10 Insane Things That Happened In Oklahoma You Won't Find In History Books
By Ashley|Published April 12, 2016
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Ashley
Author
Ashley has lived in Oklahoma for 30 years and is the Oklahoma staff writer for onlyinyourstate.com. When she isn't writing about Oklahoma, she enjoys visiting the beach and exploring new areas.
If you’re ready to move past the mundane state facts of Oklahoma history, then read on to find out 10 insane things that have happened in the Sooner State that you won’t find in history books:
1. In October 2005, an Oklahoma City man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting to kill and robbery. He asked to increase the sentence to 33 years so that it would match Larry Bird's jersey number and the judge granted his request.
3. The longest jail term in the U.S. to a single person on multiple counts, was to Oklahoma child rapist Charles Scott Robinson in 1994. He was sentenced to a total of 30,000 years; 5,000 years for each of the six counts against him.
4. The Oklahoma City Bombing (1995), The Boston Marathon (2013), Virginia Tech Shootings (2007), Columbine Shootings (1999) and the Branch Davidian siege (1993) all happened the 3rd week in April.
6. During 1964, the United States FAA bombarded Oklahoma City with sonic booms from 8 supersonic flights per day, 7 days per week for six months. There were more than 15,000 complaints.
8. After the deadly I-40 bridge collapse in Oklahoma, a person impersonated an Army Captain and took control of the disaster scene for two days, including directing FBI agents.
9. One of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history happened in Tulsa in 1921. The Greenwood District, the wealthiest black community in the United States, was burned to the ground. An estimated 10,000 African-Americans were left homeless.
10. One of the most toxic cities in America is located in Picher, Oklahoma. The town sits in the middle of a toxic waste dump and many of the residents were unaware that they had unsafe levels of lead in their blood.
