September 11, 2001 started out like a typical New York Tuesday. At 8:45 a.m., the World Trade Center's elevators were filled to the max with employees desperate not be late. Ding. The door opened, revealing a flurry of hands and a symphony of clacking keys. Workers rushed to their desks, ready for another day of labor.
A tremor. Like there had been an earthquake, the floor shook as rippling vibrations spread throughout the room. The windows were crushed, shattered glass flying everywhere. Walls caving in, smoke entering and suffocating people. Coughing, yelling, crying, lots of yelling and crying. Many made the last calls to their loved ones and jumped out the window, others died by asphyxiation.
Only six survived.
On this horrific day, 19 militants associated terrorist organization al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes to carry out suicide attacks on the U.S. Two of the planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one plane hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and the last plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
These hijackers were Islamic terrorists financed by al Qaeda fugitive Osama bin Laden, acting in retaliation to U.S. support of Israel in the Persian Gulf War. They easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through airport security and boarded four early-morning flights to California. They purposely chose the long flights, in which the planes would be loaded with larger amounts of jet fuel. After boarding, the terrorists usurped the planes and transformed them into large missiles.
Americans watched on television in horror, especially disillusioned by the fall of the twin towers. Built with steel that could withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour, it seemed unlikely to be defeated by the heat of 1,517 degrees Fahrenheit, which is only half of its melting point.
Almost 3,000 victims from 78 countries were killed. Over 92% of these people died at the World Trade Center, including hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and paramedics.
At 9 p.m., President George W. Bush delivered an address from the Oval Office, declaring, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”
Operation Enduring Freedom began, an effort to oust the Taliban and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network . Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, and seven months later, bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 also created the Department of Homeland Security.
In order to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, a site with the names of all 2,983 victims are engraved on 152 bronze panels was opened to the public. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum followed in 2014.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fahrenheit-2777/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli-wars
I found your post very somber and detailed. I looked further into Flight 93, the one that has crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The flight has been delayed 45 minutes due to heavy traffic at Newark, carrying 44 passengers and crew, including 4 hijackers. The plane departed mere minutes before the first plane struck the first tower, the delay in takeoff making the terrorists take control of the airplane almost 40 minutes into the flight. Air traffic had just warned the Flight 93 pilot of the hijackings when two mayday calls were heard. Based off flight data recordings, the terrorist and trained pilot identified as Ziad Jarrah informed the passengers that there was a bomb on board (there was not) and turned the plane around back east. The passengers were able to call ground through in flight calling systems and cell phones, learning of the three other hijacked flights. Believing the same fate has befallen their airplane, they decided to act. Passengers rushed towards the cockpit as Jarrah began pitching the plane up and down to disorient the passengers, only to make a hard bank to the right and flip the plane over before the passengers could take control. The plane crashed into a field near Shanksville at 580 miles per hour. It is speculated that the plane was to be crashed into the White House, Camp David, Washington D.C. or a nuclear plant located on the Eastern Seaboard. A temporary memorial was created at the crash site, until Congress created the Flight 93 National Memorial to remember those that perished on that flight.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/flight-93