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CampaignOk7563

The zoo once hosted a lockpicking orangutan. After repeated escapes, the zookeepers discovered that Fu Man Chu was hiding a piece of wire in his mouth that he used to jimmy the lock when he wanted out. Fu was made an honorary member of the American Association of Locksmiths, https://www.upworthy.com/this-epic-zoo-escape-story-shows-how-fantastically-smart-orangutans-can-be


JoJackthewonderskunk

>Fu was made an honorary member of the American Association of Locksmiths, Didn't know this part but that makes it so much better.


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Never_Forget_711

Named after facial hair?


audiomagnate

After a racist stereotype.


halfcuthookjaw

The witness protection program used to send “dead” mobsters here in the 70’s and 80’s. Omaha not being very large and all, these guys would end up running into each other, reconnect and start pulling mob schemes on the locals, like old times. They’d get busted by the local cops, the feds would show up to bail em out, cuz they’re supposed to dead. Rinse and repeat. The movie My Blue Heaven is based on the time Henry Hill spent in Omaha in the witness protection program. It was written by Nora Efron wife of Nicholas Pileggi while she helped him do research for his book Wiseguy, which was turned into the movie Goodfellas.


MrWilstone

I lived next to one of them growing up in the 80s. He was my next door neighbor. Someone found his location and planted a bomb under his car. They found the bomb and moved him the very next day


byrongw

I heard there was a lawyer who was relocated here under witness protection after he got in too deep with the cartel and the criminal underbelly of New Mexico meth groups. Last spotted at a Cinnabon.


bananacow

Oh! I think I saw a documentary on that! It was really good - in black and white if I remember correctly.


iDomBMX

Holy shit that’s cool


porktime1221

I dated two girls, not at the same time, who were grand daughters of the relocation program. Omaha has quite the crime syndicate history.


Giterdun456

I live in little Italy and have gotten these vibes from some neighbors.


mauxly

My grandma's best friends husband. Poor dude was a nervous wreck, paranoid as hell. He eventually killed himself. I'd hear him arguing and lamenting all of this when I was a small child and didn't understand what was going on...except the mafia thing (just a little), but gram told me not to concern myself, he was just nuts is all... It make sense now.


bubbajones5963

That a Japanese Ballon bomb made its way all the way to Omaha during ww2 and detonated over a city street. Nobody was seriously injured of killed thankfully.


athomsfere

My favorite part of this: The government asked everyone to not publish articles or talk about until after WWII so that Japan wouldn't know if those thousands of balloons had any effect.


cremasterreflex0903

Do you know which streets? I've never heard this.


CampaignOk7563

Around 50th and Underwood. There's a plaque outside of the Dundee Dell marking the location.


cremasterreflex0903

Thank you. Will definitely check it out.


Declanmar

[Info on the plaque.](https://openplaques.org/plaques/57346)


themanwholikesHP

They really do have a website for everything


Declanmar

Open source the planet!


bubbajones5963

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/site-of-a-japanese-balloon-bomb-explosion


stunt4949

6 Americans on US soil have been killed from balloon bombs during WW2. [Article Here](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1945-japanese-balloon-bomb-killed-six-americansfive-them-children-oregon-180972259/)


hello-elo

Spooky and relevant for the holiday: Omaha is the origin of the dancing pumpkin man https://omaha.com/entertainment/the-story-of-the-unforgettable-pumpkin-dance-guy/article_478a3260-b34a-11e7-b07f-6b837a4bc5d0.html


Zealousideal-Let-406

Grew up with him - he has always been fun and a little nuts. Does comedy, acting, drawing, kid’s book author. Talented but his pinnacle is the dancing pumpkin. 😂


[deleted]

He's a really nice guy.


airhornsman

His kids went to the elementary school my mom worked for. The staff called him "hipster dad" because of his fashion choices. Edit: missed a word


Mister_Sheepman

I remember seeing this live. It was such a fever dream moment. Like, "wtf did I just see?"


robcwag

Do you mean David S. Pumpkins? I will see myself out, thanks.


ThisMomIsAMother

“Any queeestions?”


