# First ever terrorist attack

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2003, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471 "2003-11-21T08:37:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471/1 "2003-11-21T08:37:25Z")

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When was the first ever terrorist attack? That is, an attack that was classified as a ‘terrorist’ action?

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**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471/2 "2003-11-21T09:28:58Z")

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The French revolution.

Not a single attack, I know, but that’s when the word originated. According to M-W, the first recorded use of the word “terrorist” was in 1795.

The word was originally a reference to the [reign of terror](http://www.bartleby.com/65/re/ReignTer.html) of 1793-94. Very quickly, the term was used to brand anyone who seeked to achieved political goals through violence.

So, I don’t think you could trace it back to a single event. The term was also used to refer to brutal dictatorial policies of intimidation (like the reign of terror), so there has been some drift in meaning.

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**Author:** ![Bromley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471/3 "2003-11-21T11:25:24Z")

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As soon as people were aware that fear could be used to influence people (i.e. pre-caveman days). It’s too open-ended to tie down unless you add some pretty big qualifiers to the question.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-ever-terrorist-attack/214471/4 "2003-11-21T15:05:13Z")

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The first suicide car bombing took place here in America. It was commited by an anti-tax protester, and is known as the Bath School Disaster.

[LINK TO A DETAILED ACCOUNT](http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial7/bath/index.htm)

In addition, he blew up a school full of children.