World History
I was shocked and horrified yesterday as I watched the news reports of the massacre at Virginia Tech. The death of 33 people in such a senseless act is horrible to contemplate. I can only wonder if such an act could occur at the campus where I work. What would I do if someone started shooting?
The media is reporting this as "the deadliest massacre in American history." Some examples of this:
MonstersandCritics - "Police said the shooting - the deadliest massacre in US history - began with a 'domestic dispute' at one of the college's dorm rooms."
Cincinnati Enquirer - "Hours after the deadliest massacre in the country?s history, safety directors at local colleges and universities were thinking about their own safety and crisis procedures, waiting for the dust to settle in Blacksburg to see if they could have prevented a similar incident on their campuses."
CBS - "A student gunman originally from South Korea was behind the deadliest massacre in U.S. history, killing 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech, before taking his own life, police said. "
However, despite the news reports, this is not the deadliest massacre in American history. It is not the largest act of violence at a school either. That dubious distinction goes to Bath, Michigan.
In 1927, 45 people were killed when a deranged farmer blew up the school house in Bath Michigan with dynamite. Wikipedia's account starts, "The Bath School disaster is the name given to not one (as the name implies) but three bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, USA, on May 18, 1927, which killed 45 people and injured 58. Most of the victims were children in second to sixth grades attending the Bath Consolidated School. Their deaths constitute the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history. The perpetrator was school board member Andrew Kehoe, who was upset by a property tax that had been levied to fund the construction of the school building. He blamed the additional tax for financial hardships which led to foreclosure proceedings against his farm. These events apparently provoked Kehoe to plan his attack."
This event happened 80 years ago. It is an unfortunate reminder that violence directed at students at their schools is not a new event nor is it tied necessarily to guns. I will try not to be too hard on the media for forgetting about the Bath School Massacre. I note the TV networks were originally reporting the Virginia Tech massacre as the deadliest massacre in American history but they switched to calling it the worst mass shooting in American history in just a few hours. It is nice to see that someone did some research to correct this.
My sympathies to those who lost loved ones in Virginia. I hope Virginia Tech finds some ways to find peace again. And I hope this never happens again.
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World History
Deadliest Massacre in American History
I was shocked and horrified yesterday as I watched the news reports of the massacre at Virginia Tech. The death of 33 people in such a senseless act is horrible to contemplate. I can only wonder if such an act could occur at the campus where I work. What would I do if someone started shooting?
The media is reporting this as "the deadliest massacre in American history." Some examples of this:
MonstersandCritics - "Police said the shooting - the deadliest massacre in US history - began with a 'domestic dispute' at one of the college's dorm rooms."
Cincinnati Enquirer - "Hours after the deadliest massacre in the country?s history, safety directors at local colleges and universities were thinking about their own safety and crisis procedures, waiting for the dust to settle in Blacksburg to see if they could have prevented a similar incident on their campuses."
CBS - "A student gunman originally from South Korea was behind the deadliest massacre in U.S. history, killing 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech, before taking his own life, police said. "
However, despite the news reports, this is not the deadliest massacre in American history. It is not the largest act of violence at a school either. That dubious distinction goes to Bath, Michigan.
In 1927, 45 people were killed when a deranged farmer blew up the school house in Bath Michigan with dynamite. Wikipedia's account starts, "The Bath School disaster is the name given to not one (as the name implies) but three bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, USA, on May 18, 1927, which killed 45 people and injured 58. Most of the victims were children in second to sixth grades attending the Bath Consolidated School. Their deaths constitute the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history. The perpetrator was school board member Andrew Kehoe, who was upset by a property tax that had been levied to fund the construction of the school building. He blamed the additional tax for financial hardships which led to foreclosure proceedings against his farm. These events apparently provoked Kehoe to plan his attack."
This event happened 80 years ago. It is an unfortunate reminder that violence directed at students at their schools is not a new event nor is it tied necessarily to guns. I will try not to be too hard on the media for forgetting about the Bath School Massacre. I note the TV networks were originally reporting the Virginia Tech massacre as the deadliest massacre in American history but they switched to calling it the worst mass shooting in American history in just a few hours. It is nice to see that someone did some research to correct this.
My sympathies to those who lost loved ones in Virginia. I hope Virginia Tech finds some ways to find peace again. And I hope this never happens again.
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- Lyndon Johnson (lbj)
Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) This is a biography of American president Lyndon Johnson (LBJ). From the site: Lyndon Baines Johnson ( August 27 , 1908 ? January 22 , 1973), often referred to as LBJ , was the thirty-sixth ( 1961 - 1963 ) Vice President and...
- Tank Man Video From Tienanmen Square
I am reading The People's Republic of Amnesia which is about the 1989 Tienanmen Square Massacre (or incident as it is taught in China). For those of us in the West, the image of the tank man is what we think of. Interestingly enough...
- Misunderstanding History
I sense an assignment coming on or even an end of the year project if we can get beyond all of our snow days. As I like to tell my students we study history in part of understand different cultures and to be able to better relate to people around...