December 1972

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Judge John Sirica begins hearing pretrial motions on the Watergate criminal trial, stating that the political aspect of the break-in will be germane.
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Apollo 17 blasts off, carrying the last two men to walk on the moon: Capt. Eugene Cernan and Dr. Harrison Schmitt.
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An advertisement placed in Variety magazine claims that Frank Zappa will give private instruction in craps, roulette, keno and blackjack -- Frank Zappa Sr., that is, who teaches how to win through mathematics, your place or his.

Citing an inexcusable delay between the seating of the jury and the start of actual court proceedings, the judge in the Pentagon Papers trial in Los Angeles declares a mistrial.
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The all-star orchestral stage version of Tommy plays a one-night-only performance at London's Rainbow Theatre, and is unanimously panned. Of all the performers (including Peter Sellers, Merry Clayton and Richie Havens), only Roger Daltrey and Steve Winwood acquit themselves in their respective roles as Tommy and Tommy's father. Accoring to observers, narrator Pete Townshend appears inebriated. The presentation is recorded and released, charting as high as #5 in early 1973.

Capitol Records has its first Number One hit in more than four years: Helen Reddy's anthemic "I Am Woman." The last Capitol act (besides the Beatles) to do as well was also a woman, Bobbie Gentry, whose Number One hit was "Ode to Billy Joe," in 1967.

The Moody Blues attain their first U.S. Number One record, Seventh Sojourn. It will be their last album of new material for more than five years, as the group's members go off to record and to tour as solo artists.
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Roberta Flack and two members of her backup band are injured while driving into Manhattan. Bassist Jerry Jemon lost control of Flack's new Citroen, totaling the car. He suffers a broken nose and a dislocated shoulder, while guitarist Cornell Dupree has bon fractures and requires plastic surgery. Flack needs surgery on her lip, but is otherwise unhurt, and plans to keep her scheduled European tour, beginning in January.
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James Brown is arrested after a show in Knoxville, Tennessee, and charged with "disorderly conduct." Brown and two members of his entourage were talking to fans about narcotics use when a white man told police the singer was trying to incite a riot (Brown being the same man who so ardently urged blacks to keep the peace after Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968). But after Brown threatens to sue the city for $1 million, the incident is written off by authorities as a "misunderstanding."

Art rockers Genesis play their first date in the U.S. at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. The group, which has yet to place an LP in the Top 200, consists of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks.
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The existence of a White House operation known as "the Plumbers," of which the Watergate break-in may have been a part, is confirmed by an administration spokesperson, though E. Howard Hunt's involvement is denied.

Producer Irwin Allen brings The Poseidon Adventure to the big screen, establishing the Seventies' successful disaster-movie formula.
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Alexander's department store in New York stays open especially late so that Alice Cooper -- wearing silver pants and a "PAUL LIVES" button -- can do his Christmas shopping.

Ringo Starr's film about U.K. rocker Marc Bolan, Born to Boogie, premieres in London.
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A day after the heaviest bombing raids of the war, Henry Kissinger admits that his attempts at the Paris Peace Talks have failed, blaming North Vietnam for the stalled negotiation process.

Becoming the first-ever team to remain undefeated and untied through a regular season, the Miami Dolphins shut out the Baltimore Colts, 16-0.
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Rolling Stone announces the death of Memphis guitarist Ray Jackson, 31, composer of the hits "Who's Makin' Love" and "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right." Jackson died in his home last month from burns suffered in a freak fire. He was a long-time sessionman for Stax Records, playing behind artists like Isaac Hayes, the Emotions, Carla Thomas and Mel and Tim.
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Former Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight shows up at a benefit show staged by the group, armed with two deputy sheriffs and a twenty-foot moving van. Knight carries a court order that gives him the right to seize and hold $1 million in money or assets pending settlement of several lawsuits between the two parties. But because the show for the Phoenix House drug rehabilitation center can't go on without the equipment, Knight is told by lawmen not to touch the amps or drums until after the concert.
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A concert by Manfred Mann and His Earth Band is cut short by Miami police, sparking a two-hour riot by students at the University of Miami. Because nearby residents had complained about the group's volume, the power to the P.A. is cut during the encore. As the battle rages, Mann and his men hide in a dressing room.

Former weakling and mail-order strongman Charles Atlas dies.

The Godfather outgrosses Gone With the Wind to become the most popular move to date.
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Most popular music, books and film - 1972: Robert Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (pop single); Chicago's Chicago V (pop album); Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" (R&B single); Freddie Hart's "My Hang-Up Is You" (C&W single); Herman Wouk's The Winds of War (fiction); Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (nonfiction); The Godfather (film).
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