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History of New York & the World Trade Center

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  Last-Modified: :01/09/06 10:02  

September 11th 2001

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The World Trade Center of New York, New York, USA is no more.   2001

The Great America Twins, could stand as one of the greatest achievements created by humankind; being on its opening day the tallest structures on the planet. This monument to what we could accomplish could be seen from almost every street in the surrounding districts. The twins could be seen from over 20 miles away. Not only was it the World Center for commerce it was also one of the biggest tourist attractions of the Free World; all tourist books, New York websites strongly recommend that whatever you do, you must visit this great landmark. Only three flights from the top, the observation deck was positioned on the 107th floor of both towers. And weather permitting you could also climb to the top of the world, and visit the open air rooftop promenade that was even higher than the 110th floor. It was indeed the highest vantage platform known to anyone, our greatest achievement in getting ever nearer to the stars.

World Trade Center Facts

Constructed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the early 1970s, the World Trade Center Towers were two of the best known examples of Tube Buildings. A Tube Building is strengthened by closely spaced columns and beams in the outer walls. The closely spaced columns and beams in each tower formed a steel tube that, together with an internal core, withstood the tremendous pressure from winds that affect buildings of this height. Each tower moved over three feet off true center during some gusts; swaying a movement of six feet or 185 cms.

Apart from withstanding great pressure from the wind, the World Trade Center Towers were also constructed to bear up against the expected settlement of the six acres of unstable landfill, that they were built on. To achieve this piles were driven down between 70 to 100 feet below ground level, so that the buildings in point of fact rested not on ground zero, but actually on the solid bedrock beneath Manhattan.

11th September 2001

The two towers were designed to survive the effects of a direct hit by a commercial airliner but only one presumed lost in fog and without radar, travelling at around 230 mph or 355 kph  -  NOT one travelling at 450 mph or 724 kph. 

ALSO, there was some presumption that any 'lost' aircraft would be light on fuel otherwise it would have simply moved to a more suitable landing area. The resultant momentum caused far more damage than had been envisaged and the large mass of jet fuel promoted a much higher temperature than expected, over a longer period. The resultant heat greatly weakened the infrastructure of the building, fanned by the winds from outside, and as any Blacksmith or metal worker will know, from the chimney effect inside, the flames would be ten times hotter than normal. When hotter enough metal turns to liquid. Once the weight of the building above the strike area started to move downward, only the hand of God could have stopped the collapsing upper floors from crushing everything in their path.

©  Roy G Symonds 2001

At around 08.46 AM on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA, on  September 11th 2001, America was attacked and this great achievement was shamefully and with cowardice, destroyed. But this brutal atrocity was not just against the Capitalist Free World but against innocent civilians. Hard working Americans and other nationals, who were hard at work at 08.30 AM, as they were on any work day. If this was only against what the USA was supposed to stand for, this attack would have taken place at 08.30 PM, at a time when for the greater part only bricks and mortar would have been destroyed;  only an Icon would have been brought down. But no! Such is the hatred inside these murderers that is against what the USA is supposed to represent, a time was picked that would take the most lives, and innocent lives at that. But what does the USA represent; it represents a reasonable people who just want to work hard; who just want to play hard and just want to be in the bosom of their families and live their lives with no interference to or from anyone else. They like most people, want the 'American Dream'.

The Pentagon

And it is the 'American Dream' that people like Osama Bin Laden are scared of, jealous of. The evil of this world are frightened that such an ideal can create so much wealth, pleasure and love. So Bin Laden was not content to just destroy the World Trade Center, he had to make sure he slaughtered part of the American people. Do these 9/11 murderers not know that these ordinary people were God-fearing; God-loving members of this planet and that they just wanted to live their lives. Being an American, is just like being any other Nationality; you are what you are and who can change that?

World Trade Center Facts

More than 50,000 people worked in the Twin Towers every day.

The complex had up to 150,000 visits from tourists each day.

The WTC had its own ZIP codes - 10047 and 10048

The property had over 400 tenants. On September 11th 2001, the building was 95 percent full.

New York Port Authority.

You will have seen in the news that the New York Port Authority has thrown all that it has into the finding of loved ones within the rubble. But it was the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that was responsible for building this Center, being inaugurated in 1970.

World Trade Center Facts

The surrounding  area around the Twins included 325,000 square feet of restaurants and shops.

In addition to the towers, five other office buildings made up the complex

The buildings were opened in 1970 after an eight year development programme. 

Other than the two towers, included within the complex were other buildings as equally impressive constructions albeit with lesser number of floors. One was a 22 story hotel and not least a gigantic bronze fountain globe, that was in the center of the 16 acre grounds, that stood 25 feet high.

World Trade Center Facts

Because no expense was left wanting, there were NO light switches. All lights were on 24/7/52. These were later added to save money and the Environment.

$3,000,000 was spent every day on electricity. More than a small city.

