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Oklahoma City bombing facts for kids

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Oklahoma City bombing
Several fire-damaged cars located in front of a partially destroyed multi-story building.
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building two days after the bombing
Location Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Coordinates 35°28′22.4″N 97°31′01″W / 35.472889°N 97.51694°W / 35.472889; -97.51694Coordinates: 35°28′22.4″N 97°31′01″W / 35.472889°N 97.51694°W / 35.472889; -97.51694
Date Wednesday April 19, 1995
9:02 a.m. CST (UTC–5)
Attack type
 truck bomb
Deaths 168
Non-fatal injuries
 680+
Perpetrators Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, Michael Fortier, Lori Fortier
Motive Retaliation for the Waco Siege and Ruby Ridge

The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist attack on April 19, 1995 on the U.S. government. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was bombed by Timothy McVeigh. The bombing destroyed much of the building. As a result it had to be demolished. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, set off a truck bomb, killing 168 people and injuring over 800 people. Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the deadliest act of terrorism in the United States.


Images for kids

  • Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building before destruction

    Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building as it appeared before its destruction

  • An overhead view shows the Alfred P. Murrah building, half of it destroyed from the bomb's blast. Near the building are various rescue vehicles and cranes. Some damage is visible to nearby buildings.

    An aerial view, looking from the north, of the destruction

  • McVeigh is located at the center of the image in a dark hallway wearing an orange jumpsuit and looking to the side. Around him are several FBI agents and police officers.

    McVeigh about to exit the Perry, Oklahoma, courthouse on April 21, 1995

  • The Alfred P. Murrah building is being demolished, and the image shows the building in mid-collapse. A Ryder truck is visible at the bottom left, and the Regency Towers building can be seen in the background at the far right. The demolition has created large clouds of dust that take up a portion of the image.

    The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is demolished on May 23, 1995, over a month after the incident. The bomb was housed in a Ryder truck similar to the one visible in the lower left of the photograph.

  • A firefighter is holding a dying toddler in his arms, and he is looking down at her. The toddler has blood on her head, arms, and legs, and is wearing white socks.

    Charles Porter's photograph of firefighter Chris Fields holding the dying infant Baylee Almon won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1996. A similar photo was taken by Lester LaRue.

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