Four days afterNazi hunterBeate Klarsfeld had found thatKlaus Barbie was living inBolivia (as "Klaus Altmann"), the French government requested his extradition. Barbie was not brought to justice until 1983.[1]
In a privateWhite House meeting betweenBilly Graham and U.S. PresidentRichard 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 theNational Archives in 2002.[2]
Following the funerals inDerry of 13 of the people killed by British paratroopers inNorthern Ireland on "Bloody Sunday", a mob, estimated at 25,000, poured intoDublin'sMerrion 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.[3]
The1972 Winter Olympics opened inSapporo, Japan, with 1,006 athletes from 35 nations marching in the opening ceremony at Makomanai Stadium. Schoolboy Hideki Takada lit the Olympic flame.[7]
Ablizzard began in Iran that would kill more than 4,000 people over a six-day period.[8] As much of 26 feet (7.9 m) of snow fell on top of existing drifts in western Iran and into the Soviet Union'sAzerbaijani SSR, and killed people in more than 200 Iranian villages. The snow finally abated on February 9.
Argentina's worst serial killer,Carlos Robledo Puch, was captured after committing 11 murders in less than a year.[12]
Two middle school students, aged 12 and 13, became the first of at least seven victims of theSanta Rosa hitchhiker murders in and around the town ofSanta 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.
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 withNorth Vietnam's peace negotiator,Lê Đức Thọ.[14]
National Hockey League starBruce Gamble suffered a heart attack after tending goal for thePhiladelphia Flyers in a 3–1 victory over theVancouver Canucks, and was hospitalized the next day as the team traveled from Vancouver to Oakland, bringing an end to his NHL career.[19] 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,[20] or that he died while playing hockey.
After four months, a strike by the 13,000 members of theInternational Longshore and Warehouse Union, which mostly served West Coast ports, was settled. The strike had been interrupted by aTaft–Hartley Act injunction that had expired earlier in the month.[21]
TheIran blizzard ended after seven days, during which as much as 26 feet (7.9 m) of snow buried villages in northwestern, central and southern Iran. An estimated 4,000 people were killed, particularly in the area aroundArdakan.[22]
Kinney Services, Inc., a conglomerate which had purchased theWarner Bros. studio in 1969, completed reorganization as shareholders approved its disincorporation inNew York and its reincorporation inDelaware, with the new name ofWarner Communications, Inc.[24] The company, which now owns Turner Broadcasting, HBO, Cinemax, DC Comics, New Line Cinema, and part of TheCW television network, is now known asWarner Bros. Discovery.
InCalama, Chile, where it was said that no rain had fallen "for more than 400 years", rain fell in a downpour and caused mudslides.[25]
David Bowie opened his concert tour with his new alter ego of "Ziggy Stardust", starting at the Toby Jug Pub inTolworth.[26]
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 theVietnam War.[27]
As the nationwide strike of British coal miners continued, Secretary for Trade and IndustryJohn 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."[29][30]
PresidentGeorges Pompidou of France and ChancellorWilly Brandt of West Germany jointly announced in Paris that the two nations had agreed to form an economic and monetary union.[29]
Time magazine concluded thatThe Autobiography of Howard Hughes, written by Hughes "withClifford Irving" was a hoax, and that it had been plagiarized.[31]
Time won the right to publish excerpts fromClifford Irving's "autobiography" ofHoward 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.[35]
The1972 Winter Olympics closed inSapporo. The Soviet Union had the most medals (16) and most gold medals (8), followed by East Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States.[36]
The Tony Award-winning musical1776 closed after 1,217 performances on Broadway.[37]
A week before his visit to Beijing, President Nixon removed restrictions on American exports to the People's Republic of China, which had been in place for more than 20 years.[38]
José María Velasco Ibarra was overthrown asPresident of Ecuador. Velasco, who had been president on four other occasions, and was facing re-election, prepared to address the nation after learning that a coup d'état was planned. Upon arriving at the Channel 10 studios inGuayaquil, he was arrested, placed on an Ecuadorian Air Force plane, and flown toPanama. Velasco was replaced by GeneralGuillermo Rodríguez Lara, who cancelled the election.[41]
On the same day, what was later called theCod Wars began whenIceland announced that it was terminating prior fishing treaties with the United Kingdom and West Germany, and that, effective September 1, it would not permit fishing within 50 nautical miles (57.5 miles or 92.6 km) of its coastline.[43]
The United States granted copyright protection, for the first time, tosound recordings. Previously, only the written musical and lyrical compositions could be protected from reproduction.[44]
Born:Jaromír Jágr, Czech hockey player and holder of the National Hockey League record for most career game-winning goals (with 135); inKladno,Czechoslovakia[47]
TheRepublic of the Maldives hosted tourists for the first time since its independence in 1965, as 22 Italian visitors arrived at an airstrip onHulhulé Island, and were taken to accommodations at three guest houses inMalé. In 2009, there were more than 600,000 visitors annually to resorts throughout the Maldive Islands[49]
British Prime MinisterEdward Heath narrowly won a vote in theHouse of Commons on whether to ratify the treaty for the United Kingdom to join theEuropean Community. Heath turned the matter into avote of confidence by pledging to resign and to call new elections in the midst of a crisis, saying that "If the House will not agree ... my colleagues and I are unanimous that in these circumstances, this Parliament could not sensibly continue." By a margin of only eight votes (309–301), the bill passed.[54]
TheVolkswagen Beetle broke the record for the most popular automobile in history, as the 15,007,034th Beetle was produced.[55] Between 1908 and May 26, 1927, a total of 15,007,033Model Ts had been produced.[56]
In a 6–1 decision in the case ofPeople v. Anderson (6 Cal.3d 628), California's Supreme Court declared that the death penalty law violated the State Constitution. The Court commuted the death sentences, of 102 men and five women on death row, to life imprisonment.[59]
Radio Hanoi broadcast a live press conference to display five newly captured American prisoners of war.[60]
The TV showAll in the Family first aired what became its most famous episode, which ended with black musicianSammy Davis Jr. giving a kiss on the cheek to America's most popular bigot,Archie Bunker.[61]
TheAsama-Sansō incident, which would soon be watched on live television across Japan, began when five members of theJapanese Red Army began a standoff in a mountain lodge with a woman hostage.
