Oklahoma City National Memorial

Two bronze gates frame the moment that defines this place. One is inscribed 9:01 and the other 9:03, marking the minutes before and after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people. Between them, a shallow reflecting pool runs over the former street. Beside it, the Field of Empty Chairs holds 168 bronze and glass chairs set in nine rows for the building's nine floors, with smaller chairs for the 19 children who died.

The outdoor memorial also includes the Survivor Tree, an American elm that withstood the blast, and a wall of granite salvaged from the Murrah building bearing survivors' names. The Memorial Museum occupies the former Journal Record Building, which was damaged in the attack. It traces the day, the rescue and recovery, the investigation and the trial through artifacts, photographs and personal testimony, including an audio recording of a meeting nearby that captured the explosion.

More than 400,000 people come here each year. The experience is sombre and often deeply emotional.