Marcus Haley, bodybuilder
Grant Hill, basketball player
Thomas Roberts, journalist
October 6 – J. J. Stokes, football player
October 7 – Ben Younger, screenwriter and director
October 8
Willie Adams, baseball player
Terry Balsamo, guitarist for Cold and Evanescence
Dede Barry, cyclist
Melanie McGuire, mariticide
October 9
Trent Ashby, politician
George Banks, basketball player
Erricka Bridgeford, activist
Cocoa Brown, actress, writer, and comedian
Etan Patz, missing schoolboy
October 10
Brice Brown, artist
Joelle Carter, actress
October 11 – Tamara Gee, vocalist, songwriter, producer, dancer, and model
October 12 – Karen Jarrett, wrestling manager and executive
October 13 – Danny Lloyd, actor
October 14
Mike Archie, football player
Mike Bell, baseball player and coach
October 17
Brent Anderson, politician
Kenneth Baer, political advisor
Bray, musician and singer/songwriter
Eminem, rapper
October 19
Matt Bayles, record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician
Jason Bratton, football player
October 20
Jon Becker, politician
Lisa Bufano, performance artist (d. 2013)
Brian Schatz, politician
October 21
Evgeny Afineevsky, Russian-born director, producer, and cinematographer
Matthew Friedberger, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and member of The Fiery Furnaces
October 22
Arthur Agee, basketball player
Ross Bjork, University athletics director
D'Lo Brown, wrestler
Saffron Burrows, English-born actress and model
October 23
Patrise Alexander, football player
Sudipto Banerjee, Indian-born statistician
October 24
Susan Barnett, news anchor
T. J. Cunningham, football player (d. 2019)
Scott Peterson, convicted murderer
October 25 – Ellis Avery, writer (d. 2019)
October 26 – Armando Almanza, baseball player
October 27 – Brad Radke, baseball player
October 28
Doug Band, businessman and lawyer
Terrell Davis, football player
Brad Paisley, country music singer/songwriter
October 29
Richie Barker, baseball player
Rhonda Blades, basketball player
Kenny Burns, radio host
Tracee Ellis Ross, actress
Gabrielle Union, actress
October 31
Jamie Asher, football player
Pharoahe Monch, rapper
November
November 1
Derrick Atterberry, football player
Martin Boonzaayer, Olympic judoka
Jenny McCarthy, television performer
November 3
Chris Bell, director, producer, and writer
Kris Blanks, golfer
November 4 – Julissa Gomez, gymnast (d. 1991)
November 5 – John Ball, soccer player
November 6
Ryan Boudinot, writer
Anthony Brown, football player
Rebecca Romijn, actress
November 7
Christopher Daniel Barnes, actor and voice actor
Jake Barton, designer, founder of Local Projects
Nikki Blakk, radio DJ
Saul Andrew Blinkoff, filmmaker and voice actor
Jason London, actor
November 8 – Ken Blackman, football player
November 9
Barbara Bedford, Olympic swimmer
Paula Broadwell, writer, academic, and U.S. Army officer
Greg Burns, football player
Eric Dane, actor
November 10
DJ Ashba, musician, songwriter, record producer, graphic designer, and guitarist for SixxAM
Isaac Bruce, football player
Shawn Green, baseball player
Greg LaRocca, baseball player
November 11 – Ibrahim Mohamed Aden, Somali-born Olympic middle-distance runner
November 12
Ivan Baron, tennis player
Homer Bush, baseball player and financial analyst
November 13 – Sekou Andrews, actor, writer, producer, and innovator
November 14
Matt Bloom, wrestler
Troy Carter, music manager and co-founder of Q&A
Josh Duhamel, actor
Aaron Taylor, football player and sportscaster
November 15 – Greg Bloedorn, football player
November 16
Olanda Anderson, boxer
Missi Pyle, actress and singer
November 17
Pam Altendorf, politician
DJ Baby Anne, DJ and musician
Leonard Roberts, actor
