Short answers, pulled from the story.
Norman, Oklahoma was named after Abner Ernest Norman, a 23-year-old surveyor from Kentucky who helped map the area in the early 1870s. His work crew carved "Norman's Camp" on a nearby elm tree near what is now Classen Boulevard and Lindsey Street, and early settlers who arrived during the Land Run of 1889 kept the name.
Norman was founded on the 22nd of April 1889, the date of the first Land Run, when at least 150 settlers camped overnight and a downtown began taking shape by morning. The city was formally incorporated on the 13th of May 1891.
The University of Oklahoma, established in Norman in 1890, is the largest university in the state with nearly 32,000 students. It is known for seven NCAA Division I National Football Championships, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art's French Impressionist collection, and contributing over $277 million to research programs in 2009.
Norman sits within Tornado Alley and hosts the National Weather Center, which houses the Storm Prediction Center (a NOAA branch issuing severe weather forecasts for the contiguous United States) and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The proximity of severe weather risk has also attracted several private meteorological companies to the city.
The Norman Medieval Fair is an annual celebration of medieval games, art, and culture held in Reaves Park near the University of Oklahoma, typically on the last weekend of March or first weekend of April. It has run every year since 1976, drew over 325,000 people in 2006, and is the largest weekend event in the state of Oklahoma.
Yes. Norman was established as a sundown town, meaning African Americans were prohibited from living within the city limits, staying overnight, or studying at the University of Oklahoma. This exclusion lasted until the early 1960s. In 2020, the Norman City Council issued a formal apology.