By the Numbers in 1972
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
56.3 years
US Life Expectancy
56.9 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$151.58
Dow Jones Index
864
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
132
How Much Did Things Cost in 1972?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £7,374 | $27,600 |
| Average salary | £1,920 | $10,200 |
| Pint of milk | 5p | $0.36 |
| Loaf of bread | 11p | $0.25 |
| Dozen eggs | 28p | $0.52 |
| Pint of beer | 14p | $0.75 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | 35p | $0.36 |
| Cinema ticket | 35p | $1.70 |
Technology and Inventions in 1972
Hewlett-Packard released the HP-35, the first handheld scientific calculator, making the slide rule obsolete overnight. Home entertainment meant three TV channels in the UK, and Pong brought video gaming into arcades. Landsat 1, the first Earth-observation satellite, launched.
- ● HP-35 scientific calculator goes on sale
- ● Atari founded; Pong becomes the first commercially successful video game
- ● Landsat 1 satellite launches for Earth observation
- ● Magnavox Odyssey becomes the first home video game console
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