Sunday, May 21, 1972 · Brooklyn, New York
The world the day The Notorious B.I.G. was born
The Notorious B.I.G., the rapper, arrived on a Sunday in Brooklyn, New York. This is what was on the radio, in the sky and on the price tags that day.
#1 that week
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
Roberta Flack
The moon
waxing gibbous
Star sign
♊ Gemini
Year of the Rat
U.S. president
Richard Nixon
On every radio
The song at #1 the week The was born
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks, taking over from “A Horse With No Name”.
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Cost of living
What things cost in 1972
U.S. averages for the year The Notorious B.I.G. was born, next to the latest figures (Jul 2025).
- Postage stamp8¢ → 78¢ today (9.8×)
- Median new home$27,525 → $393,300 today (14×)
- Minimum wage$1.60 → $7.25 today (4.5×)
In the news
The year 1972
- Jan 9 · The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, ending a 33-game winning streak, the longest in major American professional team sports.
- Jan 30 · Pakistan leaves the Commonwealth of Nations in protest of its recognition of breakaway Bangladesh.
- May 15 · The Ryukyu Islands were returned to Japan by the United States, and the U.S. occupation government was abolished.
- May 21 · Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
- Jun 17 · Five men were arrested for attempted burglary on the offices of the Democratic National Committee, igniting the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of US president Richard Nixon more than two years later.
Born around the same time
The Notorious B.I.G. shares a birth year with…
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Questions
When was The Notorious B.I.G. born?
The Notorious B.I.G. was born on Sunday, May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York.
What day of the week was The Notorious B.I.G. born?
A Sunday. May 21, 1972 fell on a Sunday.
What was the #1 song when The Notorious B.I.G. was born?
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week The Notorious B.I.G. was born. It spent 6 weeks at #1.
What is The Notorious B.I.G.’s zodiac sign?
The Notorious B.I.G. is a Gemini (born May 21), and was born in the Chinese year of the Rat.
What was the moon like when The Notorious B.I.G. was born?
A waxing gibbous moon, about 68% lit, on the night of May 21, 1972.
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