From September 11, 2001 To September 11, 2012

"At times we need to remember the past without reliving the past, and I think that's an important thing. To remember the past so we don't forget what happened.” Charlie Wolf, lost wife on 9/11 in tower (97 th floor)

 8:46 am –Hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 crash the plane into floors of the WTC North Tower killing all 92 people aboard and hundreds in building.  9:03 am – Hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 crash the plane into floors of the WTC's South Tower, killing all 65 people aboard and hundreds in building.

 9:37 am – Hijackers aboard Flight 77 crash the plane into the western façade of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Killing 59 aboard the plane and 125 military/civilian personnel inside the building. This is a computer generated photo

 9:42 am – For the first time in history, the FAA grounds all flights over or bound for the continental United States  Some 3,300 commercial flights and 1,200 private planes are guided to airports in Canada and the United States over the next two and a half hour  9:59 am – The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.

 10:07 am – After passengers and crew members aboard the hijacked Flight 93 contact friends and family and learn about the attacks in New York and Washington, they mount an attempt to retake the plane.  In response, the hijackers deliberately crash the plane into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all 40 passengers and crew aboard.

 10:28am- The World Trade Center’s North Tower collapses, 102 minutes after being struck by Flight 11.  By noon, our nation is in mourning. We have been attacked and we are uniting in a national fight against terrorism.

The following information was provided by:  Each floor of the twin towers was approximately one acre in size  When the towers fell, they collapsed at approx. 120 mph.  2,749 death certificates were filed relating to the WTC attacks, as of February 2005

 The youngest passenger on the hijacked jets was Christine Hanson on United Airlines Flight 175. She was 2 and on her first trip to Disneyland.  The oldest passenger on the hijacked jets was Robert Norton on American Airlines Flight 11. He was 82.

 23 New York City Police Officers died on September 11th,  The New York City Fire Department lost 343 firefighters, almost half the number of on-duty deaths in the department's 100-year history.  1,337 vehicles were crushed when the towers collapsed, including 91 FDNY vehicles - a little more than half of all the fire vehicles in Louisville.

 The planes hit the towers at very high speeds.  Flight 11 was traveling roughly 490 mph when it crashed into the 1 WTC, the north tower;  Flight 175 hit 2 WTC, the south tower, at about 590 mph.

The south tower collapsed at a magnitude of 2.1 on a seismograph; The north tower collapsed with a magnitude of 2.3, according to Columbia University in New York.

There are FOUR memorials that are at the World Trade Center site: 1) Tribute in Lights- temporary and only on 9/11 2) Twin Memorial Waterfalls– located in the exact spot of the twin towers. 3) Freedom Tower– currently being built next to the waterfalls. 4) Memorial Museum- not yet ready for visitors, but is in the building process across from the waterfalls.

The Tribute in Light has been used on 9/11 as a memorial from The lights can be seen up to 60 miles away.

 April 2012, I was able to visit the new memorial. The following pictures are from that visit.  There are two water fountains located in the exact location where each of the towers stood.  Admission is free, but we had to get our tickets months in advance.  We had to go through 3 security checks to enter the memorial.

 To approach the World Trade Center Memorial, you must walk a long path from the entrance to the memorial itself.  Along this path is a beautiful sketched wall…

Freedom Tower Memorial being built across from Waterfall Site ~ April 2012 ~

 The Twin Towers stood at 1, 368 & 1,362 feet  The New York City Freedom Tower will stand at 1,776 feet tall  The memorial is directly on the site of the former World Trade Center

Thomas O’Hagan Firefighter, Lt. Officer at Engine 6 Station Tom died inside the tower. He was my cousin’s friend.

The Statue of Liberty looking on the World Trade Center Twin Towers June 2000 The Statue of Liberty looking on the World Trade Center Memorial April 2012

 SHOW VIDEO CLIP: channel/videos/how-it-was-voices-of-911/ channel/videos/how-it-was-voices-of-911/  Activity: Group Questions/Discussions (next slide)  Activity: Writing Assignment (next slide)

 1. Describe your immediate reaction to September 11 on the day of the attacks. Where were you on September 11?  2. How has September 11 impacted your life and your community? Do you think America is more or less vulnerable now? Explain.  3. How should future generations be educated about September 11? In your opinion, will Americans' perceptions of the attacks change as time passes?  4. How has September 11 impacted American culture? For example, how have movies and TV programs been affected? Do you think movies and TV programs should emphasize more patriotic themes? Explain.  5. How best can Americans commemorate September 11? Should September 11 be a national holiday? Why or why not?  6. Where did you get the news on September from cable news, network news, newspapers, and/or magazines? Evaluate media coverage of September 11 and the war on terrorism.

Ask students to think about how future generations will be educated about September 11. Students should imagine that they are writing a letter to their grandchildren. Tell them to describe how September 11 impacted their generation. What would they tell future generations about September 11? In a one-page letter, students should describe their feelings about September 11, the war on terrorism, and the national mood ten years after the tragedies. Students may share their letters with other students.

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