At A Glance

20 January 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 1972 was a Thursday.
Irish Chart Song in 1972
The Irish chart song for 1972 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 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1972 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 1972 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1972 Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
  • 1974 China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam.
  • 1986 In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
  • 1986 Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya.
  • 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Famous people born on 20 January

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1972 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1972 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 1 January – The Central Bank of Ireland became the banker of the Government of Ireland in succession to the Bank of Ireland in accordance with the Central Bank Act 1971, completing its transition from a currency board to a fully operating central bank.
  • 12 February – William Craig launched the Ulster Vanguard movement in Lisburn.
  • 30 March – UK Prime Minister Edward Heath dissolved the Parliament of Northern Ireland and imposed Direct Rule over Northern Ireland.
More events of 1972 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in Ireland in 1972

Taoiseach

Jack Lynch

Petrol (per litre)

£0.26/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.08

Average House

£6,200

Weekly Wage

£14

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.

Cillian Murphy25 May 1976ActorView their day →Michael Fassbender2 April 1977ActorView their day →Andrew Scott21 October 1976ActorView their day →Colin Farrell31 May 1976ActorView their day →Dolores O'Riordan6 September 1971MusicianView their day →Sharon Horgan13 July 1970Actress & writerView their day →Glen Hansard21 April 1970Musician & songwriterView their day →Jimmy Carr15 September 1972Comedian & humouristView their day →

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

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