What Happened in April 1972

Historical Events

  • Apr 1 30,000 attend Mar Y Sol rock concert, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
  • Apr 1 MLB players stage first ever collective strike; play resumes (13/4/72) when owners and players agree to $500,000 increase in pension fund payments

Sports History

Apr 2 New York Mets manager Gil Hodges collapses just minutes after completing a round of golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, and dies of a heart attack

Event of Interest

Apr 2 Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings" premieres in NYC

  • Apr 4 1st electric power plant fueled by garbage begins operating
  • Apr 5 Mets trade Ken Singleton to Expos for Rusty Staub
  • Apr 5 The regular MLB season fails to open due to a player strike for the first time in history; 86 games are lost before the labor dispute settled
  • Apr 6 Egypt drops diplomatic relations with Jordan
  • Apr 6 The Scarman Tribunal Report, an inquiry into the causes of violence during the summer of 1969 in N Ireland, is published, finding that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had been seriously at fault
  • Apr 7 Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) die in a premature bomb explosion in Belfast
  • Apr 8 126th Grand National: Graham Thorner aboard 14/1 bet Well To Do wins from 1970 winner Gay Trip; Black Secret & General Symons dead heat for 3rd
  • Apr 8 Alvin Kallicharran scores 100* in his 1st Test Cricket innings v NZ

US Masters Golf

Apr 9 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles, 3 strokes ahead of Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf and Bobby Mitchell

  • Apr 9 Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's musical "Sugar", a musical adaptation of 1959 film "Some Like It Hot" starring Robert Morse, Tony Roberts, and Elaine Joyce, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 506 performances
  • Apr 9 New Zealand cricket opening batsmen Glenn Turner (259) & Terry Jarvis (187) make 387 partnership in 4th Test v WI in Georgetown, Guyana
  • Apr 9 USSR & Iraq sign friendship treaty
  • Apr 10 20 days after he was kidnapped in Buenos Aires, Oberdan Sallustro is executed by communist guerrillas

Academy Awards

Apr 10 44th Academy Awards: "The French Connection", Gene Hackman & Jane Fonda win

  • Apr 10 7.0 earthquake kills 1/5 of population of Iranian province of Fars
  • Apr 10 Two British soldiers are killed in a bomb attack in Derry
  • Apr 10 US, USSR & 70 other nations agree to ban biological weapons
  • Apr 11 Benjamin Hooks named to Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 1st African-American to serve
  • Apr 11 USSR performs underground nuclear test
  • Apr 13 1st baseball players' strike ends after 13 days
  • Apr 14 Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz's musical review "That's Entertainment" opens at Edison Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
  • Apr 14 The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes twenty-four bombs in towns and cities across Northern Ireland
  • Apr 15 A member of the British Army is shot dead by the Official IRA in the Divis area of Belfast.
  • Apr 15 A member of the Official Irish Republican Army is shot dead by British soldiers at Joy Street in the Markets area of Belfast close to his home
  • Apr 16 Apollo 16 launched; 5th manned lunar landing (Decartes Highlands)
  • Apr 16 Chicago Cubs rookie pitcher Burt Hooton hurls a 4-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field, Chicago
  • Apr 16 Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz's musical review "That's Entertainment" closes at Edison Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
  • Apr 16 Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry
  • Apr 16 Two giant pandas arrive in US from China
  • Apr 17 76th Boston Marathon: Olavi Suomalainen of Finland wins men's race in 2:15:39; American Nina Kuscsik takes inaugural women's title in 3:10:26; first year women's race officially sanctioned
  • Apr 17 Kiteman attempting to throw out 1st ball in Phillie Vet crashes into centerfield seats
  • Apr 17 Revised Dutch constitution proclaimed

Lost in the Stars

Apr 18 Revival of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's musical "Lost in the Stars" based on the novel "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton, opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 39 performances

