September Eleven - 2001 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Between floors 94 and 98

American Airlines Flight 11 crashed between the ninety-fourth and ninety-eighth floors of the North Tower at a speed of approximately 490 mph (790 km/h). As this aircraft entered it remained intact as it plowed through to the central core of the building. All of the stairwells, which were gypsum-encased, were severed, rendering them unusable. Due to combustibles the burning fuel ignited the plane which caused a massive explosion.

The sound waves traveled downward and back up through the building's core. People were trapped on the upper floors with no way to evacuate. Because of the dense smoke, helicopter rescue was completely impossible. By 10:26 am several people from these upper floors had jumped to their deaths.

Answer: Marwan al-Shehhi

Marwan al-Shehhi piloted United Airlines flight 175 on 9/11. He had earned his commercial pilot's license along with Mohamed Atta, who hijacked/piloted American Airlines flight 11, through their training in south Florida. On September 11th Marwan al-Shehhi and the other hijackers, Fayez Banihammad, Hamza al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Ghamdi and Mohand al-Shehri boarded the plane. Sometime between 8:42 and 8:46 am they successfully hijacked flight 175.

The hijackers had killed the pilot and co-pilot as well as having stabbed a stewardess.

When the plane crashed into the south side of the South Tower of the WTC all fifty-six passengers, five hijackers and nine crew members died. There were over six hundred people killed instantly upon impact or trapped above the eighty-fourth floor.

Answer: Manhattan

The WTC was located in Manhattan. The massive complex was in the very heart of the downtown financial district. The entire complex contained 13.4 million square feet of busy and successful office space. The size of the twin towers was immense, with each floor covering approximately one acre. As these towers collapsed they fell a staggering quarter of a mile, drawn to the earth by gravity and reaching a speed of one hundred and twenty miles per hour (193 km/h).

Answer: Ground Zero

Ground Zero, the devastated and collapsed area of the WTC burned for ninety-nine days, finally burning out on December 19, 2001. At Ground Zero one thousand three hundred and thirty seven vehicles were crushed from the collapse of the towers. Of these vehicles there were ninety-one that belonged to the fire department.

It took one and a half million hours in two hundred sixty-one days spent in the removal of debris. Survivors and witnesses of the disaster at Ground Zero have had a shocking number of over thirty-thousand people suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Answer: The Pentagon

The headquarters of the United States Department of Defense is located in the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. On September 11, 2001 at 9:37 am EDT, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon killing one hundred and twenty three people in the building as well as the five hijackers and the fifty-nine passengers and crew on the plane. Due to ongoing renovations there were not the usual 4,500 people working in the hardest hit area of the building.

There were eight hundred people in the area.

It was also the only part of the building with a working sprinkler system at the time. The west block of the Pentagon took the impact with damage resulting to the three outer rings. Five al-Quaeda terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 with Hani Hanjour taking over the controls of the plane and crashing it into The Pentagon. Flying at a speed of 530 mph (853 km/h), the front part of the fuselage of Flight 77 disintegrated on impact and a fireball resulted.

The impact and penetration into the Pentagon took a mere eight-tenths of a second.

Answer: Pennsylvania

United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field near the Diamond T. Mine close to Stonycreek Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. This location is about 65 miles (105km) southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania. There were thirty-three passengers, a crew of seven and four hijackers on board. All perished in the crash. The United States Capitol building is what authorities believe to have been the intended target by the hijackers.

When several passengers and flight attendants had managed to make phone calls they learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. With this knowledge some passengers attempted to regain control of the airplane resulting in the crash.

A permanent memorial "Flight 93 National Memorial" has been erected at the crash site.

Answer: St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church

St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church sat opposite the east side of the WTC before the attacks. Remarkably the chapel survived the attack and subsequent collapse of the WTC. Not even a single window was broken which in itself was considered to be quite miraculous. Amazingly, it is believed that debris struck a sycamore tree on the northwest corner of the church's property.

The root of the tree was later preserved in a bronze memorial by a sculptor named Steve Tobin. Around the church's fence, people began to leave photos, teddy bears, flowers and more memorial items.

The chapel made the decision to put up about fifteen panels for visitors to add items to. Eventually four hundred panels were required. Many exhibits exist in the Chapel with the first one, upon entering the chapel, being "Healing Hearts and Minds".

It is made up of a policeman's uniform. On this uniform are many police and firefighter patches from all over the USA. St. Paul's Chapel was actually built in 1766 on land granted earlier by Queen Anne of Great Britain. Thomas McBean was the architect with Andrew Gautier as master builder.

When President George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 he worshipped at St. Paul's Chapel.

Answer: Canada

"Operation Yellow Ribbon" was started in Canada to help and handle the diversion of several civilian flights during the time of the 9/11 attacks. The aircraft were held and inspected for possible destructive potential. Canadians, throughout Canada, offered their homes and hospitality to the airline passengers who were delayed in reaching their final destinations. Canada's role, through Transport Canada, rerouted incoming US international flights to airports all across Canada. Over two hundred and thirty aircraft had been diverted to seventeen airports. Both Transport Canada and Nav Canada became actively involved in the emergency measures. It is said that over thirty three thousand passengers and crew were diverted to Canada.

"Operation Support" involved Canadian Forces' activity immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Their goal was to provide support to the stranded passengers and crew from diverted aircraft. They were also involved in the increase in emergency preparedness. Through the emergency preparedness several CF-18 fighter jets were assigned by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) from 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario was placed on stand-by. The military ships HMCS (Her Majesty's Canadian Ship) Preserver, Iroquois and Ville de Quebec were placed on a high state of preparedness to bring troops to the US for humanitarian assistance.

Answer: Rudy Giuliani

Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the Mayor of New York City during the tragic events of 9/11 in 2001. He coordinated the response of the many city departments in such aspects as support, anti-terrorist measures and restoration. He appeared on both television and radio often, informing the public of closures such as that of various tunnels as well as the ongoing recovery after the impact of the attacks. On December 24, 2001, Giuliani was named Time magazine "Person of the Year" for 2001. Giuliani was viewed as a man to be counted on in the unification of NYC during the 9/11 crisis.

Answer: Reflecting Absence

"Reflecting Absence" was named the winning design for "The World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition" on January 6, 2004. The creators of the memorial were Michael Arad and Peter Walker. The contest had over five thousand entries to the LMDC (Lower Manhattan Development Corporation). "Reflecting Absence" consists of fields of trees. Within the fields of trees there are two large voids with recessed pools. These pools represent the WTC North and South Towers. The space where the memorial rests indicates the void that was left by the destruction of the WTC. It was later renamed the "National September 11 Memorial & Museum".

Significant memorials have been created and completed since the 9/11 attacks in the USA. The Pentagon Memorial which is a landscaped park with 184 benches facing the Pentagon was opened to the public on September 11, 2008. A private chapel and indoor memorial were added into the design when the repairs of the Pentagon were made between 2001 and 2002. These are at the location where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania "Flight 93 National Memorial" opened to the public on September 10, 2011. It honors the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 where forty victims lost their lives (thirty-three passengers and seven crew).