WHAT ALL HAPPENED FEBRUARY TO MAY 1972
Find out what all happened February to May 1972

Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time. (15. February 1972)

Sino-American relations: The United States and People's Republic of China sign the Shanghai Communiqué. (28. February 1972)

The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland. (24. March 1972)

Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. (1. February 1972)

The Asama-Sansō hostage standoff begins in Japan. (19. February 1972)

Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model-T. (17. February 1972)

The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets. (2. March 1972)

Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (16. April 1972)

The Thai province of Yasothon is created after being split off from the Ubon Ratchathani province. (1. March 1972)

Seventy-four nations sign the Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of biological weapons. (10. April 1972)

In Tel Aviv, Israel, members of the Japanese Red Army carry out the Lod Airport massacre, killing 24 people and injuring 78 others. (30. May 1972)

José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time. (15. February 1972)

Vietnam War – U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation. (8. May 1972)

Vietnam War: Easter Offensive – American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments. (6. April 1972)

Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s. (2. April 1972)

Vietnam War: Vietnamization – South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam. (29. February 1972)

Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures. (3. March 1972)

Vietnam War: Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. (22. April 1972)

Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – The North Vietnamese 320th Division forces 5,000 South Vietnamese troops to retreat and traps about 2,500 others northwest of Kontum. (25. April 1972)

Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy. (5. May 1972)