This is a series of disastrous events in American History. These disasters have accounted for thousands of deaths and even more emotional anguish than we could imagine.
September 11, 2001
The 9/11 attacks undeniably left their mark as one of the most devastating events in American history. It’s also become seemingly impossible for anyone to forget where they were and what they were doing when news spread about the 9/11 attacks.
It’s been 21 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, but the event still haunts so many people whose lives became permanently affected and changed drastically due to the attacks.
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with al Qaeda, the Islamic extremist group, hijacked four aeroplanes and carried out suicide attacks against specific targets in the United States.
Two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The third plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., while the fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.
On the Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001, a plane with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The impact destroyed the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, immediately killing hundreds of people and leaving hundreds more trapped on higher floors.
Less than 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second plane appeared and veered sharply to the south tower of the World Trade Center, hitting close to the 60th floor. The collision caused an explosion, showering burning debris on surrounding buildings and the streets below. At this point, it became clear that America was under attack.
While this was happening, another flight circled Washington D.C before it crashed on the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters that morning. The jet fuel led to an explosion that took away a portion of the building of the U.S. Department of Defense base. Around 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, together with 64 people aboard the plane.
At this point, the south tower of the World Trade Center, unable to withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel, collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke and soon after, around 10:30 a.m., the north building of the twin towers also collapsed. Less than seven people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Over 9,000 others were treated for severe injuries.
Around this time, a plane bound for California had been hijacked. As a result of the fact that the plane had been delayed for a while, the passengers had an idea of what was going on in other parts of America and that this was part of the attack. They then planned an insurrection, overpowered the hijackers and eventually, the plane flipped and crashed in a field near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania. Everyone aboard the aircraft died.
Two thousand nine hundred ninety-six people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers aboard the four aeroplanes. Citizens of 78 countries died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The figure also includes the 343 firefighters and paramedics, the 23 New York City police officers and the 37 Port Authority police officers who tried to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors.
At 9 p.m., President George Bush delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, saying, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them.” This birthed Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.
