September 11, 2001; a date when the most horrific event to occur on mainland United States soil happened - the terrorists attacks on America; first the World Trade Center, then the Pentatgon, with plans for the U.S. Capitol ( which were foiled by the passengers of United flight 93). In addition to the civilians who perished on that day, this was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement in the history of the U.S..
The original World Trade Center (WTC) was a complex of seven buildings in lower Manhattan with its main feature being the Twin Towers, containing over 13 million square feet of office space, and , at the time construction was completed, considered the tallest buildings in the world.
The western portion of the WTC site had originally been under the Hudson River. In 1613, Dutch explorer Adraen Block and his crew were stranded on Manhattan Island when their ship burned to the waterline and they were forced to spend the winter. Their reports about the area encouraged further exploration and settlement. Remnants of Block’s ship were discovered when a project to expand the shoreline with landfill was commissioned in 1916. From 1921 until 1966, this landfill area became known as “Radio Row” when Harry Schneck opened his “City Radio” store, followed by numerous electronic establishments that encompassed several blocks.
The first idea of establishing a World Trade Center was proposed in 1943 when the New York Legislature passed a bill authorizing the development of such a plan. However, this plan was put on hold until after World War II. In 1949, David Rockefeller supported reinstating the project. The designs for the project were unveiled on January 8, 1964, and Radio Row was acquired by eminent Domain. Demolishment of the old buildings began in 1965. The architectural plans called for a “tube form” design ( i.e. no internal support columns, only along the outer walls, allowing for a more open floor plan). Construction of the North Tower began in August of 1968 and of the South Tower in January of 1969. The first tenants moved into the North Tower during mid-December of 1970, while the South Tower happened in January of 1972.
On an average day, fifty thousand people worked within the Twin Towers, while an additional twenty thousand passed through the buildings as visitors. This complex is so large that the United States Postal Service assigned the WTC its own zip code (10048).
Because of its popularity, the World Trade Center appeared in numerous movies and television programs. However, this popularity as a symbol of capitalism also attracted attention of those intent on hurting America. On February 23, 1993, the first terrorist attack on the buildings occurred when a truck filled with 1500 pounds of explosives was detonated in the underground parking garage, damaging five floors of the garage.
Then, September 11, 2001 happened!
Located on the lower level of the Memorial Museum, this quote from the Roman poet Virgil seems apropos.