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The Israeli Olympic team was taken hostage by terrorists in Munich, resulting in 17 deaths. The Gouzenko Affair triggered the start of the Cold War. Russian Tsar Peter the Great taxed beards. The Gotthard tunnel opened in Switzerland. US President Gerald R. Ford survived two assassination attempts. Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked, resulting in 22 deaths. The United States Continental Congress held its first session. British meteorologists set a world altitude record. The first Labor Day parade took place in New York City. Actress Raquel Welch was born.
The Israeli Olympic team was attacked by terrorists in Munich. (1972) The Palestinian terrorist group “Black September” has taken the team, including the coaches, hostage at the Summer Olympics. The group wanted 230 Arab prisoners released from Israeli jails. 17 people were killed, including a policeman, 11 athletes and five terrorists.
The Cold War began. (1945) A Soviet Union embassy employee named Igor Gouzenko defected to Canada and turned over evidence of Soviet espionage and efforts to gain access to nuclear technology. What became known as the “Gouzenko Affair” is considered to be the event that triggered the start of the Cold War.
Russian Tsar Peter the Great began taxing beards. (1698) The new taxation was an attempt to modernize its citizens from what he believed were archaic traditions.
The longest motorway tunnel in the world has been inaugurated. (1980) The Gotthard tunnel connects the cities of Goschenen and Airolo in Switzerland. It stretches 10.14 miles (about 16.22 kilometers) and was the longest tunnel at the time; it is now the third longest tunnel in the world.
US President Gerald R. Ford avoided an assassination attempt by a follower of Charles Manson, Lynette Fromme. (1975) President Ford’s Secret Service was able to prevent Fromme from shooting. Her protective escort was also able to prevent a second attempt on Ford’s life just three weeks later when Sara Jane Moore tried to shoot him. Both shooters were sentenced to life in prison.
Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked by four gunmen at Karachi International Airport. (1986) The hijackers held the plane and its passengers hostage for 16 hours. The gunmen eventually began shooting at the passengers, killing 22 and wounding more than 150. The four hijackers, who were members of the Palestinian Abu Nidal organization, received death sentences which were later commuted to life sentences. The group’s leader went on trial in the United States after being released in Pakistan and sentenced to 160 years in prison.
The United States Continental Congress held its first session. (1774) Group wrote a “declaration of rights and grievances” in response to British attempts to force control over US colonies. They also elected Peyton Randolph as the first president of Congress.
Two British meteorologists have accidentally set a world altitude record. (1862) Henry Tracey Coxwell and James Glaisher were using a hot air balloon to collect atmospheric data. The pair passed out when they reached about 29,000 feet (8,800 meters), but their balloon is estimated to have carried them 35,700 feet (about 10,900 meters).
The first Labor Day parade in the United States took place. (1882) The first celebration took place on the streets of New York City.
American actress Raquel Welch was born. (1940) Welch is known for her starring roles in A Swingin’ Summer and Fantastic Voyage, and for acting with such stars as Frank Sinatra, Mae West and Dean Martin. She is perhaps best known, however, as a 1960s and 1970s sex icon in America and elsewhere.
