History: The Year is 1972

I've uploaded year 1972 to the TSP Wiki...

http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1972

As always, Alex Shrugged's opinions are his own. Other people's work are their own. I include them here for the sake of completeness and to provide a second method of access to the material for the TSP history segment.




Note: Southpaw Ben's segment is forthcoming. Check the wiki URL above.

* The World-Wide Danger of Global Cooling -- Contributed by Alex Shrugged

* The Munich Massacre and the Wrath of God -- Contributed by Alex Shrugged

* Notable Births -- See below.

* This Year in Film -- See below.

* This Year in Music -- See below.

* This Year in Videogames -- See below.

* In Other News -- See below.

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The World-Wide Danger of Global Cooling

Contributed by Alex Shrugged
As everyone knows, we are headed toward another ice age. No one is panicking, with the possible exception of the news media and science fiction writers, but the trend is clear. If "The Bomb" doesn't get us (meaning an atomic bomb landing on our heads) then the follow-on nuclear winter certainly will. It's only a matter of time. The English meteorologist, Hubert Lamb, has opened a small research facility to look into the problem. It is an exaggeration to call it an institute right now, but in time Dr. Lamb's theories will set the world on fire... uh... I mean, send an icy chill through the scientific community and the general public. In two years predictions of an arctic expansion reaching New York will become science fact. Global Cooling is real. Believe it. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

"The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality."

-- Peter Gwynne writing for Newsweek, April 28, 1975.

My Take by Alex Shrugged
Newsweek was late to the party. I remember as far back as 1966 worrying about a coming ice age. In fact, I wrote a short story about it which is now mercifully missing. By the time Newsweek and Science News got the story, Global Cooling was a reality and global famine was inevitable. (Stock up on canned goods now!) Peter Gwynne eventually retracted his article on Global Cooling, but it took him 31 FRICKIN' YEARS to do it. Thanks, Pete. Thanks a lot. Dr. Lamb was soon boasting an honorary doctorate for his work in climate science. Once he realized that the cooling trend had turned into a warming trend he switched to Global Warming and then Global Climate Change. He passed away almost 10 years ago, but his work lives on... like Frankenstein's Monster. ^[4]

The Munich Massacre and the Wrath of God

Contributed by Alex Shrugged
In short, 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team are taken hostage by 8 Palestinian terrorists in Munich and then murdered. The Palestinians are part of the Black September movement, an offshoot of the PLO. They have been hijacking planes, blowing things up and causing general mayhem to draw world attention to the plight of the Palestinians. (Say nothing, Alex. Keep going.) After negotiations break down the terrorists demand a plane. The West Germans fly the terrorists and the hostages to an air field. The plan is to ambush them, but the German police are not prepared to follow through. At this point everything goes straight to Gehenom. (It's like Hell.) Grenades are thrown into the helicopters, killing the hostages. Five Palestinians are killed by police and 3 are captured. A month later, the West Germans release the 3 captured Palestinians after Black September hijacks a Lufthansa flight. These terrorists cannot be stopped by normal means, so the Israeli Mossad will stop them by other means. Operation "Wrath of God" is on. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

My Take by Alex Shrugged
Did Israeli assassins really hunt down the Black September terrorists? It was a secret operation, but it is reasonable to assume that such an operation was carried out. Thereafter, Palestinians connected with the Black September movement dropped dead in various violent and unaccountable ways. About 12 years ago, Steven Spielberg launched a movie entitled "Munich". It is a fictionalized account of the massacre and the Israeli assassination team hunting for the terrorists. It is unaccountably sympathetic to the terrorists. Granted, it must be stressful knowing that a bullet with your name on it might hit you between the eyes at any moment, but the Israeli athletes were shot for being Israelis. The Palestinian terrorists were shot for what they did. Payment was due. I am OK with that. ^{[9] [10]}

Notable Births

• Nikki Haley: Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Ambassador to the UN. (Sorry, Nikki, but someone has to do it.--alexshrugged) ^{[11] [12]}

• Scott Peterson: Currently on death row for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci. ^[11]

• Wil Wheaton: Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. ^[11]

• -- In Movies... Ben Affleck, Cameron Diaz, and Gwyneth Paltrow. ^[11]

• -- In Music... Brad Paisley, and Eminem. ^[11]

• -- In Sports... Terrell Davis, Drew Bledsoe, and Shaquille O'Neal. ^[11]

This Year in Film

• The Godfather: A mobster pulls strings while politicians pull his strings. ^[13]

• The Poseidon Adventure: A disillusioned clergyman leads survivors through an overturned ocean liner. ^[13]

• Behind the Green Door: A pornographic, feature-length film and 3rd highest-grossing film this year. ^[13]

• Fritz the Cat: An X-rated animated film and 9th highest-grossing film this year. ^[13]

NOTE: Pornography breaks into the Top Ten in terms of gross sales. It is a striking change in societal norms.--alexshrugged

This Year in TV

• M*A*S*H: The Korean War is played for laughs. (After Hogan's Heroes, anything is possible.--alexshrugged) ^[14]

• Kung Fu: A martial arts expert travels the wild west beating up cowboys. ^[14]

• The Waltons: John-Boy reminisces about growing up on the family farm. ^[14]

• Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve begins. It will continue after he passes away. ^[14]

• The Home Box Office channel launches: It will become "HBO" three years later. ^[14]

This Year in Music

• I Am Woman (Hear me Roar): Helen Reddy. ^{[15] [16]}

• American Pie: Don McLean. "I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died." ^{[15] [17]}

• Day by Day: from the off Broadway musical, Godspell. "Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day." ^{[15] [18]}

• The US extends federal copyright to recordings: Before this time, individual states handled the issue... or they didn't handle it at all. ^[15]

This Year in Video Games

• The Magnavox Odyssey game console is released: Essentially, it is a tennis game with three dots and a line! ^{[19] [20]}

• Atari's Pong is a hit at the arcades: It is arguably a clone of the Odyssey game above. Atari is sued and loses, but in the long run, Magnavox is toast. ^[19]

In Other News

• The first scientific calculator appears: It's the HP-35. It sells for $395 which is over $2200 in 2015 dollars. ^[21]

• George Carlin is arrested for obscenity: Remember the "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television"? Well, you can't say them on stage either. ^{[21] [22]}

• Jane Fonda is photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun: She apologizes later... much later. ^[21]

• Nixon goes to China: I guess the ping pong tournament worked. Mao looks dead in the photos, but his demise is 4 years away. (I can't wait!--alexshrugged) ^[21]

This Year in Wikipedia

Year 1972, Wikipedia.