Until September 11th 2001 the twin towers of the World Trade Center
dominated the New York skyline and was the tallest building in New York.
Designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, the construction of the Twin Towers
began in 1962 and the first buildings were opened in 1970. Many people at
this time protested about such a "grotesque" monster, but the construction
of the building went ahead and the ribbon cutting ceremony was held on April
4th 1973, with the completion and opening of the last building in 1988.
View of World Trade center before September 11th.
Tower One was 1368 feet tall and Tower Two was 1362 feet tall, there were
110 floors in each and on a clear day you could see up to 45 miles in each
direction from the higher floors. Inside each Tower were 104 passenger
lifts, shuttling workers to their offices each day. The foundations for the
Twin Towers were 700 feet deep and total office space covered an astonishing
9 million square feet. The Towers were home to over 450 different companies,
employing over 40000 workers.
In August 1974 Philippe Petit entertained workers for an hour when he
performed an extremely high rise balancing act on a tightrope between the
two towers.
Nobody could forsee the tragedy and disaster that was to unfold on that
fateful day - September 11th 2001.
September 11th 2001 - People woke up to what was another busy working day,
no different from any other day apart from the fact it was the day of the
Mayoral Election.
Two American Airlines flights bound for Los Angeles were hijacked and
targeted at the World Trade Center. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into
Tower One at 08.46am local time and American Airlines Flight 175 crashed
into Tower Two (south) at 09.02am. At 09.59 the South Tower collapsed, the
inner wire cage supporting the weight of the building melted from the sheer
heat of the fire and at 10.28am the North Tower came crashing to the ground.
View of Manhattan skyline after the tragedy of 11 September 2001
There were also two other planes hijacked that morning, American Airlines
Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 77 crashed
near Pittsburgh. The horrific images were broadcast all over the world,
sparking a war against terroism. The death toll exceeded the number of
troops killed in the Revolutionary War. Images of workers throwing
themselves out of windows were broadcast on news channels throughout the
world, choosing to commit suicide rather than face being killed in the
blazing towers.The total number of people killed in the horrific tragedy was
over 5000, although no exact figure has ever been determined. The remains of
only 869 out of 2843 victims have ever been recovered, though workers found
over 19000 body parts.
People from all corners of the globe flocked to the site, named "Ground
Zero" to witness at first hand the devastation that unfolded on that
horrific day. A viewing platform was erected overlooking the site where
emergency services worked round the clock seven days a week for more than
235 days in order to clear the massive amount of debris, that was once one
of New York's most famous buildings. The viewing platform still receives
many visitors today and is open from 9am to 9pm for people wanting to pay
their own respects to the many who lost their lives on one of history's most
tragic days.
Memorial site for WTC with view of Manhattan skyline after the tragedy of 11 Sept. 2001
At the time of writing, no firm plans have been agreed as to whether the
Twin Towers should, or will ever be rebuilt. Plans for a smaller group of
office blocks have been discussed and a memorial in honour of the victims
who tragically lost their lives is being planned.
Timetable of Events:
September 11th 2001:
08.46am - AA Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower
09.02am - AA Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower
09.17am - All New York Airports are closed by the Federal Aviation
Administration
09.21am - Commuters are stranded as all New York area bridges and tunnels
are closed.
09.40am - For the first time in history, the Federal Aviation Authority
halts all national air traffic.
09.43am - AA Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon
09.45am - The White House is evacuated
09.59am - The South Tower finally collapses
10.10am - United Airlines Flight 77 crashes into rural Pennsylvania
10.28am - The North Tower collapses
10.53am - The New York Mayoral Elections are postponed
14.49am - Some of the bus and subway services are restored
