What Happened in September 1972

Events 1 - 100 of 110

• Sep 1 An American sweep of the medals in the women's 200m butterfly at the Munich Olympics; Karen Moe takes gold in world record 2:15.57 ahead of teammates Lynn Colella and Ellie Daniel

• Sep 1 Egypt & Libya form federation
• Sep 1 Japanese gymnast Sawao Kato wins the parallel bars gold medal at the Munich Olympics, his 3rd gold of the Games including team & individual all-round victories
• Sep 1 Polish shooter Józef Zapędzki successfully defends his Olympic 25m rapid fire pistol title at the Munich Games with an Olympic record 595 points
• Sep 1 Valeriy Borzov of the Soviet Union runs 10.14 to beat American Robert Miller and Lennox Miller of Jamaica in the coveted men's 100m final at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 1 Welshman Richard Meade representing Great Britain and riding Laurieston grabs the equestrian individual and team 3-day event gold medals at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 2 American breaststroker Cathy Carr swims a world record 1:13.58 to win the 100m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 2 American breaststroker John Hencken beats David Wilkie of Great Britain to win the 200m gold medal in world record 2:21.55 at the Munich Olympic Games
• Sep 2 Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas no-hits San Diego Padres, 8-0
• Sep 2 East German sprinter Renate Stecher sets world record 11.07 to beat Raelene Boyle of Australia for the women's 100m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 2 East German swimmer Roland Matthes wraps up the Olympic backstroke double with a world record 2:02.82 in the 200m in Munich, having already won the 100m in Olympic record time
• Sep 2 For the first time since the advent of the Modern Olympics in 1896, a non-American wins the pole vault gold medal; East German Wolfgang Nordwig clears 5.5m at the Munich Games
• Sep 2 French track cyclist Daniel Morelon successfully defends his Olympic sprint title beating Australian John Nicholson for the gold medal in Munich
• Sep 2 John Akii-Bua of Uganda with a world record 47.82 wins the 400m hurdles gold medal at the Munich Olympics

• Sep 2 The headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in Belfast is severely damaged by an IRA bomb
• Sep 2 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
• Sep 3 American swimmer Keena Rothhammer has to swim world record 8:53.68 to beat Australian wonder-kid Shane Gould in the 800m at the Munich Olympics

• Sep 3 American women's 4 x 100m medley relay team of Melissa Belote, Cathy Carr, Deena Deardurff & Sandy Neilson swim world record 4:20.75 to beat East Germany for gold at the Munich Olympics

• Sep 3 Finnish runner Lasse Virén scores a famous victory in the 10,000m at the Munich Olympics in world record 27:38.35
• Sep 3 Great Britain's Mary Peters sets a new world record of 4801 points to win the Munich Olympics pentathlon gold by just 10 points from Heide Rosendahl of West Germany
• Sep 3 Jerry Grant runs the first official 200mph qualifying lap in Champ Car history, posting a lap of 201.414mph around Ontario Motor Speedway
• Sep 3 Swedish swimmer Gunnar Larsson wraps up the Olympic medley double when he sets world record 2:07.17 in the 200m I/M in Munich, having already won the 400m I/M
• Sep 4 "The Price is Right" - US's longest running games show debuts on CBS
• Sep 4 16-year-old Ulrike Meyfarth of West Germany with a world record equalling 1.92m, wins the women's high jump gold medal at the Munich Olympics; youngest winner of individual athletics event in Olympic history
• Sep 4 American swimmer Melissa Belote with a world record 2:19.19 takes the 200m backstroke gold medal at the Munich Olympics; wraps up backstroke double having won the 100m in Olympic record time
• Sep 4 American swimmer Mike Burton sets a world record 15:52.58 to win the 1,500m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 4 Italian diver Klaus Dibiasi wins his 2nd of 3 consecutive 10m platform gold medals the Munich Olympics

