On September 11th, 2001, nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in a terrorist attack arranged by Al Qaeda.
Let’s start off with recognizing the heroes that lost their lives on this devastating day. Four attacks were planned to happen on September 11th. The fourth, and final flight, United Airlines, flight 93, was flown in the direction of Washington D.C. The plane's passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft away from the hijackers and they diverted the flight from its intended target. It crashed into a field near Shanksville Pennsylvania at 10:03 am. Investigators determined that Flight 93's target was either the White House or the U.S capital. The people that diverted the plane saved hundreds of lives, they are heroes and they deserve to be remembered.
September 11 attacks, also called the 9/11 attacks, are a series of airline hijacking and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda against targets in the United States the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in the U.S. history. The attacks against New York City and Washington D.C. caused extensive death and destruction and triggered an enormous U.S. effort to combat terrorism. Around 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania all 19 terrorists died. Police and fire departments in New York were especially hit hard. Hundreds had rushed to the scene of the attacks, and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed.
On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 75708 liters of jet fuel crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York City.
The plane left a huge, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110 story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more on higher floors.
People began evacuating the North Tower, and all of a sudden another plane crashed into the South Tower. It was no longer an accident… It is a terrorist attack. “America is under attack”, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767 United Airlines Flight 175 appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Centre, and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor.
The collision caused a massive explosion that poured burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. It immediately became clear that America was under attack.
At 9:37 a.m. on September 11, 51 minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon was similarly attacked, a Boing 757 hit the building.
9/11 isn’t the only or the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In February 1993, there was a bombing. It killed six people.
Cases of post-traumatic stress are common among 9/11 survivors and rescue workers. Respiratory problems, like asthma and lung inflammation, also developed at abnormal rates for those in and around the World Trade Center during and after the attacks.
The World Trade Center was a group of seven buildings in lower Manhattan, a busy and crowded part of New York City. Many people worked and visited there. There was also a hotel and an underground mall where people shopped and stayed during visits.
The centerpieces of the World Trade Center were the Twin Towers. They were called the Twin Towers because there were two of them and they looked nearly the same. They had 110 floors and were the tallest buildings in New York City. For a short time, they were the tallest buildings in the world. People came from all over the world to see them and enjoy the view from the observation deck in the South Tower. The buildings were filled with the offices of different companies. 35,000 people worked in the towers and 430 companies had their offices there.
Timeline
September 11, 2001-
8:46 a.m. ET - American Airlines Flight 11 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
- 9:03 a.m. ET - United Airlines Flight 175 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
- 9:37 a.m. ET - American Airlines Flight 77 (traveling from Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles) strikes the Pentagon Building in Washington.
- 9:59 a.m. ET - South Tower of WTC collapses in approximately 10 seconds.
- 10:03 a.m. ET - United Airlines Flight 93 (traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco) crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- 10:28 a.m. ET - North Tower of WTC collapses. The time between the first attack and the collapse of both World Trade Center Towers is 102 minutes.
December 13, 2001 - The US government releases a tape in which Osama bin Laden takes responsibility for the attacks.
December 18, 2001 - Congress approves a measure to allow the president to designate September 11 as "Patriot Day" on each anniversary of the attacks.
December 2001-June 15, 2004 - The original Victims Compensation Fund processes death and injury claims from families and relatives of September 11 victims. Families of those killed had until December 22, 2003, to apply for compensation. The fund reopens in 2011.
May 24, 2007 - The Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, rules that the death of Felicia Dunn-Jones in 2002, from dust exposure, is directly linked to the 9/11 attack and therefore a homicide.
July 19, 2007 - The New York Medical Examiner's Office announces that the remains of three more people are positively identified. 1,133 victims, 41% of the total, remain unidentified.
January 2009 - The medical examiner's office rules that Leon Heyward, who died the previous year of lymphoma and lung disease, is a homicide victim because he was caught in the toxic dust cloud just after the towers collapsed.
January 2, 2011 - President Barack Obama signs James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, reopening and expanding the scope of the Victim Compensation Fund.
June 17, 2011 - The New York medical examiner ruled that Jerry Borg's death on December 15, 2010, is a result of inhaling toxic substances from the dust cloud generated by the collapsing twin towers.
May 10, 2014 -The unidentified remains of those killed in the attacks are returned to the World Trade Center site when they will be kept in the repository under the jurisdiction of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York.
August 7, 2017 - The New York City medical examiner's office announces that the remains of a man killed at the World Trade Center are positively identified due to more sophisticated DNA testing being available.
2019 - The remains of three victims are identified by the New York City medical examiner’s office through DNA testing.
Economic Impact
$500,000 - Estimated amount of money it cost to plan and execute the 9/11 attacks.
$123 billion - Estimated economic loss during the first 2-4 weeks after the World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York City, as well as a decline in airline travel over the next few years.
$60 billion - Estimated cost of the WTC site damage, including damage to surrounding buildings, infrastructure, and subway facilities.
$40 billion - Value of the emergency anti-terrorism package approved by the US Congress on September 14, 2001.
$15 billion - Aid package passed by Congress to bail out the airlines.
$9.3 billion - Insurance claims arising from the 9/11 attacks.
I made this one for my teacher, Mrs. Costello, her first name is Emma just like me!
