September 11, 2001 was a tragic turning point in American History.

With over
3,000 deaths and 6,000 injuries, the lives of all Americans would be changed
forever, due to the mass terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers. The
effects the towers have left are everywhere, from more security at airports to
people being more aware of their surroundings. The attack on the World Trade
Center has scarred America for an eternity.
The World Trade Center was located in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Each of
the towers had 110 floors, 99 elevators, and 19 stairs per flight. From the ground
up, the twin towers stood over 1300 feet high! Each week the towers welcomed
50,000 workers and 200,000 visitors. The second tower housed an observation deck
at the very top which allowed visitors to see over 50 miles!
Construction for The World Trade Center began in August of 1968. These vast
buildings were completed by July 1971, with a grand opening in April of 1973. The
World Trade Center was originally an exhibit at the 1993 New York World's Fair. The
exhibit was about "world peace through trade". David Rockefeller, son of John
Rockefeller, decided to revive the idea of The World Trade Center and build the
towers in Lower Manhattan.
The World Trade Center had a colossal budget of 400 million dollars. For a period
of time The World Trade Center was the tallest structure in the world. The buildings
were so monstrous that they had 3,000 miles of electrical wiring, 200,000 pieces of
steel, 425,000 yards of concrete, and six acres of marble! September 11th wasn't
the only terrorist attack The World Trade Center had encountered. In February of
1993, The World Trade Center experienced a bombing in the parking garage of the
North tower. The bombing killed six people and injured more than 1,000 innocent

bystanders. Luckily, the rest of the building remained unharmed. The bombing
prompted additional security and safety measures including metal detectors, visitor
badges, lighted stairwells and a new fire alarm system.

The World Trade Center changed the lives of many people. The World Trade
Center brought thousands new of jobs and businesses to the city. The observation
deck at 2 World Trade Center helped increase tourism to the lower Manhattan
region. The New Jersey Path Train and 2 subway stations located under The World
Trade Center welcomed thousands of commuters a day. In addition, The World Trade
Center attracted many shoppers to its shopping mall. The Vista Hotel, later the
Marriott at The World Trade Center, provided a comforting stay within the complex.
On the 107th floor of 1 World Trade Center, the Windows On The World restaurant
provided diners with delicious food with a splendid view of the beautiful Manhattan
skyline.
Today, The Freedom Tower stands in place of 1 World Trade Center. Construction
for the Freedom Tower started in April of 2006 and ended in May of 2013. The tower
wasn't open to the public until November of 2014. The Freedom Tower had a budget
of a whopping 3.9 billion dollars! However, the new Freedom Tower is safer than The
World Trade Center by a landslide! The Freedom Tower's safety features consists of
blast resistant glass, improved fireproof walls, extra wide emergency stairs, a
staircase specially made for fire fighters, state of the art fire suppression system
and a very thick steel core.
Our lives would be much different if the World Trade Center hadn't been built.
While the original World Trade Center complex burned to the ground, it is certainly

true that the remnants of the attack are all around us. Immediately following the
attacks, congress created the Department of Homeland Security, which was quickly
signed into law by president George W. Bush. The Department of Homeland Security
helps make our lives safer by suppressing terrorism before it occurs.
The World Trade Center is not only interesting, but