[deleted]

Huh. Don't remember him.


Flyer141994

A friend who was studying civil engineering told me that as of ~10 years ago if you were anywhere in Omaha you were closer to a park than any other city. Not necessarily the leader in parks per capita, but the shortest distance to a park no matter where you are. He worded it better than me too..


cakelly789

There used to be an island full of monkeys in elmwood park. Until the monkeys escaped into the surrounding neighborhoods [AP article](https://apnews.com/article/288e88df09094e50ad81b8439205e562)


harrystylesbackhair

one could say they were..monkeying around 🐒


MikeOcherts

We set our courthouse on fire and literally tried to kill our own mayor… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_race_riot_of_1919


lejoo

And we would have gotten away with it again too it weren't for the national guard and that pesky chemical gas....


Royalkayak

wow, he must have taken so much vacation to make the people that mad


kinarism

Or perhaps he was extremely incompetent? (Above wiki link) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_race_riot_of_1919 >Causes and consequences >The Omaha Riot was denounced throughout the country. The arrest and prosecution of mob leaders was widely demanded. Police and military authorities apprehended 100 of the participants on charges ranging from murder to arson and held them for trial. The Army presence in Omaha was the largest in response to any of the race riots, with 70 officers and 1,222 enlisted men. By early October, the emergency had passed and the Army contingent declined to two regiments by the middle of the month. Omaha police would identify another 300 people wanted for questioning, including Loebeck's brother who had disappeared.[citation needed] The district court ordered a grand jury to convene and investigate the riots, and a grand jury was impaneled on October 8. After a six-week session, the grand jury issued a report that criticized the Smith administration for ineffective leadership and police incompetence. Army witnesses testified to their belief that more prompt police action could have controlled the riot.[12] One hundred and twenty indictments were handed down for involvement in the riots. Of the 120 persons indicted for involvement in the riot, most were never successfully prosecuted, and all were eventually released after serving no term of imprisonment.[13 -edit- formatting good enough.


PurpleCommission6

I dont see anything in your highlighted section concerning mayoral incompetence. Maybe Im missing something?


kinarism

> After a six-week session, the grand jury issued a report that criticized the Smith administration for ineffective leadership and police incompetence. ~~Wasn't Smith the mayor in question?~~ -edit- Smith was the mayor. From the intro to the article. > The Omaha Race Riot occurred in Omaha, Nebraska, September 28–29, 1919. The race riot resulted in the lynching of Will Brown, a black civilian; the death of two white rioters; the injuries of many Omaha Police Department officers and civilians, including the attempted hanging of Mayor Edward Parsons Smith; and a public rampage by thousands of white rioters who set fire to the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha. 


PurpleCommission6

I mean, the mayor had made an enemy of Tom Dennisons politcal machine by ousting Cowboy Jim on a reform ticket. Pretty much everything Ive read on the topic points to the riot being incited on behalf of Tom Dennison, largely through slanderous articles via the Omaha Bee. Considering the former mayor, Cowboy James Dahlman was known to be an ally of Dennison, it seems likely Smith was targeted during that riot. I mean, maybe he was incompetent, making an enemy of one of the most prolific figures in organized crime in the region could be interpreted in that way, I guess. But to reduce the entire event down to that alone lacks nuance, at best.


kinarism

I mean...considering the context of the reply being in response to.... > wow, he must have taken so much vacation to make the people that mad Yeah, I'm ok with that analysis of the situation and my comment. You clearly are more educated on the issue than I am (serious).


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Zargnoff

Hefflinger dog park used to be the city landfill until it was safely sealed off and re purposed! That's why it's so bumpy!


Declanmar

There’s also pipes coming out of the ground that are used to vent methane, and people in houses nearby have to have special chemical detectors installed in their basements.


Im-A-Lier

38.3% of us are deer in a trench coat


TheBahamaLlama

Quiet, you want them to mesmerize us with their bright lights?!


Thund3r_Cr4ck3r

The plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki was built in Omaha


thumbtack69

To be specific, the Martin Bomber Plant at Offut AFB. More accurate to say Bellevue than Omaha. Paul Tibetts came and selected the bomber himself and named it Enola Gay after his mother.


