Excerpt that mentions the reinforced-concrete core of each WTC tower: "The steel reinforced concrete core was also becoming weaker and weaker from the fire." ************************************************************ http://web.keene.k12.nh.us/Curriculum/APHistory/summary.htm Before, During, and After -Why they Fell Summary The morning of 9/11 was like any other for most people. People were on their way to work when they heard, they were at their jobs or at school. But unlike most ordinary days, it is one day that will stay in the minds of many Americans for their entire lives. People remember what they were doing, what road they were on or what class they were in. It is imprinted in their minds. Upon hearing, most people were shocked. Some didn't know if it was some cruel radio joke, others were numbed. The World Trade Centers were so famous. They were building that everyone could picture, and it made it all the more unbelievable. Such a strong structure, so many people inside, people could not comprehend the magnitude of this event. People immediately associated the event with terrorists from the Middle East, while, for the most part, the younger generation wondered "Who could do this? Why us?" Still others didn't know quite what to think. TVs everywhere were turned on and people watched in disbelief as the second tower was struck and as they both came crashing down. There was a wave of confusion and emotion in people's minds.. Memories of the event yield television images of the towers in smoke; the second plane hitting as America was just tuning in. The collapsing towers were presented live on the big screen. Almost first hand, most of America witnessed the event. The fear and panic on people's faces was genuine and the emotion carried through to everyone in the nation. In addition to immediately associating the event with the destruction of the towers, a number of people look back and see how American's dealt with the event. They see the American flag raised above the rubble, a reminder that America would recover and be strong. Inevitably the events have struck everyone in one way or another. Some, it has struck harder than others. Pilots have lost their jobs and suffered pay cuts; others were left relatively undisturbed. The country as whole faces economic problems with flying and travel costs. Security has been heightened in airports to a point where some people would rather not bother to fly. President Bush has gained some fans through the event because of the way that he has addressed the nation and dealt with the situation. People feel that he is capable and working hard to preserve what this nation stands for. Others believe that he has not succeeded in quelling their fears, and that his ignorance with foreign policy is what led to this tragedy. As a whole the country has become more patriotic and is happy with this showing of pride. Some feel that it is sad that it takes something like this to bring patriotism out in some people; none the less, it bring to the country a sense of unity. The citizens of Cheshire County feel comfortable and safe in the United States. They are patriotic and stand behind the government's decision to go to war in Afghanistan against terrorism. They feel that we, the United States, are the epitome of freedom. Families have become closer and more aware of what is going on elsewhere. People have been forced to decide whether or not to travel. Many people are satisfied with being at home, or close to it. Some people believe that the government did not act on all of its leads of possible terrorist attacks. "It was bound to happen at some point," many people were quick to point out. We are vulnerable a country because of our tolerance for so many cultural beliefs. The United States government could have been more careful in its security policies and leads. Most people do feel that regardless of what we could have done to prevent the tragedy, the government has done a good job of keeping the public aware and up to date. The public understands that we cannot possibly know everything, infact, it is a good thing that we don't' know everything. Blame cannot be placed on any single person. Some believe that Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist group deserve blame. Their religious fanatics planned an event to deliberately injure the United States. Still other believe that the United States is partially to blame because of ignorance and willingness to take part in foreign affairs that some feel we have no place to be in. The oil business is yet another place for blame because of its competitiveness and economic significance. Overall most people from the Cheshire County area look back on 9/11 and see an opportunity for America to restate itself as an important world power with a determined and optimistic outlook. People have been touched by this tragedy, and it continues to rest in their mind as an infraction on the American way of life. This heart-wrenching event has brought people together on a national level. People are more patriotic, and have a genuinely sanguine view on the future of the United States. __________________________________________________________________________ Before The disaster of September 11th was not completely unexpected nor was it a random idea, suddenly brought about. Instead, it was a tediously thought out plan, perfected throughout many years, incessantly fueled by growing anger and hatred. The most staggering aspect