Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, April 1
    Trending
    • This Day in History on April 1st
    • This Day in History on March 31st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 30th
    • Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children
    • This Day in History on March 29th
    • Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?
    • This Day in History on March 28th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»January 22, 1957: George Metesky the Mad Bomber Arrested!
    Crime

    January 22, 1957: George Metesky the Mad Bomber Arrested!

    Major DanBy Major DanJanuary 22, 2014Updated:January 20, 202046 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On January 22, 1957, long before the terrorist bombings of recent years, the “Mad Bomber” terrorizing New York City was finally arrested!

    Digging Deeper

    Digging deeper, we find a city menaced by George Metesky (born 1903) from 1940 until his arrest in 1957.

    Placing at least 30 bombs around the city during his terror spree, Metesky was an angry and frustrated man who felt cheated by his former employer and the rest of society.

    He had been injured in 1931 while working for Consolidated Edison (Con-Ed) and had been disabled from lung injuries.

    Metesky thought he was never properly compensated for his lost health and lost a series of efforts to get workman’s compensation.  He also later claimed to have tried to attract media publicity for his case but was ignored, just as he claimed his pleas to various government agencies were ignored.

    Not surprisingly, the “Mad Bomber’s” first target was Con-Ed, where he left a pipe bomb on a window sill.  That bomb did not kill anyone, nor did any of the dozens that followed in the next 16 years, but the bombs were potentially lethal and several injuries were inflicted.

    Metesky left bombs in diverse places, from bathrooms to lockers, train stations and movie theaters.  He made his pipe bombs using pipe he machined himself and gunpowder, something anyone can buy in sporting goods stores, as the explosive.  A favorite method of his was to slice an upholstered seat in a movie theater and place the bomb inside the cushion where it was hidden.

    Oddly enough, Metesky communicated with the police via notes and promised to not place any bombs for the duration of World War II, a promise he lived up to.  Meanwhile, copy cats were sending mock ups of pipe bombs and notes purporting to be from the “Mad Bomber” which muddled the police investigation.

    Ultimately, Metesky would leave enough clues in his communication with the police and the media for the detectives involved in the massive effort to find and arrest him to finally be able to identify their culprit.  Searches of his property found the machine tools used to make the bombs as well as other bomb-making components.

    Found to be insane by the New York court system, Metesky was sent off to an insane asylum.  Although he was soon transferred to a second, non-criminal asylum, he behaved well and was held until 1973 when he was released.  Doctors had deemed him to not be a threat to society, and it was believed he would die soon.  Additionally, since his sentence would have been only 25 years if he had been convicted criminally, the 16 years he was hospitalized equaled about how long he would have been jailed if convicted.

    The “Mad Bomber” lived another 20 years and died at age 90 in 1994.  In spite of the publicity his case received and legal assistance in trying to reopen his workman’s compensation case, he was denied those benefits until the end.

    Question for students (and subscribers): How would you have sentenced Metesky?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    The single best book on this topic is…

    Greenburg, Michael M.  The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt That Paralyzed a City.  Union Square Press, 2011.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleJanuary 21, 1977: Jimmy Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers!
    Next Article January 23, 1897: Murderer Convicted by Testimony From a Ghost!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023

    History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?

    March 24, 2023

    History Short: Napoleon Bonaparte Learns a Hard Lesson!

    March 7, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on April 1st

    April 1, 2023

    This Day in History on March 31st

    March 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    This Day in History on March 30th

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.