by Kat Stovall

Created on: January 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

In the past 8 years we have sat unblinking in fear for our nation's children as the media blasted us with live footage and the horrid aftermath of school violence. Where did this come from. When did our nation's children decide to start killing each other off in large numbers? Though it was not covered by the media until the highly publicized Columbine Massacre it has been an ongoing problem in the United States for decades. I wanted to bring this unknown history from the darkness of silence into the light of understanding.

Here is a list of horrendous violence and massacres committed in schools in the past decades.

One of the first recorded incidences of school massacre took place in Bath, Michigan in May of 1927. A school board member, Mr. Andrew Kehoe, was upset about his property taxes and decided to set off a series of bombs. These explosions killed 45 people and wounded 58. Most of his victims were 2cnd to 6th grade students. This is three times the amount of Columbine High.

On September 15, 1959 Paul Oregon and his son entered Poe Elementary School in South Houston, Texas with a suitcase. After distracting the teacher Mr. Oregon began gathering the children around him. A teacher became suspicious and began evacuating children. Before this could be completed Mr. Oregon detonated the six sticks of dynamite inside the suitcase killing his child, himself, and four children. His reason was that they would not allow his son to be enrolled due to improper documentation.

Brenda Ann Spencer of San Diego, CA was 16 in January of 1979 and was proud of the new rifle that she had received as a Christmas present less than a month before. So proud that she opened fire on Clevland Elementary School killing two adults and wounding eight children and one police officer. Her thoughts were, "I hate Mondays. This just livens them up a bit."

Thirty year old Laurie Dann is known as one of the worst murderess' in the history of American Schools. After being investigated for killing her husband in his sleep in 1985 with an ice pick her mental state was completely gone. In the year of 1988 she first began threatening the lives of people she knew, then delivered arsenic filled rice crispy treats to a sorrority at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. There are reports that 24 of her special food packages were delivered to friends and family, also. She decided to end her spree in a second grade classroom of Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka, Illinois. Carrying three pistols

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>