Facts About the 9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial stands as a solemn tribute to the lives lost and the indelible impact of the tragic events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. As a powerful symbol of remembrance and resilience, the memorial holds many fascinating facts that shed light on its significance and design. Let’s explore together intriguing and lesser-known facts about the 9/11 Memorial, unveiling the stories behind its creation, the symbolism embedded in its architecture, and the enduring messages of hope and unity it embodies.

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Learning facts is incredibly important for children as it lays a solid foundation for their overall development and intellectual growth. Facts serve as building blocks of knowledge, providing children with a deeper understanding of the world around them.

By learning facts about various subjects such as history, science, and geography, children gain a broader perspective and can make connections between different concepts. If you are looking for more facts be sure to check out our facts about Rosa Parks, Cat facts, and facts about owls.

Facts About 9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial was built to remember and honor those who died in the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States.
It is located on about half of the 16-acre site that the former World Trade Center complex encompassed.
Construction on the initial memorial began on March 13, 2006, and took eight years to fully complete.
The 9/11 Memorial was completed in two stages with the memorial being completed first and dedicated to the victims’ families on September 11, 2011.
The second stage of the memorial involved completing the museum, which was dedicated on May 15, 2014.

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The 9/11 Memorial was designed by the Israeli-American architect Michael Arad, who won a competition to design the overall concept for the memorial.
Davis Brody Bond is the architect who oversaw the construction.
It follows an original master plan created by Daniel Libeskind.
The memorial was initially called the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.
It was renamed the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in 2007.

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The central feature of the 9/11 Memorial is the memorial itself, which has twin square reflecting pools that have the names of the memorialized victims around each pool.
There are twin reflecting pools at the memorial as they represent the twin towers of the former World Trade Center.
The former World Trade Center was actually a collection of seven buildings, with the twin towers rising out of the New York skyline as the most prominent of them.
The twin towers were nearly identical twin buildings that were the tallest buildings in New York City, with each hosting 110 floors
The towers were also the tallest buildings in the world for about a year when they were built in 1973

There were 110 floors in the twin towers of the former World Trade Center.
430 companies employed 35,000 people who regularly worked in the twin towers.
Up to 50,000 people could be found working in the twin towers on any particular day.
The World Trade Center also included both a hotel and an underground mall that allowed people to stay and shop while they visited.
The reflecting pools are surrounded by the names of the victims of both the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The 9/11 attack involved the work of nineteen men who coordinated an attack to crash airplanes at three different locations.
The 9/11 terrorists crashed two planes into the two towers of the world trade center in New York and an additional plane into the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C.
The first plane crashed into the 80th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:45 a.m.
The second plane crashed into the 60th floor of the south tower 17 minutes later at 9:03 a.m.
The two planes brought down both twin towers and led to the collapse of all 5 buildings in the former World Trade Center complex.

The third plane crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. and collapsed part of the building.
The terrorists unsuccessfully attempted to crash a fourth plane into an additional prominent location in Washington, D.C., but it crashed in western Pennsylvania.
The flight data recorder data led investigators to believe the fourth hijacked plane was likely attempting to crash into the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
The fourth plane hijacked in the 9/11 attacks crashed due to an uprising by the passengers and crew when they realized their hijacking was part of a coordinated attack.
The passengers and crew were able to become aware of why they were attacked because there had been a 25-minute delay in taking off due to heavy air traffic.

While the terrorists thought suicide bombing the United States would weaken the country, it only made the U.S. stronger as it unified efforts to combat terrorism.
There are a total of 2,883 names of people memorialized around the twin reflecting pools.
Of the names inscribed at the memorial, 2,977 of those are for those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The additional six names are for those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Around 400 of the people who died on September 11, 2001, were police officers and firefighters.

The National Park Service maintains the museum, memorial, and grounds of the 9/11 Memorial.
The reflecting pools at the 9/11 memorial are the largest man-made waterfalls in North America.
Each memorial reflecting pool is almost an acre in size.
Each reflecting pool has waterfalls that descend an initial 30 feet into the main basin and then another 20 feet before dropping out of site.
The building that sits between the twin reflecting pools has just a small portion above ground, with the majority of it underground.

The entrance ramp in the memorial building leads to Foundation Hall where the footprint of the North Tower once stood.
The emptiness of Foundation Hall is intended to remind visitors of what was once there and is no longer.
A retaining wall from the original building is incorporated into the design of Foundation Hall as a reminder that nothing is truly gone.
A 36 foot piece of steel that was the last piece taken from the site cleanup is housed in Foundation Hall as a column.
It took 9 months to clear the 1.8 million tons of rubble and debris from the twin towers.

September 11 was named Patriot Day on December 18, 2001 to annually remember those who died in the 9/11 attacks.
There were 18 people who were rescued alive from the twin towers of the former World Trade Center.
Survivors and rescue workers from the 9/11 attacks often experienced post-traumatic stress and at risk for severe respiratory problems.
A 2019 bill passed by the U.S. Senate permanently ensured funding for a 9/11 victims fund that supports the families of the victims and first responders of the 9/11 terrorist attack
On the birthday of each victim, a red rose is placed on the victim’s name in the memorial to honor their life.

Do you know any other facts about the 9/11 Memorial? We’d love to hear them in the comments.

Are you looking for more fun and engaging facts to share with your family? Check out these other posts for more facts!

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Facts About 9/11 Memorial

Are you looking for more fun and engaging facts to share with your family? Check out these other posts for more facts!

How Do I Print A PDF?

Can I Resell These?

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