So impressive was this address many big organizations had their Head offices within the complex. 

Ingeniously, thirty million cubic feet of earth was excavated from the original site and dumped into the Hudson River to form a great esplanade where another office complex and site for luxury apartments was built.

World Trade Center Facts

There were nearly 50,00 tons of air-conditioning equipment alone.

Many old buildings and plots of land were cleared, covering 16 blocks, to house the World Trade Center. 

Its foundations were laid at 60 feet below ground level

Combined the weight of the towers was more than 1.5 million tons

When they fell, they hit the ground at 120 mph.

New York.

New York has an intriguing history that would impress any student of the New World. On April 17th 1524, only 32 years after Columbus first set foot on the New Americas. Giovanni da Verrazzano landed on what is now Staten Island, (Richmond). To remember this great day a bridge has been name after Giovanni and it stretches across New York Bay.

He was the Jean-Luc Picard of his day

Picture of Giovanni da Verrazzano

Era il 17 Aprile 1524, e il Navigatore era entrato nella Baia di New York. Verrazzano era penetrato per il braccio chiamato oggi "The Narrow" nella baia superiore che egli battezzò Santa Margherita, dal nome della sorella di Francesco I°. Approdò alla punta di Manhattan, e forse all'estrema costa di Long Island. La sosta di Giovanni nel magnifico specchio d'acqua fu interrotta da una tempesta che lo spinse a nord fino a Martha's Vineyard e a trovare rifugio nell'odierna Newport. Qui la spedizione prese riposo per due settimane, dal 24 Aprile al 6 Maggio, entrando in contatto e fraternizzando con le popolazioni indigene. La grande impresa era compiuta, tutta quanta la distesa di terra che si allunga dalla Florida all'Isola di Capo Bretone, la terra cui il navigatore aveva posto il nome di Francesca, era stata scoperta. Nei primissimi giorni del luglio del 1524 la spedizione fece ritorno a Dieppe. La notorietà e il prestigio in campo scientifico e politico raggiunti dal Verrazzano dopo questa impresa, indusse vari e vani tentativi da parte di governi nemici alla Francia per assicurarsi la collaborazione di questo personaggio, che invece continuò a fregiare il suo stemma con il giglio di Francia. Tra il Maggio 1526 ed il Settembre 1527 Verrazzano guidò una spedizione che portò, attraverso il Capo di Buona Speranza, la prima nave francese nell'Oceano Indiano, e che toccò sulla via del ritorno le coste del Brasile, riportando in patria cospicui tesori. Sulla scia di questo ennesimo successo fu organizzata una nuova spedizione alla quale partecipò anche il fratello Girolamo, ormai cartografo affermato. La spedizione raggiunse la Florida e due isole vicine : Cabaco e Babama (le odierne Abaco e Gran Bahama). Dirigendosi poi verso la costa del Darien, attraverso il Mare Caraibico, Giovanni avvistò un'isola coperta di rigogliosa vegetazione ed apparentemente deserta, egli vi sbarcò con sei uomini ; all'improvviso però dalla folta boscaglia un gruppo di indigeni li assalì con inaudita ferocia, li sopraffece e, spogliati e uccisi li gettò a pezzi sui carboni ardenti, divorandoli poi tra un baccano bestiale e urla indiavolate, mentre il fratello Girolamo inorridito ma impotente, assistette da bordo a tale massacro.

Era l'anno 1528.

World Trade Center Facts

The excavation created so much displaced soil that it was also used to build Liberty Park.

On any working day, at 9 AM, it could be presumed that up to 35,000 people were at their desks working within the attacked complex. 

Giovanni da Verrazzano

On Manhattan, Giovanni was well received by a small tribe of native Americans who assisted him by guiding his ship to a safe location. Giovanni fell in love with this area and wrote back to France informing his King what a great land this was, particularly the New York area,  to develop it for France and Europe. Giovanni could see the great potential that lay here but it was over one hundred years later before any settlers came to live on this great estuary. In Giovanni's  time, he was the Jean-Luc Picard of his day, and his country was more interested in exploration and staking claims, not building great cities.

World Trade Center Facts

The buildings had over 12 million square feet of work space.

Each floor was 50,000 square feet.

The Towers were 100 feet higher than the most famous tall building ever built, The Empire State Building. 

In 1609, the East India Company of Holland,  ironically sent an Englishman, Henry Hudson, to look for a better East to West route to the Indies. Like most looking for this pathway, he obviously found that the Americas were in the way of a direct sailing route. As he sailed up the broad Hudson river, that was later named after him, what thoughts were going through his mind, we can only imagine. Could he though, have ever imagined what developments were to be founded in the next 400 years. 

World Trade Center Facts

The World Trade Center was originally conceived by two brothers, David and Nelson Rockefeller.

The two originally wanted each tower to be named after each brother, but this was not allowed.