What will the new year hold? Will history repeat itself? It's impossible to say. Here's a look at the impact of events big and small that occurred decades ago.
2012: Events we will remember —
What will the new year hold? Will history repeat itself? It's impossible to say. Here's a look at the impact of events big and small that occurred decades ago.
President John F. Kennedy addresses the nation regarding the Soviet Union's buildup of missiles in Cuba. The crisis was eventually resolved with the U.S. removing missiles from Italy and Turkey and the USSR dismantling weapons in Cuba.
October 22, 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis —
President John F. Kennedy addresses the nation regarding the Soviet Union's buildup of missiles in Cuba. The crisis was eventually resolved with the U.S. removing missiles from Italy and Turkey and the USSR dismantling weapons in Cuba.
Two days after scoring 100 points during a game against the New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors Wilt Chamberlain scores again against the Knicks. Unfortunately, the great record-grabbing moment was not captured on camera.
March 2, 1962: Chamberlain scores 100 —
Two days after scoring 100 points during a game against the New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors Wilt Chamberlain scores again against the Knicks. Unfortunately, the great record-grabbing moment was not captured on camera.
Now the largest company in the U.S., Walmart started as Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas. As of November 30, Walmart claims more than 5,400 stores internationally.
July 2, 1962: First Wal-Mart opens —
Now the largest company in the U.S., Walmart started as Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas. As of November 30, Walmart claims more than 5,400 stores internationally.
Getty Images
The debut of the British rhythm and blues band The Rolling Stones was at the Marquee Club in London. They are seen here in 1963, from left, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman.
July 12, 1962: The Rolling Stones' first appearance —
The debut of the British rhythm and blues band The Rolling Stones was at the Marquee Club in London. They are seen here in 1963, from left, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman.
American actress and singer Marilyn Monroe became a major sex symbol before her premature death. The circumstances surrounding her death have caused speculation of whether it was a suicide or homicide.
August 5, 1962: Actress Marilyn Monroes dies —
American actress and singer Marilyn Monroe became a major sex symbol before her premature death. The circumstances surrounding her death have caused speculation of whether it was a suicide or homicide.
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee poses at his office in 2004. Spider-Man's popularity earned the superhero his own comic book, several TV series and in the 2000s, three blockbuster movies.
August 1962: Marvel introduces Spider-Man —
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee poses at his office in 2004. Spider-Man's popularity earned the superhero his own comic book, several TV series and in the 2000s, three blockbuster movies.
A family listens to a Magnavox Concert Grand radio in their home. Hit radio programs "Suspense" and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" aired the last broadcasts in 1962. Many would say this ended the "Golden Age of Radio."
September 30, 1962: End of 'Golden Age of Radio' —
A family listens to a Magnavox Concert Grand radio in their home. Hit radio programs "Suspense" and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" aired the last broadcasts in 1962. Many would say this ended the "Golden Age of Radio."
When Richard Nixon lost the race for California governor in 1962, he gave the media what he called his "last press conference." However, within years, he was elected as president of the United States. He resigned in 1974.
November 7, 1962: Nixon loses California Gov. race —
When Richard Nixon lost the race for California governor in 1962, he gave the media what he called his "last press conference." However, within years, he was elected as president of the United States. He resigned in 1974.
Alabama Gov. George Wallace speaks as a presidential contender at the Democratic National Convention in July 1972. An assassination attempt in May had left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
May 15, 1972: Alabama Gov. George Wallace shot —
Alabama Gov. George Wallace speaks as a presidential contender at the Democratic National Convention in July 1972. An assassination attempt in May had left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
The Watergate Hotel in Washington, headquarters of of the Democratic National Party, was burglarized on June 17, 1972. After the truth began unfolding, then-President Nixon resigned in 1974.
June 17, 1972 : Watergate scandal begins —
The Watergate Hotel in Washington, headquarters of of the Democratic National Party, was burglarized on June 17, 1972. After the truth began unfolding, then-President Nixon resigned in 1974.
American comedian George Carlin's sketch that included what he called the "heavy seven" words landed him in jail, with a fine by the FCC. The case would ultimately go to the U.S. Supreme Court. The "dirty seven," as they became, were deemed prohibitable during hours when children were likely to be in the audience.
July 21, 1972: Comedian George Carlin arrested —
American comedian George Carlin's sketch that included what he called the "heavy seven" words landed him in jail, with a fine by the FCC. The case would ultimately go to the U.S. Supreme Court. The "dirty seven," as they became, were deemed prohibitable during hours when children were likely to be in the audience.
Bobby Fischer, seen in 1971, is thought by many to be one of the greatest chess players of all time. His win against Boris Spassky of the USSR attracted more worldwide attention than any other match.
September 1, 1972: Bobby Fischer is chess champ —
Bobby Fischer, seen in 1971, is thought by many to be one of the greatest chess players of all time. His win against Boris Spassky of the USSR attracted more worldwide attention than any other match.
On September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian group, took the 11 Israeli Olympic athletes hostage, killing two immediately. The next day, during an unsuccessful rescue, the other nine were killed at Munich Airport.
September 5-6, 1972: Munich massacre —
On September 5, 1972, eight members of Black September, a Palestinian group, took the 11 Israeli Olympic athletes hostage, killing two immediately. The next day, during an unsuccessful rescue, the other nine were killed at Munich Airport.
NASA's Apollo 17 launched December 7, 1972, with astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans aboard for a visit to the moon. It would be the last manned mission to the moon to date.
December 7,1972: Last manned moon mission —
NASA's Apollo 17 launched December 7, 1972, with astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans aboard for a visit to the moon. It would be the last manned mission to the moon to date.
2012: Events we will remember