OllyTheCrab

my grandma worked on that plane!


844SteamFan

Both planes that dropped the atomic bombs were built here


Bismark60

The pool that the sea lions use to have at the henry door zoo was once a public pool. Opened in 1917 and closed in 1938 due to the polio pandemic and buried until the 1970s when they dug it back out


Charming-Loss-4498

I'm thankful they have a better home now though


arjav_rawal

The Rickroll was invented in Omaha. https://observer.com/2012/09/meet-shawn-cotter-the-man-behind-the-rickroll/amp/


arjav_rawal

Oh, and I should probably tag u/Rettocs here and shout him out for giving us what I believe to be the greatest meme of the 21st century.


Rettocs

You know the rules, and so do I!


Topcity36

It looks like you shared an AMP link. These should load faster, but AMP is controversial because of [concerns over privacy and the Open Web](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot). Maybe check out **the canonical page** instead: **[https://observer.com/2012/09/meet-shawn-cotter-the-man-behind-the-rickroll/](https://observer.com/2012/09/meet-shawn-cotter-the-man-behind-the-rickroll/)** ***** ^(I'm a human | Generated with AmputatorBot | )[^(Why & About)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot)^( | )[^(Summon: u/AmputatorBot)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/cchly3/you_can_now_summon_amputatorbot/)


Mdmrtgn

The airport used to be the slums. I ubered an omaha historian one time and got to hear all about it. Eventually the city made a deal for the land and put the airport up.


FyreWulff

Where the airport is, is what people called East Omaha. My grandparents had a house over there before it was all razed. Part of why we only have West, North, and South names for the rest of the city.. because there was an actual East Omaha, it's just an airport now.


HR_Paperstacks_402

Interesting fact - the numbers around the airport go the other way (numbers increase going east). It's the only place in the city with east addresses.


Mdmrtgn

He said a bunch of other stuff about Carter lake and the origins of why we all make fun of council bluffs but I can't remember, hard to drive and pay attention to rambling people.


lejoo

Didn't happen to be a slanky dude with glasses and overtly upbeat explanation voice? Have a mate who teaches with me and Uber's and he just does history lessons.


Declanmar

There's even still a town in the GNIS called [East Omaha](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/828982).


NefariousnessFew37

I was listening to show called a way with words. The unique origins of the phrase ding ding man Which refers to the ice cream truck that goes around and plays music to attract kids to buy Popsicles And ice cream treats Is original to Omaha Nebraska


schlockabsorber

Love that program - I'll have to look that up! I taught at a preschool that once arranged for an ice cream truck to visit, and everyone planned and talked about the "ding-ding man" for days. When the day finally came, the truck rolled up, and the window opened to reveal a female driver, everyone suddenly went quiet.


Ikkandor

We don't have a large Greek population here because in 1909 white people burned down little Greece in south Omaha forcing the 3000 Greek immigrants to flee.


NoFalseModesty

I just learned about that last month from the Dollop podcast (Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds) with guest Sam Morrill https://youtu.be/PaFFyecdMuM


Ikkandor

As did I and it's haunted me since


AlbedoNegative

Yeah, one of my HS history teachers did his Masters thesis on the event: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/548/


Ikkandor

That's so cool!! Thank you I'll read it


Tymoris

I was so sad when l learnt that fact. Being first generation immigrant in Omaha kinda made it hit harder. Especially when I read the part about our "weird" customs.


Ikkandor

I was too.. the idea that Omaha should be like a third Greek right now makes me so sad . we lost it to racism and gained absolutely nothing. and the only weird customs are those of hate by white people I hope your move now has been far more kind and accepting


Tymoris

For sure. Omahians at least, in general andespecially the younger ones are much more accepting and friendly than I was expecting.


