December 1972 - December 16, 1972 (Saturday)

December 16, 1972 (Saturday)

• At the village of Wiriamu in Mozambique, at that time a colony of Portugal, Portuguese troops executed a massacre of the residents —men, women and children— in retaliation for the ambush of a patrol the day before. At least 328 bodies were buried later, although observers concluded that the number of persons killed was more than 400. Like Lidice, Wiriamu was razed. Unlike Lidice, it was never rebuilt.
• The Apollo 17 orbiter began its return to Earth, as the America became the last manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon.
• Six people were killed in a small plane crash in Cheektowaga, NY. The pilot of a twin engine Cessna 421 was unable to return to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and slammed into two homes killing his two passengers and 3 people on the ground.