Happy Cooper Day (In Washington State)

On November 24, 1971, 38 years ago today, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving back then, a man with "Dan Cooper" printed as his name on his ticket boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon to Seattle. While in the air, he gave the stewardess a note that explained that he was hijacking the plane, wanted a ransom of $200k in unmarked cash, and four parachutes. The plane landed in Seattle, he let the passengers go in exchange for the money and parachutes, kept the crew captive, and took off again.

His directions to the crew were for them to fly at no higher than 10,000 feet and at much less their normal cruising speed to Mexico City. They informed this Dan Cooper that flying in such a manner meant they wouldn't be able to make it that far, so he instructed them to fly to Reno instead, and refuel there. Soon after taking off from Seattle, after the flight plan had been agreed upon by Cooper and his captives, he sent everyone into the cockpit so he could be alone in the back of the plane. He proceeded to open the plane's rear stairwell, and, as it appears to history, he jumped from the plane with the money, two of the parachutes, and his "bomb".

A mixup in the press labeled him as "D.B. Cooper", and his legend grew. He was never arrested, caught, or even fully identified. The prevailing notion around the FBI was that he didn't survive the jump, but no remains have ever been recovered. The money wasn't marked, but the serial numbers had been recorded prior to the money being delivered, and only one stack of twenties has ever been recovered. That happened in 1980, nine years after the heist, in south-western Washington State. A young boy found a stack of weathered bills, still housed in the rubber band that held them on that November day, in a section of the Columbia River. Forensics proved it was from the DB Cooper ransom, but they also (reluctantly) proved that it couldn't have deposited where it was eventually found until sometime after 1974. No earlier than 1974? Three years after the caper? It only really added to the mystery.

So, in some places in Washington State, November 24th is celebrated as "Cooper Day" in remembrance of the daring hijacking, ransoming, and escape of the mis-labeled D.B. Cooper.

I would imagine since September 11th that celebrating the hijacking of an airplane might have since fallen out of vogue.