  • Apr 18 The Widgery Report on 'Bloody Sunday' in Northern Ireland is published, causing outrage among the people of Derry who call it the "Widgery Whitewash"
  • Apr 19 "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" opens at Playhouse NYC for 1,065 performances
  • Apr 19 Bangladesh becomes a member of the British Commonwealth

Event of Interest

Apr 19 British Prime Minister Edward Heath confirms that a plan to conduct an arrest operation, in the event of a riot during the march on 30 January 1972, was known to British government Ministers in advance

  • Apr 19 Hungary revises its constitution to declare itself a socialist state
  • Apr 19 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Apr 20 Kallicharran scores his 2nd Test century in his 2nd Test Cricket
  • Apr 20 NASA Apollo 16's John Young & Charles Duke land on the moon with Boeing Lunar Rover #2

Lord Byron

Apr 20 Virgil Thomson's final opera, "Lord Byron", with libretto by Jack Larson, first performance at Lincoln Center, New York City

  • Apr 21 John Young & Charles Duke explore the moon as part of NASA mission Apollo 16
  • Apr 21 Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 4 (Copernicus) launched
  • Apr 22 An 11-year-old boy killed by a rubber bullet fired by the British Army in Belfast; he was the first to die from a rubber bullet impact
  • Apr 22 NASA Apollo 16 astronauts John Young & Charles Duke ride the Lunar Rover on the moon
  • Apr 23 26th Tony Awards: "Sticks and Bones" (play) & "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" (musical) win
  • Apr 23 Apollo 16 astronauts explore the moon's surface
  • Apr 23 The Sunday Times Insight Team publish their account of the events of 'Bloody Sunday'
  • Apr 25 Hans-Werner Grosse glides 907.7 miles (1,461 km) in an AS-W-12
  • Apr 27 Apollo 16 returns to Earth after lunar exploration, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean 350 km (189 nmi) southeast of the island of Kiritimati

Music History

Apr 27 NYC Mayor John Lindsey appeals that John Lennon not be deported

  • Apr 28 Courts award 1968 Kentucky Derby prize money to 2nd place winner due to the winner being given drugs before the race

Radio History

Apr 30 "Arthur Godfrey Time" ends a 27 year run on radio


1972 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Apr 1 Allen and Albert Hughes, American film directors
  • Apr 1 Darren McCarty, Canadian NHL right wing (Stanley Cup 1997, 98, 2002, 08; Detroit Red Wings), born in Burnaby, British Columbia
  • Apr 1 Jesse Tobias, American session and touring guitarist (Alanis Morrisette; Morrisey, 2004-present), born in Austin, Texas
  • Apr 1 Mike McCoy, American football coach (NFL: San Diego Chargers 2013-16), born in San Francisco, California
  • Apr 2 Chico Slimani, Moroccan-British singer (It's Chico Time), born in Bridgend, Wales

Jennie Garth (51 years old)

Apr 3 American actress (Kelly Taylor-Beverly Hills 90210), born in Champaign, Illinois

