Imagine you're walking through the park one day and you see a suspicious backpack sitting underneath a bench.

You report it to the police and, upon investigating, they discover two live pipe bombs inside.

You rush to clear the area before they explode, saving countless lives, and preventing injury.

Everyone declares you a hero for a fleeting moment, until everything changes, and you are

declared the prime suspect.

This was the story of security guard Richard Jewell.

After the Centennial Park bombing killed one person and wounded more than a hundred, public pressure and a media

witch hunt pushed a desperate FBI to find a suspect. Despite obvious holes in the case and unethical tactics used by the FBI to get Jewel to confess, he was found guilty.

In the newest season of Generation Why, the Olympic Park bombing,

hosts Aaron and Justin explore the aftermath of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing.

Listen as they delve into the details of the case, the sway of public opinion, and the identity of the real killer,

who, after a years-long manhunt, was apprehended through pure luck, and was found to be responsible

for other bombings across the United States.

I'm about to play a clip from Generation Y, the Olympic Park bombing.

Follow Generation Y on the Wundery app or wherever you get your podcasts. We just went through an Olympics, but the case we're talking about today involves the 1996 Olympic Games and to give you some idea of what was happening at the time the first Motorola flip phone is on the market and the beloved Forensic Files has premiered on television.

And on July 19, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, the world celebrated 100 years of the Summer Olympic Games.

So, a week later on July 26th, we have over 50,000 people gathered for this free concert at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.

It's 21 acres. The Olympic Park was open to all visitors to walk through and explore and enjoy the music.

And at around midnight, the band Jack Mack and the heart attack went on break, and this is where things get interesting.

Yeah, there was a man named Richard Jewell who was working security in Olympic Park

during the early morning hours of July 27th.

Seven college-aged intoxicated guys wandered over to two park benches

...