1. 1698 - Russia's Peter the Great imposes a tax on beards
2. 1793 - In France, the Reign of Terror begins.
3. 1972 - Israeli athletes are taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics
4. 1975 - IRA terrorists bomb the Park Lane Hilton Hotel, killing two and injuring 60 more
5. 1986 - The 16-hour siege on a Pan Am jet in Pakistan comes to a bloody end, with at least 17 people dead
6. 1987 - John McEnroe is fined $17,500 for tirades at U.S. Open
7. 1990 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein urges Arabs to rise up against the West
8. 1991 - Nelson Mandela is elected President of South African ANC
9. 1997 - Mother Teresa dies
10. 2003 - Magician David Blaine enters a clear plastic box and was suspended by a crane over the banks of the Thames River. He stayed there until October 19, surviving only on water
11. 2010 - Heavy rains and landslides kill at least 18 people and a state of emergency is declared in Guatemala
Source: BBC, Wikipedia, historyorb.com, infoplease.com, history.co.uk, brainyhistory.com, on-this-day.com, thepeopleshistory
image: © dbking
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