10 Historical Disasters in the U.S.

September 11, 2001

Throughout American history, there have been disasters of varying magnitudes and types. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, stands out for many. The attacks were strategically planned by the Islamic terrorist group, al Qaeda, for years leading up to the disaster. At 8:45 a.m. on the day of the events, American Airlines Boeing 767 struck the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Evacuation measures were taken immediately, but at 9:03 a.m. just eighteen minutes after the first plane hit, United Airlines Flight 175 flew into the South tower. Both planes were targeted because of the high amount of jet fuel on board. They were set to fly to California and were carrying 20,000 gallons of fuel for the long journey from Boston, Massachusetts. Upon impact, a colossal explosion occurred polluting the air with copious amounts of debris and smoke. As the events unfolded in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 made impact at 9:45 to military headquarters, The Pentagon. Shortly after the Pentagon was hit, the South tower in New York collapsed under tremendous stress and heat produced by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m. the North building collapsed. A fourth plane, United Flight 93, had been delayed taking off from New Jersey, and passengers learned about the events unfolding on the ground. After their plane had been hijacked, passengers planned an insurrection to take down the hijackers. At 10:10 a.m. Flight 93 crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania killing everyone on board. Although its target is unknown, there is no doubt that the brave passengers saved countless lives that day. The attacks killed a total of 2,996 people, 2,763 of those were victims of the World Trade Center. Among the deceased were firefighters, paramedics, police officers, airline passengers and crew, civilians, and the 19 terrorist hijackers. Later that day, President George W. Bush delivered a message from the Oval Office making a very powerful declaration that, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” SM

The rise of security concerns in America prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002. Shortly after, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States was formed. This became known as the “9/11 Commission” and was responsible for the investigation of events leading up to the attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report is a 585-page document that was released on July 22, 2004, describes the event in detail and names the accused architect behind the 9/11 attacks. Countless lives were lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and a permanent hole was burned in the history of the United States of America. SM