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- David Jones officially changed his stage name to David Bowie.
- David Bowie performed at the Free Festival organized by the Beckenham Arts Lab in Beckenham, London. He later commemorated the event in his song "Memory of a Free Festival".
- David Bowie began recording material at London's Trident Studios that would later become the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The character of Ziggy was initially inspired by British rock'n'roll singer Vince Taylor.
- He played the first of two nights at London’s Rainbow Theatre as part of his then 182-day Ziggy Stardust world tour. The theatrical performance, using various forms of media, delighted critics and audiences. Mick Jagger, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Alice Cooper were reportedly among those in attendance.
- David Bowie performed the second of two sold-out nights at London's Rainbow Theatre as part of his Ziggy Stardust tour.
- David Bowie, as Ziggy Stardust, appeared on the American television show The Midnight Special, marking his US television debut.
- David Bowie performed at London's Rainbow Theatre on August 30, 1972, following his two sold-out concerts there on August 19 and 20. The set included “John, I'm Only Dancing”, which had recently been introduced into the live repertoire.
- David Bowie performed at the Starkers Royal Ballrooms in Boscombe, Australia.
- David Bowie began a run of eight concerts over seven days in England, performing in Doncaster, Manchester, Liverpool, Sunderland, Sheffield and Hanley as part of his 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour.
- He released “John, I'm Only Dancing” in the United Kingdom. It was not released in the United States until 1976.
- David Bowie performed at the Hardrock Concert Theatre in Stretford, Manchester, England.
- David Bowie performed at the Top Rank Suite in Liverpool, England, during his 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour.
- David Bowie performed at the Top Rank in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, during his 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour.
- David Bowie performed at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.
- On October 6, 1972, David Bowie recorded “The Jean Genie” at RCA Studios in New York. It became the lead single from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane and was released on November 24, 1972. It spent 13 weeks on the UK chart and reached No. 2. A line from the lyrics later inspired the Scottish band Simple Minds to choose its name.
- David Bowie performed at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
- David Bowie performed at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
- David Bowie performed at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Recording began on David Bowie's album "Young Americans" at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
- During the recording of David Bowie’s album “Young Americans”, fans kept watch outside Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios and at 5 a.m. were invited into the studio to listen to a playback of the album while Bowie observed their reactions to the music.
- David Bowie performed at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, as part of a series of concerts during the Diamond Dogs Tour, held from September 2 to 8, 1974.
- David Bowie performed at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- David Bowie moved to West Berlin, or according to one version to West Germany, to escape Los Angeles and deal with his personal problems and drug addiction. This period laid the foundation for his Berlin Trilogy; Bowie also worked with Iggy Pop on the albums “The Idiot” and “Lust for Life” and with Brian Eno, while the song “Heroes” also came from this period.
- “Ashes to Ashes” reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart, where it remained for two weeks. For David Bowie, it was his second UK number-one single and his first since “Space Oddity” in 1975. The song came from the album “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” and continued the story of Major Tom from “Space Oddity”. At the time of its release, it was his fastest-selling single. The video cost £250,000, making it the most expensive music video ever made at that time.
- David Bowie released the single “Ashes to Ashes”.
- David Bowie released “Ashes to Ashes”, which reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song continued the story of the character Major Tom.
- David Bowie released the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps).
- David Bowie performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona.
- David Bowie performed at Scope arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
- The film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, starring David Bowie, premiered in New York.
- A David Bowie convention, or according to the source variants a worldwide gathering of his fans, was held at the Cunard Hotel in London. According to the source variants, the event presented the largest collection of Bowie memorabilia assembled up to that time, or was the first fan gathering dedicated to Bowie. Among those attending were his former dance teacher, manager, guitarist, archivist, and photographer.
- David Bowie released his sixteenth studio album, Tonight. The album followed the success of Let's Dance and featured “Blue Jean”, “Loving the Alien” and the title track, a duet with Tina Turner. It also included three songs originally recorded by Iggy Pop, including “Tonight” and “Neighborhood Threat”. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
- David Bowie reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with the album Tonight. The album included, among other songs, the single “Blue Jean.”
- David Bowie reached No. 1 in the UK with his sixteenth studio album Tonight, which included the single “Blue Jean.” The album also reached No. 1 in the Netherlands and the Top 10 in ten other countries.
- David Bowie appeared on the cover of Architectural Digest magazine. According to the source, he was the first person to appear on the cover in four years.
- David Bowie launched his own internet service, Bowienet. The service offered basic internet services as well as exclusive news and releases related to Bowie.
- In a music poll by London's Time Out magazine ranking the greatest stars of the previous 30 years, David Bowie came in first. The Beatles were second, Bob Marley third, James Brown fourth, and Marvin Gaye fifth.
- David Bowie released the album Hours…
- David Bowie released the album “Hours...”, which was first made available as a complete digital album for download over the Internet. It became the first complete album by a major artist to be officially released in this way. The physical CD followed in October 1999.
- David Bowie offered a virtual guided tour of the controversial exhibition “Sensation: Young British Artists From The Saatchi Collection” on his official website. The exhibition included, among other works, Damien Hirst's shark suspended in formaldehyde, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” and Tracey Emin's tent, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995.”
- David Bowie appeared posthumously in the series Twin Peaks: The Return. David Lynch used archival footage of Bowie from the film Fire Walk with Me to incorporate his character, FBI agent Phillip Jeffries, into the new series.
- The bandstand at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, where David Bowie performed on August 16, 1969, shortly after the release of "Space Oddity", was granted Grade II listed status. Bowie performed there at a one-day festival he helped organize, which later inspired the song "Memory of a Free Festival".
- David Bowie was named the most influential British artist of the previous 50 years in a Sky Arts poll, thanks to his ability to transcend music, film and fashion. Other musicians in the ranking included Spice Girls, Elton John, Stormzy and Boy George.
- It was discovered that David Bowie had begun work on another project before his death. In his own notes, he described it as an “18th-century musical” titled The Spectator. Its existence was unknown until it was discovered locked away in his study. The materials were later donated to the V&A museum along with another part of Bowie's archive. Had it been completed, the musical would have fulfilled one of Bowie's lifelong ambitions.