  • Apr 3 Sandrine Testud, French tennis star (1993 Strasbourg), born in Lyon, France
  • Apr 4 Chad Eaton, American football player (New England Patriots), born in Exeter, New Hampshire
  • Apr 4 Jill Scott, American soul singer and songwriter (Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Apr 4 Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans), born in Falköping, Sweden
  • Apr 4 Matt Wagner, American baseball pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
  • Apr 5 Krista Allen, American actress
  • Apr 5 Paul Okon, Australian former footballer
  • Apr 5 Tim Coronel, Dutch racing driver and twin to fellow racing driver Tom Coronel, born in Naarden, Netherlands
  • Apr 5 Tom Coronel, Dutch racing driver and twin to fellow racing driver Tim Coronel, born in Naarden, Netherlands
  • Apr 6 Donald Blair, CFL slot back (Edmonton Eskimos)
  • Apr 6 Hurvin McCormack, NFL defensive tackle (Dallas Cowboys)
  • Apr 6 Jason Hervey, actor (Wayne Arnold-Wonder Years)
  • Apr 7 Greg Clark, tight end (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Apr 7 Joanne Brown, Australian softball catcher/1st baseman (Olym-bronze-96)
  • Apr 7 Lovett Purnell, American NFL football wide receiver, 1996-2001 (New England Patriots, and 2 other teams), born in Seaford, Delaware
  • Apr 7 Malcolm Huckaby, NBA guard (Miami Heat)
  • Apr 7 Shana Williams, Bridgeton NJ, long jumper/heptathlete
  • Apr 8 Katrina Powell, Australian field hockey striker (252 caps; Olympic gold 1996, 2000; World Cup gold 1998; Champions Trophy gold 1997, 99, 2003) and coach (Australia women), born in Canberra Australia
  • Apr 8 Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2010)
  • Apr 9 Brian DeMarco, NFL tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Berea, Ohio
  • Apr 9 Karen Clark, Canadian synchronized swimmer (Olympic silver 1996), born in Calgary, Alberta
  • Apr 10 Sue Merz, American ice hockey defenseman (Olympics 1998), born in Greenwich, Connecticut
  • Apr 11 Balls Mahoney [Jonathan Rechner], American professional wrestler, born in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey (d. 2016)
  • Apr 12 Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player, born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Apr 12 Şebnem Ferah, Turkish singer (Volvox), born in Yalova, Turkey
  • Apr 13 Aaron Lewis, American rock singer and songwriter (Staind - "It's Been Awhile"; "Eyes Wide Open"), born in Rutland, Vermont
  • Apr 13 Dave Wohlabaugh, American NFL center and guard (NE Patriots), born in Hamburg, New York
  • Apr 13 Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish NHL right wing (Edmonton Oilers), born in Radomsko, Poland
  • Apr 13 Mike Kennedy, Canadian NHL left wing (Dallas Stars), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Apr 14 Dean Potter, American free climber & BASE jumper, born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (d. 2015)
  • Apr 14 Paul Devlin, England-born Scottish footballer, born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • Apr 15 Lou Romano, American voice actor
  • Apr 15 Peter Billingsley, American actor (Real People), born in New York City
  • Apr 15 Ricky Otero, Vega Baja Puerto Rico, outfielder (Philadelphia Phillies)
  • Apr 15 Ronald Cherry, NFL tackle (Detroit Lions)
  • Apr 15 Vickie Johnson, American basketball guard and coach (WNBA All-Star 1999, 2001; NY Liberty; coach San Antonio Stars), born in Coushatta, Louisiana

Conchita Martínez (51 years old)

Apr 16 Spanish tennis player (Wimbledon 1994; Federation Cup 1991, 93, 94, 95, 98) and coach (Garbiñe Muguruza, Karolína Plíšková), born in Monzón, Huesca, Spain

  • Apr 16 Jim Ballard, American NFL & WLAF quarterback (Scottish Claymores, Buffalo Bills), born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
  • Apr 16 Tracey K. Smith, American poet (Pulitzer prize 2011, US Poet Laureate 2017-19), born in Falmouth, Massachusetts
  • Apr 17 Gary Bennett, American baseball player, born in Waukegan, Illinois
  • Apr 17 Gordon Laro, American NFL tight end (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Lynn, Massachusetts
  • Apr 17 Jarkko Wiss, Finnish footballer, born in Tampere, Finland

Jennifer Garner (51 years old)

