Did you know these secrets about 9/11?

One of the most devastating moments in modern American history is the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Some of us still feel the impact of that moment, as many lives were lost, and we witnessed the disaster firsthand.

In the early hours of that tragic day, 19 terrorists from the organization Al-Qaeda managed to hijack four commercial planes and used them as deadly weapons for the attack.

This event had immense consequences on the country’s economy and shattered the trust of American citizens. The loss of so many lives deeply shook people’s souls.

However, following this event, the security and surveillance of the United States became much stronger. Immigration policies underwent major changes, and the monitoring of terrorist organizations became more extensive.

Today, we will revisit this event, but I would like to present to you 10 secrets that fewer people know about 9/11. Read on to discover what they are.

1. A person survived 27 hours under a wreckage

The 9/11 survivors were direct witnesses to the traumatizing events. Many of them required urgent medical care. Additionally, being emotionally and psychologically affected, they went through hours of therapy.

After this immensely impactful event, the United States initiated a process of recovery and reconstruction following 9/11. The survivors received assistance and support from the government through the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

One incident that fascinated many people was that a woman managed to survive for 27 hours under the rubble. Her name is Genelle Guzman-McMillan, and at that time, she was a young immigrant from Trinidad working as an office assistant in the North Tower.

When the attack occurred, she was descending the stairs, and she described how “the walls started shaking and crumbling.” Miraculously, she survived for over a day under the heavy debris.

2. The flames were the headache that followed

The firefighting teams and other intervention forces moved relatively quickly to extinguish the flames. The areas burning in the towers were put out quite swiftly, but what we call Ground Zero took a bit longer.

In addition to firefighting efforts, significant efforts were made to stabilize the buildings. This involved damage assessment, preventive repairs, and risk elimination.

Of course, even after the fires were extinguished, monitoring and surveillance were conducted by the relevant authorities. This continued for an extended period to ensure that no fires would rekindle.

3. A lot of British people died

The approximate number of people who lost their lives as a result of the 9/11 event was 2,977. They had various nationalities, including a significant number of British individuals.

It has been concluded that 67 British citizens lost their lives, 41 people from India, 33 from the Dominican Republic, and the majority were Americans, totaling 2,606.

4. Michael Jackson was almost a victim of 9/11

It appears that a major celebrity avoided the great tragedy of 9/11. Michael Jackson was supposed to have a meeting that day in one of the Twin Towers.

The night before, he had a concert at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York and stayed up late chatting with his family.

He went to bed very late and ended up oversleeping, missing the scheduled meeting. His brother, Jermaine, stated that they found out about this when their mother called the hotel to inquire about Michael’s well-being.

5. Codenames for terrorists

The terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks used code names both for themselves and for the places they were going to target. They used these code names to avoid being discovered and to coordinate their actions.

Some of the code names used were Mohamed Atta, who was the leader of the group and also the pilot of the plane that hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Other names used were Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, and Hani Hanjour.

After 9/11, the American authorities made enormous efforts to reveal the real identities of the terrorists involved in this monstrous attack.

6. This was Plan B

The architect of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, initially had a much grander plan. This attack was supposed to involve 10 planes, out of which 9 would be taken to multiple countries, including those with nuclear power plants.

The 10th plane was intended to land at an airport where there would be only male passengers, and their lives would be taken in a gruesome spectacle. However, the terrorist organization decided that the plan was far too complex to be successfully executed, so they ended up using “only” 4 planes.

7. Seth MacFarlane narrowly avoided the attack

The creator of the well-known sitcom Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, was also close to losing his life in the 9/11 attacks.

He was supposed to be on Flight 11 but missed the plane. Being hungover from a party, he decided it would be a good idea to take a nap at the airport. After 45 minutes of sleep, he realized that he had missed the plane, which had taken off 10 minutes earlier, and crashed into the North Tower.

Seth MacFarlane probably felt like the luckiest man alive and, for the first time, was grateful for being hungover enough to miss the flight.

8. A mysterious target

What will likely remain a mystery forever is the target of the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11.

The three hijacked planes hit the following targets: the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. However, United Airlines Flight 93, the fourth plane, was brought down after brave passengers rose up against the terrorists.

To this day, the target of Flight 93 is still unknown, but what experts say is that it could have been either the White House or the US Capitol.

9. The co-creator of Frasier lost his life

Emmy Award-winning writer for the classic sitcom Frasier, David Angell, was aboard Flight 11 along with his wife, Lynn.

What makes this incident peculiar is the fact that in one of the episodes of the sitcom, Dr. Frasier Crane receives a phone call from someone flying on a plane named “American Flight 11”.

10. The loss of the staff

During the 9/11 attacks, there were 430 companies located in the World Trade Center. However, the most affected company was the investment bank, Cantor Fitzgerald.

The bank’s offices were situated directly above the impact site, which means that none of the people working there that day survived the impact.

The investment bank had a total of 960 employees, and 658 of them were killed. On that day, the CEO, Howard Lutnick, was taking his son to school in the morning and managed to survive only because of that. However, his younger brother, Gary, was at the office.

The events of September 11, 2001, drastically changed the lives of Americans. Many of us remember these moments with a heavy heart. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon shook the nation to its core.

Yet, amidst the darkest moments, stories of heroism, unity, and resilience emerged. Emergency responders and ordinary individuals who simply wanted to help managed to save many lives.

This tragedy managed to bring people together and evoke an unparalleled sense of patriotism. People remembered that only by standing together could they overcome any adversity.

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