DECEMBER 5, 1972

TUESDAY
1972 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1972
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $168,834 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$1.90
Median Home Price$28,320.00
Gas Price Avg$0.53
Bread Price Avg$0.29
Movie Ticket Avg$1.80
First Class Stamp$0.08
Milk Price Avg$1.44
Top Movies From 1972
Show screen release and event cards
1 The Godfather
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The Godfather
2 The Poseidon Adventure
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The Poseidon Adventure
3 What's Up, Doc?
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What's Up, Doc?
4 Deliverance
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Deliverance
5 Jeremiah Johnson
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Jeremiah Johnson
6 Cabaret
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Cabaret
7 The Getaway
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The Getaway
8 Last Tango in Paris
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Last Tango in Paris
9 Lady Sings the Blues
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Lady Sings the Blues
10 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*
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Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*
The Cowboys
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The Cowboys
Super Fly
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Super Fly
The Hot Rock
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The Hot Rock
The Ruling Class
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The Ruling Class
The Culpepper Cattle Co.
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The Culpepper Cattle Co.
The Revengers
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The Revengers
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Frogs
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Frogs
Pink Flamingos
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Pink Flamingos
Silent Running
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Silent Running
The Other
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The Other
Fritz the Cat
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Fritz the Cat
Play It Again, Sam
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Play It Again, Sam
Fat City
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Fat City
Boxcar Bertha
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Boxcar Bertha
The King of Marvin Gardens
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The King of Marvin Gardens
Napoleon and Samantha
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Napoleon and Samantha
Junior Bonner
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Junior Bonner
The Mechanic
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The Mechanic
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
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Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
Snoopy, Come Home
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Snoopy, Come Home
Joe Kidd
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Joe Kidd
The Candidate
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The Candidate
Prime Cut
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Prime Cut
1776
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1776
A Clockwork Orange
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A Clockwork Orange
Sounder
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Sounder
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
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The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
Dirty Harry
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Dirty Harry
Fiddler on the Roof
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Fiddler on the Roof
Harold and Maude
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Harold and Maude
Straw Dogs
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Straw Dogs
Duel
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Duel

December 5, 1972 Trivia

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Television from this era · December 5, 1972
Sesame Street poster
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Sesame Street
Bonanza poster
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Bonanza
Bewitched poster
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Bewitched
M*A*S*H poster
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M*A*S*H
Adam-12 poster
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Adam-12
The Waltons poster
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The Waltons
Lassie poster
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Lassie
Mannix poster
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Mannix

Exact-date daily brief

December 5, 1972

On December 5, 1972, Donald Rumsfeld was appointed as the United States envoy to NATO, taking over from David Kennedy. This transition comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tension in the Cold War era, as the U.S. seeks to st...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of December 1972

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Video Game Console (Magnavox Odyssey)
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Video Game Console (Magnavox Odyssey)
2 C Language
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C Language
3 Computed Tomography Commercial Use
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Computed Tomography Commercial Use
4 Inkjet Printing Concept
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Inkjet Printing Concept
5 Optical Disc Storage Concept
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Optical Disc Storage Concept
6 Automotive Airbag Prototype
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Automotive Airbag Prototype
7 Email Protocol Standardization
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Email Protocol Standardization
8 Electric Wheelchair Control System
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Electric Wheelchair Control System
9 Digital Signal Processing Theory
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Digital Signal Processing Theory
10 Reusable Spacecraft Studies
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Reusable Spacecraft Studies

