What Happened in July 1972

Historical Events

Ms. Vol 1, No. 1

Jul 1 Feminist magazine "Ms" founded by Gloria Steinem publishes its first regular issue with Wonder Woman on the cover

  • Jul 1 Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado's hippie musical "Hair" closes at Biltmore Theater, NYC, after 1750 performances

Follies

Jul 1 Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 524 performances

  • Jul 1 The first Gay Pride march in England takes place.
  • Jul 2 American pole vaulter Bob Seagren breaks world record for the 4th and final time with 5.63m in Eugene, Oregon
  • Jul 2 India and Pakistan sign Simla Agreement peace accord

Musical Finale

Jul 2 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "Fiddler on the Roof" with Zero Mostel, closes at the Broadway Theater, NYC, after 3,242 performances and 9 Tony Award wins

  • Jul 2 Two Catholic civilians are shot and killed in Belfast by Loyalist paramilitaries, probably the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
  • Jul 2 US Open Women's Golf, Winged Foot GC: American Susie Maxwell Berning wins by 1 from Judy Rankin, Kathy Ahern & Pam Barnett
  • Jul 3 The Ulster Defence Association and the British Army come into conflict about a 'no-go' area at Ainsworth Avenue, Belfast
  • Jul 3 Themba Sono is forced to resign as president of South African Student Organisation (SASO)
  • Jul 4 The Royal Ulster Constabulary forward a file about the killings on 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland
  • Jul 5 Pierre Messmer appointed French premier
  • Jul 5 Two Protestant brothers are found shot dead outside of Belfast (speculation that they were killed by Loyalists because they had Catholic girlfriends)
  • Jul 7 1st women FBI members sworn in (Susan Lynn Roley & Joanne E Pierce)
  • Jul 7 7 people are killed in separate incidents across Northern Ireland
  • Jul 7 Dutch Minister of Agt decides to ignore soft drug usage

Event of Interest

Jul 7 Secret Talks Between IRA and British Government: Gerry Adams is part of a delegation to London for talks with the British Government

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 7 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Billie Jean King earns her 8th Grand Slam singles title beating Evonne Goolagong of Australia 6-3, 6-3

  • Jul 8 US sells grain to USSR for $750 million

Music History

Jul 9 1st tour by Paul McCartney & Wings in France

Event of Interest

Jul 9 Kwame Nkrumah is re-buried in Nkroful in his native Ghana

  • Jul 9 Springhill Massacre: British snipers shoot dead five Catholic civilians and wounded two others in Springhill, Belfast
  • Jul 9 The ceasefire between the Provisional IRA and the British Army comes to an end
  • Jul 9 USSR performs underground nuclear test

Wimbledon Men's Tennis

Jul 9 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: American Stan Smith beats Ilie Năstase of Romania 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 for his only Wimbledon title

  • Jul 10 Democratic convention opens in Miami Beach Florida (McGovern)
  • Jul 10 Herd of stampeding elephants kills 24, Chandka Forest India

Event of Interest

Jul 12 Democrats nominate George McGovern for US president in Miami, Florida

  • Jul 12 Twelve years after the banning of the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress, a new political movement, the Black People Convention is formed after a three day long conference in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
  • Jul 13 A series of gun-battles and shootings erupt across Belfast between the Provisional Irish Republican Army and British Army soldiers
  • Jul 13 LA Rams (Irsay) & Baltimore Colts (Rosenbloom) swap owners
  • Jul 14 Jean Westwood is 1st woman chosen to head Democratic National Committee
  • Jul 14 Plate umpire and catcher in a game are brothers; Bill Haller is umpire and Tom Haller is Detroit Tigers catcher; Kansas City Royals win, 1-0
  • Jul 14 USSR performs underground nuclear Test

Music History

Jul 15 "Honky Chateau" becomes Elton John's first No. 1 album in the US, includes hit "Rocket Man"

British Golf Open

Jul 15 British Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: Lee Trevino claims his second straight Claret Jug; first to successfully defend his title since Arnold Palmer in 1962; wins by 1 stroke from Jack Nicklaus

  • Jul 16 Dimitrios Papadopoulos becomes 269th patriarch of Constantinople

Music Concert

Jul 16 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles final live performance, in Washington D.C.