Story highlights

The new year can be looked at through the lens of history

Pundits have been trying to predict 2012 election; better to take breath, look at past

Some events made little impact at time, now loom large

CNN  — 

Fifty years ago this new year, on March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in an NBA game.

Today, it’s one of the great records of professional sports, surrounded by a warm, golden glow. Tens of thousands swear they were there, or watched it on television. The game pitted Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, and so people remember it as having happened at New York’s Madison Square Garden. And it surely dominated every sports page and news broadcast the next day, right?

Try again.

The game took place at the Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. There were 4,124 people on hand, just more than half capacity. No film or video exists; the sole live account is a tape made of the radio broadcast. And it wasn’t that big of a deal at the time. Chamberlain averaged more than 50 points a game that season, so a 100-point game – though exceptional – wasn’t a huge story. And hey, it was in small-town Pennsylvania; the New York papers didn’t even send reporters. (The New York Times picked up an Associated Press story.)

What does that tell us?

As we look ahead to a new year, there may be a “100-point day” on the horizon: a seemingly trivial, poorly chronicled event that ends up looming large. More likely, we’ll be faced with the opposite: a major newsmaker who turns into a footnote in the flash of an optical line.

Either way, in our hyperactive, instant-satisfaction media environment, it helps to let history speak – or at least let it clear its voice.

Already, there are story lines of the new year the past can inform.

Take the narrative that’s likely to dominate 2012: the U.S. presidential election. In 2011, the hot story in the Republican nomination battle seemed to change weekly: first Michele Bachmann, then Rick Perry, then Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Mitt Romney was a shoo-in; Mitt Romney was a loser. President Obama was going to crush the opposition, whomever it was. Then he was going to go down. All this, and the Iowa caucus hasn’t even happened yet.

So let’s look at the past. Forty years ago, at the beginning of 1972, Edmund Muskie was the Democratic front-runner against Richard Nixon. According to some 1971 polls, in fact, he was going to give the president a run for his money.

But in the Iowa caucuses in late January, he tied “Uncommitted” for the win. He won New Hampshire in early March, but his victory was written off because it didn’t meet “expectations” – and George McGovern, who finished a strong second, was anointed the new golden boy. Even McGovern was no guarantee, as he faced challenges from the party’s right flank throughout the campaign.

That year was also shaken by an assassination attempt, as Alabama Gov. George Wallace – a 1968 presidential nominee who won several primaries in 1972 – was shot in May.

By the end of the year, with the hapless McGovern – now the Democratic nominee – having dumped a running mate and Nixon not yet touched by the growing Watergate scandal, the president won in a landslide.

Walmart, from small store to big influence

Other past events may have seemed minor at the time, but cast a long shadow into 2012.

On July 2, 1962, Sam Walton – who’d previously operated a Ben Franklin variety store and his own Walton’s Five and Dime – opened the first Walmart (then “Wal-Mart”) in Rogers, Arkansas. Within 10 years his department store was a regional powerhouse; today it’s the largest company in America.

It also has become a symbol of our present cultural divide, its shoppers derided on websites, its big-box stores accused of having killed small-town Main Streets, its efficiency and pricing studied by academics.