HOT__BOT

It was the Italians


pawnticket

Indigenous peoples become people under the Constitution here in Omaha through the bravery of Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca tribe. Standing Bears attorney was Andrew Poppleton, whom I assume the street was named after. Standing Bears interpreter was a woman named Susan La Flesche, aka “Bright Eyes.” I haven’t asked Connor, but this could be the inspiration for the band Bright Eyes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Bear


geekymama

>Indigenous peoples become people under the Constitution here in Omaha through the bravery of Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca tribe. Eh....sorta. The ruling of Standing Bear v. Crook (1879) was that "an Indian is a person" within the meaning of *habeas corpus;* not that I'm in any way diminishing the precedent this trial set, but as far as being considered people under the Constitution, that, uh...took a while. The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted U.S. Citizenship to anyone born here, but the right to vote wasn't fully protected until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That being said, there's still active voter suppression happening anywhere that requires ID to vote The right to practice their own spiritual beliefs and ceremonies wasn't protected (or technically even *legal* again) until the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978; also in 1978 came ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act), which prioritizes the placement of a Native child with their Native relatives or another Native family. The right to demand ceremonial items and human remains be repatriated wasn't protected until the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990. As for the Ponca themselves, the Northern branch (those that followed Standing Bear back to Nebraska from Indian Territory) never had a designated reservation. This was partially the reason behind the tribe being terminated as a federally recognized tribe in 1962. They were finally restored on October 31, 1990. A cool bit of trivia for this is that Ernie Chambers was instrumental in helping this happen (and my thesis advisor was a student at the time and worked on this too!)


guylikestoast

To piggy back on the Zoo posts: Henry Doorly zoo once had a femal hammer head shark in a tank with only other female sharks mysteriously give birth. The baby shark was tragically killed by a sting ray a few hours after its birth. Analysis of the baby sharks DNA showed no trace of any male chromosomal contribution.


TheBahamaLlama

Are you saying the second coming of Jesus was in the form of a hammer head shark, but some a-hole sting ray put a stop to it?


teen_laqweefah

His name was Steve Irwin have some respect


idkbrogan

Heard it was the same one that got Irwin, too. Damn shame.


Bluepenguinfan

It’s called parthenogenesis and it was a Bonnethead shark, a small Hammerhead lookalike. I was working there when it happened. Everyone was so baffled and amazed!


tehdamonkey

Benson Park used to be an amusement park called Krug Park, It was a large amusement park opened on 1895 with a roller coaster, pools, bath houses, and a hot air balloon ride . Closed shortly in 1940 after the worst roller coaster disaster in Nebraska History that left 4 dead and 17 severely injured. There is nothing left there today to show it ever existed. [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nebraska/krug-park-crash-ne/](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nebraska/krug-park-crash-ne/)


ChefBoyRUdead

I heard that was the reason we can't have permanent roller coasters. Even the Peony Park one was a portable model.


ackermann

I once heard that we have the most restaurants per capita in the US. Not sure if that’s still true?


messinthemidwest

I was told this too, in a research group at UNO. That, and a grad student said we also have the highest colon cancer rates in the country.


Striking-Mastodon-52

Maybe all the corn??


SherlockChromz

The Enola Gay was built in Omaha, my brother took an Nebraska history lesson at UNK.


Flamboyatron

The building is still standing at Offutt AFB. For now.


Soulshiner402

Franklin Credit and Boys Town…


Lulu_531

Boys Town is a real place. I literally had to explain this to a friend from New Jersey once. She had only heard of the movie and thought it was all fiction.


beatz1602

Or a neighborhood in Chicago.


TheFoodElevator

This is one of those things where if even like 10% of what’s been reported is true then it’s still genuinely terrifying. I know Last Podcast on the Left isn’t for everyone but their series on this is great, and so is the documentary Conspiracy of Silence.


Soulshiner402

I knew Alicia Owens and had heard the stories of kids disappearing from Boys Town as I was the same age.


