Historical Events
World Record 200m Relay
American 4 x 200m freestyle relay team of John Kinsella, Fred Tyler, Steve Genter & Mark Spitz swim a world record 7:35.78 to beat West Germany for the gold medal at the Munich Olympics
- American super swimmer Mark Spitz wraps up the Olympic butterfly double with a world record 54.27 in the 100m in Munich, having already won the 200m in world record time 2:00.70
- Australian swimmer Gail Neall with a world record 5:02.97 wins the 400m individual medley gold medal at the Munich Olympics
- Finnish runner Lasse Viren runs Olympic and world record 10,000m (27:38.4)
Darling of Munich
Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut wins balance beam & floor exercise gold medals at the Munich Olympics; follows gold in the teams all-round
About August 31, 1972
Day of the Week: Thursday
How Long Ago? 51 years, 7 months and 24 days
Leap Year: Yes
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Virgo
Music Charts
- #1 Song: Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
- #1 Song: You Wear It Well - Rod Stewart