On this day, September 11 in 2001 at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767 -- United Airlines Flight 175 -- appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.
As millions watched in horror the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington and slammed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to a structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.
Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke.
Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane -- United Flight 93 -- was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection. One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger, Todd Beamer,was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line. Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye."
Now, today . . .
Freedom Tower
September 11, 2013
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TRIVIA
Paperback books first appeared in the United States around 1845.
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WORD FOR TODAY
retaliate
verb
- take revenge for a perceived wrong
- make a counterattack and return like for like, especially evil for evil
- to do something harmful or unpleasant to someone because they have done something harmful or unpleasant to you
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Lola Falana is an American singer, dancer, and actress. While dancing in a nightclub, Falana was discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., who gave her a featured role in his 1964 Broadway musical Golden Boy.
In the late 1960s Falana was mentored by Davis. In 1966 Davis cast her, along with himself, Ossie Davis, and Cicely Tyson, in her first film role in the film, A Man Called Adam. In 1970, Falana made her American film debut in The Liberation of L.B. Jones. American TV audiences became familiar with Falana during the early 1970s. She often appeared on The Joey Bishop Show and The Hollywood Palace, displaying her talent for music, dance, and light comedy.
Roxann Dawson
(born September 11, 19640
(born September 11, 19640
Roxann Dawson is an American actress, producer, and director, best known as B'Elanna Torres on the television series Star Trek: Voyager.
Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol
(born September 11, 1962)
(born September 11, 1962)
Kristy McNichol is an American actress and singer. McNichol is known for her roles as Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol. McNichol retired from acting when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1992.
Anne Elizabeth Ramsay
(born September 11, 1960)
(born September 11, 1960)
Anne Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on Mad About You, for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series.
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"I cried when I saw those buildings collapse on themselves like a broken heart."
--Suheir Hammad
NASA TV
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