At A Glance

20 October 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
20 October 1972 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Ben” by Michael Jackson.
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 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 October 20

  • 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)

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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

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.

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

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