is that these men kept this "dream" in their heads, never losing sight of what they wanted to do, while also preventing themselves from becoming a "red flag" of danger to the United States. The ring leader, Mohamed Atta, aged 24 years, traveled to Hamburg, Germany in 1992 to attend a technical university and do graduate work in urban planning. Atta was already a qualified architect when he arrived. In 1996 he began attending al Qud mosques, congregations of young men from Arab countries. It was at one of these congregations that Atta became an extremist and met two of his fellow suicide pilots, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al - Shehhi. After being radicalized, he grew a beard, symbolic of his growing fundamentalism. Atta also created his will in which he urged his friends and witnesses not to be sad when he died. Meanwhile, Ziad Jarrah left Lebanon to go to Greifwald, Germany where he studied German, and qualified to take other university courses for a year. After this, Jarrah moved to Hamburg where he began a course in aircraft engineering. Along with the development of knowledge in aircraft engineering, came his rising devotion to Islam. Sometime between 1997 and 1999, Marwan al - Shehhi also came to Germany from the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to study German at the University of Bonn. He then moved to Hamburg in 1999 and enrolled in the technical university there. Although these men studied hard, they managed to take a few trips to Afghanistan to the camps of Al Qaeda. While the three men were at the camps, Osama bin Laden declared all Americans legitimate targets of terror and bombed two American Embassies in East Africa, killing 224 civilians. Among those killed were twelve Americans. After about a year, Atta returned to Hamburg a changed man. In October 1998, he formed a terror cell having Number 54 Marienstrasse as the base. This became the meeting place for at least six Arab students, including al - Shehhi and Jarrah. Conveniently, Atta, al - Shehhi, and Jarrah all reported their passports stolen. Their new passports no longer contained any information of them having been in bin Laden's camps. Between May and June 2000, al - Shehhi, Atta, and Jarrah, arrived separately in the United States on tourist visas from Berlin. Once in the United States the three made their way to Florida to learn how to fly. Atta and al - Shehhi paid $38,000 for their flight training, all funded by the United Arab Emirates who would in the end make a total contribution of $300,000. In the fall of 2000, Jarrah attended the Florida Training Center in Venice, Florida. Co-currently, Atta was studying flight deck videos for Boeing 747, 757, and 767 and Air Bus A320. In the months leading up to the attacks, Atta made several trips to Europe. On one of his trips, the immigration service noticed that his tourist visa had expired before he took the flight lessons. Atta was questioned and given an eight-month extension on his visa. Atta and his lieutenants moved to towns north of Miami where more members of the "hijack" team, known as "foot soldiers" had arrived from Saudi Arabia. During the month of August, Atta did one more security run and took a test flight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on August 17th. Five days later, he purchased an antenna for a global positioning system, and schematics for Boeing 757 cockpit instrument diagrams. However, at this time, not all was cool, calm, and unsuspicious. Moussaoui, (now believed to be the twentieth hijacker), was jailed in Minnesota because he aroused suspicion as an inexperienced pilot seeking advanced simulator training for a 747 airliner. The flight school alerted the FBI, reminding them that a 747 could potentially be used as a bomb. In the final days leading up to the attack, Atta took notes on the American Airlines while rooming at a Comfort Inn in Portland, Maine. Here he gave the suicide bombers instructions for the last night, reminders, and Islamic prayers. These men prepared mentally, and physically for the gruesome and hateful attack that they would soon sacrifice their lives to achieve. ___________________ During 8:45 a.m. Hijacked passenger jet American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the North Tower tearing a gaping hole and setting the building on fire. 9:03 a.m. A second hijacked airplane, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the South Tower and explodes. Now both buildings are burning. 9:17 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area airports. 9:40 a.m. The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in the U.S. history that nationwide air traffic has been halted. 9:43 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon. The hijacked Boeing 757 hits the helicopter landing pad adjacent to the Pentagon. A fifty to sixty foot fireball is created from the debris and an enormous plume of smoke is visible for miles. Immediately following the attack, the wounded are brought to the inner center courtyard, and secondary explosions are reported. Rescue attempts are delayed on two separate occasions after false reports of an impending second attack. Extensive casualties result and the Pentagon is left with terrible damage. 9:45 a.m. The White House evacuates. 10:05 a.m. The South Tower collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building. The Pentagon burns. 10:08 a.m. Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into Lafayette Park across from the White House. 