At A Glance

20 October 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
20 October 1972 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Mouldy Old Dough” by Lieutenant Pigeon.
Top Film of 1972
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1972 was The Godfather.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 October 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 October 1972 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 20 October

  • 1952 The Governor of Kenya Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising.
  • 1961 The Soviet Navy performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.
  • 1962 China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.
  • 1973 The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.
  • 1976 The Luling–Destrehan Ferry MV George Prince is struck by the Norwegian freighter SS Frosta while crossing the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.

Famous people born on 20 October

  • Kenneth Walker III, American football player (born 2000)
  • John Krasinski, American actor, director, and producer (born 1979)
  • Viggo Mortensen, American-Danish actor and producer (born 1958)
  • Snoop Dogg, American rapper, producer, and actor (born 1971)

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.
More events of 1972 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

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

Matthew Rhys8 November 1974ActorView their day →Hannah Waddingham28 July 1974ActressView their day →Andy Burnham7 January 1970PoliticianView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Lucy Davis17 February 1973ActressView their day →Tom Hardy15 September 1977ActorView their day →Christian Bale30 January 1974ActorView their day →Kelly Macdonald23 February 1976ActressView their day →

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

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