On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, members of al Qaeda hijacked and crashed four American airliners. This attack on American soil resulted in nearly 1.4 million pounds of debris. The financial impact in New York alone was over $30.5 billion dollars (“22 Facts About 9/11”). It lead to three thousand deaths, including the deaths of first responders such as firemen and policemen (“9/11 Attacks”). This was the largest loss of life by a foreign attack ever on American soil (“22 Facts About 9/11”). Two of the aircrafts crashed into the World Trade Center and the third crashed into the Pentagon. The final hijacked aircraft was United Flight 93, which departed from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California,
The terrorist attacks on 9/11 have caused many debates over the years since they occurred back in 2001. Two American planes were hijacked and ran into the twin tower buildings, another was hijacked and headed for the pentagon, but thankfully never made it. Thousands of Americans lost their lives on the days of the attacks and to this day the sorrow hangs with us. Security was a huge debate of the time because America is supposed to be the safest nation there is, so how did this happen? America had lots of changes to make the attacks on September 11, 2001. Little did we know that this would affect the nation for years to come.
On September 11, 2001 terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda hijacked and crashed two American airplanes into the Twin Towers, killing thousand and injuring hundreds. This was the worst terrorist attack in American history. It showed that even the most powerful country in the world was subject to attack. This attack exposed the vulnerability of the United States as a nation. The 9/11 attacks changed the country forever; some lost family members, friends, and those who survived are forever hunted by the events of September 11, 2001. The entire country was in pandemonium including my family.
Initally, al-Qaeda considered targeting nuclear power plants on 9/11, but decided to go against it because they feared it would get too out of control. Four passenger airlines, all of which departed from airports in the northeastern United States bound for California, were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda members. One plane hit the Pentagon just outside of Washington D.C., the second plane crashed in a field in Pennslyvania, and the last two planes crashed into the Twin Towers.
On the September 11th, 2001, the world stopped as New York City was attacked. The world famous Twin Towers we attacked. Suicidal terrorists hijacked commercial planes and crashed them into the tallest skyscrapers in the country. Thousands died, including the passengers on the planes, the people in the towers, the people in neighboring buildings, the people on the street and many first responders from all five boroughs and neighboring suburbs. One of the busiest cities in the world was at a standstill on that tragic day.
Before 9/11, liquids were allowed on planes and even knives with blades no bigger than 4 inches. An ID was not even a requirement at an airport and there were no full body scanners or pat downs. Now there are security scanners, bag checks, and ID checks before someone can get on an
Along with the deaths and sorrow this day brought, there were other lasting effects of this event. Security has since tightened and is no longer an afterthought. Airports now take full measure against any security risks and have invested a lot of money into the safety of traveling via planes.
“If we learn nothing from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” This quote comes from Sandy Dahl , the wife of the pilot on flight 93. When thinking about 9/11 this quote comes to mind because on that particular day, the world was reminded how short life really is. This quote also intertwines with 9/11 because it teaches us how there is no time to hate, but to move forward and help each other hand in hand. Even though I was only a year old when September 11th happened, I want to understand this horrific event that went down in history of the United States. These attacks were a changing point in American society because it increased the security in American airports, started a war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
After 9/11 the U.S saw a birth of fear in all of its citizens. It caused everyone to become fearful of the future because nobody knew what was coming next. As a result, many citizens prefer to travel less because the fear of hijackers. Even though it can be cheaper to travel by plane most prefer to spend more money driving than risking getting on a plan that might be hijacked. In the fear of another attack the U.S government made airplane checkpoints more secure and created laws that gave the government the right to profile anyone. Having the government implement laws makes everyone feel safer to a certain degree. This is because the harsher laws against the terrorist, the more your personal life is
It was a crisp fall day, not too cold, not too hot. It was September 11, 2001. The bright morning sun lit a cloudless blue sky, and birds chirped sweetly in their own beautiful way. All this changed in an instant. On this horrific day in history, thousands of innocent people lost their lives. Nineteen terrorists from a group called Al-Qaeda executed a plan under the plotting of Osama Bin Laden. This plan had possibly been in the process of making for a long time. On 9/11 the terrorists hijacked four planes, intending to do a lot harm to America they killed thousands of people. Two planes were flown into New York’s Twin Towers which were a symbol of prosperity. The third plane was deliberately flown into the Pentagon. The fourth plane had crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In total about 3,000 people lost their lives. These terrorists claimed to do this because of the presence of US troops in the Middle East. September 11, 2001 was an event that not only impacted the nation, but it impacted many innocent individuals as well.
Since 9/11 many changes have taken place. Visa applicants will now be fingerprinted, screened and double checked against previous fingerprints to make certain that their fingerprint match that of their visas. The improved terrorist watch list is widely accessible to all states of government and even airports. A Terrorist Surveillance Program has also been implemented. This will help keep communication lines open.
Up until the 9/11 incident, most people including myself were under a false belief that the U.S. was secure from any threat and/or harm by outside militant groups. The method which al-Qaeda used in orchestrating the attack was completely unexpected because the missiles used were in the form of common airplanes. The 19 men who hijacked the planes did so by boarding the airlines as everyday passengers. No one ever suspected what was to happen next. This goes
Since 9/11 attackers easily breached the cockpits of their respective planes because they were unlocked following takeoff, now the cockpit is locked throughout the duration of the flight to ensure the safety of the pilots. Although it is not required, many airlines introduced surveillance cameras in the passenger cabins for pilots to monitor, which gives pilots more time to react if a terrorist situation were to occur. Since 9/11, there has been a significant expansion in the Federal Air Marshall Service for added protection on long-distance flights. If air marshals, the crew, or passengers are unable to stop an attacker, pilots are now able to protect themselves. Since pilots were defenseless before 9/11, they are now armed to add an extra layer of defense to preventing terrorists from ever controlling a jet. Since airlines made substantial upgrades to their air carriers after 9/11, passengers and pilots are better protected from future
The TSA has a 95% failure rate for airline security checkings. This report was leaked by administration in the Transportation Security Administration who also revealed that a team of investigators from the Department of Homeland Security managed to sneak weapons and fake bombs past airport screeners in 67 of their 70 attempts to beat the system. We now see that these airport screenings are simply a way to create an illusion of safety for air travelers, and a way to deter would-be terrorists. An internal DHS document said the smuggling ring, “raised questions about whether a security vulnerability exists, possibly allowing an aviation worker with an airport identification badge to ignore current security measures and introduce weapons, explosives or other contraband for transport on a commercial
The events that occurred on September, 11, 2001 were among the most catastrophic events in American history. The events of the day were summarized as 19 militants associated with the terror group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out targeted attacks in the United States. Out of the four planes, two of them were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, a third one into the Pentagon in Washington and the fourth one crashing off course into a field. The attacks resulted in the deaths of over 3000 people and the beginning of a soon to come American counter terrorism policy and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Although there are a lot of conspiracy theories around the real motives and players behind the attack,