• Sep 4 Kenyan legend Kipchoge Keino follows his 1,500m gold in Mexico City with an Olympic record 8:23.64 to win the 3,000m steeplechase at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 4 Soviet sprinter Valeriy Borzov runs 20.00 to win the men's 200m gold medal at the Munich Olympics; wraps up the 100/200m double at the Games
• Sep 4 Thieves steal 18 paintings from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in what was at the time the largest art theft in North America
• Sep 4 US 4 x 100m medley relay team of Mike Stamm, Tom Bruce, Mark Spitz & Jerry Heidenreich sets world record 3:48.16 to win gold at the Munich Olympics; Mark Spitz becomes 1st athlete to win 7 Olympic gold medals at a single Games
• Sep 4 USSR performs underground nuclear test
• Sep 4 Willem Ruska of the Netherlands wins gold medals in both the heavyweight & open class Olympic judo competitions in Munich; first judoka to win 2 Olympic gold medals at one Games
• Sep 5 11 Israeli athletes taken hostage and later killed by Palestinian Black September group at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 5 Chemical spill with fog sickens hundreds in Meuse Valley Belgium
• Sep 6 Summer Olympics resume in Munich, Germany after massacre of 11 Israeli athletes by Black September Palestinian terrorist organization
• Sep 7 American athletes Vincent Matthews & Wayne Collett finish 1-2 in 400m at the Munich Olympics; acted casually on the medal stand, did not face the flag during anthem; banned from the Olympics for life
• Sep 7 American Rod Milburn with a world record 13.24 wins the 110m hurdles gold medal at the Munich Olympics; just 0.10 seconds ahead of Frenchman Guy Drut
• Sep 7 East German sprinter Renate Stecher runs a world record equalling 22.40 in the 200m final to repeat her 100m win over Australia's Raelene Boyle at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 7 Future world professional cycling road race champion Hennie Kuiper of the Netherlands wins the road race gold medal at the Munich Olympics in 4:14:37
• Sep 7 Nadezhda Chizhova of the Soviet Union throws a world record 21.03m to win the women's shot put at the Munich Olympics

• Sep 8 East German Annelie Ehrhardt with a world record 12.59 takes the 100m hurdles gold medal at the Munich Olympics; beats Romanian Valeria Bufanu by just 0.25
• Sep 8 Mykola Avilov representing the Soviet Union scores a world record 8454 points to win the decathlon gold medal at the Munich Olympics; beats teammate Leonid Lytvynenko by 419 points
• Sep 8 Runners Jim Ryan (US) and Billy Fordjour (Ghana) collide and fall in qualifying competitions for 1500m finals, ending Ryan's chances for gold
• Sep 9 Connection found between Mammoth Cave Ridge and Flint cave systems in Kentucky, joining 144 miles of passages - making it the world's longest known cave system (later mapped at 420 miles) [1]
• Sep 9 Soviet runner Lyudmila Bragina with a world record 4:01.38 wins the women's 1,500m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 9 Soviet Union beats the United States 51-50 in the most controversial game in international basketball history; with US leading 50-49 the final 3 seconds is replayed 3 times until the Soviets finally win
• Sep 9 Terry Anne Meeuwsen (Wisconsin), 23, crowned 45th Miss America 1973

• Sep 9 West German equestrian rider Liselott Linsenhoff follows her dressage teams gold in Mexico City with the individual dressage title at her home Olympics in Munich
• Sep 10 3 British soldiers are killed in a land mine attack near Dungannon, County Tyrone
• Sep 10 American freestyle wrestler Dan Gable wins the 68kg division gold medal at the Munich Olympics; only Olympic wrestler not to have a single point scored against him in the competition
• Sep 10 American long distance runner Frank Shorter scores a famous win in the men's marathon in 2:12:19.8 at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 10 American men's 4 x 100m relay team of Larry Black, Robert Taylor, Gerald Tinker & Eddie Hart combine for a world record 38.19 to beat the Soviet Union for the gold medal at the Munich Olympics
• Sep 10 An American double in the inaugural Olympic archery competition in Munich; John Williams wins the men's individual gold medal; Doreen Wilber takes the women's gold
• Sep 10 Cuban boxer Teófilo Stevenson wins first of 3 consecutive Olympic heavyweight gold medals when Munich Games opponent Ion Alexe of Romania withdraws from the final because of a broken thumb
• Sep 10 East v West in a women's 4 x 100m relay at the Munich Olympics; West Germany beats East Germany by 0.13 seconds for the gold medal
• Sep 10 Kazimierz Deyna scores twice as Poland beats Hungary 2-1 in the Olympic football gold medal match; 80,000 at the Munich Olympic Stadium

• Sep 10 West Germany beats Pakistan 1-0 to become first European nation since 1920 to win the field hockey Olympic title; marred by disgraceful behaviour of Pakistani players, fans & officials after losing the Munich final
• Sep 10 WKAR TV channel 23 in East Lansing, MI (PBS) begins broadcasting
• Sep 10 Yugoslavia beats Czechoslovakia, 21-16 in the inaugural Olympic handball final in Munich
• Sep 11 BART begins service with a 26-mi (42-km) line from Oakland to Fremont
• Sep 11 XX Summer Olympic Games close in Munich, German FR
• Sep 12 Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin succeeds Avery Brundage as President International Olympic Committee

• Sep 14 "The Waltons" TV program premieres on CBS starring Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, and Will Geer
• Sep 14 2 people are killed and 1 mortally wounded in a Ulster Volunteer Force bomb attack on the Imperial Hotel, Belfast
• Sep 14 Jason Miller's "That Championship Season," premieres in NYC
• Sep 14 West Germany & Poland establish diplomatic relations
• Sep 15 A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shakes Northern Illinois.
• Sep 15 An SAS domestic flight from Gothenburg to Stockholm was hijacked and flown to Malmö-Bulltofta Airport.

