By comparison, the privately developed Sears Tower was built around the same time at a cost of only about $150 million—only one-fifth the cost of the WTC—and took only three years to complete compared to the ten years for the WTC.
[[Image:1993attack.jpg|right|thumb|Damage Done By done by 1993 Truck Bombingtruck bombing]]
== 1993 Bombing Attack ==
{{main|1993 World Trade Center bombing}}
The WTC became a symbol of American capitalism and economic dominance, and therefore a vulnerable target for [[Islamic terrorism|Islamic terrorists]]. In 1993, Islamic terrorists detonated a massive truck bomb in an underground parking lot with the goal of knocking the towers over and killing its capacity of 25,000 workers. This attempt failed, killing only a fewsix, but caused smoke and evacuation of the building.
[[Image:WorldTradeCenter.jpg|right|thumb|280px|World Trade Center, destroyed on [[9/11]].]]
== 9/11 ==
{{main|September 11, 2001 attacks}}
On the morning of September 11, 2001 (9-11), Islamic terrorists hijacked airplanes from [[Boston]] and flew one airplane into each tower killing everyone aboard the airplanes and on the floors of the impact. The attacks occurred just before 9 AM, the beginning of the workday for many Manhattan workers, and the towers were therefore not filled to capacity. Many evacuated, but the towers collapsed from the ensuing fire before everyone could escape. 2,749 died in the attack, including hundreds of firefighters who rushed into the buildings in the hope of rescuing trapped workers.
A memorial in honor of the lives lost that day is currently being constructed at [[Ground Zero]] and was originally expected to be finished in time for September 11, 2011 (the ten-year anniversary of the attacks). The memorial opened to the public on September 12, 2011 with the accompanying museum opening on May 21, 2014.<ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/put-wtc-memorial-article-1.352179 Put WTC Memorial First</ref> [[One World Trade Center]], a building complex designed to replace the original towers, was also built on the site. At 1776 feet 1WTC, as it is commonly known, became the tallest building in the United States when it was completed on August 30, 2012. Conversely, as an insult to those who died, there is work on building a [[Ground Zero Mosque]].