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Part 1: "The Maximum Amount Of Damage"
In Portland, an extortion letter threatening a bombing was received and in the process of being read when said bomb exploded inside a downtown department store. The search for the culprits stretched on for months before an unrelated case of mail fraud led investigators to a known grifter and his accomplice, whom he employed as 'his eyes', due to the lack of vision of his own. In part one of Explosive, I'll also thrill you with the story of Portland's own Liberty Bell and that time in 1970, when it exploded.
Episode Host: Josh McCullough
Explosive Part 2: "An Act of Sheer Madness"
Before 1970, anyone over the age of twelve could legally purchase dynamite in Oregon. Beginning in 1963 on the University of Oregon Campus and the surrounding area, many many bombs were detonated. Mostly aimed at military buildings off-campus and ROTC buildings, on campus, the bombings didn't slow until the law changed, and almost no one was ever charged significantly for the crimes.
In part two of Explosive, we’ll discuss the University of Oregon bombings and Odie's Steakhouse and Bronco Room, in the tiny town of Elgin, Oregon, which exploded in 1986, killing one man and sending another fleeing from justice for over a decade.
Episode Host: Josh McCullough
Part 1: "The Maximum Amount Of Damage"
Top Row: William Clarence Peddicord
Bottom Row: Clipping Gazette-Times (left) The Peddicord Family, OHS Digital Collections (right)
The Story of Aaron Meier, Tualatin Life (left), Postcard of Meier & Frank, Portland History (right)
Oregonians posing with the Liberty Bell 1915, 1859oregonmagazine (left), Oregonian Article, Portland City Hall Explosion (Oregonian)
Explosive Part 2: "An Act of Sheer Madness"
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Meier & Frank Bombing Sources
2 CHARGED IN BOMBING PLOT | Dog leads master up Beacon Rock | Dark Times | Bizarre 1955 bombing and extortion plot amplify Meier & Frank building's rich history | Oregon History Project - The Meier & Frank Bombing, 1955 | Obituaries - William Peddicord - The Columbian | New York says 'blind bomber' can't be located | M&F Bomber Asks Release From Prison | Case of the Blind Con Man | Six Convicted On Mail Fraud Count Saturday | Mrs. Peddicord Cleared in Case | Find A Grave: William Clarence Peddicord | Batlines | temporary wartime housing | Portland - war housing projects | Store Blast Reveals Big Extortion Plot | Bombing of Store an Extortion Try | Store Bomb | Wife of M& F Bomber Held In Mail Fraud | Suit Says Battery Additives Lack Power Credited Them | Bomb Blast Clues Sought In Portland | Police Seek Bomb Solution | M&F Award Now $28,000 | Extortion Note Threatens Bombing | Bombing Solved | Identity Said Made In Meier-Frank Bombing | Bombing Threat Is Taken Lightly | Extortionist Given Sentence
Liberty Bell Sources
Portland’s exploding Liberty Bell | KGW - Bombing at Portland City Hall still unsolved 45 years later | Wikipedia - Liberty Bell(Portland, Oregon) | The Photo Vault: Portland City Council recovers from bombing of City Hall | November 21, 1970: Bomb Rips through Portland City Hall | When the Liberty Bell came to Oregon | Fully 40,000 People View Liberty Bell In The Cherry City | Liberty Bell - Wikipedia | Shadows of War | When | Sauerkraut Became ‘Liberty Cabbage’ | Panama–Pacific International Exposition | 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition: In color! | Liberty Bell at Home | Portland City Hall (Oregon) facts for kids | Liberty Bell (Portland, Oregon) facts for kids | Portland bombing probe continues | Insurance Will Cover 90% Bomb Damage | Portland's bell due on June 28 | Portland's Liberty Bell repaired | Portland rings Liberty Bell | Blast Rips Portland City Hall | Portand City Hall Blasted by Bomb | Police Without Leads In Portland Bombing