Its success has made the Walton family extremely wealthy – money the clan has, in the time-honored fashion of millionaires throughout history, pumped into charity and culture. Most notably, Sam’s daughter Alice Walton, whose estimated $20.9 billion places her 10th on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans, spearheaded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The Bentonville, Arkansas, museum, which opened in November, has already become a major and controversial player in the acquisition of American art. Could it also change the Walmart image?

One of the primary entertainment trends of recent years – and one with legs into the future – can also be traced back 50 years.

In August 1962, Marvel Comics introduced a new kind of superhero. Peter Parker was a neurotic teenager whose angst was only amplified by his superpowers, which were triggered when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. As Spider-Man, Parker still didn’t have it together, questioning himself even while dispatching such criminals as the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.

Spider-Man wasn’t conceived as anything special – the character first appeared in issue 15 of the Marvel title “Amazing Fantasy” – but his popularity quickly made the superhero the subject of his own comic book, followed by several TV series and, in the 2000s, three blockbuster movies.

The development of comic-book characters into franchises has occurred alongside the growing appreciation of the comic-book genre as art. Director Sam Raimi’s 2002 “Spider-Man” earned both bundles of money and high marks from critics, helping make the Marvel brand – now owned by Disney – one of the most prized in Hollywood.

Spider-Man still has web-slinging to do. In 2012, he’ll appear in a reboot of the movie series. The film, “The Amazing Spider-Man,” is scheduled to open in July.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London may evoke memories of many previous Olympiads, but in today’s terrorist-aware political climate, thoughts of the 1972 Munich games are sadly inescapable. Those Olympics may be celebrated for Mark Spitz’s seven swimming gold medals (a record broken in the 2008 Beijing games by Michael Phelps, who won eight) and recalled for the controversial U.S.-USSR men’s basketball final, but its lasting image may be that of a masked gunman on the balcony of the Olympic Village.

On the morning of September 5, 1972, eight members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Israeli team’s apartments in the Olympic Village and took the 11 Israeli athletes hostage, killing two immediately. The next day, during an unsuccessful rescue at a NATO airbase, the other nine were killed. “They’re all gone,” ABC anchor Jim McKay solemnly said in announcing the news.

The incident has influenced security for each succeeding Olympics, an impact that’s only been heightened by terrorist attacks of the 21st century.

The end of something

And then there are the endings, those events that indicated an old world was receding, though observers didn’t know it at the time.

Fifty years ago, the CBS radio series “Suspense” went off the air. The show had run for 20 years, featured a who’s-who of performers and even lent its tag line – “Tales well-calculated to keep you in ‘Suspense!’ ” – to parody from Mad magazine (which claimed it offered “Tales calculated to drive you Mad!”). Its demise is considered to have brought an end to the “Golden Age of Radio.”

Today, the same might be said for television watching. No, the concept of TV isn’t going anywhere – but in 2011, for the first time, overall TV ownership declined, according to Nielsen. Moreover, the percentage of homes without a television, 3%, is at its highest level since 1975. As more people gravitate to tablets, phones and other technological gadgetry, the financial model of TV itself will evolve.

Forty years ago December 7, Apollo 17 launched with astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans aboard. At the time, few would have believed that manned space exploration was over, but we haven’t sent a manned mission to the moon since. With 2011 marking the end of the space shuttle program, NASA is searching for a new plan. The next year may decide how soon humans leave low-Earth orbit again.

Now that 2011 is over and done with, we can only imagine what will linger. The effects of the Japan tsunami and nuclear accident, surely; the death of Osama bin Laden, probably. But will any observers 50 years hence, or even 10 years from now,- know what a “Kardashian” is, or care about the fate of Casey Anthony? Will anybody admit to remembering Tebowing?

It’s anybody’s guess. Indeed, given that it’s hard enough to look back, looking forward can be even more of a fool’s game.

So perhaps it’s best to end with the words of 1962’s ultimate failure, a politician whose career was obviously over. He was a man who had once aspired to the presidency but suffered a narrow loss two years earlier. Now he had just been trounced in a race for governor, and as he addressed a roomful of journalists in a tense, barely controlled fury.

“I leave you gentlemen now and you will now write it,” the politician said. “You will interpret it. That’s your right. But as I leave you I want you to know – just think how much you’re going to be missing. You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”

Wonder what happened to that guy.