The Springfield Cobra Scare of 1953 (YIKES!)

The Springfield Cobra Scare of 1953 involved the freeing of 12 Indian Cobras from an exotic pet store in Springfield, Missouri. They terrorized the neighborhood around the shop for three months, and the story made international news and was covered in Life Magazine.

Images from: The Springfield History Museum on the Square, Robert Lipscomb Papers
(SP0053); The State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center-Springfield , and archived press coverage