The Munich Massacre

It may have not been the country's fault, but being an accidental host to one of the most heinous terrorist act of the 20th century is just something that's hard to forget. The 1972 Summer Olympics was held in Munich, West Germany. But on the night of September 5th, eight Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic Village and seized eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team. The world watched in horror as the hostage crisis went on.

The terrorists, who called themselves Black September, demanded the release of 234 Palestinians that were being held in Israel. The rescue attempt ended tragically with all the remaining Israeli hostages getting killed while five of the Arab terrorists were killed and three terrorists wounded. The International Olympic Committee decided that the Games should go on despite the disapproval of many. A memorial service was held the following day and the opening of the games was postponed for a day. The decision was clouded with so much controversy.

The Israeli government assembled an assassination squad to track down those responsible for planning the massacre. George Jonas accounted the retribution in his book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team. It was depicted in the Steven Spielberg movie Munich.