• Sep 15 WMAO TV channel 23 in Greenwood, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting

• Sep 16 1st TV series about mixed marriage, "Bridget Loves Bernie" premieres
• Sep 17 BART begins passenger service in San Francisco
• Sep 17 Tanzania troops march in to Uganda

• Sep 18 1st black NL umpire is Art Williams for Los Angeles vs San Diego
• Sep 19 A parcel bomb sent to Israeli Embassy in London kills a diplomat
• Sep 20 Libya acquires a 50 percent interest in two ENI oil concessions

• Sep 20 The Social Democratic and Labour Party issues a document entitled "Towards a New Ireland", proposing that the British and Irish governments should have joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland

• Sep 21 USSR performs underground nuclear test
• Sep 23 Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos announces state of emergency and declares martial law
• Sep 24 Antique F86 Sabrejet fails to takeoff at air show, kills 22
• Sep 24 Jack Tatum, Oakland, sets NFL record with 104-yard fumble return, in a 20-14 win over Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, Green Bay Wisconsin; record tied by Aeneas Williams of the Arizona Cardinals in 2000

• Sep 25 Dutch air force drives away Russian Tupolev-bomber
• Sep 25 KAVT (now KSMQ) TV channel 15 in Austin, MN (PBS) begins broadcasting
• Sep 25 Norway votes to join European common market

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• Sep 1 Doug Williams, British professional wrestler
• Sep 1 Josh Davis, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100/200m freestyle relay/4x100m medley relay 1996), born in San Antonio, Texas
• Sep 1 Louise Dobson, Australian field hockey fullback (Olympic gold 1996; Champions Trophy gold 1997, 99, 2003), born in Shepparton, Australia
• Sep 2 Katarina Studenikova, Bratislava Slovak Rep, tennis star
• Sep 3 Martin Straka, Czech ice hockey forward (Olympic gold 1998; World C'ship gold 2005; HC Škoda Plzeň, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Rangers), born in Plzeň, Czech Republic
• Sep 3 Shim Eun-ha, South Korean actress (Christmas in August), born in Seongnam, South Korea
• Sep 4 Daniel Nestor, Canadian tennis player (Olympic gold doubles 2000; 12 x Grand Slam doubles titles; Tour Finals 2007, 08, 10, 11), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
• Sep 4 Danny Ponce, American actor (Willie-Valerie/Hogan Family), born in Waltham, Massachusetts
• Sep 4 Françoise Yip, Canadian actress, born in North Vancouver, British Columbia
• Sep 4 Lance Bangs, American filmmaker and music video director (Yeah Yeah Yeahs; The Shins; Arcade Fire), born in Sacramento, California
• Sep 5 Dirk Copeland, American pursuit cyclist (Olympics 1992, 96), born in Los Angeles, California
• Sep 6 Anika Noni Rose, American actress (Dreamgirls) and singer, born in Bloomfield, Connecticut
• Sep 6 China Miéville, English fantasy fiction writer (Perdido Street Station), born in Norwich, England
• Sep 6 Dylan Bruno, American actor (Numb3rs), born in Milford, Connecticut
• Sep 6 Eric Zeier, American NFL quarterback (Cleveland Browns), born in Pensacola, Florida

