9/11
On September 11, 2001 an Islamic extremist group called the Al-Qaeda carried out a suicide attack against the United States by hijacking commercial airliners and crashing then into key places around the United States. This was an act of war to break the spirit of Americans.
There was a total of four planes they used for this operation. The first attack was by two of the planes in New York City crashing into the towers of the World Trade Center. The third hit in Washington D.C. at the Pentagon. The last plane crashed in Pennsylvania, in a field, not making its target.
The most notable of the events that day was the destruction of the two towers. They were made in the early 1970’s, and due to an accident at the Empire State Building when a B-52 bomber got lost in the fog and clipped the building, engineers took the incident in consideration, and made the twin towers built to withstand a hit from a big jetliner. Unfortunately, that was based off jetliners from the 1970’s.

The first plane hit the North Tower at 8:47 a.m. At 9:02 the second plane crashes into the South Tower. The third plane slams into the Pentagon at 9:41. At 9:50 the South Tower collapses. The fourth plane crashes in Shanksville, PA at 10:00 a.m. The North Tower goes down at 10:28. At 5:20 p.m. building 7 collapses.
After the first plane hit, it started a massive chain of events. Airports across the United States are evacuated and shut down. President Bush is moved to a secret location. For the first time in history the FAA orders all nonmilitary planes grounded and cancels all flights into the United States. The New York Stock Exchange is evacuated and trading is suspended. All financial markets in the United States are closed. Most federal building in D.C. are closed.
Close to 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center and in its vicinity. Also to include 343 paramedics and firefighters, 23 New York City Police Officers, and 37 Port Authority Police Officers who were struggling to save office workers trapped in the higher levels. Almost 10,000 other were treated for injuries that day many of them severe. Only six people in the World Trade Center at the time of collapse survived.
American Airlines flight 77 is the jet liner that slammed into the west side of the Pentagon. Jet fuel from the Boeing 747 caused an inferno which led to a structural collapse to a portion of the building. It is reported that 125 military and civilians died at the Pentagon, and the 64 passengers on the airliner.
United flight 93 had a delayed start before taking off passengers got wind of the events happening via phones and mobile devices. Aware that the hijackers were not going to land the plane the passengers and crew planned to retake the plane. The passengers fought the hijackers and are suspected to have used fire extinguishers and boiling hot water. As they fought the plane flipped upside down and sped toward the ground at 500 miles per hour. They crashed in a rural field in Pennsylvania killing all 45 passengers on board. The intended target is not known but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, Camp David presidential retreat, or any of the nuclear power plants on the east coast.
On October 7 President Bush began Operation Enduring Freedom with effort to bring down the Taliban regime. As an international effort within two months U.S. forces effectively removed the Taliban from power. Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011. Troops tracked him down and killed him in a hideout at Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms is the most common health effect of 9/11. A study shows that 20% more adult show signs of PTSD symptoms and this roughly 4 times the amount typically found in the general population. Another issue is the toxic dust from the fallout of 9/11. Those that were exposed to WTC dust were more likely to develop respiratory symptoms, sinus problems, asthmas or lung problems.