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 (Virginia)
 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
 American Airlines Flight 96 during a domestic flight leg between Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York, suffers an explosive rapid decompression over Windsor, Ontario due to the aircraft's left cargo door breaking off mid-flight. Everyone onboard survives after the aircraft makes a successful emergency landing back in Detroit.
 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.
 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
 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.

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
 Kevin McCarty, politician
 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, 56th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
 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
 Scott Turner, businessman, motivational speaker, politician, and football player
 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 10 – Brooke Rollins, attorney
 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
 Jimmy Patronis, politician
 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 19 – Dylan Ratigan, businessman and political commentator
 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
 Liza Colón-Zayas, actress and playwright
 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 and Facebook
 August 6 – Paolo Bacigalupi, writer
 August 7
 Tony Bouie, football player
 Heidi Cruz, businesswoman, managing director at Goldman Sachs, and wife of Ted Cruz
 Dennis Deer, politician (d. 2024)
 Karen Disher, director
 Alexis Glick, news anchor and television personality
 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 
 Ka, rapper (d. 2024)
 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
 Jonathan Morris, author, actor, and commentator
 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
 Christy Lemire, film critic

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
 Cherelle Parker, politician 
 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
 Melanie Paxson, actress
 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 4 – DeAndrea G. Benjamin, lawyer and judge
 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
 Chad Boudreau, basketball coach
 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
 Jeremy 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 28 – Sage Steele, TV anchor
 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
 Maxine Dexter, politician
 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
 Melissa Francis, news anchor and commentator
 Brandon Teena, murder victim (d. 1993)
 December 13
 Charlie Baum, politician
 Mo Elleithee, political strategist
 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
 Mercedes Schlapp, communications specialist and political commentator
 December 28
 Jody Adams, basketball player and coach
 Jennifer McClellan, politician
 Rebecca Sorensen, skeleton racer
 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)
 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
 Sean O'Brien, activist
 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
 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
 Josh Capon, chef
 Natasha D'Schommer, photographer
 Jason Goldberg, producer
 Erik LaRay Harvey, actor

Deaths

 January 3 - Timothy McCoy, murder victim who was killed by serial killer John Wayne Gacy (born 1955)
 January 7 
 John Berryman, poet and scholar (born 1914)
 Emma P. Carr, spectroscopist (born 1880)
 January 8 
 Olive Ann Alcorn, dancer, model and silent film actress (born 1900)
 Wesley Ruggles, film director (born 1889)
 January 9 – Ted Shawn, dancer (born 1891)
 January 16 – Ross Bagdasarian, 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)
 January 29 – Joe Curtis, American football player and coach (born 1882)
 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 6 – Brian Donlevy, actor (born 1901)
 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 (born 1896)
 Frank Tashlin, animator (born 1913)
 May 11 – Michael Blassie, U.S. Air Force lieutenant (born 1948; killed in action)
 May 13 – Dan Blocker, actor (Bonanza) (born 1928)
 May 17 – John Shelton, actor (born 1915)
 May 18 – Sidney Franklin, film director (born 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 12 – Saul Alinsky, political activist (born 1909)
 June 13 – Felix Stump, admiral (b. 1894)
 June 20 
 Howard Deering Johnson, businessman, founder of Howard Johnson's (born 1897)
 Sidney Lanfield, film director (b. 1898)
 July 6 – Brandon deWilde, actor (born 1942)
 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 14 – Oscar Levant, pianist, composer, conductor, author, panelist, host, comedian, and actor (born 1906)
 August 20 – Harold Rainsford Stark, admiral (born 1880)
 September 2 – Reggie Harding, basketball player (born 1942)
 September 8 – Warren Kealoha, Olympic swimmer (born 1903)
 September 12 – William Boyd, actor (born 1895)
 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 5 – Henry Dreyfuss, industrial engineer (born 1904)
 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)
 Leo G. Carroll, English actor (born 1886 in the United Kingdom)
 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 3 – Harry Richman, entertainer (born 1895)
 November 5 – Reginald Owen, British actor (born 1887)
 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 23 – Marie Wilson, actress (born 1916)
 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 11 – Cornelius Keefe, film actor (born 1900)
 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 24 – Charles Atlas, Italian-born American bodybuilder (born 1892 in Italy)
 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 29 – Joseph Cornell, artist and sculptor (born 1903)
 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