Posted in Oklahoma
April 19, 2016
On This Day In 1995, The Unthinkable Happened In Oklahoma
April 19, 1995, will be a day the world never forgets…especially Oklahomans. At approximately 9:00 a.m. that day, the unthinkable happened – Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and within minutes detonated a bomb that made Oklahoma City look like a war zone.
The blast killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others. Over 324 buildings were damaged causing more than $650 million worth of damage. 90 minutes after the explosion took place, Timothy McVeigh was stopped by an Oklahoma State Trooper for driving without a license plate. He was arrested for being in possession of illegal weapons and within two days was charged, along with Terry Nichols, for the domestic terrorist attack in Oklahoma.
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
McVeigh deserted the Ryder truck and ignited two timed fuses. Within minutes, Oklahoma City looked like a deadly war zone.
Video surveillance cameras in the area provided a timeline of events and evidence to help convict McVeigh and Nichols.
In addition to their shared anger of the government's handling of the Waco incident, the two also shared the same feelings about the 1992 FBI standoff with Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge. McVeigh and Nichols met in 1988 during basic training for the U.S. Army at Fort Benning.
Seisometers in Oklahoma City and Norman recorded the blast at a measurement of 3.0 on the Richter scale.
McVeigh was honorably discharged from the army in 1991, after it was determined he wasn't in superior physical shape to advance on to Special Forces. He received several service awards during his time in the army.
Nichols was discharged from the Army after only serving one year. McVeigh and Nichols went into business together selling guns and military supplies at gun shows. Nichols second wife was a 17-year-old woman from the Philippines that he met from a mail-order bride agency. When she finally arrived in the U.S., she was pregnant with another man's baby. When the child was two years old, he died of suffocation from a plastic bag while Nichols was babysitting. His wife suspected foul play but there was not enough evidence and the death was ruled accidental.
Just one month before the bombing, America's Kids, a day-care center, opened up on the 2nd floor of the building. All three teachers and 15 out of the 21 children in the daycare were killed that day.
It is unknown who the buried leg belongs to.
The building housed regional offices for the Social Security Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The stated purpose of the memorial reads, "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."
Please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives on this day in 1995. They will forever be in our hearts.
