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Texas Tower shooting of 1966
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Black-and-white photo of the University of Texas clock tower with smoke rising from a window below the clock, marking the location of the 1966 sniper attack by Charles Whitman. Portrait of Charles Whitman in a suit and tie, facing forward and smiling. Map of the University of Texas at Austin campus marking key locations from the Charles Whitman Texas Tower shooting on August 1, 1966. Red dots indicate where people were killed, and pink dots show where people were wounded, with most incidents concentrated around the Main Building, Main Mall, and along Guadalupe Street. Major campus buildings and streets are labeled for reference.
The first mass school shooting in U.S. history
Behind the scenes of reporting the 1966 Texas Tower shooting
Infographic showing mass shootings in the United States since 1982, including a US map of locations, annual counts, fatality numbers, weapon types, shooter demographics, and a timeline of major incidents.
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Black-and-white photo of the University of Texas clock tower with smoke rising from a window below the clock, marking the location of the 1966 sniper attack by Charles Whitman.
Texas Tower shooting of 1966 summary
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Texas Tower shooting of 1966: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Jeff Wallenfeldt
    Jeff Wallenfeldt was manager of Geography and History at Encyclopaedia Britannica.      

Other Contributors

  • SCOTT FITZSIMMONS
    Question Editor. I write and compile questions and quizzes for both traditional (TV, radio, newspapers & magazines) and digital media (apps, social media).

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: CNN - When a sniper shot many from a tower… in 1966. Oct 02, 2026
Anniversary information added. Jul 25, 2026
Add new Web site: CBS News - Revisiting the UT Tower shooting. Jun 14, 2025
Add new Web site: BBC - Witness History - The University of Texas Shooting. Feb 07, 2025
Add new Web site: CNN - When a sniper shot many from a tower… in 1966. Jun 27, 2024
Add new Web site: Texas Archive of the Moving Image - UT Tower Shooting. Dec 23, 2023
Infogram added. Feb 16, 2023
Add new Web site: Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas Online - The University of Texas Tower Shooting: A Tragic Day in History. Sep 04, 2017
Media added. Feb 15, 2017
Media added. Sep 01, 2016
Date of Whitman's suicide note changed from 2016 to 1966. Aug 03, 2016
Media added. Aug 02, 2016
Media added. Jul 21, 2016
New article added. Jul 19, 2016
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