Date in year · 1972 · The 1970s

February 21, 1972

On February 21, 1972, united States President Richard Nixon visits China to normalize Sino-American relations. The year's #1 song was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. Aaron Lewis, Conchita Martínez, Tracy K. Smith would arrive in the same year.

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Deaths

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Year

1972

1970s

Around 1972

The year in brief

1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1972nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 972nd year of the 2nd millennium, the 72nd year of the 20th century, and the 3rd year of the 1970s decade.

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What happened

On February 21, 1972

  1. 1972 United States President Richard Nixon visits China to normalize Sino-American relations.

    President of the United States from 1969 to 1974

    Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he represented California in both houses of the United States Congress before serving as the 36th vice president under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961.

  2. 1972 The Soviet uncrewed spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.

    Country in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

    The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, with the largest and most populous being the Russian SFSR.

Farewells

Died on February 21, 1972

Zhang Guohua Chinese general and politician (1914–1972)
Bronislava Nijinska Russian ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer (1891–1972)
Eugène Tisserant French cardinal

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1972

The class of 1972

Others born in 1972

Aaron Lewis 1972– American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Conchita Martínez 1972– Spanish-American tennis player
Tracy K. Smith 1972– American poet and educator
Rosa Clemente 1972– American journalist and activist
Eli Roth 1972– American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira 1972– Brazilian footballer

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