Interesting Facts

  • The Tornado of 1974 was rated an F5 on the Fujita Scale. 
  • The city’s plight was featured in the national news, including a 1974 NBC television documentary, Tornado!
  • President Richard Nixon visited stricken areas of Xenia following the devastation.
  • Comedian Bob Hope organized a benefit for Xenia and, in appreciation, the new Xenia High School Auditorium was named the "Bob Hope Auditorium".
  • In recognition of their coverage of the Tornado of 1974, the staff of the Xenia Daily Gazette won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting in 1975.