Kent State

Cultural  

1. A controversial incident in 1970, in which unarmed students demonstrating against United States involvement in the Vietnam War were fired on by panicky troops of the National Guard. Four students were killed and nine wounded. The shooting occurred at Kent State University in Ohio. The troops were subsequently absolved of responsibility by the government, but their action turned many moderates against the Vietnam War and the Richard Nixon administration.

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Example Sentences

Born in Follansbee, W.Va, Holtz grew up in Ohio and was an undersized linebacker at Kent State University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Or, in laymen’s terms, the “upside-down flowerpots” first worn in 1980 by the lineup Mothersbaugh co-created at Kent State University in the early 1970s.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

The BBC has used data supplied by Dr He Yin at Kent State University to examine the amount of land damaged by the huge wildfires that have been sparked by the cross-border attacks.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024

Humans may be accelerating the rate at which organic matter decomposes in rivers and streams on a global scale, according to a new study from the University of Georgia, Oakland University and Kent State University.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

At Kent State University in Ohio, tensions escalated so much that the governor sent in the National Guard.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge