UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
16 August 1972 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 16 August 1972 was a Wednesday.
- Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
- The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O'Sullivan.
- Top Film of 1972
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1972 was The Godfather.
- Bestselling Novel of 1972
- “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1972.
- Top-Rated TV Show
- “All in the Family” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1972–73 season.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 16 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 16 August 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 16 August 1972 was Waxing Crescent.
On this day: 16 August
- 1960 Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1964 Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
- 1966 Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
- 1972 In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
- 1975 Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
Famous people born on August 16
- Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (born 1958)
- Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player (born 1996)
- Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (born 2001)
- James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1954)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1972 in the United States
A selection from Wikipedia's '1972 in the United States'. Not a complete list.
- March 15 – The Godfather has its premiere at the Loew's State Theatre in New York City.
- April 10 – 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.
- April 12 – The X-rated animated movie Fritz the Cat is released.
Life in the US in 1972
President
Richard Nixon
Gas (per gallon)
$0.36
Loaf of Bread
$0.25
Average House
$19,400
Weekly Wage
$154
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Famous Faces Born in the 1970s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Keri Russell23 March 1976ActressView their day →Tupac Shakur16 June 1971Rapper & actorView their day →Zoe Saldaña19 June 1978ActressView their day →Christopher Nolan30 July 1970FilmmakerView their day →Jon Bernthal20 September 1976ActorView their day →Jason Sudeikis18 September 1975Actor & comedianView their day →Milo Ventimiglia8 July 1977ActorView their day →Sarah Paulson17 December 1974ActressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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