10:10 a.m. A portion of the Pentagon collapses. 10:10 a.m. Hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburg. 10:22 a.m. In Washington D.C. the State and Justice Departments are evacuated, along with the World Bank. 10:28 a.m. The World Trade Center's North Tower collapses from the top down, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke. ___________________ Why They Fell When Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower it struck the direct center of the building. In doing so it severely damaged the core of the tower and destroyed much of the buildings outer steel framework. When the second plane hit the South Tower it sliced through several floors but did not cause much damage to the core because it hit the building off center. However, the initial destruction caused by the impacts was not fatal and it would not be the deciding factor for the collapses. The resulting fires from the 23,775 gallons of jet fuel that each plane was carrying made collapse inevitable; it was only a matter of time. The temperature in the burning areas of both buildings quickly rose to over 1472F. At 1202F steel loses about half of its strength and with the severely damaged support structures of the buildings the fire was taking its toll. On the most damaged floors the remaining floor joists (steel girders holding the outer shell of the building to the inner core), were giving way due to the heat. The steel reinforced concrete core was also becoming weaker and weaker from the fire. This combination of fire damage and the initial impact damage sounded the death knell for the buildings. In the South Tower, many of the joists were giving way from the heat and the surviving steel columns on the outside of the building were getting more and more weak. The failing joists cause the outside walls to bow outward and in their weakened condition the stress proved too much. The walls in the areas most damaged gave way and the collapse started. The South Tower, even though it was hit after the North Tower, fell first because the second plane struck lower so the damaged areas of the South Tower had nearly twice as much weight to support compared to that of the North Tower. The badly damaged North Tower was losing an ever increasing amount of strength from the fire and was losing support from the outer walls because of the failing floor joists. The core gave way at it's most damaged area, taking the rest of the building with it. After the initial collapse of the highly damaged floors in both towers, the resulting momentum was unstoppable and the floors below began to progressively collapse down onto each other. ___________________ 10:46 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin America to return to the United States. 11:16 a.m. CNN reports that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are preparing emergency-response teams in a precautionary move. 11:26 a.m. United Airlines officially reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania. The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about Flight 175. 11:59 a.m. United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has crashed with fifty-six passengers and nine crew members aboard. It hit the World Trade Center's South Tower. 1:27 p.m. A state of emergency is declared in Washington D.C. 1:44 p.m. The Pentagon says five warships and two aircraft carriers will leave the U.S. Navel Station in Norfolk, Virginia to protect the East Coast from further attack and to reduce the number of ships in port. The two carriers, the USS George Washington and the USS John F. Kennedy, are headed for the New York coast. 2:30 p.m. The FAA announces there will be no U.S. commercial air traffic until noon EDT Wednesday at the earliest. 4:00 p.m. CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. officials say there are "good indications" that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on "new and specific" information gathered since the attacks. 4:25 p.m. The American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, and the New York Stock Exchange say they will remain closed Wednesday. 5:20 p.m. The forty-seven story Building 7 of the World Trade Center Complex collapses. The evacuated building was damaged when the twin towers across the street collapsed earlier in the day. Other nearby buildings in the remain ablaze. 6:00 p.m. Explosions are heard in Kabul, Afghanistan, hours after the terrorist attacks on the United States. Afghanistan is believed to be where bin Laden, who U.S. officials say is possibly behind Tuesday's deadly attacks, is located. U.S. officials say later that the U.S. had no involvement in the incident whatsoever. The attack is credited to the Northern Alliance, a group fighting the Taliban in the country's ongoing civil war. 6:40 p.m. Rumsfeld, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, holds a news conference in the Pentagon, noting the building is operational. " It will be in business tomorrow," he says. 7:45 p.m. The New York City Police Department says that at least seventy-eight officers are missing. The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters on the scene were killed. 8:30 p.m. President Bush addresses the nation. 9:57 p.m. New York City Mayor Giuliani says New York City schools will be closed Wednesday and no more volunteers are needed for Tuesday evening's rescue efforts. 