November 18 – Scott Danough, guitarist for Bleeding Through (1999-2007 & 2015)
November 20
Pat Boller, ice hockey coach and executive
Riddick Parker, football player (d. 2022)
November 21 – Rain Phoenix, actress
November 23 – Chris Adler, drummer for Lamb of God and Megadeth
November 24
Lawrence Brownlee, opera singer
Niobia Bryant, novelist
November 25 – Mark Morton, guitarist for Lamb of God
November 26
Jay Boulware, football player and coach
Rich Brennan, ice hockey player
Greg Brown, basketball player
Adam J. Harrington, Canadian-born actor and producer
November 27 – Jason Burns, football player
November 29
Brian Baumgartner, actor
Brenton Birmingham, American-born Icelandic basketball player
December
December 1 – Stanton Barrett, stock car racing driver
December 2
The AstroTwins, astrologers and authors
Andy Brown, politician
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, politician
December 5
Cliff Floyd, baseball player and sportscaster
Mike Mahoney, baseball player
Duane Ross, hurdler and coach
December 6
Kevin Brockmeier, writer
Sarah Rafferty, actress
December 7
Tammy Lynn Sytch, wrestling manager and personality
Jason Winer, actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer
December 9
Reiko Aylesworth, actress
John Erick Dowdle, director and screenwriter
December 10
Puff Johnson, singer (d. 2013)
Brian Molko, Belgian-born Scottish-American musician for Placebo
December 11
Shane Aguirre, accountant and politician
J. D. Allen, jazz musician
David Bobzien, politician
Dan Henk, artist and writer
LaMont Smith, Olympic runner
December 12
Tim Akers, author
Tony Bland, football player
Brandon Teena, murder victim (d. 1993)
December 13
Charlie Baum, politician
Hilaree Nelson, ski mountaineer (d. 2022)
Craig Sauer, football player
December 15 – Rodney Harrison, football player
December 14 – Eric Anderson, actor and singer
December 18
Robert Blair, political advisor
James Butler, boxer
Jason Mantzoukas, actor, comedian, writer, and podcaster
David W. Tandy, politician
December 19
Rosa Blasi, actress
Alyssa Milano, actress
Warren Sapp, football player and sportscaster
December 21
Jeff DeWit, businessman and politician
LaTroy Hawkins, baseball player
Dustin Hermanson, baseball player
December 22
Christopher Bevans, fashion designer
Big Tigger, television/radio personality and rapper
December 25
Grady Avenell, musician and singer for Will Haven
Shane Bolks, author
Patrick Brennan, actor
Josh Freese, musician and drummer
December 27
Brian Angelichio, football coach
Thomas Wilson Brown, actor
Mike Busby, baseball player
December 28
Jody Adams, basketball player and coach
Jennifer McClellan, politician
Kevin Stitt, politician, 28th Governor of Oklahoma
Adam Vinatieri, football player
December 29 – Jim Brower, baseball player and coach
December 30
Aaron Boulding, video game journalist
Kerry Collins, football player
December 31 – Joey McIntyre, actor and singer for New Kids on the Block
Full date unknown
Tom Abbs, multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker
Thomas Abt, writer and scientist
Joe Adamik, musician and composer
Tom Adams, Swedish-born technology executive
Glenn Adamson, curator, author, and historian
Christopher Adler, musician, composer, and music professor
Rodney Afshari, talent agent
Anurag Agrawal, professor of ecology, evolutionary biology, and entomology
Maneesh Agrawala, university professor
Leeza Ahmady, curator, author, arts administrator, dance instructor, and educator
Allison E. Aiello, epidemiologist
Maruthi Akella, Indian-born aerospace engineer
Tea Alagic, Bosnian-born director and creator
Jay Alaimo, writer, director, and producer
Kecia Ali, academic
Lylah M. Alphonse, journalist
Natha Anderson, politician, lobbyist, and educator
