The following events occurred in February 1972:
February 1, 1972 (Tuesday) Four days after Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld had found that Klaus Barbie was living in Bolivia (as "Klaus Altmann"), the French government requested his extradition. Barbie was not brought to justice until 1983.Richard Breitman, et al., U.S. Intelligence and the Nazis (Cambridge University Press 2005), p427 In a private White House meeting between Billy Graham and U.S. President Richard Nixon, Graham voiced his opinion that the Jewish "stranglehold" on the media "has got to be broken". Graham would eventually apologize for his remarks, which were widely condemned as antisemitic, after the tape of the conversation was released by the National Archives in 2002.Roger Bruns, Billy Graham: A Biography (Greenwood Press, 2004), pp122–123 Democrat Edwin Edwards was elected to the first of four terms as Governor of Louisiana, defeating Republican David C. Treen in the general election by a margin of 57-43 percent.
February 2, 1972 (Wednesday) Following the funerals in Derry of 13 of the people killed by British paratroopers in Northern Ireland on "Bloody Sunday", a mob, estimated at 25,000, poured into Dublin's Merrion Square and burned down the four story British embassy in Ireland. Due to threats and attacks earlier in the week, all important records had been removed and the building was unoccupied."British Embassy Burned In Dublin", Winnipeg Free Press, February 2, 1972, page 1 Born: Naheed Nenshi, the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city, known for serving as the Mayor of Calgary from 2010 to 2021; in Toronto Died: Genaro Vázquez, 40, Mexican guerilla leader died after injuries sustained in a car wreck. Natalie Barney, 95, lesbian pioneer
February 3, 1972 (Thursday) The 1972 Winter Olympics opened in Sapporo, Japan, with 1,006 athletes from 35 nations marching in the opening ceremony at Makomanai Stadium. Schoolboy Hideki Takada lit the Olympic flame.Tom and Jerry Caraccioli, Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team (Sports Publishing, 2006), pp48–49 A blizzard began in Iran that would kill more than 4,000 people over a six-day period."40 Years Ago, Iran Was Hit by the Deadliest Blizzard in History", by Haley Sweetland Edwards, MentalFloss.com, February 7, 2012 As much of of snow fell on top of existing drifts in western Iran and into the Soviet Union's Azerbaijani SSR, and killed people in more than 200 Iranian villages. The snow finally abated on February 9. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued new rules for cable television in the United States. American systems had to carry at least 20 channels (including public-access television). The reform opened the door for new cable television networks.Patrick Parsons, Blue Skies: A History of Cable Television (Temple University Press, 2008), pp264–265 Born: Michael Kovrig, Canadian diplomat who was held prisoner in China from 2018 to 2021; in Toronto
February 4, 1972 (Friday) Kenneth Kaunda, the President of Zambia, moved to turn the African democracy into a one-party state after the new United Progressive Party (Zambia) (UPP) had won a by-election in December. Simon Kapwepwe, who had been Kaunda's Vice-President until founding the UPP in 1971, was arrested, along with other party members. Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP) then became the only legal party."United Progressive Party", in An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945–1996 John E. Jessup, ed. (Greenwood Press, 1998). Argentina's worst serial killer, Carlos Robledo Puch, was captured after committing 11 murders in less than a year. "Robledo Puch, El Angel Negro", La Nacion (Buenos Aires), March 5, 2006 Two middle school students, aged 12 and 13, became the first of at least seven victims of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders in and around the town of Santa Rosa, California. The two had last been seen hitchhiking home from an ice skating rink, and their bodies would not be discovered until December 28. The last of the killings happened on December 22, 1973; the perpetrator was never caught. Born: Giovanni Silva de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer with 18 caps for the national team; in Abaetetuba
February 5, 1972 (Saturday) Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the President of the Central African Republic since 1966, was proclaimed "President for Life". In 1976, he would proclaim himself Emperor, ruling until his overthrow in 1979."Central African Republic", in Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements, Volume 1 (Taylor and Francis, 2003), pp286–287 Died: Marianne Moore, 84, American poet
February 6, 1972 (Sunday) Two weeks before his historic visit to the People's Republic of China, President Nixon secretly (and unsuccessfully) asked the Chinese government to arrange a meeting there with North Vietnam's peace negotiator, Lê Đức Thọ.Larry Berman, No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam (Simon and Schuster, 2001), pp119–120 Died: Llewellyn Thompson, U.S. ambassador to the USSR 1957 to 1962 and 1967 to 1969
February 7, 1972 (Monday)
Keith Holyoake resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand after more than 11 years. He was replaced by the Deputy Prime Minister, Jack Marshall, who would lead the government until elections held on November 25. The Federal Election Campaign Act was signed into law by U.S. President Nixon, taking effect on April 7.Anthony Corrado, et al, The New Campaign Finance Sourcebook (Brookings Institution Press, 2005), pp20–21
February 8, 1972 (Tuesday) A state of emergency was declared throughout the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Edward Heath as the coal miners' strike continued, and mined coal dwindled.Peter Dorey, Wage Politics In Britain: The Rise And Fall Of Incomes Policies Since 1945 (Sussex Academic Press, 2001), p122 The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the first of its enshrinees to have spent their entire career in baseball's Negro leagues"Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard Make Hall of Fame— Negro Baseball Stars Honored", Indianapolis Star, February 9, 1972, p38 as a special committee selected Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard, for the same group as Sandy Koufax and Yogi Berra. National Hockey League star Bruce Gamble suffered a heart attack after tending goal for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, and was hospitalized the next day as the team traveled from Vancouver to Oakland, bringing an end to his NHL career."Heart Attack Sidelines Bruce Gamble", Winnipeg Free Press, February 10, 1972, p46 Gamble would die of a heart attack in 1982, hours after practicing with another team. Some accounts state, erroneously, that Gamble had collapsed in the middle of the Vancouver game,Damien Cox and Gord Stellick, 67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire (J. Wiley & Sons Canada, 2006), pp71–73 or that he died while playing hockey. After four months, a strike by the 13,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which mostly served West Coast ports, was settled. The strike had been interrupted by a Taft–Hartley Act injunction that had expired earlier in the month."123-Day Dock Strike Settled", Oakland Tribune, February 8, 1972, p1 Born: Whitney Gaskell, American novelist; in Syracuse, New York . Big Show (ring name for Paul Wight), American professional wrestler; in Aiken, South Carolina.