• Sep 6 Justina Machado, Puerto Rican actress (Six Feet Under), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Sep 7 Cedric Davis, American NFL cornerback (Arizona Cardinals), born in Brandon, Florida
• Sep 7 Jason Isringhausen, American pitcher (NY Mets), born in Brighton, Illinois
• Sep 7 Willy Tate, American NFL tight end (KC Chiefs), born in Montana, California
• Sep 8 Cari Shayne, American actress (Karen Cates-General Hospital), born in Sellersville, Tennessee
• Sep 8 Giovanni Frezza, Italian actor, born in Potenza, Italy
• Sep 8 Kennedy [Lisa Kennedy Montgomery], American political commentator and television personality, born in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Sep 8 Markus Babbel, German football player and coach, born in Munich, West Germany
• Sep 8 Phil Laak, Irish-American professional poker player, born in Dublin
• Sep 8 Tomokazu Seki, Japanese voice actor, born in Kōtō, Tokyo
• Sep 8 Trent McCleary, Canadian NHL right wing (Ottawa Senators), born in Swift Current, Canada
• Sep 9 Ben Bronson, American football wide receiver (Detroit Lions), born in Jasper, Texas
• Sep 9 Goran Višnjić, Croatian actor, born in Šibenik, Croatia
• Sep 9 Mike Hampton, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1999, 2001; Gold Glove Award 2003; 5 × Silver Slugger Award; NL wins leader 1999; Houston Astros), born in Brooksville, Florida
• Sep 9 Miriam Oremans, Dutch tennis player, born in Berlicum, Netherlands
• Sep 9 Natasha Kaplinsky, British newsreader, born in Brighton, United Kingdom
• Sep 10 Anurag Kashyap, Indian film director, writer, producer and actor (Gangs of Wasseypur, Satya, Black Friday), born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Sep 10 Cherelle Parker, American politician (Mayor of Philadelphia, 2024-; Philadelphia City Council member, 2015-22; Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 2005-15), born in the Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Sep 10 James Duval, American actor (Donnie Darko), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Sep 11 Kip Simons, American gymnast (Olympic 5th 1996), born in Media, Pennsylvania
• Sep 11 Mark Pope, American NBA forward (Indiana Pacers), born in Omaha, Nebraska
• Sep 11 Matthew Gilmore, Belgian-Australian cyclist, born in Ghent, Belgium
• Sep 12 Avijit Roy, Bangladeshi-American activist and blogger, born in Bangladesh (d. 2015)
• Sep 12 Paul Green, Australian rugby league coach (North Queensland Cowboys NRL premiership 2015; Queensland) and halfback (Australia SL 2 games, Queensland 7 games), born in Brisbane, Australia (d. 2022)
• Sep 13 Kelly Chen [Vivian Chen Wai-man], Hong Kong Cantopop singer (Starry Dreams of Love), and actress, born in Hong Kong
• Sep 14 David Bell, American baseball infielder (St Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (Cincinnati Reds), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Sep 15 Jimmy Carr, British deadpan comedian (8 Out of 10 Cats), born in London, England
• Sep 15 Kit Chan, Singaporean singer, born in Singapore
• Sep 15 Queen Letizia of Spain, Spanish consort to King Felipe VI, born in Oviedo, Spain
• Sep 16 Don Sasa, American NFL defensive tackle (San Diego Chargers), born in American Samoa
• Sep 16 Mark Bruener, American NFL tight end (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Aberdeen, Washington
• Sep 16 Ramon van Haaren, Dutch soccer player (RKC), born in Waalwijk, Netherlands
• Sep 16 Shalane McCall, American child actress (Charlie Wade-Dallas), born in North Hollywood, California
• Sep 16 Steve Russ, American NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32), born in Stetsonville, Wisconsin
• Sep 17 Allen Williams, NFL running back (Detroit Lions)
• Sep 17 Bobby Lee, American comedian and actor (Splitting Up Together), born in San Diego, Californioa
• Sep 18 Brigitte Becue, Belgian swimmer (Olympics 1988, silver), born in Ostend, Belgium
• Sep 18 David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer, born in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England (d. 2003)
• Sep 18 François Gesthuizen, Dutch soccer player (PSV, NAC), born in Millingen aan de Rijn, Netherlands
• Sep 18 Michael Landes, American actor (American Summer), born in The Bronx, New York
• Sep 18 Richard Huntley, American NFL running back (Atlanta Falcons), born in Monroe, North Carolina
• Sep 19 Amy Frazier, American tennis star, born in St Louis, Missouri
• Sep 19 David Tamburrino, American speed skater (Olympics 1994), born in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Sep 19 Eric van de Merwe, Dutch soccer player (Dordrecht '90), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands
• Sep 19 Fred McCrary, American NFL fullback (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Naples, Florida
• Sep 19 N.K. Jemisin, American science fiction and fantasy author (The Fifth Season), born in Iowa City, Iowa
• Sep 20 Jenn Morris, Australian field hockey fullback (Olympic gold 1996, 2000; World Cup gold 1994; Champions Trophy gold 1993, 95, 97), born in Maryborough, Australia
• Sep 20 Vance Joseph, American NFL cornerback and safety (NY Jets), born in Marrero, Louisiana
• Sep 21 David Silveria, American drummer (KoЯn), born in San Leandro, California
• Sep 21 Jon Kitna, NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks)
• Sep 21 Liam Gallagher, British singer and songwriter (Oasis - "Wonderwall"; Beady Eye), born in Burnage, Manchester, England
• Sep 23 Jermaine Dupri, American record producer and rapper (Grammy - We Belong Together), born in Asheville, North Carolina
• Sep 23 Karl Pilkington, British radio personality
• Sep 24 Esther Budiardjo, Indonesian concert pianist (William Kapell Competition, 1996), born in Jakarta, Indonesia
• Sep 26 Beto O'Rourke, American politician (Rep-D-Texas 2013-19), born in El Paso, Texas
• Sep 26 Shawn Stockman, American soul singer (Boyz II Men -"I'll Make Love To You"), songwriter ("Visions Of A Sunset"), and record producer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Sep 27 Bibian Mentel-Spee, Dutch para-snowboarding athlete (Winter Paralympics gold snowboard cross 2014, 18; banked slalom 2018; 5 x gold World C'ship), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 2021)
• Sep 27 Clara Hughes, cyclist (Olympics 2 bronze-96), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Sep 27 Craig L. Rice, American Politician

