The Munich massacre occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics, when members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village and took eleven members of the Israeli team hostage, killing two of them at once. The attackers demanded the release of prisoners held in Israel. A rescue attempt by West German police at a military airfield at Fürstenfeldbruck failed, and all the remaining hostages were killed, together with a police officer and five of the attackers. The Games were suspended for a day and then continued. The attack led West Germany to set up a special counter-terrorism unit, GSG 9, and Israel launched covert operations against those it held responsible.
Before and after
- 23 June 1972Birth of Zinedine Zidane
- 23 June 1972Title IX is signed into law in the United States
- 15 August 1972Birth of Ben Affleck
- 30 August 1972Birth of Cameron Diaz
- September 1972Munich massacre
- 1 September 1972Bobby Fischer wins the World Chess Championship
- 6 September 1972Birth of Idris Elba
- 27 September 1972Birth of Gwyneth Paltrow
- 17 October 1972Birth of Eminem
More in Society, economy & sport
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- 1950Origins of Formula One
- 8 August 1967Founding of ASEAN
- 10 December 1987Rise of Hamas
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- from 15 November 2019 to 5 May 2023COVID-19 pandemic
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.