October 17th, 1972.

Born on October 17th, 1972.

People who were born on this exact date.

• Eminem: Rap singer.

Top songs.

These songs were on top of the music charts in the United States and the United Kingdom on October 17th, 1972.

• United States: Ben - Michael Jackson
• United Kingdom: Mouldy Old Dough - Lt. Pigeon

Take me back to October 17th, 1972!

Let's take a walk down memory lane.

The date is October 17th, 1972, and it's a Tuesday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Libra. The summer is long gone. Temperatures have started to become much cooler and the evenings are beginning to get darker.

Fallen leaves have carpeted driveways, lawns, pathways and sidewalks and there's a fresh earthy scent in the ear. In America, the song Ben by Michael Jackson is on top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Mouldy Old Dough by Lt. Pigeon is the number one hit song.

Richard Nixon is currently the President of the United States, and the movie The New Centurions is at the top of the Box Office. In the United Kingdom, Edward Heath is the current Prime Minister. In fashion, the hippie look from the 1960s is still popular. Clothing items such as tie dye shirts, bell-bottoms, midi skirts, gauchos and Mexican blouses are being worn by women. Meanwhile, men are wearing dark satin shirts, ethnic-looking tunics, bell bottom jeans, tweed sports jackets and turtlenecks.

It's 1972, so radio stations are playing songs from artists such as Don McLean, Harry Nilsson, Hot Butter, Neil Young, The Moody Blues, Roberta Flack, Bill Withers and Johnny Nash. Incumbent Republican president Richard Nixon and Democratic Party candidate George McGovern are facing off against each other in the run up to the 1972 US Presidential Election. If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Jackie Robinson, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Pablo Picasso would all be still alive.

On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "Steptoe and Son", "Adam-12", "The Brady Bunch" and "Ghost Story". Children and teenagers are currently watching television shows such as "JOT the Dot", "The Clangers", "Groovie Goolies" and "Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!". If you're a kid or a teenager, then you're probably playing with toys such as Clackers, the Rock Flowers dolls, Kenner SSP Racers and Magnavox Odyssey.

News topics, fads & culture.

These are trending news stories and fads that were prevalent at this time. These are topics that would have been in the media on October 17th, 1972.

• 

  The campaign for the 1972 US Presidential Election is underway.

  During this time, Republican candidate Richard Nixon and Democratic Party candidate George McGovern were going head-to-head in the lead-up to the 1972 US Presidential Election. Nixon eventually went on to win the election in a landslide victory.

• 

  The Co-ed Killer is targeting students in California.

  Between May of 1972 and April of 1973, serial killer Edmund Kemper (aka the "Co-ed Killer") was targeting female college students in California.

• 

  Music cassette tapes are becoming popular.

  From about 1972 onward, audio cassettes started to become more widespread. Although they lacked the sound quality of vinyl records, they were far more convenient and portable.

• 

  Color TV surpasses black-and-white.

  Around this period, sales of color TV sets began to surpass sales of the older black-and-white sets. By this stage, almost all of the popular daytime networks were broadcasting in color.

• 

  The US is winding down its involvement in the Vietnam War.

  During 1972, the war in Vietnam was still ongoing. However, the US had greatly reduced their presence in the country. Between 1971 and 1972, the number of US troops in Vietnam fell from 156,800 to 24,200. Instead of keeping soldiers on the ground, the US shifted its focus to providing air support while negotiators in Paris tried to hammer out a peace agreement.

• 

  Who were the best NBA players in 1972?

  The best NBA players in 1972 were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Havlicek, Spencer Haywood, Jerry West and Walt Frazier.

• 

  Who were the best football players in 1972?

  In 1972, the best soccer players were Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Günter Netzer, Johan Cruyff, Piet Keizer, Kazimierz Deyna, Gordon Banks, Barry Hulshoff, Włodzimierz Lubański and Bobby Moore.

• 

  The Godfather.

  "The Godfather" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1972.

• 

  Roberta Flack - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

  "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack would go on to win a Grammy for 1972's Song of the Year.

• 

  1972 in movies.

  Movies released in 1972 included The Godfather, The Poseidon Adventure, "What's Up, Doc?", Behind the Green Door, Deliverance, Super Fly, Cabaret, The Getaway, Fritz the Cat, The Legend of Boggy Creek, Jeremiah Johnson, Blacula and Silent Running.

• 

  Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.

  U.S. President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, were both named as the Time Person of the Year in 1972. Nixon and Kissinger had made history by travelling to China to "open up a dialogue."

