September 11, 2001, is the date which all Americans will remember. It showed the US citizen that their country is vulnerable and it changed the course of the future. If it weren’t for this horrific event, the things could have been different today all around the world, not just in the United States. We present you 23 photos of 9/11 attacks.
23. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were a well-known sight for New York residents as well as tourists around the world. You just had to look up and see these wonderfully tall towers dwarfing the other buildings in the area.
22. It was the morning of September 11 when one of the Twin Towers was hit and caught fire, followed by one more airplane crashing into the second tower. The people who passed nearby were in shock, unaware of what was happening.
21. President George W. Bush visited one of the schools when he got the information. His face expression says it all.
20. The impact of the two jets was devastating as they breached through the steel structure of the towers. The black smoke was rising high, while every nonmilitary flight in US airspace was ordered to land.
19. The people on the floors where the planes hit died immediately, while a lot of them were trapped in the upper floors of the towers. Many were killed by the fire, while some decided to jump and avoid being burnt. However, the towers caused the most damage when they collapsed. The death toll reached 2,606 when everything ended.
18. The sky was blue and clear on 9/11 with the massive plume of smoke carried by the wind over the city and New York’s harbor. British novelist Martin Amis wrote: “Manhattan looked as though it had taken ten megatons.”
17. The towers were damaged, and the collapse was inevitable. Still, no one expected this to happen, and people on the streets kept running away from the devouring smoke and dust created by the fall.
16. Fires raged for hours and smoldered for days, while the authorities were forced to close the entire Lower Manhattan below 14th Street.
15. The area around the World Trade Center looked horrific, with a lot of cars, trucks and emergency vehicles destroyed.
14. So many people lost their lives, and one of them was The New York City Fire Department chaplain, Rev. Mychal Judge who got killed by falling rubble while he was giving last rites to a victim of the attack.
13. The architect who designed the Twin Towers was Minoru Yamasaki, but all that remained were ruins.
12. Out of the two 110-story towers, only a contorted mass of smoking metal was left. Welders were appointed to cut the steel apart so that it could be carted away.
11. Right after the attack, The New York City Fire Department rushed to the scene, but they had a lot of things to deal with. Eventually, 343 members have died doing their duty.
10. Even the strongest couldn’t hold their tears.
9. In the days which followed, the rescue workers were lifting the bodies stuck under the debris. The American flag was raised above the carnage.
8. Many people lost husbands, wives, sons, and daughters and they posted photos hoping they may turn up alive.
7. Despite the horrific events, the New Yorkers were unified, and they got out on the streets to cheer on National Guard and rescue workers as they were doing their job.
6. The United States couldn’t forgive. They sought vengeance, and the nation would soon go to war in Afghanistan.
5. The attacks also occurred in The Pentagon where 125 people were killed.
4. The Pentagon scene was equally horrifying, but the building suffered a lot less damage.
3. The new tower emerged at what is known as “Ground Zero” alongside a memorial.
2. The new architecture does look cool and here is the famous Oculus.
1. Today, 16 years after, just like before, you can take a glance at the entire city from high above.
