THREE DECADES ON, A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING

A New National Geographic Series Tells the Story of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing

A new National Geographic documentary series shares the powerful stories of people who lived through the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. This tragic event, caused by Timothy McVeigh, killed 168 people and is still the deadliest terrorist attack by an American in U.S. history.

David Glover, the executive producer of the series *Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America*, holds two gray bricks in his hands during an interview. They are pieces from the damaged building. He received them from firefighter Mike Shannon, who is also featured in the film. Shannon gave them to Glover to remind him how real and serious this project is. Glover said it made him feel the responsibility of telling the story right.

The series is available on Hulu and Disney+, and it focuses on real people who were affected by the bombing. It follows the same style as earlier *One Day in America* series about the 9/11 attacks and the JFK assassination. The goal isn’t just to share facts but to let survivors, emergency workers, and family members tell their own stories.

The man behind the bombing, Timothy McVeigh (who was later executed in 2001), is not the main focus of the series. Instead, it centers on the people who lived through the tragedy. Even McVeigh’s court-appointed lawyer, who feared for his life when he found out who his client was, shares his emotional experience.

Former President Bill Clinton, who was in office at the time, also speaks in the series. He talks about losing a close Secret Service agent and how deeply the bombing affected him. After his interview, he said the team asked him questions he’d never been asked before, which brought out more personal and emotional answers.

One survivor, Amy Downs, was 28 years old when the bombing happened. She worked at a credit union inside the building. The explosion trapped her upside down in her chair. Firefighter Mike Shannon heard her calls for help, but a second bomb scare forced him to leave. Thankfully, she was rescued later. Watching the documentary helped Amy understand how difficult that moment was for Shannon too. She said she didn’t realize the guilt he felt until seeing his interview.

Amy says her experience made her want to improve her life. She went back to school and became the CEO of the same credit union, now called Allegiance Credit Union.

Much of the footage in the series comes from a local TV station, KWTV News 9. They shared many of their video recordings from that day. Reporter Robin Marsh, who had only been working there for nine days, remembered how everything changed when their building shook from the explosion — even though they were 10 miles away.

The documentary also shows how news was handled back then. KWTV News 9 stayed on air for 90 hours straight to cover the story. Marsh, who still works at the station, says the series captures the bravery and emotions of the people who were there.

It shows you the kind of heroism that’s hard to imagine,” she said. “It lets you hear directly from the people who lived through it. The story is told with heart.