Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building: On April 19th, 1995, a truck packed with explosives was detonated outside of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed in the blast, and anti-government terrorist Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols were tried and convicted for the crime. McVeigh claims that the act was motivated by a desire to avenge United States government brutality at Waco and Ruby Ridge. In fact, the bombing coincided with the anniversary of the final stand off at Waco. Several years later, a memorial was constructed at the site of the bombing. A small part of the Murrah building still stands, and was incorporated into the design, intended to leave visitors with a sense of the scale of the destruction. The memorial is framed by two gates, one which is inscribed with the time, 9:01, one minute before the bomb exploded, the other with 9:03, one minute after. The memorial itself is dedicated to the impact of that one minute. While featuring reflecting pools and tree groves, the central part of the memorial contains 168 empty chairs, one for each person killed. The temporary fence where thousands of visitors left flowers and mementos has been maintained as a permanent part of the site.