Died:
Lee Morgan, 33, American jazz trumpeter, was shot and killed at Slug's, a New York bar, after completing a concert.[62]
John Grierson, 73, Scottish documentary filmmaker (b. 1898)
In the United States sixty million people tuned in to watch live television coverage of President Nixon's Monday morning arrival in Communist China, starting at9:30 pm Eastern time (0230 on February 21 UTC) and 10:30 in the morning February 21 inBeijing. The three networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) split the cost of $8,300 per hour for satellite broadcasting during the eight-day visit, and each sent eleven people on the trip.[63]
What one author would describe as "the best live performance" ofThe Dark Side of the Moon by British progressive rock bandPink Floyd took place one year before the best-selling album was released.[64]
At 11:30 a.m. local time (0330 UTC) inPeking (now Beijing),Richard M. Nixon becamethe first President of the United States to visit the People's Republic of China, ending more than 22 years of hostility between the two nations. Nixon greeted China's Prime MinisterZhou Enlai with one of the most famous handshakes in history. "When our hands met", Nixon would write later, "one era ended and another began", while Zhou told Nixon on their trip from the airport, "Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world – twenty-five years of no communication."[67]
Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, who had been theEmir of Qatar since its independence in 1971, was removed from office by unanimous vote of other members of the Al Thani family. Ahmad, who had failed even to organize a government and had used the nation's wealth to support an expensive lifestyle, was replaced by his cousin,Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, who ruled until 1995.[68]
In retaliation for the killing of 13 Irish civilians by the British army on "Bloody Sunday", theIrish Republican Army exploded a car bomb outside of a mess hall reserved for officers at theAldershot, England, headquarters of the 16th Parachute Brigade. Seven people were killed by the IRA bomb, and none of them were soldiers. Killed in the blast were an Army chaplain and six waitresses.[69]
Born:Claudia Pechstein, German speed-skater, winner of five Olympic gold medals (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006); in East Berlin[70]
The hijacking ofLufthansa Flight 649 ended inAden International Airport after Palestinian gunmen released their last hostages, the 14 member crew. TheBoeing 747-200 had been seized en route fromDelhi toAthens on February 22 by five gunmen and forced it to land inSouth Yemen, where all 172 passengers (including future CongressmanJoseph P. Kennedy II) were freed. The release came after the government of West Germany paid a five million dollar ransom.[71][72]
After 16 months in prison, black militantAngela Davis was released on bail when a white farmer posted most of the required $102,500.[73]
Twenty-eight men on board the Soviet nuclear submarineK-19 were killed when fires broke out in three of its compartments while the sub was submerged. The twelve survivors remained trapped inside the sub as it was towed, over the next three weeks, from the Arctic Ocean back to theKola Peninsula.[75]
For the first time since theParis Peace Talks (concerning theVietnam War) three years earlier, the two Communist delegations walked out of a session. The groups were protesting the recent surge in bombing by the United States. The talks resumed the following week. The bombings had been in response to a North Vietnamese military build up, threatening large portions of South Vietnam.[76]
Richard Chelimo, Kenyan long-distance runner who held the world record for five days in 1993 for the 10,000-meter race; in theMarakwet District (died of a brain tumor, 2001)[78]
TheBuffalo Creek flood killed 125 people inLogan County, West Virginia, after acoal slurry impoundment dam gave way at 8:05 a.m., during heavy rains.[80] Over the next several minutes, 132 million US gallons (500,000 cubic metres; 500 million litres) of coal waste and water in a wave over the communities in its path.[81]
TheAddis Ababa Agreement was signed at the palace of Ethiopia's EmperorHaile Selassie, bringing an end to theFirst Sudanese Civil War after more than 17 years and more than 500,000 deaths. Ezboni Mondiri Gwonza of theSouth Sudan Liberation Movement, andSudan's Foreign Minister, Mansour Khalid, signed an agreement to end fighting in return for recognition by the Islamic governments of political and religious autonomy for the people living in the southern half of the nation. The agreement lasted until 1983, when fighting broke out again.[83]
