“You know when I was a kid, my father used to say, ‘Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.’ Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They’ve now said that there were 11 hostages. Two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone.”

Jim McKay spoke those words 40 years ago today, after PLO terrorists had killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich.

Three years later in Sacramento, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was arrested for trying to assassinate President Ford.

On September 5, 1957, Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road” was published. The book has long been a manifesto, or at least a talisman, for the “beat” generation. After years of stops and starts in Hollywood, a movie version is coming out in December of this year.

Yes, Kristen Stewart is in it, but no, there are no vampires or evil witches. I don’t think.

1986 and 1987 said goodbye to two television icons, Merv Griffin aired his last show in ’86, and American Bandstand was canceled this day in ’87.

The writing (or video, as it were) was on the wall for American Bandstand, the show where teens danced to the popular hits of the day. MTV revolutionized the medium and after seeing videos like Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing”, Bandstand now looked like a relic. Dire Straits actually won the VMA best video on this day in 1986.

Deion Sanders homered for the New York Yankees in a lopsided win over the Seattle Mariners today in 1989. Five days later Deion returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut for the Atlanta Falcons.

Bob Sheppard was the PA announcer for the New York Yankees for the last time five years ago today. “The voice of God” was the stadium voice for the Yankees for 56 years. His voice lives on in his taped introductions of Derek Jeter. 

Happy 72nd birthday to a woman Playboy magazine called, “the most desired woman of the 1970’s”, Raquel Welch.

– Bill Hubbell