9/11 Background Information
The Event that Changed our Nation Forever!
- On September 11, 2001 the Islamic group al-Qaeda attacked the U.S. in New York City and Washington, D.C.
- In 2004 Osama bin Laden the leader of the al-Queda group acknowledged that he did plan the attacks on the World Trade Center.
- American Airlines (AA) Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC) at 8:45 am
- United Airlines (UA) Flight 175 hit the South Tower of the WTC at 9:05 am.
- Within two hours both towers collapsed causing major damage to ten surrounding buildings.
- AA Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:39 am.
- The UA Flight 93 was also directed to the Pentagon but passengers decided to take control of the plane and crashed it into a field in Pennsylvania at 10:10 am, avoiding damage to the Pentagon.
- There were 19 hijackers and over 3,000 people from over 90 different countries die in the attacks including policemen and firefighters.
- 10,000 were treated for injuries
- Some of the terrorists had lived in the U.S. for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools.
- The United States responded to the attacks by launching a "War on Terrorism" invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban and enacting the U.S.A. Patriot Act.
- The destruction of the Twin towers caused serious damage to the economy of Manhattan and had a significant effect on the Global markets.
Flight 93
The 19 Hijackers of 9/11
Mass Hysteria of the People...Changes in Our Lives
- These evil attacks unleashed something in the United States. The event was so cataclysmic that it caused an emotional breakdown in the American soul.
- "9/11 caused us to go temporarily insane" (Parker).The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq divided us causing friendships to end, marriages to suffer, and people to hate those who disagreed with them.
- Ten years later, we are still at war.
- There is now a moral panic. "We have lost our self-confidence not just from the attack on 9/11 but everything that has happened since then" (Parker).