Edgar Arceneaux, artist
Aaron Archer, illustrator and toy designer
Matthias Aschenbrenner, German-born mathematician
Noah Ashenhurst, novelist
Wayne Au, researcher and professor
Rachel Aukes, novelist
Victor Axelrod, musician, producer, and audio engineer
Jennifer Aylmer, opera singer
Calvin Baker, novelist, educator, essayist, and editor
Jules de Balincourt, French-born artist
Amir Bar-Lev, filmmaker
Matt Barnes, soccer player and coach
Alex Barnett, mathematician and musician
John C. Bear, politician
Jeremy Beard, baseball player and coach
Julie Becker, artist (d. 2016)
Shane Bemis, politician, mayor of Gresham, Oregon (2007-2020)
Mark D. Benigni, politician, mayor of Meriden, Connecticut (2001-2008)
DeAndrea G. Benjamin, lawyer and judge
Christopher Bentivegna, singer
Anselm Berrigan, poet and teacher
Lynne Berry, writer and author
Raffi Besalyan, Armenian-born pianist
Gina Bianchini, entrepreneur and investor
Lydia Bieri, Swiss-born mathematician
Bigg D, record producer
Massimo Biolcati, bassist for Gilfema
Ashley Black, inventor and entrepreneur
Helen Blackwell, organic chemist, chemical biologist, and University professor
Alex Blanco, politician, mayor of Passaic, New Jersey (2008-2016)
Jonathan Blum, writer
Russell Boast, South African-born director
Laszlo Bock, Romanian-born businessman, co-founder and CEO of Humu
Kate Bolick, author
Jon Bonné, wine and food writer
Aryeh Bourkoff, businessman and documentary producer
Rychard Bouwens, American-born Dutch University professor
Christopher Boyes, sound engineer
Douglas Bradburn, historian and author
Bozidar Brazda, Canadian-born artist
Q. Allan Brocka, director
Michael Broek, writer and poet
Joe Brook, photographer
Chris Brooks, politician
Siobhan Brooks, lesbian feminist sociologist
Sheletta Brundidge, author, comedian, and activist
Rae Bryant, writer
Julie Buffalohead, artist
Ryan C. Bundy, cattle rancher, political candidate, and figure in the 2014 Standoff at Bundy Ranch
Alex Burger, screenwriter
John J. Bursch, politician
Katie Bush, artist
Max Butler, security consultant and convicted hacker
Liza Colón-Zayas, actress and playwright
Natasha D'Schommer, photographer
Jason Goldberg, producer
Erik LaRay Harvey, actor
Deaths
January 7
John Berryman, poet and scholar (born 1914)
Emma P. Carr, spectroscopist (born 1880)
January 8 – Wesley Ruggles, film director (born 1889)
January 9 – Ted Shawn, dancer (born 1891)
January 16 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., actor, pianist, singer, songwriter and record producer, creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks (born 1919)
January 17 – Betty Smith, novelist (born 1896)
January 24 – Jerome Cowan, actor (born 1897)
January 27 – Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer (born 1911)
February 2 – Jessie Royce Landis, actress (born 1896)
February 3 – John Litel, screen actor (born 1892)
February 4 – Orlando Ward, general (born 1891)
February 5 – Marianne Moore, poet (born 1887)
February 7
Walter Lang, film director (born 1896)
Bob Woodward, screen actor (born 1909)
February 19 – Lee Morgan, jazz trumpeter (born 1938)
February 20 – Walter Winchell, journalist (born 1897)
February 22
Dan Katchongva, Native American traditional leader (born 1860)
Tedd Pierce, animator (born 1906)
February 27 – Pat Brady, screen actor (born 1914)
March 9 – Basil O'Connor, lawyer and chairman of the International Red Cross (born 1892)
March 11
Fredric Brown, science fiction and mystery writer (born 1906)
Zack Wheat, baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers) (born 1888)
March 13 – Len Ford, American football player (Cleveland Browns) (born 1926)
March 16 – Pie Traynor, baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates) (born 1898)
