What happened in August 1972?
The top front-page story of each day in August 1972, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Aug 1📈 Gold Price Peaks – The free-market price of gold soared to near $69 an ounce in major European cities, reaching just under $70 in Paris.
- Aug 2🌊 Manila Floods Devastate – Rising floodwaters swept across most of Manila and 14 provinces, marking the worst natural disaster in Philippine history.
- Aug 3🔬 Spitz Sets Record – Mark Spitz shattered the world record in the 200-meter butterfly, leading Olympic qualifying for the event.
- Aug 4🏅 Hall Sets Record – Gary Hall set a world record in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. swimming trials, securing his Olympic team berth.
- Aug 5🏊 Four World Records Set – Deena Deardurff, Mark Spitz, Kurt Krumpholz, and Shirley Babashoff set world records at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Chicago.
- Aug 6🏛️ 2,500-Year-Old Statues – Greek archaeologists discovered two painted marble statues from 2,500 years ago near Athens, hailed as masterpieces of ancient art.
- Aug 7🏊 DeMont Sets Record – Rick DeMont breaks the world 1,500-meter freestyle record at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Chicago.
- Aug 8🏅 Olympic Flame Reaches Istanbul – The Olympic flame, lit in Greece on July 28, was carried into Istanbul by Turkish athletes, marking a significant moment in the lead-up to the Games.
- Aug 9♟️ Fischer-Spassky Chess Match – Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky adjourned the 12th game of their world championship chess match in Reykjavik, Iceland.
- Aug 10🌍 Soviet Grain Purchase – The U.S. Agriculture Department estimates the Soviet Union will buy $1 billion in farm products from the U.S. over the next year.
- Aug 11🏀 NBA Approves Bulls Sale – The NBA approved the sale of the Chicago Bulls for $5.1 million to a group including Arthur M. Wirtz, ending months of negotiations.
- Aug 12🌪️ Tornado Hits Netherlands – A tornado struck a camping ground in the Netherlands, resulting in at least two fatalities and over 100 injuries.
- Aug 13🔬 Initial Shuttle Contract – NASA signed an initial agreement with North American Rockwell to begin work on the space shuttle program.
- Aug 14🚀 Satellite Launched Successfully – A satellite was sent into orbit to study space particles and their hazards to long-term spacecraft.
- Aug 15🚀 Orbiting Lab's Lift-Off Set – America's complex unmanned space observatory, Stargazer, is set for launch into orbit on Monday from Cape Kennedy.
- Aug 16🔬 Solar Storm Studied – U.S. spacecraft discovered a violent solar storm that may have produced the highest energy radiation ever recorded from the sun.
- Aug 17🌪️ Typhoon Hits Philippines – A typhoon with winds up to 130 mph battered the Philippines, causing further devastation after recent floods.
- Aug 18✝️ Pope Congratulates Potter – Pope Paul sent a telegram congratulating Rev. Philip A. Potter on his election as general secretary of the World Council of Churches.
- Aug 19🏊 U.S. Swimmers Break Records – The U.S. women's Olympic swimming team set three world relay records during an exhibition meet in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- Aug 20🌧️ Floods Kill 264 – Severe floods and landslides in South Korea resulted in at least 264 fatalities, marking the worst rainfall in the country's modern history.
- Aug 21🚀 Satellite Launch Today – An American spacecraft honoring Copernicus is set for launch to observe interstellar gases and other celestial phenomena.
- Aug 22🚀 Copernicus Launched – The last of the orbiting observatory satellites, Copernicus, was launched to observe interstellar gases and stars.
- Aug 23🏛️ Nixon Renominated – The Republican Party formally renominated Richard Nixon for a second presidential term at the convention in Miami Beach.
- Aug 24🏅 Fischer Draws Chess Match – Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky agreed to a draw in the 17th game of their world chess championship match in Reykjavik, Iceland.
- Aug 25🔬 Magnetic Field on Mars – Soviet Mars probes suggest the planet may have a weak magnetic field, revealing new insights into its environment.
- Aug 26🏅 Olympic Flame Arrives – The Olympic flame officially reached Munich after a 3,435-mile journey from Olympia, Greece, marking the start of the 1972 Summer Olympics.
- Aug 27🏅 Lovell Gets Gold Medal – James Lovell received the first gold medal of the 1972 Olympic Games for his Apollo 16 moon mission, deemed more valuable than ten gold medals.
- Aug 28🎤 Lennon Adds Matinee – Due to high demand, John Lennon and Yoko Ono scheduled a second charity performance at Madison Square Garden for mental health facilities.
- Aug 29🏊 Spitz Sets Records – Mark Spitz and Shane Gould set world records en route to Olympic gold medals in swimming at the Munich Games.
- Aug 30🏊 Spitz Wins Gold Medal – Mark Spitz captures his third Olympic gold medal with a world-record performance in the 200-meter freestyle at the Munich Games.
- Aug 31🚀 Skylab Tests Begin – NASA prepares for Skylab, the first U.S. space station, with tests on a 127-foot-high steel pedestal at Cape Kennedy.
Happy Birthday! 1972 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1972 in real headlines. See the 1972 book →
Born in August? Pick the day
Every birthday in August has its own On This Day in Headlines book: