Most of the universities in North America has such a tower. In 1966, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, named Charles Whitman killed 14 people and wounded 32 others during a shooting rampage on and around the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Three were killed inside the University’s tower and ten killed from the 28th floor observation deck of the University’s 307 foot administrative building. The towers in most US universities were ordered to be closed for a while after this incident.