10 Crazy Things That Happened In Oklahoma History

If you’re ready to move past the mundane state facts of Oklahoma history, then read on to find out 10 insane things that have happened in the Sooner State that you won’t find in history books:

In October 2005, an Oklahoma City man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting to kill and robbery. He asked to increase the sentence to 33 years so that it would match Larry Bird’s jersey number and the judge granted his request.

Nicole/Flickr

Deer were once so rare that a donated fawn was the first animal at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Yuxuan Wang/Flickr

The longest jail term in the U.S. to a single person on multiple counts, was to Oklahoma child rapist Charles Scott Robinson in 1994. He was sentenced to a total of 30,000 years; 5,000 years for each of the six counts against him.

Chris/Flickr

The Oklahoma City Bombing (1995), The Boston Marathon (2013), Virginia Tech Shootings (2007), Columbine Shootings (1999) and the Branch Davidian siege (1993) all happened the 3rd week in April.

Leonard Brakebill/Wikimedia

Investigators found an extra leg in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. A match was never found.

Staff Sergeant Mark A. More/Wikimedia

During 1964, the United States FAA bombarded Oklahoma City with sonic booms from 8 supersonic flights per day, 7 days per week for six months. There were more than 15,000 complaints.

davidd/Flickr

Until 1942, Oklahoma would surgically sterilize criminals under the belief that bad behavior was hereditary.

Boston Public Library/Flickr

After the deadly I-40 bridge collapse in Oklahoma, a person impersonated an Army Captain and took control of the disaster scene for two days, including directing FBI agents.

xpda/wikimedia

One of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history happened in Tulsa in 1921. The Greenwood District, the wealthiest black community in the United States, was burned to the ground. An estimated 10,000 African-Americans were left homeless.

United States Library of Congress/Wikimedia

One of the most toxic cities in America is located in Picher, Oklahoma. The town sits in the middle of a toxic waste dump and many of the residents were unaware that they had unsafe levels of lead in their blood.

Tyson Luneau/Flickr

Do you know of any other insane facts about Oklahoma that you wouldn’t find in history books?