September 5 Birthday
On September 5, 1972, eight Palestinian terrorists from Black September entered the Olympic Village in Munich, killed two Israeli athletes, and took nine hostage. The athletes were from the Israeli Olympic team. The standoff lasted eighteen hours. A botched rescue attempt at Fürstenfeldbruck airfield resulted in the deaths of all nine hostages, five terrorists, and one German police officer. The Games were suspended for thirty-four hours — the first time in Olympic history. Avery Brundage, the IOC president, declared "The Games must go on." Israel withdrew its team. The surviving terrorists were released in a hostage exchange two months later. Bob Newhart, born this day in 1929, was an accountant who became a comedian. His first album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1960), became the first comedy album to reach #1 on the Billboard chart. He won a Grammy for Best New Artist — the only comedian to do so. His television shows — The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78) and Newhart (1982-90) — were among the most popular of their era. The final episode of Newhart, in which the entire series was revealed to be a dream, is considered one of the greatest series finales in television history. People born on September 5 fall under the zodiac sign of Virgo. The birthstone is Sapphire and the birth flower is Aster. Historical events on September 5 include 1972: Munich massacre — Palestinian terrorists kill 11 Israeli Olympic athletes, 1975: Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme attempts to assassinate President Ford, 1774: First Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. Famous people born on September 5 include Jesse James (1847), John Cage (1912), Bob Newhart (1929).