  • Jul 17 1st 2 women begin training as FBI agents at Quantico
  • Jul 18 200,000 attend Mt Pocono rock festival in Penns

Event of Interest

Jul 18 Egyptian president Anwar Sadat throws out 20,000 Russian military aides

Event of Interest

Jul 18 Leader of the British Labour Party Harold Wilson holds meeting with representatives of the Irish Republican Army

  • Jul 18 Mike Procter 8-73 with hat-trick, plus 51 and 102, Gloucs v Essex
  • Jul 18 The 100th British soldier to die in the Northern Ireland "troubles" is shot by a sniper in Belfast
  • Jul 20 US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
  • Jul 21 10.83 inches (27.5 cm) rainfall at Fort Ripley, Minnesota (state record, until 2007)
  • Jul 21 2 passenger trains collide head-on killing 76 (Seville, Spain)
  • Jul 21 Bloody Friday: within the space of seventy-five minutes, the Provisional Irish Republican Army explode twenty-two bombs in Belfast; six civilians, two British Army soldiers and one UDA volunteer were killed, 130 injured
  • Jul 21 In New York 57 murders occur in 24 hours

Sports History

Jul 21 MLB Los Angeles Dodgers release knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, ending his career

  • Jul 22 10.84" (27.53 cm) of rainfall, Fort Ripley, Mn (state 24-hr record)
  • Jul 22 2 Catholics are abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast

Tour de France

Jul 22 59th Tour de France: Eddy Merckx of Belgium takes 4th consecutive general classification title as well as points and combination events

  • Jul 22 Venera 8 makes soft landing on Venus
  • Jul 23 1st Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) is launched to document global land use change as a joint NASA / USGS program (later renamed Landsat 1) [1]
  • Jul 24 Bugojno group is caught by Yugoslav security forces.
  • Jul 24 Jigme Singye Wangchuk becomes King of Bhutan at 16

Sports History

Jul 25 43rd MLB All Star Game, Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, GA: NL beats AL, 4-3; MVP: Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds, 2B

