When I celebrated my 50th birthday earlier this year, I started paying close attention to other people and things that were also turning 50. Cheers to a half century!

Celebrities Born in 1972

All of these spectacularly interesting and beautiful people turned 50 in 2022: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Eminem, Ben Affleck, Cameron Diaz, Maya Rudolph, Sofia Vergara, Jenny McCarthy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Garner, Carmen Electra, Josh Duhamel, Jude Law, Alyssa Milano, Keyshawn Johnson, Selma Blair, The Notorious B.I.G., Common, Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, Nicole Eggert, etc…

What companies were founded in 1972?

Atari
Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. My personal favorite Atari games were PacMan and Frogger.

Bass Pro Shops
Johnny Morris founded Bass Pro Shops in 1972 on eight square feet of space in the back of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri. Today, he has earned a reputation as “The Walt Disney of the Outdoors” and a noted conservationist on a mission to connect everyone with nature. I’m actually heading to the Bass Pro near me in Arundel Mills tonight for some Christmas shopping!

Burlington Stores
Burlington Stores began in 1972 as a family run business, with one store in Burlington, New Jersey. In those early days, serving the customer was about delivering a broad selection of off-price coats and outerwear, hence the original name was Burlington Coat Factory. In the following four decades, the product selection expanded to include baby, home, beauty and the name changed to Burlington Stores. Back in the early 2000s, Burlington was the hot spot for baby product shopping for me!

Carnival Cruise Lines
Although the name Carnival Corporation didn’t come into existence until 1994, the foundation for the company was laid when its flagship brand, Carnival Cruise Lines, was formed in 1972 by cruise industry pioneer, the late Ted Arison.

I’ve been on many cruises, but my first trip on Carnival was in September 2022, cruising from Baltimore to Bermuda. In the past I’d heard that Carnival was the ‘party’ cruise line and it wasn’t as fancy or reputable as other cruise lines. I’m here to say, “Not true.” I would go on another Carnival Cruise in a heartbeat! The cabin was spacious, the crew was so nice. The amenities were top-rate. The food was excellent – best desserts I’ve eaten on a cruise ship! 

Hobby Lobby
In 1972, David Green opened the first Hobby Lobby store in northwest Oklahoma City. A Christian-owned company, Hobby Lobby incorporates American conservative values and Christian media. The business and its owners have been the subject of recent controversies.

HBO
In 1972, the Home Box Office (HBO) pay television network was founded by Charles Dolan as a joint venture between Sterling Communications and its co-partner, Time Life Broadcast Inc.

iHeartMedia
Founded by Lowry Mays and B. J. “Red” McCombs in 1972, iHeartMedia is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem is a commercial provider of weight loss products and services headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Nutrisystem’s initial product in 1972 was a liquid protein diet.

Popeyes
Alvin C. Copeland Sr., opened “Chicken on the Run” in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi, serving traditional Southern-fried chicken. After several months of lackluster performance, the restaurant was reopened as “Popeyes” (after Popeye Doyle of The French Connection), selling spicy, New Orleans-style chicken. Home of the best spicy chicken sandwich, in my opinion!

Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday was born out of a $10,000 endowment that founder Sandy Beall had received from a friend and operator of several Pizza Huts to open his own restaurant. Beall took the name from The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” song after a suggestion by one of several fraternity brothers who were co-investors. There are no open Ruby Tuesday restaurants near me in Maryland right now, but I always enjoyed adding on the salad bar to my meal! 

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Safari
San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (1,800 acre preserve) opened to the public in 1972 with 3,000 visitors on the first day. Their 50th birthday is something I noticed when I went to the park in summer 2022.

Tony Roma’s Restaurant
Tony Roma’s is an American casual dining chain restaurant specializing in baby back ribs. The first location was established by the founder, Tony Roma, in 1972 in North Miami, Florida. There aren’t any Tony Roma’s near me right now in Maryland, but that jingle is forever in my head… “I want my baby back, baby back, baby back… ribs!” Those ribs were so good!

Anything I missed that is 50 in 2022? Please comment below!

Author: Alissa Arford, November 30, 2022