One of the biggest political scandals ever unfolds in 1972, beginning with the arrest of five men at the Watergate Building in Washington DC. Reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward uncover a plot connected to President Nixon to wiretap and break into the Democrat National Committee's headquarters. The Watergate scandal eventually leads to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
After years of struggle, the US Senate passes the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to provide equal rights under the law to all citizens regardless of sex. Proponents begin working with states to ratify the amendment. However, the required number of 35 states needed for ratification is never reached.
American swimmer Mark Spitz wins seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.
Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic delegation are killed by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Summer Olympics. Masked terrorists with automatic weapons break into the dormitories in the Olympic Village and take Israeli athletes hostage. All eleven hostages are killed by the terrorists after a shootout with German authorities erupts at the airport.
American Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky in the World Chess Championship, ending 24 years of Soviet victories. Fischer is the first American to win the World Chess Championship.
After over a year of diplomacy, President Nixon visits the People's Republic of China, breaking years of diplomatic isolation. It is an important step in the normalization of diplomatic relations with China, which occurs in 1979.
Detail from a 1972 magazine advertisement for the Ford Mustang.
November 1972 Teen Magazine cover.
Detail from an advertisement for H.I.S. men's pants.
Detail from 1972 Fall/Winter Sears Catalog
Detail from an advertisement for women's platform shoes. Platform heeled shoes became popular for women and men in the seventies.
1972 women's fashion photo.
Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight star in the backwoods thriller Deliverance. Early in the film a memorable music scene depicts one of the men from Atlanta playing guitar together with a banjo playing country boy on the song "Dueling Banjos".
Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey star in the musical drama film Cabaret, set in 1930's Berlin as the Nazi's rise to power.
Sam Peckinpah directs the action thriller The Getaway, starring two of Hollywood's hottest stars Steve McQueen and Ali Mac Graw. The two stars would marry in 1973.
The Godfather is a film adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan and Diane Keaton. The first in a series of three, the film wins Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Screenplay.
The Korean War comedy/drama M.A.S.H. debuts as a television series on CBS and becomes a top ratings draw for over a decade.
1972 cigarette advertising for Winston Kings.
A girl sells flowers to passing motorists in California 1972.
A trio of high school boys captured clowning around with a cigarette.
Teens photographed by Bill Yates at the Sweetheart Roller Skating near Tampa, Florida.
Hanging out or driving up and down a particular strip of roadway was a popular pastime in the 70's. Photographer Rick McCloskey captures the "cruising" scene along California's Van Nuys Boulevard in 1972.
Sixth Grade Class photo in Dallas, Texas.
A mom helping her son get ready in 1972.