Louisiana has had its fair share of historical moments. Here are some of the most breathtaking and/or hair-raising times in Louisiana history when the whole country's eyes were fixed on us.
April 30, 1803 – Louisiana Purchase
After a series of tense negotiations, France sold New Orleans, a large portion of Louisaina, and 828,000 sq miles of land west of the Mississippi river for less than mere cents per acre.
April 29, 1927 – The Mississippi River Levee is dynamited at Caernarvon
This explosion captured the country as Louisiana tried to prevent the flooding of the city of New Orleans during the flood of 1927. This flood ended up causing over 27,000 square miles of flooding throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
May 23, 1934 – Capturing Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
The entire country watched with shock as a team of Texas Rangers conduced a manhunt throughout Texas and Louisiana, only to shoot Bonnie and Clyde nearly 4 dozen times during an ambush along a road near Gibsland.
November 14th, 1960 – Ruby Bridges integrates New Orleans schools.
On this date in 1960, the nation watched as Ruby Bridges became the first African-American child to attend an all-white school in New Orleans.
September 9th, 1965 – Hurricane Betsy
In 1965, the fourth most severe hurricane every to make landfalls in the United States hit New Orleans, causing over $1 billion dollars in damage and flooding over 160,000 homes.
January 7th, 1973 – Mark Essex, the Howard Johnson’s Sniper
From December 31st until January 7th, Mark Essex captured the nation’s attention when he went on a racially motivated killing spree and ended up being killed by over 200 bullet wounds inflicted by a helicopter overhead and police sharpshooters on nearby building roofs.
Nov. 16th, 1991 – Edwin Edwards defeats David Duke
All eyes were on the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial elections when a former Ku Klux Klan member, David Duke, ran against former governor Edwin Edwards.
August 29th, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina
1,833 people died during this historic storm, which ultimately became the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. 53 different levee breaches caused by the Katrina strom surge ultimately resulted in 80% of New Orleans being flooded.
September 24th, 2005: Hurricane Rita
Just weeks after Katrina decimated huge swaths of New Orleans, Rita packed a punch to parishes west of the city, causing havoc and extreme damage to large regions of the Cameron and Calcasieu parishes.
February 7, 2010--Saints Win Superbowl
The entire state of Louisiana shook with glee as Drew Brees brought his team to victory at the biggest game in town.
April 20th, 2010 – BP Oil Spill
The country was transfixed as oil gushed out of an offshore BP oil rig and showed no signs of stopping for days. Litigation and settlements surrounding the spill are still being negotiated to this day.
What do you think was the most amazing moment in Louisiana history? Let us know in the comments below!
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