At just after midday on 16th September 1920, on the busy corner of Wall Street and Broad Street, a bomb left in horse drawn cart exploded firing around five-hundred pounds of cast-iron slugs into the lunchtime crowd. A timer triggered the detonation of about one-hundred pounds of dynamite, which vaporised the horse and wagon, killed thirty-eight people and injured four-hundred more. The explosion also caused more than two-million dollars worth of damage to the surrounding buildings, including the J. P. Morgan Inc. bank on the opposite side of the street.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, which is seen by many as the first car-bombing, but a note was found in a mailbox on the corner of Cedar Street and Broadway that read "Remember we will not tolerate any longer. Free the political prisoners or it will be sure death for all of you. American Anarchist Fighters." This note and the choice of target in the centre of American capitalism suggest that the attack was part of the anarchist 'propaganda of the deed' campaign that started in the late nineteenth-century, leading some historians to point the finger at Galleanists, supporters of Italian anarchist Luigi Galleani - two of whom, Sacco and Vanzetti, had been arrested in Massachusetts earlier that year.
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16 September 2010
On this day in history: Wall Street Bombing, 1920
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4 comments:
No wonder anarchists have a horrid reputation.
Ah well interesting tidbit from a blog that looks well put together, though I kindof don't think the tag cloud helps much. Still, you've made my blogroll.
the more things change the more things stay the same I guess. After 90 years, terrorists are still using car bombs. very interesting post
Indeed.
Sad really, but I suppose if it isn't broke and all....
little: The ideology of 'propaganda of the deed' has left us with the image of the bomb throwing anarchist.
Thanks for adding the blog to your roll.
dickster: The longevity of the car bomb may be due to the ubiquity of the car.
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