February 9, 1972 (Wednesday) The Iran blizzard ended after seven days, during which as much as of snow buried villages in northwestern, central and southern Iran. An estimated 4,000 people were killed, particularly in the area around Ardakan."Thousands Missing in Iran Snow", Oakland Tribune, February 10, 1972, p1 Born: Crispin Freeman, American voice actor; in Chicago Died: Chico Ruiz, 33, Cuban-born American major league baseball player, was killed in a car accident a month after having become a U.S. citizen.
February 10, 1972 (Thursday)
Kinney Services, Inc., a conglomerate which had purchased the Warner Bros. studio in 1969, completed reorganization as shareholders approved its disincorporation in New York and its reincorporation in Delaware, with the new name of Warner Communications, Inc."Kinney Changes Name", Des Moines (IA) Tribune, February 11, 1972, p. 3-S The company, which now owns Turner Broadcasting, HBO, Cinemax, DC Comics, New Line Cinema, and part of TheCW television network, is now known as Warner Bros. Discovery. In Calama, Chile, where it was said that no rain had fallen "for more than 400 years", rain fell in a downpour and caused mudslides.Mel Goldstein, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weather (Alpha Books, 2002), p37 David Bowie opened his concert tour with his new alter ego of "Ziggy Stardust", starting at the Toby Jug Pub in Tolworth.Christopher Sandford, Bowie: Loving the Alien (Da Capo Press, 1998), p89 American and South Vietnamese forces completed a 24-hour period of bombing strikes against North Vietnam, with almost 400 bombing strikes carried out in some of the heaviest raids of the Vietnam War."400 Bombing Runs Hit Reds", Oakland Tribune, February 10, 1972, p1 Ras Al Khaimah joined the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as its sixth emirate.Kourosh Ahmadi, Islands and International Politics in the Persian Gulf: The Abu Musa and Tunbs in Strategic Context (Routledge, 2008) p96
February 11, 1972 (Friday) As the nationwide strike of British coal miners continued, Secretary for Trade and Industry John Davies told the House of Commons that the government was ordering a massive shutdown of Britain's industry. Davies added that "Many, many people—perhaps millions—will be laid off."Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1972, p1Time February 21, 1972 President Georges Pompidou of France and Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany jointly announced in Paris that the two nations had agreed to form an economic and monetary union. Time magazine concluded that The Autobiography of Howard Hughes, written by Hughes "with Clifford Irving" was a hoax, and that it had been plagiarized."Irving Book Is Hoax, Says Time", Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1972, p1; "The Fabulous Hoax of Clifford Irving", Time, February 21, 1972 The Nassau Coliseum was opened in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island, with the first event being an American Basketball Association (ABA) game. The New York Nets beat the visiting Pittsburgh Condors, 129–121, as Rick Barry scored 45 points."Barry Directs Nets To 129–121 Triumph", Bridgeport Telegram, February 12, 1972, p15; Peter Botte and Alan Hahn, Fish Sticks: The Fall and Rise of the New York Islanders (Sports Publishing LLC, 2002), p85 The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals was signed in London.Antarctic Challenge: Conflicting Interests, Cooperation, Environmental Protection, Economic Development (Duncker and Humblot, 1984), p99 Born: Kelly Slater, American professional surfer with 11 championships in the World Surf League; in Cocoa Beach, Florida Steve McManaman, British footballer with 37 caps for the England national team; in Kirkdale, Liverpool
February 12, 1972 (Saturday) Time won the right to publish excerpts from Clifford Irving's "autobiography" of Howard Hughes, a day after cancelling declaring that it was a hoax. Time had discovered also that much of the work had been plagiarized from author James Phelan."The Fabulous Hoax of Clifford Irving", Time, February 21, 1972; "Time Wins Right to Print Excerpts From Hughes Book", Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1972, p1; "Irving Book Is Hoax, Says Time", Oakland Tribune, February 13, 1972, p2; The first delegates to the 1972 Democratic National Convention were selected, with 1,508 needed to win. A caucus in Arizona awarded nine delegates to Edmund Muskie, six each to John V. Lindsay and George S. McGovern, and four uncommitted.
February 13, 1972 (Sunday)