Apr 17 American actress (Sydney Bristow-Alias), born in Houston, Texas

  • Apr 17 Keith Lyle, American football safety (St Louis Rams), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Apr 17 Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer (leading Sri Lankan Test off-spinner), born in Kandy, Ceylon
  • Apr 17 Tony Boselli, American College/Pro Football HOF offensive tackle (USC; First-team All-Pro 1997, 98, 99; 5 × Pro Bowl; Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans), born in Modesto, California
  • Apr 18 Eli Roth, American film director (Cabin Fever) and actor, born in Newton, Massachusetts
  • Apr 18 Jeff Traversy, Canadian CFL defensive tackle (Calgary Stampeders), born in Ottawa, Ontario
  • Apr 18 Xu Zheng, Chinese actor and director (Lost on Hong Kong), born in Shanghai, China
  • Apr 19 Eric Jack, American NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Dallas, Texas
  • Apr 19 Jeff Wilkins, American football kicker (Super Bowl XXXIV St Louis Rams; Pro Bowl & NFL scoring leader 2003), born in Youngstown, Ohio
  • Apr 19 Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer (Brazil national team 1993-2003), born in Recife, Brazil

Carmen Electra (51 years old)

Apr 20 American model and actress (Scary Movie, Meet the Spartans), born in Sharonville, Ohio

  • Apr 20 Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Apr 20 Stephen Marley, Jamaican-American reggae musician, son of Bob Marley, born in Wilmington, Delaware
  • Apr 21 Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer (2002 Olympic Gold), born in Bron, France
  • Apr 21 Narges Mohammadi, Iranian imprisoned civil rights activist (2023 Nobel Peace Prize), born in Zanjan, Iran [1]
  • Apr 21 Severina [Vuckovic], Croatian pop singer and actress (Moja Stikla), born in Split, SFR Yugoslavia
  • Apr 22 Anna Falchi, Tampera Finland, actress (La Dolce Vita '90)
  • Apr 22 Owen Finegan, Australian rugby union flanker (56 caps; ACT Brumbies, Leinster), born in Sydney, Australia
  • Apr 22 Sabine Appelmans, Aalst Belg, tennis star (Strasbourg doubles final)
  • Apr 23 Patricia Manterola, Mexican singer and actress (Apuesta por un Amor), born in Mexico City
  • Apr 23 Pierre Labrie, Canadian poet, born in Mont-Joli, Quebec
  • Apr 23 Rachel Hetherington, Australian golfer (ANA Inspiration 2001 runner-up, 8 LPGA Tour titles), born in Port Macquarie, NSW
  • Apr 23 Sonya Smith, Venezuelan-American actress (Cara Sucia), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Apr 24 Chipper Jones, American Baseball HOF infielder (8 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1995; NL MVP 1999; Atlanta Braves), born in DeLand, Florida
  • Apr 24 Jure Košir, Slovenian alpine skier, born in Jesenice, Yugoslavia
  • Apr 24 Nicolas Gill, 86kg judoka (Olympic bronze 1992, 96), born in Montreal, Quebec
  • Apr 24 Rab Douglas, Scottish football goalkeeper (Arbroath), born in Lanark, Scotland
  • Apr 25 Percell Gaskins, American football linebacker (Carolina Panthers), born in Daytona Beach, Florida
  • Apr 25 Sara Baras, Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer, born in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain
  • Apr 26 Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer (Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.), born in Holon, Israel
  • Apr 26 Francisco Cordova, Mexican pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Veracruz, Mexico
  • Apr 26 Juanita du Plessis (née Naudé), Namibian Afrikaans country music singer ("Ska-Rumba"), born in Windhoek, South West Africa
  • Apr 26 Kiko Narváez, Spanish footballer (Atlético Madrid), born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
  • Apr 26 Marco Rivera, American football guard (Super Bowl XXXI GB Packers; First-team All-Pro 2004; Pro Bowl 2002, 03, 04), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Apr 26 Natrone Means, American NFL running back (San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Harrisburg, North Carolina
  • Apr 27 Alison McKnight, 100m hurdler and heptathlete, born in Bakersfield, California
  • Apr 27 David Lascher, American actor (Josh-Clueless, Kidz in the Wood), born in New York City
  • Apr 27 Maura West, American actress (As the World Turns), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
  • Apr 27 Silvia Farina, Italian tennis star (1995 Maria Lankowitz doubles), born in Milan, Italy
  • Apr 27 Tim Ruddy, American football offensive lineman (Miami Dolphins), born in Dunmore, Pennsylvania
  • Apr 28 Violent J [Joseph Bruce], American rapper (Insane Clown Posse), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Apr 29 Gwendolyn Wentland, American high jumper, born in Flint, Michigan
  • Apr 30 Kendricke Bullard, NFL wide receiver, 1996 (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in San Diego, California
Born in 1972

