Today in History: September 5, Munich Olympics massacre

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Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 5, the 248th day of 2025. There are 117 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian militants attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games, killing two and taking nine others hostage; five of the militants, a German police officer and all nine hostages were killed in the following 24 hours.

Also on this date:

In 1774, the first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.

In 1836, Sam Houston won the first presidential election in the newly established Republic of Texas.

In 1905, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, ending the Russo-Japanese war; for his efforts in mediating the peace negotiations, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Noble Peace Prize the following year.

In 1957, Jack Kerouac’s novel “On the Road” was published.

In 1960, Muhammad Ali (as Cassius Clay) won the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing division at the Olympic Games in Rome.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford survived an assassination attempt by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, California.

In 1986, four hijackers who had seized a Pan Am jumbo jet on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan, opened fire on the jet’s passengers; a total of 20 passengers and crew members were killed before Pakistani commandos stormed the jetliner.

In 1991, the 35th annual Naval Aviation Symposium held by the Tailhook Association opened in Las Vegas; during the four-day gathering, there were reports that as many as 90 people, most of them women, were sexually assaulted or otherwise harassed. (The episode triggered the resignation of Navy Secretary Henry L. Garrett III.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Lucille Soong (TV: “Fresh Off the Boat”) is 90. Baseball Hall of Hamer Bill Mazeroski is 89. Actor William Devane is 86. Actor George Lazenby is 86. Film director Werner Herzog is 83. Singer Al Stewart is 80. “Cathy” cartoonist Cathy Guisewite (GYZ’-wyt) is 75. Actor Michael Keaton is 74. Actor Rose McGowan is 52. Olympic gold medal gymnast Tatiana Gutsu is 49. Actor Carice Van Houten is 49. Mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou is 39. Olympic gold medal figure skater Yuna Kim is 35. Soccer player Bukayo Saka is 24.