• 

  1972 in music.

  The Billboard Charts in 1972 were dominated by Don McLean, Roberta Flack, Gilbert O'Sullivan, America, Joe Tex, Looking Glass and Al Green.

• 

  Have a nice day!

  Around this time, the smiley face and phrases such as "Have a nice day!" and "Have a happy day!" were being plastered onto t-shirts, mugs and badges.

• 

  Bell-bottoms are becoming popular.

  In the early 1970s, bell-bottoms started to take off in popularity.

• 

  People are using wallpaper to decorate their homes.

  Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, wallpaper was extremely common in people's homes. It wasn't until the mid-late 1980s that "modernism" started to creep in.

• 

  The Hippie movement.

  In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the hippie counterculture was at its height in popularity. The movement, which sprung up in opposition to the Vietnam War, was centered around peace, psychedelic music, sexual liberation, bright colors and drugs such as LSD and marijuana.

• 

  Lava lamps are all the rage.

  In the late 1960s, sales of lava lamps took off. It wasn't until the second half of the 1970s that they started to go out of fashion.

• 

  The afro hairstyle is at its peak in popularity.

  In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the afro hairstyle was at its peak in popularity. Public figures such as Angela Davis, Pam Grier, Jimi Hendrix and the Jackson 5 were among those who sported the style.

• 

  The push-button telephone.

  During this period, push-button telephones started to replace the older rotary style landlines.

Basic facts.

Basic facts and information about this date.

• 49 years, 8 months and 16 days have passed since October 17th, 1972.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 42 of 1972.
• Leap Year: 1972 was a leap year, which means that it contained 366 days instead of 365 (with an extra day in February).
• Age: A person born on October 17th, 1972 will be 49 years old.
• Generation: People born in 1972 belong to the Generation X generation.
• Unix Timestamp: The Unix Timestamp for this date is 88124400.

Around this time.

News stories and other events that happened around October 17th, 1972.

• September 17th, 1972: The first episode of "M*A*S*H" is aired.
• September 24th, 1972: 12 children and 11 adults are killed at an airshow in Sacramento when an F-86 fighter crashes into an ice cream parlour.
• October 13th, 1972: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes into the Andes mountain range. Survivors are forced to resort to cannibalism.
• October 13th, 1972: 174 people are killed when Aeroflot Flight 217 crashes close to Moscow.
• October 16th, 1972: The first episode of British soap opera "Emmerdale" is aired.
• October 16th, 1972: A plane carrying U.S. Congressman Hale Boggs disappears in Alaska.
• This date: October 17th, 1972
• October 24th, 1972: Baseball player Jackie Robinson dies from a heart attack at the age of 53.
• October 30th, 1972: 45 people are killed in Chicago after a commuter train collision.
• November 7th, 1972: Richard Nixon is re-elected as the President of the United States.
• November 8th, 1972: The American pay television network "HBO" is launched.
• November 10th, 1972: Southern Airways Flight 49 is hijacked in Birmingham, Alabama.

Horoscope, birthstone and birth flower information.

Zodiac and birthstone information.

NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.

• Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on October 17th, 1972, will have the star sign Libra.
• Zodiac Element: Air.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1972 was the year of the Rat (Yang Wood).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 1.
• Native American Zodiac: October 17th, 1972 falls under the Raven.
• Birthstone: Anyone born during the month of October will have the birthstones Tourmaline and Opal.
• Birth flower (October): The Marigold and the Cosmos.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on October 17th, 1972.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Photos of 1970s fashion.

Photographs of 1970s fashion and hairstyles.

Cars in 1972.

1972 saw the introduction of cars such as the Honda Civic, the Chevrolet LUV, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 5 Series, the Ford Thunderbird (sixth generation) and the Renault 5.

Were you born on this date?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1972.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories from their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out October 17th, 1978 instead.

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on October 17th, 1972 was most likely conceived around January 25th, 1972.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on October 17th, 1972 is close to July 10th, 1973.

How old was I?

Find out what your age was on October 17th, 1972, by entering your DOB below.
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Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about October 17th, 1972.

• A total of 18,155 days have passed since this date.
• 2,593 weeks have passed.
• 1,568,592,000 seconds have passed since the October 17th, 1972.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beated approximately 1,830,024,000 times.
• Since October 17th, 1972, the Earth has travelled approximately 809,393,472,000 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 261,432,000 times.
• If you were born on this day, you have taken approximately 134,898,912 steps. That's about 59,955 miles!
• Since this date, 18,823,104 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere!

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