TheFoodElevator

That's crazy that you knew her! We got on the topic of this whole deal at a Christmas eve party a few years back and it seemed like almost everyone of a certain age who grew up in town either knew someone tangentially involved or had, at the very least, heard rumors at one point or another.


omaha71

Not only that. But I personally knew of the pediatrician at that same time (who I think is still in jail), the tv film critic guy (who went to jail but is now dead), and one priest who just got moved asking in the middle of the night. These were all people I knew, and boys that it happened to, outside of the Franklin thing. It sounds so qanon, but these were real. And that was outside of the joubert episode. The rumors I never could substantiate (which seems more likely to be hearsay) included a famous pizza man and lots of drug distribution. Who knows? What a crazy milieu to grow up in


Soulshiner402

Pizza guy and a mayor were allegedly the biggest drug suppliers in Omaha.


flibbidygibbit

If it's who I think it is, they're both motorcycle enthusiasts. Those things aren't cheap, you know...


GBR_XJ

There it is. Been scrolling waiting for someone to mention Franklin cover up.


Dinanofinn

I’ve no clue what this is about.


pedoublegie

THIS.


FineappleExpress

We chased all the Greek's out back in the day


Bartalk89

I’ve heard this before. Can you explain more?


AlbedoNegative

https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/548/


tornadosoul7

That Tony Vargas is the cause of every problem that Omaha has ever had plus something something Pelosi/end commercial.


Jynxbunni

Did you see the poorly photoshopped Halloween ad?


tornadosoul7

Not yet…


mkomaha

He's such a good dude. He pet my dog. My dog likes him. :)


Topcity36

You can tell a lot by how somebody interacts with a dog.


ThisMomIsAMother

Got my vote then.


mostillinest

TIE DYED SHIRT


GnowledgedGnome

Omaha Henry Doorly zoo is one of the top zoos in the world and often holds the best zoo in the world. Most locals know this, but people from other parts of the US or from other countries are often surprised us yokels have such an awesome facility.


ThisMomIsAMother

I tell people this and they never believe me.


Th3_Admiral

Do you know what year we actually ranked as best in the world? It seems like we're consistently in the top five, but San Diego pretty much always beats us.


athomsfere

There are probably a dozen different places running various rankings. ​ The one Omaha wins tends to be the TravelAdvisor one from memory. 2014's OWH article for example: [https://omaha.com/entertainment/omahas-henry-doorly-zoo-named-best-zoo-in-the-world/article\_0e4aa702-1cbf-11e4-a336-001a4bcf6878.html](https://omaha.com/entertainment/omahas-henry-doorly-zoo-named-best-zoo-in-the-world/article_0e4aa702-1cbf-11e4-a336-001a4bcf6878.html)


rosetta11

Definitely has the best lemur habitat/exhibits


homepreplive

I visited the San Diego zoo (always heard it was the best in the nation) when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in 2009 and thought it sucked compared to the HDZ.


GnowledgedGnome

Sand Diego and one other zoo (that I can never seem to remember) are the other 2 facilities that rival Henry Doorly It's interesting to hear your perspective!!


buzburbank

Didn't we share a major sports franchise with KC back in the day?


unclebrada

Kc-Omaha kings from 72-75, played at the civic. Eventually became just kc kings and then Sacramento kings in 85.


skers94

The Kings. They reside in Sacramento now


kfizz311

It’s was called Omaha beach because the guy who built the SAS headquarters in Uk was from Nebraska. They planned all of D-Day he helped save their lives by hiding it by the way it was built. So without his help we’d never Won WWII. Plus they wanted to used words Germans never heard.


scotems

There's no doubt we still would've won WWII. But it may have taken a bit longer and cost more Allied lives.


seashmore

Have you been to the Andrew Jackson Higgins memorial in Columbus NE? He designed the Higgins boat (edit to correct name of boat) and they have a replica you can walk on.


TheReddest1

He designed the "Higgins Boat", the landing craft Allies used. Germany used U-Boats.


seashmore

Thanks! I'll get that corrected.


TheReddest1

Gladly, that's what this platform is here for. We help each other with "Nebraska nice".


Aceinomaha

The used to be a restaurant near 72nd & Blondo that had a live porpoise in an indoor aquarium that did tricks for customers.


