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Come and Take It
Come and Take It is a talk show about Texas, by Texans. Three friends born and raised in Texas share their views on the state’s history, culture, and just what it means to be Texan.
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#153: Charles Whitman and the Tower
38 minutes
Download MP3 audioFifty years ago, an ex-Marine and former student of the University of Texas climbed into the university’s clock tower with an arsenal of weapons and opened fire onto students walking through the campus. It was the first modern mass shooting, and was one of the defining tragedies in the history of Austin and Texas.
Before we begin… What’s your favorite Texas train?
- 50 years after Charles Whitman, the narcissistic emptiness of the mass shooter hasn’t changed. The Dallas Morning News article exploring the significance of the first mass shooting of its type in the United States.
- A Texas Monthly collection of articles related to the UT Tower Shooting
- Behind the Tower: New Histories of the UT Tower Shooting. In Spring 2016, graduate students in the UT History Department’s Public History Seminar set out to construct a website for writing a history of this event and its lasting effect.
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