1977 hijacking of lufthansa flight 181 by the popular front for t 10 13
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1977 49 years ago Historical Events October 13 2 sources

Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

On October 13, in the year 1977, Hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 13, one of 381 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737-200 jet airliner named Landshut, was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while en route from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The hijacking aimed to secure the release of eleven notorious Red Army Faction leaders held in West German prisons and two Palestinians held in Turkey. This event was part of the so-called German Autumn, intended to increase pressure on the West German government. The hijackers diverted the flight to several locations before ending in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the crisis concluded in the early morning hours of 18 October 1977 under the cover of darkness. The West German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9, with ground support from the Somali Armed Forces, stormed the aircraft, rescuing all 87 passengers and four crew members. The captain of the flight was killed by the hijackers earlier in the ordeal.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on October 13, 1977 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 11 September 2026.

On This Date in History 381

Type Year Date Event
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Notable Deaths 2023 Oct 13 Louise Glück, American poet and essayist (born 1943)
Historical Events 2019 Oct 13 Kenyan Brigid Kosgei sets a new world record for a woman runner with a time of 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
Selected Events 2019 Oct 13 At the Chicago Marathon, Kenyan runner Brigid Kosgei (pictured) set the current marathon world record for women…
Notable Deaths 2018 Oct 13 Annapurna Devi, Indian surbahar (bass sitar) player (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 13 Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician (born 1927)
Historical Events 2016 Oct 13 The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Notable Deaths 2016 Oct 13 Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), King of Thailand (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2016 Oct 13 Dario Fo, Italian playwright, actor, director, and composer Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2016 Oct 13 Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta (born 1956)
Selected Events 2016 Oct 13 The King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died after 70 years on the throne, at which point was the longest-reigning…
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 13 Rosalyn Baxandall, American historian, author, and academic (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 13 Bruce Hyde, American academic and actor (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 13 Michael J. H. Walsh, English general (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 13 John Bradfield, English biologist and businessman, founded Cambridge Science Park (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 13 Antonio Cafiero, Argentinian accountant and politician, Governor of Buenos Aires Province (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 13 Margaret Hillert, American author and poet (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 13 Mohammad Sarengat, Indonesian sprinter (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 13 Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer (born 1981)
Historical Events 2013 Oct 13 A stampede occurs in India during the Hindu festival Navratri, killing 115 and injuring more than 110.
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 13 Martin Drewes, German soldier and pilot (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 13 Joe Meriweather, American basketball player and coach (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 13 Tommy Whittle, Scottish-English saxophonist (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 13 Takashi Yanase, Japanese poet and illustrator, created Anpanman (born 1919)
Selected Events 2013 Oct 13 During the Hindu festival of Navaratri at a temple in Madhya Pradesh, India, rumours about an impending bridge…
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 13 Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 13 Gary Collins, American actor (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 13 Tomonobu Imamichi, Japanese philosopher and academic (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 13 Barbara Kent, Canadian-born American actress (born 1907)
Selected Events 2011 Oct 13 The Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (pictured) married Jetsun Pema at the Punakha Dzong.
Historical Events 2010 Oct 13 The mining accident in Copiapó, Chile ends as all 33 trapped miners arrive at the surface after a record 69 days…
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 13 Vernon Biever, American photographer (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 13 Stephen Barnett, American scholar and academic (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 13 Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (born 1989)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 13 Bob Denard, French soldier and academic (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 13 Wang Guangmei, Chinese philanthropist and politician, 2nd Spouse of the President of the People's Republic of China…
Notable Deaths 2005 Oct 13 Vivian Malone Jones, American activist (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 13 Enrique Fernando, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 13 Bernice Rubens, Welsh author (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2003 Oct 13 Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2002 Oct 13 Stephen Ambrose, American historian and author (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2002 Oct 13 Keene Curtis, American actor (born 1923)
Notable Births 2001 Oct 13 Caleb McLaughlin, American actor
Notable Births 2001 Oct 13 Cam Thomas, American basketball player
Notable Births 2001 Oct 13 De'Von Achane, American football player
Notable Deaths 2001 Oct 13 Peter Doyle, Australian singer-songwriter (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2000 Oct 13 Jean Peters, American actress (born 1926)
Notable Births 1999 Oct 13 Andrew Capobianco. American diver
Notable Deaths 1999 Oct 13 Michael Hartnett, Irish poet (born 1941)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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