Date in year · 1972 · The 1970s

May 13, 1972

On May 13, 1972, a fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths). 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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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 May 13, 1972

  1. 1972 A fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths).

    1972 building fire in Osaka, Japan

    The Sennichi Department Store Building fire occurred in Sennichimae, Minami-ku, Osaka, Japan on May 13, 1972. The fire killed at least 118 people and injured another 78. It was the deadliest department store fire in Japan.

  2. 1972 The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.

    1960s–1998 conflict in Northern Ireland

    The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.

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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