March 20 – Marilyn Maxwell, actress and entertainer (born 1921)
March 27 – Lorenzo Wright, track and field athlete (born 1926)
April 2 – Gil Hodges, baseball player and manager (born 1924)
April 3 – Ferde Grofé, composer (born 1892)
April 4 – Adam Clayton Powell Jr., politician (born 1908)
April 5 – Isabel Jewell, actress (born 1907)
April 11 – George H. Plympton, screenwriter (born 1889)
May 2 – J. Edgar Hoover, first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (born 1895)
May 3 – Bruce Cabot, film actor (born 1904)
May 4 – Edward Calvin Kendall, chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1886)
May 5
Reverend Gary Davis, blues and gospel singer (b. 1896)
Frank Tashlin, animator (born 1913)
May 11 – Michael Blassie, U.S. Air Force lieutenant (born 1948; killed in action)
May 13 – Dan Blocker, American actor (Bonanza) (born 1928)
May 18 – Sidney Franklin, film director (b. 1893)
May 26 – Edna Goodrich, actress (born 1883)
May 31 – Walter Jackson Freeman II, neurologist (born 1895)
June 8 – Mary van Kleeck, labor activist (born 1883)
June 13 – Felix Stump, admiral (b. 1894)
June 20 – Howard Deering Johnson, businessman, founder of Howard Johnson's (born 1897)
July 27 – Allen J. Ellender, U.S. Senator from Louisiana; President pro tempore during the 92nd Congress (born 1890)
August 7
Joi Lansing, actress (born 1928)
Tom Neal, actor (born 1914)
August 11 – Max Theiler, virologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1899 in South Africa)
August 20 – Harold Rainsford Stark, admiral (born 1880)
September 8 – Warren Kealoha, Olympic swimmer (born 1903)
September 14 – Lane Chandler, actor (born 1899)
September 22 – Peter Mills, freedman, last known surviving American born into legal slavery, in pedestrian accident (born 1861)
September 25 – Max Fleischer, animator (born 1883 in Poland)
September 29 – Edward Sloman, silent film director, actor, screenwriter and radio broadcaster (born 1886 in the United Kingdom)
October 8 – Prescott Bush, banker and politician (born 1895)
October 16 – Hale Boggs, U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district and Majority Leader during the 92nd Congress (born 1914)
October 18 – Edward Cook, Olympic athlete (born 1888)
October 24 – Jackie Robinson, first African-American in Major League Baseball (born 1919)
October 29 – Victor Milner, cinematographer (born 1893)
November 1 – Ezra Pound, poet (born 1885)
November 11 – Berry Oakley, musician (born 1948)
November 14 – Martin Dies Jr., lawyer and politician (born 1900)
November 17 – Thomas C. Kinkaid, admiral (born 1888)
November 18 – Danny Whitten, musician (born 1943)
November 29 – Carl W. Stalling, composer (born 1891)
December 3
Mike Brady, golfer (born 1887)
Bill Johnson, African American dixieland jazz double-bassist (born 1872)
December 9 – Louella Parsons, gossip columnist and screenwriter (born 1881)
December 12 – Thomas H. Robbins Jr., admiral (born 1900)
December 15 – Edward Earle, Canadian-born American actor (born 1882 in Canada)
December 18 – Neilia Hunter Biden, first wife of the 46th US president, Joe Biden (born 1942)
December 23 – Norman Clyde, mountaineer, nature photographer and naturalist (born 1885)
December 26 – Harry S. Truman, 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953, 34th vice president of the United States from January to April 1945 (born 1884)
December 31 – Roberto Clemente, baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates) (born 1934)
See also
List of American films of 1972
Timeline of United States history (1970–1989)
References
External links
1970s in the United States
United States
United States
Years of the 20th century in the United States