A Day of Terror - 11 September 2001

1. Introduction

Mornings are for waking up happy, going on with your business, and enjoying life. After all, the weekend is over; it's the beginning of a beautiful new day given to you by the Lord. But the morning of September 11, 2001 wasn't to be one of those mornings that were so simple.

The events of September 11, 2001 are the primary reason why I started to write this project. Also, I chose this topic, because the World Trade Center’s history that I will describe in the pages to come represents the very symbol of American dream: money, fame and power.

The Twin Towers were the symbol of the United States power and their destruction (11 september 2001) was a big loss not just for the American people but also for the entire world.

I remember that I was eleven years old and the ghastly images of that horrific day become so imprinted on my mind, that I decided to search for more informnation about this topic. I was afraid, at that time, of planes that crossed above my head, because I was living with the fear that any of them would crash into a building from Sibiu.

Anyway, I personally agree with George Bush’s statement: “The World Trade Center attack was not a terrorist act. It was an act of war ” and I appreciate the U.S.A. ‘s response in launching the antiterrorist campaign.

On the W.T.C. memorial built a year later K. Frawley wrote:

"When life's journey here is ended, and earth's path no more be trod, May their names, in gold be written, 'longside the autograph of God."

For all mankind 11 September 2001 is a day to remember.

When we look at the world around us, we see change almost everywhere.

In some places change seems to be slow, while in other parts of the world there are significant events that become turning points in the history of a country or an even entire continent.

2. The World Trade Center History

1973 – 2001

2.1.An Achievement of Modern Art

The twin towers of the World Trade Center were more than just buildings. They were proof of New York's belief in itself. Built at a time when New York's future was cloudy, the towers restored confidence and stopped the decline of lower Manhattan. Brash, glitzy, and grand, they quickly became symbols of New York.

Controversial Beginnings

The towers were not always popular. A world trade center was first proposed in 1960 by the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association to revitalize seedy "radio row," dominated by electronic stores. Chase Manhattan Bank Chairman David Rockefeller, founder of the development association, and his brother, Nelson, New York governor, pushed hard for the project, insisting it would benefit the entire city.

In 1962, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began plans to build the center. Minoru Yamasaki and Associates of Michigan, and Emery Roth & Sons, P.C., were hired as architects. Eventually, Yamasaki decided on two huge towers. Critics charged that a modern monolith would rob New York of character, ruin the skyline, disrupt television reception, and strain city services.

Massive Buildings

However, the project was approved and construction began in 1965. Five streets were closed off and 164 buildings demolished to create the 16-acre site. Construction required the excavation of more than 1.2 million cubic yards of earth which created 23.5 acres of land along the Hudson River, now Battery City Park, a complex of four 60-story skyscrapers and four apartment buildings.

Building the World Trade Center took 200,000 tons of steel, 425,000 cubic yards of concrete, 600,000 square feet of glass, and 12,000 miles of electric cables.

During peak construction periods, 3,500 people worked at the site. A total of 10,000 people worked on the towers; 60 died during its construction.

Instant Landmarks

The towers were dedicated in 1973. They were the world's tallest buildings for only a short time, since the Sears Tower in Chicago was dedicated a month later. However, the north tower sported a 360-foot television mast that allowed it to technically remain the world's tallest building. A hotel, a shopping plaza, and three smaller buildings nearby completed the complex.

The twin towers became the most popular postcard image in the world. Some three dozen movies were made at the towers, including the 1976 remake of King Kong.

Thousands of Visitors

The buildings weighed more than 1.5 million tons and contained 198 miles of heating ducts and 23,000 fluorescent light bulbs. Each of the towers had 110 floors, and each floor was roughly 50,000 square feet large. Shopping malls with restaurants, stores, and barbershops dotted the concourses. The mall underneath the towers contained another 75 stores. The six basements also included two New York subway stations and the PATH trains to New Jersey used by 150,000 people daily.

Some 50,000 people worked in the buildings, while another 200,000 visited or passed through each day. The top floor observation deck had 26,000 visitors daily, who could see for 45 miles on a clear day. From the ground, the towers were visible for at least 20 miles.

The 43,600 windows were washed automatically, while the air conditioning system was the world's largest, with 60,000 tons of cooling capacity. It took 250,000 cans of paint each year to spruce up the towers.

Each tower had 97 elevators for passengers and six for freight. Express elevators zoomed skyward at 27 feet per second, reaching the top in 4.8 minutes. More than 300 computer main frames in the towers served the towers' occupants.