1964Jun, 11
World War II veteran Walter Seifert runs amok in an elementary school in Cologne, Germany, killing at least eight children and two teachers and seriously injuring several more with a home-made flamethrower and a lance.
The Cologne school massacre was a mass murder that occurred at the Catholic elementary school (German: katholische Volksschule) located in the suburb of Volkhoven in Cologne, West Germany on 11 June 1964. The perpetrator, Walter Seifert, also known as "Der Feuerteufel von Volkhoven" ("Firedevil of Volkhoven"), attacked the people at the school with a home-made flamethrower and a spear, killing eight pupils and two teachers, and wounding twenty-two others. When police arrived at the scene, he fled from the school compound and poisoned himself. He was taken to a hospital, where he died the same evening.
Choose Another Date
Events on 1964
- 6Mar
Muhammad Ali
Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali. - 26Apr
Tanzania
Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania. - 12Jun
Nelson Mandela
Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa. - 12Aug
Apartheid in South Africa
South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies. - 28Nov
Lyndon B. Johnson
Vietnam War: National Security Council members agree to recommend that U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson adopt a plan for a two-stage escalation of bombing in North Vietnam.