  • Jul 25 US health officials concede African American were used as guinea pigs in 40 year syphilis experiment
  • Jul 26 Rockwell receives NASA contract to construct Space Shuttle
  • Jul 27 The F-15 Eagle flies for the first time.
  • Jul 28 39th NFL Chicago All Star Game: Dallas 20, All Stars 7 (54,162)
  • Jul 29 France performs nuclear Test at Mururoa atoll
  • Jul 30 "Ain't Supposed to Die Death" closes at Barrymore NYC after 325 performances
  • Jul 31 Chicago infielder Dick Allen becomes only 7th player in MLB history to hit 2 inside-the-park home runs in a game; both off Bert Blyleven in 8-1 White Sox win over Minnesota Twins
  • Jul 31 Claudy bombing: nine civilians were killed when three car bombs exploded in County Londonderry, North Ireland; no group has since claimed responsibility
  • Jul 31 Operation Motorman: the British Army use 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to re-take the "no-go areas" controlled by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
  • Jul 31 Thomas Eagleton withdraws as Democratic VP candidate
1972 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jul 1 Alex Machacek, Austrian jazz fusion musician (Featuring Ourselves), born in Tulln an der Donau, Austria
  • Jul 1 Corey Hirsch, Canadian ice hockey goalie (Olympic silver 1994; Vancouver Canucks) and broadcaster (Sportsnet, Vancouver Canucks radio), born in Medicine Hat, Canada
  • Jul 2 Darren Shan, Irish children's author
  • Jul 4 Stephen Giles, Canadian sprint canoeist (World C'ship gold C-1 1,000 1998; Olympic bronze 2000), born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick
  • Jul 4 William Goldsmith, American drummer (Foo Fighters; Sunny Day Real Estate), born in Seattle, Washington
  • Jul 5 Michael Bays, American actor (Bronx Zoo; Days of Our Live), born in Enrico, California
  • Jul 5 Robert Esmie, Canadian 4X100m runner (Olympic gold 1996), born in Kingston, Jamaica
  • Jul 5 Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Zainichi-Korean wrestler (NJPW), born in Kyoto, Japan
  • Jul 6 Billy Davis, American NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys), born in El Paso, Texas
  • Jul 6 D-Styles, American scratch DJ, born in the Philippines
  • Jul 6 Daniel Andrews, Australian politician (Premier of Victoria 2014-), born in Williamstown, Australia
  • Jul 6 Isabelle Boulay, French Canadian singer ("Parle-moi"), born in Sainte-Félicité, Quebec, Canada
  • Jul 6 Mark Gasser, British concert pianist, born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
  • Jul 7 Aldi Henry, Canadian CFL defensive back (Calgary Stampeders), born in Montreal, Quebec
  • Jul 7 Lisa Leslie, American WNBA center (LA Sparks)/forward (Olympic gold 1996), born in Gardena, California
  • Jul 7 Manfred Stohl, Austrian rally driver, born in Vienna, Austria
  • Jul 7 Michael Westbrook, American College Football HOF wide receiver (University of Colorado; Washington Redskins), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Jul 7 Stoney Case, American NFL quarterback (Arizona Cardinals), born in Odessa, Texas
  • Jul 8 Saurav Ganguly, Indian cricket batsman and captain (113 Tests, 16 x 100, HS 239; Bengal, Lancashire CCC, Glamorgan CCC, Northamptonshire CCC) and executive (President BCCI 2019-22), born in Kolkata, India
  • Jul 8 Shōsuke Tanihara, Japanese actor (Fudoh: The New Generation), born in Yokohama, Japan
  • Jul 9 Derek Mills, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1996; World C'ship gold 4x400m relay 1995), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Jul 10 Damon Sharpe, American actor and musician (Guys Next Door), born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Jul 10 Peter Serafinowicz, British comedian and actor (Shaun Of The Dead; Guardians Of The Galaxy), born in the Gateacre, Liverpool, England

Sofía Vergara (51 years old)

Jul 10 Colombian-American actress (Modern Family), born in Barranquilla, Colombia

  • Jul 10 Tilo Wolff, German gothic rock musician, lyricist, and graphic artist (Lacrimosa), born in Franfurt am Main, West Germany
  • Jul 11 Jerrott Willard, NFL linebacker (KC Chiefs)
  • Jul 11 Joe Johnson, American NFL defensive end (Pro Bowl 1998, 2000; All-Pro 2000; New Orleans Saints), born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Jul 11 Jussi 69 [Vuori], Finnish drummer (The 69 Eyes), born in Helsinki, Finland
  • Jul 11 Steven Richards, Australian racing driver
  • Jul 12 Brett Reed, American rock drummer (Rancid, 1991-2006 - "Time Bomb"), born in Oakland, California
  • Jul 12 Jake Wood, English actor (Eastenders), born in London, England
  • Jul 12 Tibor Benedek, Hungarian water polo player (Olympic gold 2000, 04, 08; World C'ship gold 2003) and coach (Hungary 2013-16), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2020)
  • Jul 12 Travis Best, American basketball player (1995-2002 Indiana Pacers), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
  • Jul 13 Clint Sodowsky, American pitcher (Detroit Tigers), born in Ponca City, Oklahoma
  • Jul 13 Sean Waltman, American wrestler
  • Jul 14 Deborah Mailman, Australian actress (The Secret Life of Us, Offspring), born in Mount Isa, Australia
  • Jul 15 Beth Ostrosky Stern, American model and animal activist, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Scott Foley (51 years old)

