28. In 1996, security guard Richard Jewell first discovered and then was accused (wrongly) of causing a bomb explosion at a major international sporting event. What city and event was the target of the bombing?
From Quiz I Didn't Do It!
Answer:
Atlanta Summer Olympics
Atlanta Georgia hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics. Richard Jewell was a thirty four year old security officer employed by a local college. During the Olympics, Jewell was assigned to watch Centennial Park, a key Olympic location. On June 27, 1996 while patrolling the Park, Jewell discovered a green backpack under a bench. The backpack contained a pipe bomb filled with metal shrapnel. Jewell contacted the Georgia State Police and helped evacuate spectators from the park. The bomb, however, detonated and killed one person.
Initially, Jewell was called a hero for acting calmly and quickly to save numerous lives that otherwise would have been in danger from the blast. However, based on poor information and calculated leaks by the FBI, Jewell was soon identified as the prime suspect in the bombing. Four months later, after an intense and fruitless investigation, Jewell was removed as a suspect in the case. By then the rush to judgment by the media had destroyed Jewell's life and career. Eventually the FBI apologized for its rash and incorrect assumption of Jewell's involvement and many media sources settled libel suits brought by Jewell. Jewell spent most of the rest of is life trying to live down the stigma of being called a terrorist He died at the age of 44. In 2005, rabid anti-abortion terrorist Eric Robert Rudolph confessed to planting the device and was convicted of the bombing.
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