10:56 p.m. CNN's Zahn reports that New York City Police believe there are people alive in the buildings near the World Trade Center. 11:54 p.m. CNN Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno reports that a government official told him there was an open microphone on one of the hijacked plans and that sounds of discussion and "duress" can be heard. Sesno reports a source says law enforcement has "credible" information and leads and is confident about the investigation. ___________________ After America: she sets the pace for the rest of the world. America stopped that fateful September day and the world halted with her. Nevertheless, in the true American fashion, she started to turn once more as President George W. Bush addressed a lost nation that Tuesday night. In addition to offering words of comfort to the American people, Bush also implored Congress to declare war on the faceless enemy who had perpetrated such actions. In the speech, he declared, "terrorism against our country will not stand." Ever since the first day, he has been indefatigable in his campaign against terrorism. He has involved every corner of the United States government in tracking down terrorists in the United States, keeping potential threats out, and working overseas to combat the sources of terrorism. Directly following the attacks, a massive campaign was organized around patriotism. On September 20, President Bush addressed both the Senate and House of Representatives in a joint session of Congress. Immediately, Bush's approval ratings shot-up from under 50% to 89%. Nearly everyone, the Americans and many worldwide allies alike were willing to bomb Afghanistan and the other countries that had yet to be named. In an attempt to reassure America's Muslim allies and to win support for his war actions and police measures in the United States, the President denounced vigilante actions against people of the Arab and Muslim race. A new Department of Homeland Security, led by former Pennsylvanian governor Thomas Ridge, was established after the attacks to deal with the new and present dangers of domestic terrorism. Ironically, together with the FBI, the new office immediately began systematically profiling Arab people and arrested and detained many of them simply out of fear. Such actions of intolerance were incredibly evident on all levels, as anti-Middle Eastern sentiment engulfed all parts of the country. In spite of the red, white, and blue displayed across the nation, many hate crimes occurred and were condemned by the majority of the government. It was apparent that Americans felt unsafe and did not know how to conduct themselves in the new situation. In dealing with this danger, the politicians in Washington, D.C. have gone to great lengths to alleviate concerns about flying and security at home. Approximately seventy articles of legislation have been passed as a direct result of the attacks; one piece in particular designated September 11th as Patriots Day. Others set up funds for the victims and their families. Legislation was also created to address the American economy, which was drastically changed by the events of September 11th. Many United States companies overseas completely shutdown for a few weeks following the attacks, in hope that they would not be attacked by terrorists. Eric Peffer's branch of Computer Sciences in Jakarta, Indonesia was temporarily evacuated along with many other American companies with bases in the Middle East. Security also became a high priority. In airports military personnel helped with maintaining a sense of safety and attempted to reassure the public. During the weeks following the tragic attacks, airports received no business, prices dropped rapidly, and companies even gave away tickets in an attempt to get America flying once more. The damage was already done; airlines lost nearly $1.36 billion as a result of the terrorist attacks and such troublesome effects were felt all the way from Wall Street to the employees of the companies who were laid off. In the weeks following the September 11th attacks, many different funds were established for the victims and their families. Over $1 billion was raised in total. In the lead was the Red Cross, raising more than $564 million for what they called the "Liberty Fund". There were many conflicts about where the funds were being appropriated. Some of the money went to help the individual communities cope with other threats, such as the Anthrax scare, which, in retrospect, most likely had no direct connection to September 11th. Many people, such as Elizabeth McLaughlin, felt they were being tricked by the agencies, for they were told that their donations was going directly to the victims of the terrorist attacks, however the majority of the money has gone to aid the war efforts. In an attempt to raise money for the families to whom the relief money was originally directed, McLaughlin wrote a document revealing where the money was really going. By showing the public that they were being tricked in the publication, she received a $27,000 check for her work, which will be given to the victims' families. Because of McLaughlin's efforts, over 25,000 families have been helped by the Red Cross through food and temporary shelter, counseling, and cash assistance. All across the world people were committed to help the efforts in New York through any means possible. Blood was donated, food was shipped to the city, and flags waved proudly across the nation. Different