Jul 15 American actor (Scandal, Felicity), born in Kansas City, Kansas

  • Jul 16 Aaron Glenn, American NFL cornerback and kick returner (NY Jets), born in Humble, Texas
  • Jul 17 Donny Marshall, American NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Jul 17 Elizabeth Cook, American country music singer-songwriter (Aftermath), born in Wildwood, Florida
  • Jul 17 Eric Williams, American NBA forward (Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics), born in Newark, New Jersey
  • Jul 17 Jaap Stam, Dutch footballer, born in Kampen, Netherlands
  • Jul 17 Melissa "Missy" Schwen, American rower (Olympic silver 1996), born in Bloomington, Indiana
  • Jul 18 Bernard Williams, NFL tackle (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Jul 18 Bruce Walker, NFL nose tackle (NE Patriots)
  • Jul 19 Andrew Kavovit, American actor (Paul-As the World Turns), born in Bronx, New York
  • Jul 19 Ebbe Sand, Danish footballer (FC Schalke 04 ), born in Aalborg, Denmark
  • Jul 19 Naohito Fujiki, Japanese actor and singer
  • Jul 19 Tamarie Ivie, American female professional baseball infielder (Colorado Silver Bullets), born in Anaheim, California
  • Jul 20 Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
  • Jul 20 Jozef Stümpel, Slovak NHL forward (Boston Bruins, LA Kings), born in Nitra, Czechoslovakia
  • Jul 20 Stéphane Bancel, French pharmaceutical executive (CEO of Moderna), born in Marseille, France
  • Jul 20 Vitamin C [Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick], American singer and actress, born in Old Bridge, New Jersey
  • Jul 21 Dennis Krijgsman, Dutch soccer player and manager (Sparta/Vitesse), born in Alphen aan de Rijn, Netherlands
  • Jul 21 Kimera Bartee, American MLB outfielder.1996-2001 (Detroit Tigers, and 2 other teams), and coach, 2017-21 (Pittsburgh Pirates, and 2 other teams), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2021)
  • Jul 21 Shinjiro Otani, Japanese wrestler (NJPW), born in Yamaguchi, Japan
  • Jul 22 Andrew Holness, Jamaican politician (Prime Minister of Jamaica 2016-), born in Spanish Town, Jamaica
  • Jul 22 Colin Ferguson, Canadian actor
  • Jul 22 Keyshawn Johnson, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl XXXVII TB Buccaneers; Pro Bowl 1998-99, 2001) and broadcaster (ESPN), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jul 22 Seth Fisher, American comic book artist and penciller (d. 2006)
  • Jul 23 Marlon Wayans, American comedian (Wayans Bros, In Living Color), born in New York City
  • Jul 23 Trisha Fallon, Australian basketball forward (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Melbourne, Australia
  • Jul 24 Jen Miller [Reverent Jen], American performance artist, born in Silver Spring, Maryland
  • Jul 24 Kaiō Hiroyuki, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • Jul 26 Ryan Christopherson, American NFL running back (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Jul 26 Sean Graham, Canadian CFL slot back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), born in Richmond, British Columbia
  • Jul 26 Tydus Winans, American NFL and CFL wide receiver (Washington Redskins, Roughriders), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jul 27 Bryce Bevill, CFL defensive back (Saskatchewan Roughriders), born in Hyattsville, Maryland
  • Jul 27 Clint Robinson, Australian K-1 1k canoeist (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Brisbane, Queensland
  • Jul 27 Jill Arrington, American sports reporter, born in Conyers, Georgia
  • Jul 27 Maya Rudolph, American actress and comedian (Bridemaids), born in Gainesville, Florida
  • Jul 27 Takako Fuji, Japanese actress (The Grudge / Ju-on), born in Tokyo, Japan
  • Jul 28 Ed Templeton, American skateboarder (Toy Machine), born in Garden Grove, California
  • Jul 28 Elizabeth Berkley, American actress (Jessie-Saved by the Bell, Showgirl), born in Farmington Hills, Michigan
  • Jul 28 Yeom Jeong-ah, South Korean actress (A Tale of Two Sisters), born in Seoul
  • Jul 29 Wil Wheaton, American actor (Star Trek Next Generation-Wesley, Stand By Me), born in Burbank, California
  • Jul 30 Clif Groce, American NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts), born in College Station, Texas
  • Jul 30 Jim McIlvaine, American NBA center (Washington Bullets, Seattle Supersonics), born in Racine, Wisconsin
  • Jul 31 Chris Weinke, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 2000, Florida State; Carolina Panthers), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Jul 31 Jason Gildon, American NFL linebacker (3-time Pro Bowl; Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Altus, Oklahoma
  • Jul 31 Tami Stronach, Iranian actress (Neverending Story), born in Tehran, Iran
Born in 1972