TheShanghai Communiqué was issued jointly by President Richard M. Nixon of the United States and Prime MinisterZhou Enlai of thePeople's Republic of China. The two leaders agreed that normalization of relations between the U.S. and the PRC was in the interest of both nations.[84]
The New York Times carried on its front page the troublesomeWorld3 forecast of a group atMIT for the century ahead, writing that began "A major computer study of world trends has concluded, as many have feared, that mankind probably faces an uncontrollable and disastrous collapse of its society within 100 years unless it moves speedily to establish a 'global equilibrium' in which growth of population and industrial output are halted." The study, soon published asThe Limits to Growth, was funded by theClub of Rome.[85]
Before departing the People's Republic of China following an historicvisit, President Nixon of the United States signed theShanghai Communiqué with Premier Zhou of China, setting out agreements to improve diplomatic relations and to prevent the hegemony of any nation (including the Soviet Union) over the "Asia-Pacific Region".[86]
"We now have evidence that the settlement of the Nixon administration's biggest antitrust case was privately arranged between Atty. Gen. John Mitchell and the top lobbyist for the company involved", was the opener toJack Anderson's syndicated column. "We have this on the word of the lobbyist herself, crusty, capable Dita Beard of the International Telephone and Telegraph Co. She acknowledged the secret deal after we obtained a highly incriminating memo, written by her, from ITT's files."[87] The subsequent investigation by the Nixon Administration into the source of leaked information was one of seven improper activities cited by the Watergate Committee in its final report.[88]
^"Irving Book Is Hoax, SaysTime",Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1972, p1; "The Fabulous Hoax of Clifford Irving",Time, February 21, 1972
^"Barry Directs Nets To 129–121 Triumph", BridgeportTelegram, 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
^Antarctic Challenge: Conflicting Interests, Cooperation, Environmental Protection, Economic Development (Duncker and Humblot, 1984), p99
^"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, SaysTime",Oakland Tribune, February 13, 1972, p2;
^"Medal Standings",Oakland Tribune, February 14, 1972, p37
^M. Paul Holsinger,War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999), p38
^"Nixon Lifts Some China Trade Bans",Oakland Tribune, February 14, 1972, p1
^"Death Penalty Is Illegal, High Court Rules"Oakland Tribune, February 18, 1972, p1
^"Five New POWS on Hanoi Radio",Oakland Tribune, February 20, 1972, p1
^Kathleen Fearn-Banks,Historical Dictionary of African-American Television (Scarecrow Press, 2006), p12
^Frederick J. Spencer,Jazz and Death: Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats (University Press of Mississippi, 2002), p75; "Jazz Trumpeter Morgan Slain",Oakland Tribune, February 20, 1972, p.36
^"China TV Cost: Over $3 million",Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach CA), February 27, 1972, Tele-Vues section p23
^Glenn Povey,Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd (Mind Head Publishing, 2007) pp154-155
^Yafeng Xia,Negotiating With the Enemy: U.S.-China Talks During the Cold War, 1949–1972 (Indiana University Press, 2006), p193;"Now, in Living Color from China",Time, February 28, 1972
^Rosemarie Said Zahlan,The Creation of Qatar (Barnes & Noble Books, 1979), p112
^"Angela Freed as Judge Grants Bail",Oakland Tribune, February 24, 1972. Rodger McAfee's neighbors inCaruthers, California, were infuriated and his four sons were expelled from school."Freed Angela",Time, March 6, 1972
^Lead in the Human Environment: A Report (National Academy of Sciences, 1980), p469
^Polmar, Norman; Moore, Kenneth J. (2004).Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines.Brassey's. p. 113.
^"Reds Walk Out of Paris Talk".Oakland Tribune. February 24, 1972. p. 1.
^"Manon Rheaume".whockey.com.Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2018.
^Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins,Requiem for the Sudan: War, Drought, and Disaster Relief on the Nile (Westview Press, 1995), pp 7–10
^"History of U.S.-China Ties: Steps in Long Journey",Los Angeles Times, August 23, 1977, p.I-18
^Charles T. Rubin,The Green Crusade: Rethinking the Roots of Environmentalism (Rowman and Littlefield, 1994), p130; "Mankind Warned of Perils in Growth",The New York Times, February 27, 1972, p1
^Robert G. Sutter,Historical Dictionary of United States-China Relations (Scarecrow Press 2006), p152
^"Mitchell Settled ITT Case", Jack Anderson,San Antonio News-Express, February 29, 1972, p7-B
^The Senate Watergate report: The Final Report (1974), p206
