Today in History: September 5, Munich Olympics massacre

Today in History

Today is Friday, Sept. 5, the 248th day of 2026. 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, all nine hostages and a German police officer 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 Nobel 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. (Fromme was released from prison on parole in 2009.)

In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 to study Jupiter, several of its moons, and later Saturn; in 2012, the spacecraft became the first human-made object to leave the solar system.

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.)

In 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War. The move required formal approval by Congress, which showed no immediate interest in taking up the matter.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Lucille Soong (TV: “Fresh Off the Boat”) is 91. Actor William Devane is 87. Actor George Lazenby is 87. Film director Werner Herzog is 84. Singer Al Stewart is 81. “Cathy” cartoonist Cathy Guisewite (GYZ’-wyt) is 76. Actor Michael Keaton is 75. Actor Rose McGowan is 53. Olympic gold medal gymnast Tatiana Gutsu is 50. Actor Carice Van Houten is 50. Mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou is 40. Olympic gold medal figure skater Yuna Kim is 36. Singer Jada Kingdom is 28. Soccer player Bukayo Saka is 25.