Amid all the chaos today, we're going to take a break to remember the bombing of Wall Street on September 16th, 1920. Just before noon, a horse-drawn wagon stopped across the street from the headquarters of the J.P. Morgan at 23 Wall Street. The bells from Trinity church rang out. A few moments later, hundreds of pounds of dynamite wrapped with heavy cast-iron slugs cut from window sash exploded. The shrapnel tore through concrete, animals, people and glass.
Thirty-eight people were killed. At least 400 persons were injured. Windows were shattered up to a half-mile away. For the first time ever, trading was halted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange because of violence.
The perpetrators were never caught.
Big Bang on Wall Street [New York Press]
A Look at a 1920 Bombing [TheStreet.com]
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:09PM
Today is worse
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:11PM
How did that affect 130/30 strategies back then? What about the "yen carry"?
~First Year from HBS
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:11PM
Hard to write about Mayo with so much negative news. Let's hope the people in charge will have to answer for their stupidity.
Second
Posted by AJ , Sep 16, 2008 1:12PM
too soon!
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:12PM
I could've sworn the bomber was an Italian anarchist, who was later named.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:16PM
NM. Was thinking of the brothers.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:20PM
Well played, #4...very well played, sir/madam!
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:21PM
sacco/vanzetti?
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:22PM
way too much metaphorical significance.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:22PM
According to snopes.com, FBI officials interviewed tons of people across all spectrums, and eventually came to the conclusion that the bombing was carried out by a small-time italian peddler, upset with sagging sales. None other than a Vincenzo A. Offerio.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:24PM
@4 - you're a funny guy/gal
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:27PM
@10 Will you marry me?
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:28PM
Slow news day.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:28PM
@10,
Yes, I've heard of the notorious Vincenzo A. Offerio. Could clean up a spill and even fashion a bomb from scraps of shamwow and gasoline-soaked kitty litter. A complex man, indeed!
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:28PM
Well played #10, ...very well played sir/madam!
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:29PM
@ 13, Fed day.
Posted by diablo , Sep 16, 2008 1:30PM
These days Wall Street is showing those anarchists that it doesn't need any help to blow itself up, thank you.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:30PM
This is sort of what Mordechai Chang did to DB...or what the commenters did to him...
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:31PM
i hope the money honey doesn't have the audacity to celebrate her existance with a cake on the air this sad day.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:32PM
@ 17, exactly opposite of the correct conclusion, I submit.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:46PM
@ 10 Brillant!
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 1:50PM
Remember, remember, the 16th of September.
Or something.
Posted by beentheredonethat , Sep 16, 2008 1:53PM
If you go down to the olf Morgan HQ at 23 Wall, they purposelt left the bomb damage in the facade. The limestone is all pocked, alot like Fuld's face is gonna be if the employees catch sight of him.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:02PM
today we vent frustrations from our financial crises more civily - by shitting on the floors of trading floors bathrooms and tracking it around the office
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:04PM
Where's Timothy McVeigh when we need him? He wasted his time and his life blowing up the Federal Bldg in Okla City. He also wasted the lives of many innocents.
Blowing up Wall Street would have earned him folk-hero status.
Can we have another Timothy McVeigh, please?
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:14PM
@ 25
As a person who was in OKC during the bombing, just shut up. While it was a much smaller body count, jokes regarding the OKC bombing are right on par with hilarious 9/11 one liners.
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:33PM
I'm a hedge fund manager and I've always wondered: where exactly is "Wall Street"? Is it an actual street somewhere? Is it far from Times Square?
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:40PM
@25
too soon!!
@26
as a person in albany during the bombing i think the fact that you were in OKC is irrelevant
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:41PM
@25
too soon!!
@26
as a person in albany during the bombing i think the fact that you were in OKC is irrelevant
Posted by guest , Sep 16, 2008 2:41PM
I'm pretty sure Obama was behind the plot.