9/11 Cause Effect

September 11, 2001 (herein referred to as 9/11) was a day in American history, which will be remembered as the most horrific attack on American soil. This attack, carried out by nineteen Islamic extremists, was associated with al-Qaeda, and involved the hijacking of four airplanes. Two of those airplanes were hijacked and flown directly into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The third plane’s target was the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the fourth plane was brought down in Pennsylvania where it is believed the passengers aboard fought the hijackers. This horrific day in history cost over 3,000 people their lives, and was labeled the worst attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two planes hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists crashed into the symbol of military and capitalism; the World Trade Center (History.com). This attack killed approximately 3,000 people (History.com). One other plane crashed into the Pentagon and 125 people lost their lives in that attack (History.com). That day, referred to as 9/11, left a stain in the hearts and minds of many Americans. These attacks brought out the hero in a great deal of people, but many heroes died on that day, and those heroes will never be forgotten. Because of this tragic event, millions of American citizens were injured or have had to endure the lasting effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (History.com). This awful event is our hope for the future because it taught us we need to combat terrorism better and we are still fighting this battle today (History.com).

Many people do not know what exactly happened on this day and are left short of very many important details that happened on this day. One of the details that some Americans do not know is that there were four crashes that happened on this day due to the hijacking of the planes by Al-Qaeda. There were four airplane crashes this day that occurred at different times in different locations. The first airplane to take off was American Airlines Flight 11 (a Boeing 767) at approximately 7:59 a.m. It was departing Boston’s Logan International Airport and was headed to Los Angeles with 92 people aboard it. The next airplane to leave was Flight 175 (also a Boeing 767) that departed the airport at 8:14 a.m and left the airport to Los Angeles with 65 passengers on board. After that, at 8:20 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 (a Boeing 757) left Washington Dulles International Airport with 64 people on board and it was also headed for Los Angeles. The first plane crash occurred at 8:46 in the morning. This was Flight 11 and it crashed into the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center. Next, it was Flight 175 that crashed. This happened at approximately 9:03 in the morning and this affected the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Next, it was then Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon, located in Washington, DC. The last hijacked plane Flight 93 that then crashed at 10:03 a.m in a field

At 9:12 on Flight 77, staff and passengers contacted their family and friends and air traffic control that the plane had been hijacked. Approximately at 9:36, Secret Service agents evacuate the White House employees to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. The reason they evacuated the White House is because the authorities were expecting that another hijacked plane was going to attack either the White House or the Capitol (9/11 MEMORIAL - September 11 Attack Timeline, pages 20, 22-23). At 9:37, hijackers crash Flight 77 into the Pentagon’s western facade, killing the fifty-nine on board the plane and one hundred twenty-five military and civilian personnel inside the Pentagon. This had been the third attack on the United States within fifty-one minute. To help the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) find the hijacked planes, they ground all flights over, or bound for, the continental United States. At approximately 9:59, after burning for a total of fifty-nine minutes, the South Tower collapses within ten seconds killing many rescue workers and responders (9/11 MEMORIAL - September 11 Attacks Timeline, pages 24-25,28). Around 10:15, the damaged section of the Pentagon’s outermost offices, known as the E ring, collapses. No on was injured. At 10:28, the North Tower collapses after burning for one hundred two minutes, killing about 1,400 people in the building and the surrounding area (9/11 MEMORIAL - September 11 Attack Timeline,

Imagine a cloud of black smoke covering the sky of your hometown or having to make the choice if you should jump to your death out of a skyscraper because if you didn’t, then you would burn alive. Imagine calling your husband while on a plane while knowing that will be the last time you tell him you love him. Imagine the fear you would feel not knowing if your loved ones survived a terrorist attack. This nightmare on an imaginations became a terrible reality for New Yorkers and American citizens. On September 11, 2001, four aircrafts were hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the aircrafts flew into the twin towers in New York City, one aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth aircraft crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. These terrorist attacks that took place on September 11 resulted in many casualties, an increase in airport security, and the United States invading Afghanistan and the Middle East.

On September 11, 2001 the World Trade Center buildings one and two were attacked. However, who we were attacked by and even if we were attacked is a hard decision to make. There have been many different claims about how everything on that fateful day happened. There are facts that we know are true, though; Flight 11 flew into the North Tower at eight forty- six in the morning. Soon after, Flight 175 attacked the South Tower. By the end of the day, both towers had collapsed and other hijacked flights had caused damage. The amount of lives lost on September 11 was substantial; 2,749 people from eighty-three different countries died from the attacks (Facts about the attacks…, n.d.). All in all, America was changed forever.

