From top to bottom, left to right: the
Watergate scandal begins with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, leading to a major U.S. political crisis; U.S. President
Richard Nixon makes a historic
visit to China, opening diplomatic relations between the two nations; the
1972 Summer Olympics in Munich are marred by the
Munich massacre as terrorists attack Israeli athletes;
Apollo 17 launches as the final mission of the Apollo program, marking humanity’s last crewed Moon landing of the 20th century;
Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland sees British troops shoot unarmed protesters, intensifying the Troubles; the
1972 Iran blizzard kills thousands, becoming one of the deadliest blizzards in history; the
Magnavox Odyssey is released, pioneering home video game consoles;
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes, leading to a harrowing survival story; and the
1972 Nicaragua earthquake devastates Managua, killing thousands and leaving much of the city in ruins.