The first time that I was made aware of Terrorism was in the Royal Air Force, in Winslow England, were we did our Boot Camp training in 1959, we were trained to be on our guard of the Terrorist groups with a nationalist agenda have formed in every part of the world. For example, the Irish Republican Army grew from the quest by Irish Catholics to form an independent republic, rather than being part of Great Britain.
The other was when I went to Frankfurt Germany to participate in the Auto-Mechanika 1972 trade show, I was sponsored by the Canadian Department of Industry trade and commerce with my first Invention the Partsmaster. I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel Frankfurt.
One evening in the lounge on the top of the hotel, enjoying a live band, this Middle eastern man sitting at the table next to me, approached me he asked me where I was from I said Canada, but originally from Trinidad, and I was there for a Trade Show, asked him where he was from he replied the Middle east, I ask him if he lived in Frankfurt? He replied no, that he was a terrorist and was here for an assignment to blow-up a target.
I ask him why would he want to do something like that? He said that the reason was that Westerners took advantage of his people and his family in the past, that they raped his sisters and his mother, I asked when did this happen? He said when his country was occupied, to find oil.
At the time I was only 27 years old and did not quite understand what I was hearing, and quite honestly did not want to hear any more or get involved, so I moved to another table were there were some girls from South America. I have always thought of that encounter and if he really did complete his assignment or whether he was pulling my leg.
Terrorism in the 1970s
The history of terrorism is as old as humans' willingness to use violence to affect politics. The Sicarii were a first century Jewish group who murdered enemies and collaborators in their campaign to oust their Roman rulers from Judea.
The Hashhashin, whose name gave us the English word "assassins," were a secretive Islamic sect active in Iran and Syria from the 11th to the 13th century.
Terrorism also exists in many other parts of the world today.
In Israel, there is an ongoing conflict between the Israeli's and Palestinians. Coincidentally, the PLO, which was the organization behind the 1972 Olympics' murder of eleven Israeli athletes. That has been a long running conflict, and unfortunately the end is not in sight.