6 Facts to Know about 9/11
The horrific attacks on 9/11 have left an indelible mark on people around the world. Here are some intriguing facts about one of the worst tragedies of our times.
Fact #1 It is an interesting fact that 9/11 was not the first time that there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In February 1993, there was a bombing at the WTC which resulted in the death of six people.
Fact #2 There was approximately 1.8 million tonnes of wreckage as a result of the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11. The rescue and recovery clean-up of this huge amount of wreckage from the site took almost 9 months.
Fact #3 As per research conducted on the survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy, there were 20 individuals that were rescued from the rubble. These survivors included Port Authority policemen John McLoughlin and William Jimeno. They were found buried under debris near an elevator. They miraculously survived after being trapped for around 13 and 21 hours respectively. The 2006 film, ‘World Trade Center’ features their survival.
Fact #4 The fire caused by the crashing of the plane into the North tower started at 8.46am. Eventually after the incident, it took 99 days to extinguish all the fires that were caused by the attack of the 9/11. All the fires on Ground Zero were finally put out on 19 December.
Fact #5 There was a third skyscraper that fell during the attacks of 9/11. The falling of the 47-story World Trade Center (WTC) Building 7 went largely unnoticed as it wasn’t hit by a plane. It was one of the largest buildings in downtown Manhattan. Some theories claim that the collapse of WTC building 7 was a result of ‘ancillary damage’ owing to the falling of the Twin Towers.
Fact #6 As a result of the 9/11 attacks, a Global financial services firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, lost about two thirds of its workforce. Their NY headquarters were on the 101st and 105th floors of One World Trade Center. They lost about 658 employees out of 960. Miraculously, after 10 years of the attack, Cantor Fitzgerald gave over $180 million to the families of their dearly departed staff. Later a documentary called ‘Out of the Clear Blue Sky’ was made featuring the comeback made by the company post the 9/11 attacks.