Famous Weddings

  • Jul 8 English Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (28) weds Danish college sweetheart Birgitte of Deurs Henriksen (26) at St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire, England

Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood

Jul 16 American actress Natalie Wood (33) weds American actor Robert Wagner (40) for the second time, aboard the Ramblin' Rose, moored off Malibu, California

Richard Branson

Jul 22 British magazine publisher, record shop owner and future business magnate Richard Branson (22) weds Kristen Tomassi; divorce in 1979

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Jul 24 Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (24) weds Sarah Hugill


Famous Deaths

  • Jul 2 Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 10th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), dies at 95
  • Jul 3 "Mississippi" Fred McDowell, American blues singer and guitarist, dies of cancer at 68
  • Jul 3 Hal Walker, American film director (I Married Joan), dies at 76
  • Jul 6 (Andre) Brandon De Wilde, American stage and screen actor (The Member of the Wedding; Shane; Jamie; Hud), dies in a car crash at 30
  • Jul 6 Vincent Valentine, West Indian cricket pace bowler (England 1933), dies
  • Jul 7 Athenagoras, 268th patriarch of Constantinople, dies
  • Jul 7 Talal bin Abdullah, King of Jordan (1951-52), established modern constitution, forced to abdicate due to mental illness, dies at 63
  • Jul 8 (Cora) "Lovie" Austin (née Taylor), American jazz and blues pianist, songwriter ("Down Hearted Blues"), and band leader (The Blues Serenaders), dies at 84 [1]
  • Jul 9 Robert Weede [Wiedefeld], American operatic and musical theater baritone (Metropolitan Opera, 1937-48; The Most Happy Fella), dies at 69
  • Jul 16 Giorgio Nataletti, Italian composer, dies at 65
  • Jul 16 Max Zehnder, Swiss composer, dies at 70
  • Jul 19 Hezekiah M. Washburn, American Presbyterian Congo missionary, dies at 88
  • Jul 19 Sally Benson, American writer (Meet Me In St. Louis), dies at 74
  • Jul 21 Jigme Dori Wangchuck, King of Bhutan (1952-72), dies of a heart condition at 45
  • Jul 21 Ralph Craig, American athlete (Olympic gold 100/200m 1912), dies at 83
  • Jul 22 Hugo Kauder, Austrian composer, dies at 84
  • Jul 22 Pavel Bořkovec, Czech composer (Suite for Piano), dies at 78
  • Jul 24 Bobby Ramirez, American drummer (White Trash), killed at 23 in bar brawl
  • Jul 27 Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Austrian-Japanese politician, dies at 77
  • Jul 28 Charu Majumdar, Indian revolutionary leader, dies in custody at 53
  • Jul 28 Helen Traubel, American soprano, dies at 73
  • Jul 31 Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, Secretary-General of NATO, 1957-61), dies at 73
  • Jul 31 Rollie Hemsley, American baseball catcher (5-time MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 65