9/11 Attacks: Facts, Background And Impact

The September 11th 2001 events changed American history. Anyone who can remember it will never forget it. It was the most important terrorist attack against American Soil. The Twin Towers were once the tallest buildings in America. Although many believed the attack was accidental when the first plane struck the North Tower at the world trade center in New York, others didn’t believe it to be an attack. Up until the second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The South Tower was hit by the second plane’s heat, which exploded. America was under attack. A third plane had struck the pentagon. The hijackers of the planes had taken control and seized control. The fourth plane never reached its destination. The hijackers of the plane were attacked and the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Within minutes, both World Trade Center towers fell. All first responders were available to help, even if that meant risking their lives. Tragic events like this led to the deaths of many thousands.

American women and men were the targets. Saudi Arabian terrorists planned the attack. Terrorists were able to easily smuggle knives and box cutters through security. The terrorist quickly took control of the plane shortly after takeoff. New York City was the scene of the twin tower attacks. The terrorist took control of two buildings in the World Trade Center. The pentagon, Washington D.C. was hit by the third terrorist attack. The fourth plane was not able to reach its destination due to the bravery of the passengers. All passengers on the flight were killed. Osama bin Laden is responsible for the terrorist attacks of December 13, 2001. Osama B. Laden is murdered by U.S. forces during a raid carried out under the Obama presidency on May 2, 2011. Next, we know that Bin Laden was not killed by accident. 2,977 people were killed and thousands more were injured in the attacks. Fast-forward to the rescue operations. All infrastructures sustained damage of around $10 billion. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, organized the attack. In October 2019, 1,645 (60%) had been identified out of 2,753 victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Many people living around the New York City towers, including first responders, have been diagnosed with cancer. Donna Summer, a singer, died after inhaling dust particles. Over 18,000 people claim to have been ill from inhaling dust particles. Most of these problems are related to respiratory problems. When the news of the attacks broke, President George Bush was at an elementary school in Florida. He was evacuated to Washington D.C., where he spoke to the nation. It was clear that President Bush desired justice. This tragedy had many other outcomes than the negative effects on health that resulted from 9/11. The first was fear. Nation was worried about another attack. Fear of another attack, most tall buildings in the United States were evacuated. The sky was empty of any planes after all the aircraft in the skies had been lowered to the ground. “The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered all aircraft within U.S. airspace to land immediately, approximately 4,000 of them (Cain 2016,). The United States was a victim of terror. Many people were diagnosed with PTSD after the attacks. All citizens were affected. Numerous epidemiological studies were conducted in the years following 9/11 to examine the psychological effects on the nation. This study suggested that 9/11 would have a significant psychological impact on the American people. It’s been 18 Years since 9/11. The tragedy still haunts America. One study showed that families who received the remains were more content than those who did not receive any remains. People who resembled terrorists were the most fearful after 9/11. This time, children were particularly vulnerable. They suffered the same PTSD symptoms experienced by adults. “Some New York City children began to distrust immigrants after 9/11 (Gershoff et.al., 2010). After 9/11, there were many precautions taken. It was never easy to fly an airplane. Children were able to look at the cockpit while on flight and see the pilots’ views. The cockpit was closed to all passengers after 9/11. To this day, the cockpit remains closed on all flights. Airports have changed their routine. Security at airports was certainly not as strict back then. You will need ID to fly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Your ticket must match it. You must take off shoes, jewelry, and any personal items, such as cell phones and laptops at screening. Security will not allow liquids weighing more than 3.4 ounces. This makes it possible to accept travel-sized items. “TSA has the right to further search you at any moment for additional security (Seaney, 2017). It was discussed about tightening security but there are still ways for people to sneak money and drugs through airports. It was done to prevent future events from happening. The economic consequences of 9/11 were extremely severe. Wall street collapsed, and the entire market crashed. Ground zero suffered around 60,000,000 dollars in damages. After the attacks, nobody wanted to fly. History.com editors claim that from 2001 to 2004, $7 billion was paid in compensation to 9/11 victims’ families. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. This law is named after James Zadroga who was a deceased police officer due to complications from the 9/11 attacks. $7.4Billion was donated to victims affected by 9/11-related illnesses. This funding is set to stop in December 2020. Many countries supported the United States. Great Britain, Brazil and Japan sang the national anthem. The New York City skyline was outlined by a Christ statue. Japan also sent flowers to the U.S. Two bright columns lit up with lights were erected at the sites of the twin towers on the anniversary of September 11. This was visible from a distance of approximately sixty miles. To honor the victims, a 9/11 memorial was built and a museum was established. It covers an area of approximately 8 acres. Two pools reflect the location of the twin towers. There are waterfalls that cascade down from the pools and names of all victims are engraved in them. On the 10th anniversary, the memorial was officially opened. The victims were the real heroes and heroines of 9/11. Betty Ong, a passenger on United Flight 11, was able contact the airline to alert them of the terrorist attack. She was on the line with the airline until the plane crashed into North Tower. Many stories are told about heroes who were there on 9/11. Many stories are told about the lives of those who have passed away. There are also videos showing children leaving voicemail messages for their dads or mothers. There were at least 3000 children who lost their parents on 9/11. Matt Van Auken has a Youtube video which shows the tragic journey of one such child. Matt lost his father in 9/11. He explains the pain of visiting the memorial cite but how it helped him to find closure. Matt was only 14 when his dad died. This is one of many examples. Many kids never had the chance to meet their dads due to their mom being pregnant during September 11. One family member writes about how it felt to lose a loved one in public and private. She shared that when she turned on television, video and pictures of the planes striking towers were almost everywhere.

The United States has a solid foundation. The United States was strong despite all the tragedy. Assuring the world we are not willing to be intimidated by terrorist threats. Since 9/11, there have been only one terrorist act. This was the Boston marathon Bombing.