The Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19, 1995, when American militia movement sympathizer Timothy McVeigh, with the assistance of Terry Nichols, destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. It was the most significant act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11 attacks in 2001, claiming the lives of 168 victims and injuring more than 680. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a sixteen-block radius. The bomb was estimated to have caused at least $652 million worth of damage. The official investigation was the largest criminal investigation case in American history; FBI agents conducted 28,000 interviews, collecting nearly one billion pieces of information. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, and Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. As a result of the bombing, the U.S. government passed legislation designed to prevent future terrorist attacks by increasing the protection around federal buildings. On April 19, 2000, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the site of the Murrah Federal Building, commemorating the victims of the bombing.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1012:

After refusing to allow himself to be ransomed for his freedom by his Viking captors, Alphege was beaten to death by a mob in present-day London, the first Archbishop of Canterbury to die a violent death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86lfheah_of_Canterbury

1775:

The American Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the British colony of Massachusetts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord

1943:

Nazi German troops entered the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews , sparking the first mass uprising in Poland against the Nazi occupation during the Holocaust. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising

1956:

Actress Grace Kelly became Princess consort of Monaco upon marrying Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Kelly

1989:

A gun turret onboard the United States Navy battleship Iowa exploded, killing 47 sailors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Iowa_turret_explosion

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

roriferous (adj): Producing or generating dew http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/roriferous

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. --Jesus http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jesus