1972 Munich facts

While investigating facts about 1972 Munich, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Immediately after the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the German chancellor mandated that all participant nations fly their flags at half-mast. Ten Arab nations objected to their flags being lowered to honour murdered Israelis, and so they were restored to full-mast.

"Operation Wrath of God", where Israel responded to the 1972 Munich massacre by having the Mossad hunt down and assassinate anyone they believed was involved over the course of more than 20 years.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 17 of the best facts about 1972 Munich I managed to collect.

1. Before killing targets involved in the 1972 Munich Massacre, MOSSAD agents would send flowers with a condolence card reading: "A reminder we do not forget we do not forgive" to their families

2. In 1972, Idi Amin sent a telegram to the UN Secretary General, Yasser Arafat and Golda Meir to say he "applauded the massacre of the Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich and said Germany was the most appropriate locale for this because it was where Hitler burned more than six million Jews."

3. During the 1972 Munich massacre, the German Police had no trained snipers. The army did, but the constitution did not permit the military to be used on German soil during peacetime, adding to the failure of the rescue operation.

4. Dachshund named Waldi was the first official mascot of Olympic games held in Munich in 1972.

5. The British TV series "Are You Being Served?" would not have made it to broadcast without the events of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre.

6. Otl Aicher created a set of pictograms for the 1972 Olympics in Munich to represent the sports being played so that athletes and visitors to the Olympic village could find their way around without speaking German, influencing the widespread use of stick figures for public signage.

7. The Olympic Hill in the Olympiapark, Munich (home of the 1972 Games) was built by piling up 10 million cubic meters of the ruins and debris of the destroyed city of Munich after WW2

8. The first official Olympic mascot did not appear until the Munich Olympics of 1972, which had Waldi the dachshund.

9. The German constitution prevented the German army from being involved in the rescue of Israeli athletes kidnapped in the 1972 Munich Olympics, which contributed to the deaths of 11 more Jews on German soil.

10. 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre could have been prevented.One of the reasons why it wasn't prevented is that the preparations for the assault were being filmed and terrorists were watching every move of the German police,on TV.

What is true about 1972 munich?

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Eleven Israeli Olympic team members were taken hostage and killed by Arabs in 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich

The Olympic village for the 1980 games in Lake Placid was designed after an existing medium security prison because the "Munich massacre during the 1972 Olympic Summer Games gave Olympic organizers a new mandate to protect athletes." Today, the facility is used as a medium security prison. - source

Show jumper Ian Millar, whose first Games were Munich 1972, has helped his nation qualify for Rio 2016 The 69-year-old hopes to make it 11 at the Rio 2016 Games. - source

Mossad killed an innocent in front of his pregnant wife, because they had mistaken him for one of the Munich 1972 terrorists

The commander of the Black September group that took Israeli athletes hostage during the 1972 Munich Olympics had a Jewish mother - source