Wall Street Bombing

On September 16th, 1920, a timed bomb hidden in a wagon exploded on Wall Street in front of the Assay Office. 100 pounds of dynamite under a pile of iron sash weights, used as shrapnel, detonated into a crowd of people, killing 30 on the scene with 8 succumbing to their wounds later. The scene was described as "Other bodies, most of them silent in death, lay nearby. As I gazed horror stricken at the site, one of these forms, half-naked and seared with burns, started to rise. It struggled, then toppled and fell lifeless into the gutter.” To many, this terrorist attack paralleled the battlefield of the recent world war. It would last as the deadliest terrorist attack in US history until the Oklahoma City bombing 75 years later. 

The cause behind the attack was never truly unmasked, even though the bomb was obviously meant for the Morgan bank, across the street from the explosion. Critics believe that the cause was for the crimes Morgan committed during WWI for profit. However, this does not explain why the bomb was targeting middle class folks like clerks, instead of the wealthy businessmen that conducted such crimes. The attack was towards the general public at Wall Street and seemed like nothing more.

The perpetrators behind the attack is believed to be Italian anarchists, led by Luigi Galleani. His previous bombings in other cities showed similar traits to the bombing on Wall Street, so there is reasonable evidence that he was behind the attack. Before the attack, flyers were dropped off in Financial District mailboxes that read "we will not tolerate any longer. Free the political prisoners, or it will be sure death for all of you. American Anarchist Fighters." However, the FBI repeatedly ran into dead ends for three years, and could not find anything substantial. 

The Wall Street bombing was a senseless terrorist attack, claiming more lives than any other terrorist attack on US soil up to that point. The purpose was for revenge against the arrests of Galleanists and the deportation of Galleani. The American people responded with a Constitution rally the next day, showing that they will not be swayed by the persuasion of terrorism.

Sources: http://www.history.com/news/the-mysterious-wall-street-bombing-95-years-ago