4. In 1970, a Townhouse Exploded in Greenwich Village

Anyone who has passed by 18 West 11th Street has probably wondered about the unique construction of the building. The strangely angled building is the result of the Weathermen Townhouse Explosion that took place on March 6, 1970. The individuals responsible were part of the Weather Underground Organization, also known the Weathermen. They were a radical left militant group that started in Michigan, and their ultimate goal was to overthrow the U.S. government. Weathermen members were assembling nail bombs in the basement of the building to set off at a dance at the Fort Dix, New Jersey army base, when a bomb accidentally exploded and killed two members of the group. Dustin Hoffman and his wife were living in the house next to 18th West 11th Street at the time of the explosion.