World
Trade Center - A complex of several buildings around a central plaza in New York City that in 2001 was the site of the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. The complex—located at the southwestern tip of Manhattan, near the shore of the Hudson River and a few blocks northwest of Wall Street—was built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a central facility for businesses and government agencies involved in international trade. Until the 2001 attack, it was notable for its huge twin towers, each of which had 110 stories. The roof of One World Trade
Center reached to 1,368 feet (417 meters), and Two World Trade Center was 1,362 feet (415
meters) tall. Designed by Minoru Yamasaki and officially opened in 1972, the towers were the world's tallest buildings until surpassed in 1973 by the Sears Tower in Chicago. (See Researcher's Note: Heights of Buildings.) Each of the twin towers had 97 passenger elevators, 21,800 windows, and roughly an acre (0.4 hectare) of rentable space per floor. An observation deck was situated on the 107th floor of the south tower (Two World Trade Center), and a television-broadcasting mast 360 feet (110
meters) high was attached to the north tower (One World Trade Center).
Prior to 2001 the complex had sustained a major terrorist attack. On February 26, 1993, a large bomb planted by terrorists exploded in the underground garage of Two
World Trade Center, damaging the base of the building (subsequently repaired), killing 6 people, and injuring some 1,000. The attack that occurred on September 11, 2001, was much more destructive. Hijackers deliberately flew two commercial airliners into the towers, the first striking the north tower at 8:46 AM (local time) and the second hitting the south tower at 9:03. Badly damaged and engulfed in flames, the weakened south tower collapsed at 9:59; the north
tower fell about a half hour later. Debris from the towers also destroyed or damaged other buildings in and around the complex. Some 2,800 people were killed.
New
York World Trade Center
WTC Wallpaper Pix
At
08-46 AM, September 11th 2001, American Airlines - Flight 11, from
Boston crashed inexplicably into floors 94 thru to 98 of the North
Tower of the New York World Trade Center. The domestic jet was
traveling at 470 mph, that is 757 kph and it carried 92
passengers. As it had not traveled too far it also carried 10,000 gallons
of jet-fuel; 3,000 gallons of this ignited and exploded in the first
two seconds after the impact. The rest fuelled a fierce inferno. The
Emergency Services were alerted in seconds, many were to lose their
lives, in fact more fire-fighters were killed than during the previous
50 years.
At
09-03 AM a United Airlines jet, flight 175 carrying 65 passengers hit
the South Tower, crashing into floors 74 thru to 84. It was traveling
at an amazing speed of 590 mph, that is 950 kph or 264
meters every second. The impact here was some 20 stories lower,
making the potential of greater damage far higher, as there was much
more heavy structure above the destruction line.
Both
Towers were designed to resist the impact from a fully loaded Boeing
707. This was the biggest plane around in the late 60's. But it was
presumed that the plane would be say lost in fog and would be
traveling at a speed of around 230 mph, and would have dumped most
of its fuel. It was unthinkable in those days that anyone would
carry out such an atrocity.
Both
towers raged with the fire and as the center of the buildings had
central shafts for elevators etc, this chimney affect made the flames
even hotter and subsequently the heat buckled and melted the internal
trusses that held the steel tube structure together. A 09-59 AM the
South Tower started to collapse into itself. Such what its weight and
such was the momentum that nothing but God could have stopped it. The
debris hit the ground at 124 mph. At 10-28 Am, the North Tower, the
first Twin to be hit, collapsed in the same way.
Power
was down. Unbelievably 230 million phone calls to Manhattan
jammed the telephone service as millions of desperate friends and
relations called to find out more about what had happened.
WTC
Building number 7, burned unchecked and collapsed amongst the carnage
at 05-20 PM. On September 12th the metal carnage stood 60 feet high,
it was estimated that a million tons of debris would have to be
removed to make way for the New WTC but in fact it was many times
this. Over 70,000 tons of rubble was taken away every week.
New York World Trade Center
Learn More, Be More
WTC
Vital
Statistics:
Location:New York, New York, USA Completion Date:1972 (Tower One), 1973 (Tower Two) Cost:$400 million each Height:1,368 feet (Tower 1), 1,362 feet (Tower 2) Stories:110 Materials:Steel, Concrete
Minoura Yamasaki was picked by the company building the WTC,
because of his jovial character and that he had an open mind
that looked forward to the future and not backwards on what had
been built before. He had that Human Touch, that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
wanted. He almost designed it for just that one person that
might work or visit the WTC. Looking out from the inside all the
windows were shoulder width to give a feeling of security and strength.
After he was commissioned to do the design, David Rockefeller
and his team decide to build the towers higher than any other
building ever. For 40 years the Empire State Building had stood
supreme as the tallest building on Earth. Yamasaki
took a deep breathe and went for it.
In
1964 it was estimated to cost $335,000,000.00. [ $335 Million ]
By 1966 the total estimated cost had risen to $575,000,000.00.
[$575 Million ] Its final cost was nearer a Billion dollars.
After years of design and wrangling construction started in
August 1968.
The
original site was a 16 acre area of several blocks of electrical
retail and wholesale shops and stores. The very first radios and
TV sets sold in the USA were bought from these outlets.
Though there was much protesting about the demolition of these
places, nothing would stand in the way of the WTC and progress.
The
land was actually 100 year old 'fill'. It was also waterlogged
and one could dig a hole only three feet deep, around a 100 cms,
and you would come to water courtesy of the Hudson River.
Bedrock was 70 feet below. [ 22 meters].
The
water had to be checked and a principle called the 'Bathtub
Method' was used. At the very boundaries of the site, which was
4 blocks wide and 2 blocks across, trenches were dug 22 feet
long [6.7 meters] and 3 feet wide and 70 feet deep. [21.3
meters]
These
trenches were filled with a slurry which was water and Bentonite
Clay. This clay helped seal the walls and kept out the Hudson.
