What Happened on September 2, 1972

Historical Events

  • American breaststroker Cathy Carr swims a world record 1:13.58 to win the 100m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
  • American breaststroker John Hencken beats David Wilkie of Great Britain to win the 200m gold medal in world record 2:21.55 at the Munich Olympic Games
  • Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas no-hits San Diego Padres, 8-0
  • East German sprinter Renate Stecher sets world record 11.07 to beat Raelene Boyle of Australia for the women's 100m gold medal at the Munich Olympics
  • East German swimmer Roland Matthes wraps up the Olympic backstroke double with a world record 2:02.82 in the 200m in Munich, having already won the 100m in Olympic record time
  • For the first time since the advent of the Modern Olympics in 1896, a non-American wins the pole vault gold medal; East German Wolfgang Nordwig clears 5.5m at the Munich Games
  • French track cyclist Daniel Morelon successfully defends his Olympic sprint title beating Australian John Nicholson for the gold medal in Munich
  • John Akii-Bua of Uganda with a world record 47.82 wins the 400m hurdles gold medal at the Munich Olympics

#1 in the Charts

Rod Stewart's 1st #1 hit single in the UK, "You Wear it Well"

  • The headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in Belfast is severely damaged by an IRA bomb
  • USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan

Famous Birthdays

  • Katarina Studenikova, Bratislava Slovak Rep, tennis star

About September 2, 1972

Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 51 years, 7 months and 25 days
Leap Year: Yes

Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Virgo

Music Charts

  • US #1 Song: Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
  • UK #1 Song: You Wear It Well - Rod Stewart