At A Glance

17 November 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
17 November 1972 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Clair” by Gilbert O'Sullivan.
Top Film of 1972
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1972 was The Godfather.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 November is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 November 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for November is Topaz.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 November 1972 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 17 November

  • 1968 British European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service.
  • 1969 Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki, Finland to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.
  • 1970 Luna programme: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and is released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.
  • 1973 Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook."
  • 1973 The Athens Polytechnic uprising against the military regime ends in a bloodshed in the Greek capital.

Famous people born on 17 November

  • Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress (born 1978)
  • Martin Scorsese, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (born 1942)
  • Danny DeVito, American actor, director, and producer (born 1944)
  • Stephen Root, American actor (born 1951)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1972 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1972 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 April – William Whitelaw is appointed as the first Northern Ireland Secretary.
  • 4 April – First broadcast of the long-running BBC Television children's programme Newsround.
  • 12 May – The Crown Court is established by the Courts Act 1971 to replace the courts of Assize and Quarter Sessions in England and Wales. Property qualifications requiring jurors to be householders are abolished.

Life in 1972

Prime Minister

Edward Heath

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

18p

Loaf of Bread

11p

Average House

£7,374

Weekly Wage

£36.10

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →