Olympics 2012 Photos

Olympics Flashback: Munich Massacre of 1972

May 09, 2012 19:35

It began as a glorious late summer's day - clear blue sky, shorts and shirt-sleeve kind of weather. Sunlight twinkled off the acrylic glass at the Olympic stadium. Tourists lounged beneath the umbrellas of outdoor cafes, chatting and sipping beer.

The scene in Munich's Olympic Park on September 5, 1972, was idyllic - except for a helicopter from the German border police circling over buildings of the nearby village where the athletes lived.

If you shaded your eyes, squinted against the blinding sunlight and knew where to look, you could just make out the images of armed uniformed German police standing on the buildings. Turn away and the horror of what was unfolding seemed to disappear.