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September 11, 2001 attacks (view source)
Revision as of 08:35, March 24, 2007
, 08:35, March 24, 2007no edit summary
The '''Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001''' were the deadliest to ever occur on [[United States of America|US]] soil and had far reaching effects on both foreign and domestic policy.
The coordinated attacks by [[al Qaeda]] affiliated [[Islam|Islamic]] extremists saw three transcontinental airliners strike the [[World Trade Center]] towers (buildings 1 and 2) in [[New York City]], NY and the [[Pentagon]] outside of [[Washington, D.C.]] within one hour of each other. A fourth airliner crashed in a field in Shanksville, [[Pennsylvania|PA]], failing to reach its objective.
The events of the day are often refered to simply as "September 11th" or "9/11."
==Timeline of events==
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*7:45 AM - American Airlines Flight 11 departs from Boston with a destination of Los Angeles
*7:58 AM - United Airlines Flight 175 departs from Boston with a destination of Los Angeles
*8:10 AM - American Airlines Flight 77 departs from Dulles International Airport with a destination of Los Angeles
*8:42 AM - United Airlines Flight 93 departs from Newark with a destination of San Francisco
*8:45 AM - American Airlines Flight 11 strikes the World Trade Center North Tower
*9:03 AM - United Airlines Flight 175 strikes the World Trade Center South Tower
*9:43 AM - American Airlines Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon
*10:05 AM - The World Trade Center South Tower collapses
*10:10 AM - An external portion of the Pentagon collapses
*10:10 AM - United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, PA
*10:28 AM - The World Trade Center North Tower collapses
*4:10 PM - World Trade Center Building 7 is reported to be on fire
*5:20 PM - World Trade Center Building 7 collapses
==Casualties==
The total loss of life is constantly being reevaluated to account for wrongly reported missing persons and, in some cases, occurences of fraud. Estimates of more than 6,000 deaths were announced following the attacks. The current estimate is 2996 fatalities as a direct result of the attacks. About 500 foreign nationals from over 90 countries are believed to have died in the attack.<ref> [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/10/29/wtc.deaths/ "New York Reduces 9/11 Death Toll by 40"] at CNN.com, Phil Hirschkorn, 10/29/03</ref>
As a matter of course, the deaths of the 19 hijackers are not included in these casualty totals.
===On the Planes===
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American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, suffered 92 casualties (11 crew, 81 passengers). American Airlines 77, a Boeing 757, suffered 64 casualties (six crew, 58 passengers). United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767, suffered 65 casualties (nine crew, 56 passengers). United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 suffered 45 casualties (seven crew, 38 passengers).
===On the Ground===
The Department of Defense reported the deaths of 125 people at The Pentagon. The aftermath of the World Trade Center towers collapsing created a good deal of confusion and has been the main source of discrepancies in casualty estimates. As of October 29, 2003, New York City reported 2605 deaths in the attacks, not counting the passengers and crew of the planes. <ref> [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/10/29/wtc.deaths/ "New York Reduces 9/11 Death Toll by 40"] at CNN.com, Phil Hirschkorn, 10/29/03</ref>
==Conspiracy Theories==
Many conspiracy theories have sprouted up from the events of September 11, 2001, including the "Loose Change" movies seen on YouTube. While compelling, these movies are easily disproven by experts <ref>[http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html]</ref>. Rebuttals by amateurs can also be viewed on YouTube including the "Screw Loose Change" by Markyx.
In addition to the low-budget film "Loose Change", there is currently a movement among the academic world to publicly broadcast the 9/11 conspiracy, called Scholars for 9/11 Truth. These attempts to blame President [[George W. Bush]] for the September 11, 2001 attacks are often seen as a transparent example of the extreme [[liberal]] bias of college professors, and some professors have been fired for what has been seen as blatant bias.<sup>[http://oneutah.org/2006/02/23/utahpolicy-exposing-liberal-bias-on-college-campuses/]</sup> Others have even discredited some of the responses to the conspiracy theory videos and text, leaving them open for even more discussion. It is also said that many of the professors that were fired were not fired because of their bias, but because they may have been trying to uncover what really happened which was against their interests. This is also widely debated, and the truth will most likely not be released due to lack of evidence on both sides of the argument.
==Events Following 9-11-01==
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush created the office of Homeland Security. This department instituted the Terror Alert color system. The "War on Terror" was also started after this event. The "War on Terror" has had troops occupy Afghanistan, infiltrate/take out Saddam/institute another government in Iraq.
==Sources==
*[http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf The 9/11 Commission Report]
*[http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack/index.html September 11: Chronology of Terror] at CNN.com
*[http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/penttbom/penttbomb.htm Federal Bureau of Investigations PENTTBOM Press Release]
*[http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/victims/main.html Lists of Victims] at CNN.com
==References==
<References/>