A 1975 Bombing at LaGuardia Airport Killed 11—And America Has Mostly Forgotten It

On December 29, 1975, a bomb detonated inside New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people and injuring 75 in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil before the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The explosion, equivalent to 25 sticks of dynamite, tore a 12-foot-wide hole in the terminal’s 8-inch-thick concrete ceiling, shattered a football field’s worth of windows, and sent debris flying into the parking lot.

Blood from the injured was rushed to hospitals in 175 pints, while bodies were temporarily stored in pine boxes on-site. Survivors described the scene as a “horror,” with limbs sheared off by flying glass and metal.

Despite the scale of the attack, the bomber was never identified, and the case remains officially open but effectively cold. The FBI assigned 120 investigators, interviewed over 5,000 people, and pursued leads across 38 states, but no arrests were ever made.

The investigation stalled within two years, overshadowed by other high-profile crimes like the Son of Sam murders. The bombing has received scant attention in the decades since, with no books, documentaries, or permanent memorials dedicated to the victims.

Survivors and families of the deceased reported never being contacted by investigators or reporters until recently, with some initially dismissing inquiries as pranks. The lack of public awareness persists despite the attack’s severity, marking it as one of the 20th century’s most forgotten tragedies.