While Millions watched very frightened because of the events in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 went around downtown Washington D.C, and slammed into the west of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 am. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating flame that led to a collapse of the whole building. After all of this, 125 people were killed in the Pentagon itself while 64 died inside of the airplane. (History)

The attacks were conducted on a Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001. Flight 11 was crashed into floors 93-99 of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. United Airlines Flight 175 was hijacked and crashed into floors 77-85 of the South tower of the World Trade Center. 343 firefighters (FDNY) personnel were killed battling the blazes caused by the massive explosions of jet fuel. Later that morning, Flight 77 was crashed into the west section of the Pentagon, a major military operations center in Washington, DC.

Two planes, American Airways flight 11 and United Airways flight 175 flew directly into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City,both buildings were over one-hundred stories tall. The first plane crashed into the north tower at a speed of 440 mph, carrying 81 passengers. The fuel tanks were carrying over 9,500 gallons of jet fuel. The second plane hit the south tower flying 540 mph at 9:03 am, mere minutes after the first. It was much lighter considering it only carried 56 passengers and approximately 9100 gallons of jet fuel. The combined explosion caused both towers to burst into flames around the seventieth floor. Under two hours, both the north and south towers collapsed,

As millions were watching the events unfold in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and crashed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a overwhelming firestorm that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the enormous concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) It was initially thought that this plane was bound for the White House or the Capitol Building; however, because of lack of visibility coming from the west as it did objects obscured these targets making the terrorists change their plans and crash into the Pentagon. (Limbacher, 2001)

The first building to get hit was the north Twin Tower. Soon after, at 9:06 in the morning, the south tower was hit. Before the second plane, people thought the plane crash was a mistake, but by the second plane they knew it was not a mistake. The third plane hit the Pentagon at 10:06 in the morning. The final plane, Flight 93, looked like it was headed to a nearby elementary school, but it crashed two miles away from the school.

A day not any individual could fathom became a reality on September 11, 2001. On this date, America was under attack from four airplanes hijacked by nineteen Al-Qaeda members from the roots of an Islamic terrorist group. All four were aimed at United States significance: the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the White House. The attack proved to be disastrous and nearly three-thousand lives were taken in a single day. This occurrence has shaped the United States drastically and how America is perceived today.

It was hit by flight American Airline 77. When it was hit, the plane exploded and rings of smoke were all witnesses could see. The Pentagon is the headquarter of the U.S defense department. 184 people died in the crash.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, an Islamic terrorist group known as al-Qaeda carried out a series of four attacks on the United States. The most well-known attack is when two commercial airline planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City. Many innocent lives were lost and families were torn apart. While many Americans were determined to show their resilience towards the attacks, this is a day many Americans will never forget. Although the attacks happened sixteen years ago, Americans are still dealing with the impacts these attacks have had on life in America. The 9/11 attacks have had several long-lasting effects on everyday life in America, some of which include an increase in airport security, a change in national security, and an increase the fear of terrorism.

September 11, 2001, millions of New Yorkers and American citizens woke up and started their day, unprepared and unaware for the catastrophic attack that would be taking place in just a few short hours. At 8:46 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. The impact killed all of the passengers and crew as well as hundreds inside the building. At 9:03 a.m., a second plane, Flight 175, crashed into the corner of the South Tower killing passenger, crew, and workers who worked on floors seventy-five to eighty-three. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. killing approximately 185 individuals (History.com Staff). Because of the damaged to the support system, fires, and impact at extremely fast speed, the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m. (Lipton and Glanz). Having heard about the acts of terrorism that had just taken place in New York and Washington, D.C., a group of passengers drove their plane, Flight 93, into a Pennsylvania field killing everyone on board but possibly saving hundreds of other lives in the process. The North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m. 102 minutes after being struck (History.com Staff). On September 11, 2001, almost twelve hundred people were wounded or killed by “coordinated suicide attempts” by Al Qaeda terrorists. In result to the four airplanes being hijacked and used for premediated reasons, the United States government instituted new regulations for entering the country and airport security as well as expounded on systems already in place.