1972 (MCMLXXII) was .

Events 
 February 17 – U.S. President Richard Nixon visits China.
 May 15 – Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama is shot by Arthur H. Bremer at a Laurel, Maryland political rally.
 June 13-22 – Hurricane Agnes strikes Florida and moves through the East Coast of the United States. In Pennsylvania and New York, Agnes causes heavy flooding that kills many people. Total damage from the storm is $3 billion.
 June 29 – The United States Supreme Court rules that the death penalty is unconstitutional.
 July 25 – The first newspaper stories about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment are published.  This will lead to the end of the experiment, where poor African-Americans were infected with syphilis and not given treatment.
 September 17 – The television comedy series M*A*S*H premieres in the United States.
 Writer and pen club president Heinrich Böll receives the Nobel Prize for literature.

Births 
 January 2 – Adam Elliot, Australian animator
 January 11 – Amanda Peet, American actress
 January 16 - Greg Page, Australian musician (The Wiggles)
 February 17 – Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer (Green Day)
 February 17 – Yuki Isoya, Japanese singer (Judy and Mary)
 March 6 – Shaquille O'Neal, professional basketball player, actor and rapper
 March 7 - Simon Pryce, Australian musician (The Wiggles)
 March 15 – Mark Hoppus, American musician (Blink 182)
 March 17 – Oksana Grishuk, Ukrainian figure skater
 March 23 – Jonas Björkman, Swedish tennis player
 April 17 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
 April 20 – Carmen Electra, American model
 May 2 – Dwayne Johnson, Retired professional wrestler and actor
 May 4 – Mike Dirnt, American musician (Green Day)
 May 6 – Martin Brodeur, Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender
 June 23 – Zinedine Zidane, French footballer
 August 6 – Geri Halliwell, English singer (Spice Girls)
 August 9 – Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, Colombian singer ad songwriter
 August 15 – Ben Affleck, American actor
 August 25 – Rachael Ray, American talk show host and cook
 August 27 – Denise Lewis, English athlete
 August 27 – Dalip Singh Rana, Indian professional wrestler and actor
 August 30 – Cameron Diaz, American actress
 September 7 - Simon Nash, English actor
 September 28 – Gwyneth Paltrow, American actress
 October 17 – Eminem, American rapper
 December 9 – Tré Cool, American musician (Green Day)
 December 19 – Alyssa Milano, American actress
 December 28 – Pat Rafter, Australian tennis player

Deaths 
 January 16 – Ross Bagdasarian, American pianist and actor (b. 1919)
 April 27 – Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana (b. 1909)
 May 5 – Martiros Saryan, Russian-Armenian painter (b. 1880)
 May 28 – HRH the Duke of Windsor, formerly Edward VIII King of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
 December 26 – Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States (b. 1884)
 December 27 – Lester Pearson, Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1897)

Movies released 
 Deliverance
 Super Fly
 The Godfather
 The Posiedon Adventure
 What's Up, Doc

Hit songs 
"People Need Love" – ABBA
"He Is Your Brother" – ABBA
"Starman" – David Bowie
"Take It Easy" – The Eagles
"Jealous Guy" – John Lennon
"All The Young Dudes" – Mott the Hoople
"You're So Vain" – Carly Simon
"Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" – Paul Simon
"Mother and Child Reunion" – Paul Simon
"Duncan" – Paul Simon
"America" – Simon and Garfunkel
"You Wear It Well" – Rod Stewart
"Ben"- Michael Jackson
"Parle plus bas (Le Parrain)"- Dalida
"Les choses de l'amour"- Dalida
"Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" – Mac Davis
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" – Simon and Garfunkel
"American Pie" – Don McLean
"Horse With No Name" – America
"Ventura Highway" – America
"Crocodile Rock" – Elton John
"Rocket Man" – Elton John
"Layla" – Derek & the Dominoes
"Rock & Roll Part 2" – Gary Glitter
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" – Jim Croce
"The Candyman" – Sammy Davis Jr.
"Lean on Me" – Bill Withers
"Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)" – Curtis Mayfield
"If You Don't Know Me By Now" – Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes
"I Gotcha" – Joe Tex
"Without You" – Harry Nilsson
"Let's Stay Together" – Al Green
"Brand New Key" – Melanie
"Signs" – The Drifters
"My Ding-A-Ling" – Chuck Berry
"Morning Has Broken" – Cat Stevens
"I Can See Clearly Now" – Johnny Nash
"The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack
"I'll Take You There" – The Staple Singers
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" – Looking Glass
"Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" – Hollies
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone – The Temptations
"Heart of Gold" – Neil Young
"Alone Again (Naturally)" – Gilbert O'Sullivan
"Nights in White Satin" – The Moody Blues
"Back Stabbers" – The O'Jays
"I'm Stone in Love With You" – The Stylistics
"I Am Woman" – Helen Reddy
"I Gotcha" – Joe Tex
"Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond
"The Candy Man" – Sammy Davis Jr.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Robert John
"Rock and Roll" – Led Zeppelin
"Metal Guru" – T.Rex
"Two Divided By Love" – The Grass Roots
"Burning Love" – Elvis Presley
"Joy" – Apollo 100

New books 
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson

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