The trenches then had huge cages lowered into them, steel
reinforcing 7 stories high weighing 22 tons, that fitted
snuggly. There were 152 cages used in all. A pipe was then
lowered down to the bedrock line and liquid concrete was pumped
into the trench. All the slurry was removed and pumped into the
next hole. When this concrete hardened it formed a massive wall
or dam that kept the River at bay. When all the boundaries were
finished and the center 'fill' was removed it formed the biggest
'bathtub' in the world, one that Moby Dick could have easily
played in. All
the old 'fill' was removed and used to extent the water front by
700 feet.
Yet
again the 'bathtub' is empty as planners contemplate what marvel
will be built to replace what was there before. Their main worry
and concern is that nearly 3,000 lives were lost on this location.
This area is now sacred ground and should be treated thus.
It
has now been some time since the 9-11 tragedy. These pages were built just
before
September 11th 2003,
and whilst we have strived to keep them up to date they may reflect small mistakes. We are
sorry if this offends anyone and we hope that this site is read within the spirit that
it was written.
The
World Trade Center of New York, New York, USA is no more.
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.
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, traveling at around 230
mph or 355 kph - NOT one traveling 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.
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?
The 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.
The 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
1973 after an
eight year development programme.
On
December 23rd 1970 the last piece of metal structure was fitted, on
the North Tower. It was on the 4th July 1971 that the last piece was
fitted to the South Tower.
On
April 4th 1973 it was ready to open.
The
dreams of men had come true. The then Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller
said in a speech:
"
A dream has come true."
We
wrote in 1995, that:
"Science-Fiction
is the mother of Science-fact, and its father is money."
Such
a project such as the WTC proves this and it will be proven again as
the new Towers are built.
The World Trade Center
Facts
Because no expense was left wanting, there
were NO light switches. 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.
The 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
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
The World Trade Center
Facts
New York was originally going to construct
a new tunnel and a new bridge but decided to spend the money on the
more impressive WTC.
Minoura Yamasaki was picked to be the
architect.
He
designed the towers to look like a futuristic sculpture, some said the buildings
looked "boring."
The World Trade Center
Facts
Around 12,000 miles of electric cable wound
its way throughout the two towers.
There were over 75,000 telephones that were
linked with nearly 20,000 miles of wiring.
The World Trade Center
Facts
The two restaurants that were the windows
on the world held over 100 weddings each year.
The South Tower's observation deck had a
cafe and gift shop that opened up at 9.00 AM every day.
The World Trade Center
Facts
More postcards are sent around the globe
showing the World Trade Center than any other scene.
The entrances to each Tower had 16
reception points and 12 X-ray machines.
Each
Tower had 3 emergency staircases.
There
were 828 emergency exits.
The World Trade Center
Facts
Ironically, on average each
visitor to the WTC spent around five minutes going through
security checks.
The WTC employed 300 Security Officers.
The Towers had their own Police Stations
and command centers were spread all over the buildings.
The World Trade Center
Facts
Even though there were 8
miles of staircases in each tower it is thought that it would have
still taken up to 90-100 minutes to evacuate the whole building.
The WTC had 239 banks of elevators,
some the fastest in the whole country.
The
World Trade Center.
What has
happened cannot really be described in mere words, you have to see the face of
the teller to really understand what a tragedy for the USA, and the Free
World, this has been. Apart from Pearl Harbor this is the first time there has been
a significant attack on the USA in recent times. It is the first time such a
severe attack has taken place on the main land.
The World Trade Center
Facts
The main elevators traveled
at 27 feet per second and could reach the top in under 5 minutes.
The express elevators to the
observation decks could hold 55 people.
It is well
known that it was the attack on Pearl Harbor that spurred on the American people
to join Britain, in what became the Second World War. Whilst It must not be
forgotten what a disaster both events were, we must remember that Great
Britain suffered such attacks every night of every week, during the first
few years of World War II. A thousand nights of bombing, where whole city centers were flattened,
but the British did not surrender. Such a resolve must be shown now, throughout the Globe, in
bringing the evil
perpetrators of this act to pay for what they have done. One by one they will be tracked
down and brought to task.
Every
citizen of the World must learn to be nothing but non-judgmental; totally
objective in its way of thought. Then maybe we can, in this New Millennium,
all live in peace and talk about our differences and agree that there are differences,
and that it is everyone's right to be different.
The World Trade Center
Facts
Prior
to the 11th of September 2001, 19 people have been murdered
within the complex.
More than 10,000 construction workers
were involved in its building. More than 60 died during this
time.
Since its opening 17 babies have been delivered
inside the World Trade Center.
This
site: http://www.thesahara.net
is about taking a large piece of Africa and turning it into a new Rainforest
and a new Ocean of fresh water. It is about a new investment for the
future of Humankind. But it must be asked whether we are good enough to be
saved. It is a clear fact that as Human animals, we have possibly less that
100 years left to live on the planet Earth. It is said that with Global
Warming; rising sea-levels; Blade-Runner
type smog, that will poison all oxygen breathing creatures, we are living
on borrowed time.
Such a catastrophic
event as the destruction of the World Trade Center has clearly rallied the
world's right thinking citizens to act, to stop such a thing ever happening
again. We must ask ourselves to consider that on Monday 10th September
2001,
in most minds there was a far greater chance for the Extinction Level
Events, mentioned above, to happen than what we saw the next day.
In fact
at the top of the two Towers it was proclaimed that the Twins were built so
well, that they were designed to withstand a commercial airplane crashing into
them.
STARVATION IN
THE WORLD
