Charles Whitman-The Texas Tower Sniper Quiz

Answer: 1959

Charlie excelled in marksmanship, scoring 215 of a possible 250 in long-range shooting. This skill proved to be absolutely deadly a few years later, when Whitman decided to take out his anger and frustration on the city of Austin.

Answer: 1961

An exceptional Marine, Charlie qualified for a USMC sponsored Science Education scholarship at the university. He enrolled in September of 1961 and studied engineering. While in school though, his troubles began. He started gambling and found himself in debt.

His grades slipped and he lost his scholarship. He returned to the Marine Corps but was soon in trouble there as well. He was honorably discharged in 1963.

Answer: Edna Townsley

Townsley was the receptionist at the Tower Observation Deck. Whitman approached her from the elevator, wheeling his USMC footlocker full of weapons on a dolley. He hit her in the back of the head with the butt of a rifle, and dragged her behind a couch. She bled to death as Charlie's rampage began.

Answer: Claire Wilson

Wilson, 18, was pregnant. Using a scoped, 6mm Remington rifle, Whitman opened fire. The bullet entered her abdomen, killing her unborn child. Moments later, her friend Thomas Eckman fell dead alongside her. Claire survived, but not after more than a dozen other people around her had been shot and killed.

Answer: Alex Hernandez

Hernandez was on his bicycle, delivering newspapers when a bullet tore into him. He was wounded, but recovered in a local hospital. Within minutes, countless others had been killed or wounded by the gunman.

Answer: Billy Speed

Speed and Culp hid themselves behind a statue on the UT campus. Whitman was able to find Speed in his crosshairs through a six-inch gap in the statue's railing. An exceptional marksman, Whitman seemed to never miss.

Answer: 46

In a relatively short period of time, Whitman shot 46 people. Fourteen died from their wounds. Many of his victims were shot from distances of up to 500 yards.

Answer: Ramiro Martinez & Houston McCoy

Martinez and McCoy, along with countless others, stormed the Tower to put an end to the slaughter. When they arrived at the door to the observation deck, they discovered that Whitman had barricaded it shut with his dolley. Martinez was able to kick the door open and he and McCoy dropped the gunman with shotgun blasts and a revolver. Whitman lay dead along the wall of the Tower.

He had left a typewritten note with his wife's body requesting that an autopsy be performed "in order to determine if he suffered any mental defect." A tumor was found in Whitman's brain, near the area which controls aggression, but no solid proof that this caused his killing spree was ever put into evidence.

Answer: 1999

Finally, the University of Texas decided that the Tower should be opened to the public.

Answer: Kurt Russell

This 1975 made for TV film also starred Ned Beatty, John Forsythe and Pernell Roberts. Not a great film, but not bad either.