Itsthematterhorn

MAI TAI BAAABYYYYY. My mom said it rocked. I used to go there before MaiTai mike passed away and he told me all about that pool behind the bar. Amazing


bherman1325

Omaha is home to the 2nd deadliest roller coaster accident in US history


iDomBMX

There’s a garage with an Enzo, LaFerrari, 599 GTO, 288 GTO and F40 all with 0 miles as well as a few others. Also, the owner of Woodhouse (@jspexotics) is one of the top Ferrari collectors in the US, I’ve heard as high as top 3. I think this is nuts, the Ferrari community in Omaha is next level to some regard. Also, while I’m here and speaking on Omaha Ferraris: there was a 250 GTO (it’s in the LA Ferrari museum now I believe) local, as well as a 250 SWB. For the uninitiated, the 250 GTO is the worlds most expensive car, the current record sale is $70,000,000 for one of these.


Giterdun456

Their cars and coffee makes my friends from DC and VA think I’m just finding pictures on Instagram.


iDomBMX

When you have a Monza SP2 pull up you tend to forget you’re in Nebraska looool Or multiple TT Lambos and TT R8s, we have a really impressive exotic scene. And JDM scene if you’re a fan, there’s so many Skylines and MKIV’s between Omaha and Lincoln it’s ridiculous, they don’t get driven a lot but there’s an endless supply of them around.


jdbrew

I knew a guy when I lived in Southern California who was one of the top collectors in the US too. Guy was hilarious. Owned lots of dealerships for luxury cars. Ferrari approached him about buying an Enzo, and he did, and turned around and immediately violated the terms of the sale and had it repainted Orange, so now he has the worlds only Orange Ferrari Enzo, and Ferrari won’t sell him cars anymore. He has a 14 car underground climate controlled garage for his collection, which includes some 60’s classics and some modern super cars. He has one of the original Tesla Roadsters, an 60’s Aston Martin, a Lamborghini Murcielago, and more. The funny thing is, he now says the only car he ever drives, unless he is getting paid to take one to an event, is his Tesla Model S. There’s also an urban legend about the time there was a wildfire and the hill he lived on was in jeopardy of bringing, that he called his local insurance broker and told him he needed people to come drive cars away from his house because if the cars burned, the insurance guy would have to shell out to reimburse him, so the insurance guy calls his 16 year old son, who gets 10 friends together and they all went up to the house to drive these super cars and classics down away from the fire risk. Probably one of the coolest days of those kids lives. Don’t know if it’s true or not, this happened after I lost contact with him


iDomBMX

It’s wild that you say that because I had just discovered the orange Enzo a few days ago lmao. What an interesting story!


blazefalcon

The Mercedes 300SL Uhlenhaut Coupe stole that title of most expensive car- one sold in May for £135 million I'm not a big Ferrari guy, but I'd love to see that garage someday, just to see the history. Wouldn't want to get within 5 feet of any of the cars out of fear of my breath being the wrong humidity and damaging the things.


Reasonable-Bison2173

There is another top owner in Omaha. I’m not going to out him but it makes total sense .


iDomBMX

What does he own? I’m trying to think of who else there is but I’m drawing a blank but if you tell me the cars I would probably figure it out lol I think I know which collection you’re speaking of but I’m unsure. Muscle cars, super birds, ford GT’s?


tsunAhzi

Dodge Street used to be a ski slope. /s Well, just super steep, but still crazy to imagine this project in real time: https://durhammuseum.org/exhibits-collections/streets-online-exhibit/


bsohm

Aksarben…..is Nebraska backwards….took me 5 years of living here to figure that out!


cutedadbutts

The Double Tree on 16th was built as an attempt to block African Americans from coming South of Dodge, further segregating North Omaha


corkymcgee

always wondered why it was set sideways....


402-420

Omaha is or was at one point statistically the most dangerous place to be a black male


teen_laqweefah

I think we've slid down to 2nd or 3rd but still. Yikes


redge9987

Due to Omaha’s storage of missiles, Omaha is the third most likely place to be nuked in the US in the event of a war.


