What happened on July 2, 1972?

Headlines from July 2, 1972

• 🚢 Nixon Announces Shipbuilding Pacts – President Nixon announced contracts worth $660 million for the construction of 16 new merchant marine ships.
• 🇺🇸 U.S. Troop Withdrawal Announced – President Nixon announced a troop withdrawal of 10,000 men from Vietnam, reducing forces to 39,000 by September.
• 📈 20% Increase in Benefits – President Nixon signed a bill to increase Social Security benefits by 20%, attached to the national debt ceiling law.
• 🏅 Olympic Team Backing for Convicts – The U.S. Olympic Committee will support Bobby Lee Hunter and Gene White, prisoner athletes, in their Olympic trials.
• 🏆 Keino Seeks Olympic Titles – Kipchoge Keino of Kenya will compete in both the 1,500-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Olympics.
• 🎨 Art Show on Ecology Opens – An art exhibition themed 'A Sense of Place' opens in East Hampton, focusing on ecological themes.
• 🚀 Concorde Tour Enhances Sales Prospects – The British prototype of the Concorde returns from a Far East tour, securing three firm orders.
• 🏇 Steinkraus Wins at Aachen – Bill Steinkraus, captain of the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team, wins a Class S event at the Aachen horse show.
• 🏌️‍♀️ Barnett Leads U.S. Open – Pam Barnett leads the women's U.S. Open championship with a 54-hole aggregate of 224.
• 🏛️ New U.N. Role for Nicol – Dr. Davidson S. H. W. Nicol of Sierra Leone appointed executive director of the U.N. Institute for Training and Research.