MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2016: American writer and political activist Phyllis Schlafly, who was best known for her opposition to the women's movement and especially the Equal Rights Amendment, died at age 92. [ Test your knowledge of female activists.]

2000: Tuvalu , a group of nine coral islands in the west-central Pacific with a population of about 10,000, became the 189th member of the United Nations. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the islands of the world.]

1997: Mother Teresa—who was awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prizefor her charitable work with the poor, especially in India—died in Calcutta (Kolkata). [Take our quiz about Christian saints.]

1975: Lynette (“Squeaky”) Fromme attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald R. Ford; Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 2009. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about U.S. presidents.]

1972: Palestinian terrorists attacked the Olympic Village in Munich, West Germany, during the Summer Olympic Games, taking hostages and eventually killing 11 members of the Israeli team. [Watch an overview of the Munich massacre.]

1960: American boxer Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) won the gold medal in the 175-pound division at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and then embarked on a professional career that saw him become one of the sport's most legendary competitors. [Watch an overview of Muhammad Ali's life and career.]