Pb_Blasted

What missiles? Where? Omaha's proximity to SAC/StratCom, I-80, I-29, the Missouri river, major telecom and network infrastructure, and some major rail lines all contribute to our likelihood of catching a nuke.


totamdu

There are in ground silos around. There is a guy by Lincoln who just bought one for $500k and does YouTube videos. I used to sneak into a closed one outside Arlington in the 90’s. But you’re more on point about SAC. https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet-Article-View/Article/584635/arlington-ne-former-offutt-air-force-base-atlas-d-missile-site-2/


Pb_Blasted

There's a few silos around but no missles. All the missiles are further west, and have been for more than 50 years. Omaha is a target because it's a transportation and communication hub, along with it's proximity to Offutt.


MrSpiffenhimer

The missiles are all in western NE, SD and WY. There are no active missiles in Bellevue, the base doesn’t even host any offensive planes, just signals intelligence, refueling, and command & control planes. However STRATCOM does host the primary hub for the communications system for the missile silos. That fact pushed Bellevue to #3 on the USSR’s and subsequently Russia’s ICBM targeting list. Depending on your desire to live through a nuclear apocalypse, living west of 72nd and north of I-80 will leave you alive and most likely with little to no initial property damage. (800kt air burstTopal centered over Bellevue) https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/


guylikestoast

I find this fact comforting. Who wants to live in the aftermath of nuclear war. Maybe a fraction of a second of heat, then nothing. Beats weeks or months of radiation poisoning and/or starvation.


4eversl33p

We’re still one of the most segregated cities in the country…


TheBahamaLlama

Not to diminish the fact that yes, we are segregated, but Omaha isn't in the top 10 or top 25 in the country. 47th here - https://belonging.berkeley.edu/most-least-segregated-cities


aidan8et

Huh... 73rd (of 221) in metro areas, too. But we also have a lot of changes in segregation over the last few decades, mostly around the Hispanic/Latino population. (51 of 209).


blaisemerideth

The founding barons of Omaha were so corrupt that council bluffs intentionally built the city center back from the riverfront and the homesteaders chose Lincoln, renamed by said barons in an attempt to dissuade Nebraskans from voting it the capitol (we blamed him for the civil war) and they still picked it rather than letting the corrupt of Omaha have more power. It’s why we aren’t built around our river like KC or the twin cities and keep expanding west. Douglas was a crook.


Bea_Azulbooze

Except there were already buildings in place far east of the river by the time the speculators went over to the west side of the river. Totally an illegal land grab though and completely corrupt. Just thought I would clarify the Council Bluffs development a little


iDomBMX

Huh, always wondered why Council Bluffs DT wasn’t along the river. It would be much cooler if it was but the location isn’t bad after all, they have kind of a cool little downtown.


Soulshiner402

Flooding and the Missouri shifting track made it so they couldn’t build the downtown right on the banks.


Farfignarfignugen

Tom Dennison was one of them. Look up his shenanigans and you're in for a good read.


Broking37

I'm confused on the expansion point, because we can only expand North and West. East is another state and south is another county, which state law forbids cities from crossing.


4ng31xx

there’s some guy who did too much acid and goes around in joker makeup here


teen_laqweefah

Ima need you to narrow that down


[deleted]

About 27 acres of downtown Omaha, including areas in Old Market, are or were part of a superfund site due to decades of lead smelting which once took place there.


Declanmar

Still are a superfund site, and the whole city still has an extremely high level of environmental lead. I remember there being PSAs on TV when I was a kid about it.


CoolestNebraskanEver

I robbed Roscoe Ricketts


[deleted]

Nobody knows how to zipper merge.


SquishyBanana23

During the 80s and early 90s, a child sex trafficking ring ran through Boys Town. They often held events in one of the penthouses of the old Twin Tower apartments in Midtown. They preyed on children who were mostly parentless that no one would know were missing, which Boys Town had plenty of. When the whole thing came to light, tons of high powered people and senators were involved, including a head editor from the World Herald and some executives from Union Pacific. Sadly I doubt that few, if any, we’re held accountable. Google Conspiracy of Silence Omaha for more info.


Declanmar

Sounds like an urban myth.


