Born in 1972
Turns 54 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1972
1972 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $50.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $50.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $50.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $50.50
Front Page: Australia edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1972 · Australia
A little history to go with their gift.
Apollo 17 completed the final crewed lunar landing, combining rover journeys with field geology. Atari’s Pong made electronic play easy to learn and watch, while Bobby Fischer’s victory over Boris Spassky ended 24 years of Soviet control of the world chess title.
What happened in 1972?
Aboriginal Tent Embassy opens in Canberra
The camp became a lasting focal point for advocacy on land rights, sovereignty and self-determination.
Nixon opens a door to China
Nixon's February 1972 visit to China brought the American president to Beijing and began a diplomatic opening between two Cold War powers.
Fischer defeats Spassky in Reykjavik
Fischer's victory over Spassky ended 24 years of Soviet control of the world chess title and became a Cold War sporting drama.
Bardeen Cooper and Schrieffer share a physics prize
The Nobel Prize recognized Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer for their jointly developed theory of superconductivity. The award brought attention to work that helped physicists explain how some materials conduct electricity without ordinary resistance.
Nobel Prize Outreach · U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
Firsts and new ideas
Apollo 17 closes the Moon programme
NASA's Apollo 17 carried the final crewed lunar landing from 7 to 19 December 1972, combining rover journeys with field geology.
HP-35 ends the slide-rule habit
The HP-35 put trigonometric and logarithmic calculations into a handheld product, giving scientists and students a practical alternative to slide rules.
Number ones and music in 1972
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Imagine began the year at No. 1
John Lennon's Imagine was No. 1 on Go-Set's Australian singles chart on 1 January 1972.
David Bowie releases Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972, introducing the album’s fictional rock-star character to listeners.
Prices and everyday money in 1972
Australia figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Bread, delivered (about 2 lb loaf) | about 33 cents | per about 2 lb loaf Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Tea (½ lb equivalent) | about 33 cents | per ½ lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Sugar (2 lb equivalent) | about 22 cents | per 2 lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| Potatoes (per lb equivalent) | about 7.4 cents | per lb equivalent Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1972 turns 54 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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