Famous Weddings

Bob Denver

Apr 25 Comedic actor Bob Denver (37) weds third wife Carole Abrahams

Famous Deaths

  • Apr 2 Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)

Gil Hodges (1924-1972)

Apr 2 American Baseball HOF 1st baseman (8 x MLB All Star; Brooklyn/LA Dodgers; NY Mets; World Series 1955, 59, 69; Gold Glove Award 1957–59) and manager (Washington Senators, NY Mets), dies of a heart attack at 47

  • Apr 2 Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese Martial Arts Grandmaster (b. 1887)
  • Apr 3 Ferde Grofé American composer (Grand Canyon Suite), dies at 80

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908-1972)

Apr 4 American politician (Rep-D-NY), dies of acute prostatitis at 63

  • Apr 4 Jan A.H.J.S. Bruins Slot, Dutch politician, resistance fighter, and underground newspaper co-founder and editor (Trouw (Faithful)), dies at 66 [1]
  • Apr 4 Stefan Wolpe, German composer (Zeus & Elidco), dies at 69
  • Apr 5 Isabel Jewell, American actress (Gone With The Wind), dies at 64
  • Apr 6 Brian Donlevy, American actor (Barbary Coast, Glass Key, Wake Island), dies at 71

Joe Gallo (1929-1972)

Apr 7 American mobster, murdered at his 43rd birthday party by rival mobsters

  • Apr 7 Abeid Karume, Tanzanian sheik/president, murdered
  • Apr 7 Victor Wong, American actor (Mission to Moscow, War Correspondent, King Kong), dies at 65

Sherwin Badger (1901-1972)

Apr 8 American figure skater (US singles championship 1920-24; Olympic silver pairs [with Beatrix Loughran] 1932), dies at 70

James F. Byrnes (1879-1972)

Apr 9 American politician and statesman influential in domestic and foreign policy in the mid-1940s, dies at 89

  • Apr 10 Henech Kon, Polish composer and cabaret performer, dies at 81
  • Apr 12 C W Ceram [Kurt Marek], German/American writer (1st American), dies at 57
  • Apr 12 Henri Potiron, French composer, dies at 89
  • Apr 15 Otto Brenner, German trade union leader (Industrial Union of Metalworkers), dies at 64
  • Apr 16 Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese novelist (Thousand Cranes) and Nobel laureate (1968), dies at 72
  • Apr 19 Adolf Bach, German language professor and sociologist, dies at 82
  • Apr 19 Billy Burke, American golfer (US Open 1931), dies at 69
  • Apr 25 George Sanders, Russian actor (All About Eve-Academy Award 1950), commits suicide at 65
  • Apr 26 Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter, dies at 79
  • Apr 26 Margaret Bonds,  American composer (The Ballad of the Brown King), pianist, arranger, and teacher, dies at 59

Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972)

Apr 27 1st Prime Minister of Ghana (1957-60) and 1st President of Ghana (1960-66), dies of prostate cancer at 62 [1]

  • Apr 29 Ntare V [Charles Ndizeye], King of Burundi, assassinated in abortive coup at 24
  • Apr 30 Gia Scala [Josephine Scoglio], British-American actress (Garment Jungle; I Aim at the Stars; Angry Hills), dies of acute ethanol and barbiturate intoxication at 38