Major Terrorist Attacks Affecting Americans, 1970—2001

Introduction
Americans have been the victims of terrorists for many years. Hijackings, hostage-takings, and bombings happen around the globe, perpetrated by many different groups. Most often, terrorist attacks are committed by foreign groups outside of the United States. This pattern varied in 1995 in Oklahoma City, and again in 2001 when the nation suffered its worst terrorist attack in history. The events of 2001 clearly showed how the impact of a terrorist attack is not limited to its exact location. Physical and psychological injuries radiate out from the site and often affect people not originally targeted, such as when hundreds of African people were killed when two U.S. embassies in Africa were bombed. This map illustrates various terrorist attacks against the United States over the last 30 years. Details on each attack show the location of the event and its death toll.

Map Download: Major Terrorist Attacks Affecting Americans, 1970—2001
This download is in Portable Document Format (PDF) and requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to print or view.

Directions:
Print and/or view the map. Read through the information on the various attacks, and then answer the following questions.

1. In what country were fifty-two Americans held hostage for more than a year beginning in 1979?
2. Before 2001, when was the World Trade Center previously attacked?
3. List three events in which airplanes were used to commit terrorism.
4. What region has been the site of the greatest number of terrorist attacks against Americans?
5. Use library and Internet resources to find information about the terrorists responsible for the attacks on September 11. Research to discover how some of the other attacks listed on the map were likely committed by the same organization. Compile your findings in a two-page report discussing the events and the terrorists involved.