At A Glance

23 May 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
23 May 1972 was a Tuesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack.
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 23 May is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 May 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 May 1972 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 23 May

  • 1949 Cold War: The Western occupying powers approve the Basic Law and establish a new German state, the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • 1951 Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement with China.
  • 1971 The Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest opens, becoming the second-tallest building in the city.
  • 1980 The Shining, the psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, is premiered on 10 screens in New York City and Los Angeles on the Memorial Day weekend.
  • 1995 The first version of the Java programming language is released.

Famous people born on May 23

  • Alexandra Eala, Filipino tennis player (born 2005)
  • Aaron Donald, American football player (born 1991)
  • Richard Ayoade, British actor, director and writer (born 1977)
  • Brennan Johnson, Welsh footballer (born 2001)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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

Browse by Year

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →