You might not believe it, but Oklahoma holds a record nobody really wanted. It’s home to the only American town bombed by the US during World War II.
That’s right. Boise City, way out in the Panhandle, got hit by our own bombs one summer night in 1943.
The Night the Bombs Fell on Boise City
It started like any other small-town evening. A few folks eating late at the diner, others sitting on porches trying to catch a breeze. Then, just after midnight, the roar of a bomber swept over town. Moments later, an explosion ripped through a nearby garage.
A literal bomb had fallen right through the roof.
A Midnight Mix-Up Over the Oklahoma Panhandle
At first, everyone thought it had to be some kind of training gone wrong. Turns out, that’s exactly what it was. A B-17 crew out of Dalhart, Texas, was supposed to be on a nighttime practice run. But with blackout conditions across the Plains, they mistook Boise City’s glowing courthouse square for their target range…