At A Glance

24 August 1972 at a glance

Day of the week
24 August 1972 was a Thursday.
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 24 August is Virgo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 24 August 1972 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 24 August 1972 was Full Moon.

On this day: 24 August

  • 1954 The Communist Control Act goes into effect, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
  • 1963 Buddhist crisis: As a result of the Xá Lợi Pagoda raids, the US State Department cables the United States Embassy, Saigon to encourage Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals to launch a coup against President Ngô Đình Diệm if he did not remove his brother Ngô Đình Nhu.
  • 1967 Led by Abbie Hoffman, the Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the New York Stock Exchange by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them.
  • 1989 Colombian drug barons declare "total war" on the Colombian government.
  • 1989 Tadeusz Mazowiecki is chosen as the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe.

Famous people born on August 24

  • Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (born 1997)
  • Chad Michael Murray, American actor, model, and author (born 1981)
  • Jared Harris, English actor (born 1961)
  • Hideo Kojima, Japanese director, screenwriter and video game designer (born 1963)

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 →