• Sep 27 Laurie Shepard, Cordele, GA, female pitcher (Colo Silver Bullets)
• Sep 27 Malachy Loye, cricketer (Northamptonshire & England "A" batsman)
• Sep 27 Sylvia Crawley, American basketball player
• Sep 28 Cathy Caverzasio, Swiss tennis star
• Sep 28 Dita Von Teese [Heather Sweet], American burlesque artist, born in West Branch, Michigan
• Sep 29 Jörgen Jönsson, Swedish retired ice hockey forward (Team Sweden 1998), born in Ängelholm, Sweden
• Sep 29 Oliver Gavin, British racing car driver (Corvette Racing 2002-present), born in Huntingdon, England
• Sep 29 Robert Webb, British actor, comedian, and writer (Jeremy "Jez" Usborne- "Peep Show"), born in Boston, Lincolnshire
• Sep 30 Ari Behn (né Bjørshol), Norwegian author (Trist som faen - Sad as hell), playwright, and husband of Princess Martha Louise of Norway (2002-17), born in Aarhus, Denmark (d. 2019)
• Sep 30 John Campbell, American heavy metal bassist (Burn the Priest; Lamb of God), born in the USA

• Sep 1 Kees Posthumus, Dutch chemist, dies at 70
• Sep 1 May Aufderheide, American ragtime composer ("Dusty Rag"), dies at 84 [1]
• Sep 5 Alan Kippax, Australian cricket batsman (22 Tests, 2 x 100, 8 x 50, HS 145; NSW CA), dies at 75
• Sep 5 Moshe Weinberg, Israeli Olympic wrestling coach, murdered in the Munich Olympic massacre by terrorists at 32
• Sep 7 Jacques Pirenne, Belgian historian and honorary secretary of King Leopold III of Belgium, dies at 81
• Sep 10 Sidney Pegler, South African cricket leg spinner (16 Tests), dies at 84
• Sep 11 Max Fleischer, Polish-American animator and film producer (Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor Man), dies at 89
• Sep 12 William Boyd, American film actor, cowboy hero (Hopalong Cassidy), dies at 77
• Sep 15 Geoffrey Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, Archbishop of Canterbury (1945-61), dies at 85
• Sep 15 Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish pianist, composer - one of "The Turkish Five" (Köçekçe - Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), and pedagogue, dies from a stroke at 66
• Sep 17 Akim Tamiroff, Armenian-Russian actor (Touch of Evil, For Whom the Bell Tolls), dies at 72
• Sep 19 Robert Casadesus, French concert pianist and composer (Symphony No. 7 - "Israel"), dies at 73
• Sep 21 Henry de Montherlant, French novelist and stage author (La Reine Morte), dies at 76
• Sep 22 Robert K.J.E. Antonissen, Belgian-born South African literary figure, dies at 53
• Sep 23 Calvin Frazier, American country and Detroit blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("This Old World's In A Tangle"), dies of cancer at 57
• Sep 23 Carl Frank, actor (Uncle Gunnar-Mama), dies at 63
• Sep 26 Charles Correll, American actor and radio comedian (Calvin & the Colonel), dies at 82
• Sep 27 S. R. Ranganathan, Indian mathematician (b. 1892)
• Sep 28 Maurice Thiriet, French composer, dies at 66
• Sep 28 Rory Storm [Alan Caldwell], Brirish rock singer (Rory Storm & the Hurricanes), commits suicide with sleeping pills at 34