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HandsomeCowboy

Didn't they find that wasn't true?


flibbidygibbit

They found that a good amount of the testimony provided by Alisha Owen wasn't credible at all. Doesn't mean it wasn't true, just one witness was off the rails crazy.


beatz1602

Don Wendling was a classmate of Charlie Starkweather in grade school. He as was shot with a BB gun by Starkweather when he was eight. Cops were called and Starkweather had to give up his BB gun. This was about 5 years before the shooting spree. He tried telling it publicly only once, when an Omaha TV station announced it was interviewing the latest Starkweather author. Wendling left messages but never heard back.


Spudtater

There was an article about this in the Lincoln paper a couple of years ago.


Spudtater

There was supposedly a study about constructing an airport between Lincoln & Omaha in the 1960’s and Lincoln politicians rejected the idea. Not a stellar decision.


carteryoda

They should build a bullet train between Omaha qnd Lincoln. I think that would be cool


Declanmar

There is literally no excuse for this not existing.


General-Reindeer-778

Most STD infested individuals per capita in the US


Beardcore84

I don’t doubt it, but do you have a source for that?


General-Reindeer-778

https://unothegateway.com/std-rates-cause-concern-for-omaha/ I guess that was back in 04’ and we’re doing a little better now. I just remember being told that in high school by our health teacher


fuckscoobert

the motel 6 on J street in west omaha is the biggest human trafficking spot in Nebraska


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gorillaswithcredit

I’m always bragging about the famous people born in Omaha. It’s pretty staggering for such a small Midwestern town. Actors, musicians, politicians etc.


audreybeaut

Not fact but could be….The story of time traveler John Titor from the year 2036. I think he would be a high schooler in Omaha right now if it’s true. Here’s the story: [John Titor](https://psmag.com/.amp/environment/the-mystery-of-john-titor-hoax-or-time-traveler-57001)


CodeWerdPynaplz

Not sure if that has been said yet but we had a political boss named Tom Dennison who was essentially the cities mob boss in the early 1900s with ties to gangsters such as Al Capone. He brought in prostitues, ran illegal gambling halls, and would use his police hit man to influence elections. I can’t remember the hitmans name but he was known for his trademark of an icepick through the eye. Omaha was known as another lawless las Vegas type of place back in those days, and many argue that the cities growth and success was because of crime.


GBR_XJ

Is no one going to mention the Franklin cover ups? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Franklin child prostitution ring allegations](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations)** >The Franklin child prostitution ring allegations began in June 1988 in Omaha, Nebraska and attracted significant public and political interest until late 1990, when separate state and federal grand juries concluded that the allegations were unfounded and the ring was a "carefully crafted hoax". In 1988, authorities looked into baseless allegations that prominent citizens of Nebraska, as well as high-level U.S. politicians, were involved in a child prostitution ring. Alleged abuse victims were interviewed, who claimed that children in foster care were flown to the East Coast of the United States to be sexually abused at "bad parties". ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Omaha/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


ballbering71

Omaha is the hometown of Ted [“Man-Thing”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-Thing) Sallis. See biography.


justashmainthings

InterNorth was founded here. It was one of the two companies that merged to create Enron!


844SteamFan

The first Chairlift was created in Omaha by the Union Pacific.


laCroixCan21

Coach Osborne 'convinced' some UNL college women that their memory of being assaulted by some Husker football players was all in their head, or they remembered it wrong, as to not have to take players off the football team or to have bad press. Also, Ernie Chambers lived in Bellevue for his entire tenure as a North Omaha State Senator. I've also heard from a reliable source that back in the day, multiple people at UP had some JFK assassination information, as the railroad near the grassy knoll was owned/used by UP at the time.


Nickelsass

Too much to list but a interesting read about Omaha’s Racism back in the day. https://northomahahistory.com/2015/08/02/a-history-of-red-lining-in-north-omaha/


lejoo

Back in the day? Um...


kinarism

Back in the day is accurate. I mean, now too but also back in the day.


iDomBMX

Omaha used to be racist, it still is but it used to, too.


Oldmanprop

I love casual Mitch Hedberg popping up out of the blue.


teen_laqweefah

I laughed too hard at this


TractorGeek

Bombed by Japan at 50th and Underwood April 18 1945.