UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
18 August 1972 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 18 August 1972 was a Friday.
- 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 18 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 18 August 1972 was Waxing Gibbous.
On this day: 18 August
- 1963 Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
- 1965 Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins: United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.
- 1966 Vietnam War: The Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
- 1971 Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
- 1976 The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.
Famous people born on August 18
- Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
- Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
- Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
- Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)
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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