organizations such as the Red Cross gave people the means through which to donate and feel they serving their country. Immediately following the attacks there was a rush to the blood banks, for the rescue workers in New York were optimistic that they would find many people alive in the rubble who would need blood. After only recovering a few people alive, the process moved from search and rescue to an effort of recovery so that the families of the victims could have any remains of their loved ones in order to give them an appropriate burial and thus the blood was not needed. Nearly nine months after the planes struck the World Trade Centers the process concluded on May 30, 2002 when the last beam from the building was removed. After removing the 1.8 tons of rubble and the unrecognizable remains of the victims in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, the death toll reached nearly 3,000 people. Three hundred-forty three members of the New York City Fire Department were murdered that day changing the entire infrastructure of command. Shortly after the attacks, the men and women who were killed while doing their jobs as police officer, rescue workers, port authority workers, and firefighters were declared to have died in an act of war and are to be treated in the appropriate way. The American causalities abroad, however, have not been as great in the war against terrorism. The American forces began to drop bombs on the Afghan front and soldiers marched into the borders on recognizance missions. As soldiers were fighting the Taliban, the United Nations was sending humanitarian aid to the refugees so that they could live to see the future of their government. The Taliban however would not allow the relief workers to cross their borders, making life even more dangerous for the refugees. The United States and Europe worked with the political establishment in Afghanistan to form a government for the people for the first time. Led by the interim Afghan leader, Hamid Karzai, the people were liberated from the oppressive Taliban rule. While freedoms are being enjoyed once again, the Afghans are still facing a most overwhelming obstacle: extreme poverty. During the Taliban rule, it was declared un-Islamic to produce Afghanistan's most lucrative export. Opium, the main ingredient in heroin, was the country's vitality and offered many the opportunity to rise out of such poverty. With famine, drought, and disease ravishing the country and with little hope on the horizon, the Afghans will undoubtedly be suffering the effects of the Taliban rule for many years. Hope, however, its not completely forgotten in the Afghan lives. In the new government that is being established, the people have been released from the horrible cage into which they were put while under the Taliban rule. Women can legally reveal their faces, walk openly in the streets, and go to school. Young children, however have never seen a time during which their country was not at war. The people simply know no other way than war and thus young children who are supposed to be learning how to read are being taught how to use guns and missiles. It is a long, long journey from a mind-set of war to one of peace. In addition to creating a new government in Afghanistan, the American government is also reevaluating their conduct prior to and after the attacks. They have conducted a thorough investigation regarding the actual attacks and one of the conclusions that has been drawn is that the Pentagon was merely a secondary target. The primary target was the White House, but since it is small in comparison to the rest of the landmarks in Washington, they were unable to find it. It has been hypothesized that the second airplane that crashed near Camp David was heading for the Capitol building. In fact, the first airplane circled the Capitol building but could not take that as its target because that would disrupt the plan. Knowing more about the actual logistical aspects of the attacks has helped the government reevaluate their role in protecting the American people. Controversy regarding whether the government had enough information to prevent the attacks has exploded into a complete investigation of the FBI and CIA. President Bush has maintained that if the government had enough credible information that suggested the American people were in distinct danger, the government would have acted on the threats. In an effort to prevent future attacks and in dealing with the extreme criticism that the FBI failed to act on the information that might have prevented the attacks, the FBI is "changing its culture" to confront the new reality of terrorism. Prior to the tragic events that occurred on that clear Tuesday, terrorism was what Hollywood showed in the form of sheer entertainment. Terrorism now carries with it a new meaning and a new reality and in the aftermath of September 11th, America has had to repair itself. Afghanistan is facing new challenges in addition to the oppression from which they are recovering after the Taliban rule. The new problems and the sacrifices made by Americans, similar to those made by Afghans, have created a country that has to rebuild and slowly become more attune to the threats facing the nation. In the months following the tragic events of September 11th, the America that has stopped turning is now moving faster than ever and challenging the rest of the world to match her pace. _______________________________ Home