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From December 5, 1972

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Rumsfeld Appointed NATO Envoy. Impact: Rumsfeld’s appointment led to a series of international diplomatic faux pas, including the accidental gifting of a giant rubber chicken to NATO. This subtly shifted the balance of power in Europe, resulting in a decade-long obsession with poultry puns in diplomatic circles. Fact: Did you know that Donald Rumsfeld was once a champion pancake flipper? Unfortunately, that skill didn’t translate to his diplomatic career.
  • Headline: High-Profile NYC Apartment Burglary. Impact: This burglary triggered a nationwide trend of elaborate home security systems, including the invention of the ‘invisible fence’ for humans, which has since become a thing of urban legend. Fact: Fun fact: $40,000 worth of jewelry can buy you a small car or a lifetime supply of avocado toast, depending on your priorities.
  • Headline: Borough President Critiques Transit Cuts. Impact: Leone’s complaints about subway service resulted in the creation of a new NYC motto: 'At least you’re not walking.' This led to a period of extreme sarcasm in municipal advertising. Fact: Did you know that the NYC subway was originally designed with the express purpose of making sure no one ever arrives on time?.
  • Headline: Fire Knocks Out Elevators. Impact: The elevator mishap led to a citywide panic about heights, inspiring a generation of New Yorkers to take the stairs and inadvertently kickstarting the fitness craze of the 1970s. Fact: Elevators were invented in the 19th century, yet somehow we still manage to get stuck in them. Talk about a time loop!.
  • Headline: Strong Quake Jolts Japan. Impact: The earthquake, while terrifying, led to the invention of a new form of therapy — ‘Shake-It-Off Therapy’ — which encourages people to embrace life’s tremors with a positive attitude. Fact: Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes a year. At this point, they might as well start offering earthquake survival classes at the local community center!.
  • Headline: Mayor Visits the John V. Lindsay Park in Jerusalem. Impact: This visit inadvertently led to an annual event where mayors from around the world compete in ‘Longest Park Tour,’ causing confusion and a lot of sore feet. Fact: John V. Lindsay Park is named after a mayor who famously thought that parks should always be free — which is a nice idea until you have to pay for park maintenance!.
  • Headline: 13 Harlem Schools Still Closed As 2 Brooklyn Boycotts Begin. Impact: The school closures sparked a wave of grassroots movements advocating for educational reform, but also an equally strong rise in the popularity of home-schooling — and parents’ sanity took a nosedive. Fact: The last time Brooklyn parents boycotted a school, it resulted in a trendy new café called ‘The Parent Trap’ — because nothing says protest like overpriced lattes.
  • Headline: The Theater: ‘Say When’. Impact: The play’s success led to a decade-long obsession with vague titles in theater, resulting in productions like ‘Maybe Someday’ and ‘Not Quite Sure’ which left audiences thoroughly confused. Fact: Did you know that the phrase ‘Say When’ was originally used to tell people when to stop pouring drinks? Now, it’s just a confusing title for a play!.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1972
$0.61
Stored value
$343,942

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1972, it would be worth $343,942 today (343.9x return)

Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1972
$0.54
Stored value
$269,286

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1972, it would be worth $269,286 today (269.3x return)

Rank #3
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1972
$0.51
Stored value
$292,010

Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1972, it would be worth $292,010 today (292.0x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
The Amazing Spider-Man #121
The Amazing Spider-Man #121
$1,500
Swamp Thing #1
Swamp Thing #1
$200
Marvel Spotlight #5
Marvel Spotlight #5
$42,000
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1
$300
The Tomb of Dracula #10
The Tomb of Dracula #10
$600
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Pong Home Console
Pong Home Console
$1,500.00
Uno
Uno
$700.00
Weebles
Weebles
$150.00
Shrinky Dinks
Shrinky Dinks
$25.00
Lite-Brite
Lite-Brite
$150.00
🎮 Top 5 Video Games
Pong
Pong
$50.00
Magnavox Odyssey (console and multiple games)
Magnavox Odyssey (console and multiple games)
$1,500.00
Table Tennis
Table Tennis
$1,656.00
Shooting Gallery
Shooting Gallery
$150.00
Football
Football
$288.75
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Roberto Clemente Topps #309
Roberto Clemente Topps #309
$250,000
Willie Mays Topps #49
Willie Mays Topps #49
$100,000
Nolan Ryan Topps #595
Nolan Ryan Topps #595
$70.00
Pete Rose Topps #559
Pete Rose Topps #559
$66,000.00
Wilt Chamberlain Topps #1
Wilt Chamberlain Topps #1
$37,800