When the twin towers were built. How the famous twin towers were built in new york

The skyscrapers of the World Trade Center, or twin towers, were a memorable part of New York, a city that itself became a symbol of America, its indomitable character, forcing the whole country to constantly strive forward and upward, overcoming obstacles. The creation of this architectural and technocratic masterpiece was not only an engineering and economic task. By his very appearance, he was supposed to inspire the idea of ​​the inviolability of Western civilization, its eternity and power.

Again about the terrorist attack ...

In the first year of the third millennium of the New Era, namely on September 11, the twin towers were barbarously destroyed. To destroy them, the terrorists used tools to match the era: two huge passenger Boeing 767s, which also symbolize the power of American industry, like the skyscrapers they hit. A lot has been written about these events, and there is no point in repeating known information to everyone, as well as dubious assumptions about the involvement of a wide variety of forces in the terrorist attack, including the CIA and the US State Department. Journalists did not miss a single detail of the disaster. Even the number of the plane that crashed into the twin towers was scrutinized for fatal coincidences and omens. Having bowed our heads before the memory of the innocent people who died, it is worth thinking not about death, but about the birth of these structures, which for almost three decades have personified the American technological genius.

Background of the grand project

The roaring sixties were not the best time for the USA. The fundamental foundations of a free society declared by the founding fathers were under threat. The moral crisis has reached alarming proportions, like a cancerous tumor affecting an increasing number of young people. Drug addiction has become part of the very popular hippie subculture, and patriotism has become something both funny and indecent. In Vietnam, there was a war that seemed to have no end (at least not a victorious one). Girls who came from Indochina were often greeted not as heroes who fought for democracy, but as child killers. Something grandiose could restore to the Americans a sense of dignity and pride in "the world's freest homeland". Flight to the Moon or Mars, for example. Or the world's tallest twin towers.

Difficult construction

The overall project belonged to Minoru Yamasaki, by that time already a famous architect. Behind the external brevity of the outlines of the buildings, a very difficult content was guessed. Even in demonstrative uniformity, a feeling of power was assumed, as if saying: "If necessary, we will build more!" Digging of the pit began in 1966. Actually, Manhattan is a rocky island, and all of its skyscrapers are built on naturally solid foundations. The twin towers were an exception; they were built on soft ground. The second problem concerned the creation of infrastructure. You do not need to be an expert to understand the complexity of the task of wiring and replacing communications in a busy metropolis. It is possible to block traffic on some street for a year, in New York this is unacceptable: both roads and crossings must work. And one more circumstance made the construction process difficult - the subway station, where passengers boarded underground trains going to New Jersey. The terminal had to be created new, and the old one worked all this time.

Some numbers

Now let's talk about the figures and quantities that American builders are so fond of listing when talking about their achievements. More than a million square meters of soil was removed, and before that, of course, dug out. Each of the mounting wall blocks, made of steel, weighed 22 tons and had a height of a four-story building. The total weight of the metal used in the construction of the complex was 200,000 tons. Stone masonry was not used. Elevators (there were 239 of them) lifted people and goods to a height of one hundred and ten floors at a speed of 8.5 m / s, and their shafts were made so that they increased the rigidity of the entire scheme. Numerous financial difficulties had to be overcome, but in the end the first skyscraper was generally completed by 1971, and in 1973 both twin towers were solemnly commissioned. Their death in 2001 demonstrates the helplessness that is sometimes experienced by the most developed intellect and boundless diligence in the face of brutal violence. The only consolation is the invincibility of intellect and diligence - these best

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York divided the history of the United States of America into before and after. Three thousand people who died as a result of the explosion of the Twin Towers is an irreparable loss for the American people. Question: "Who blew up the towers?" remains open to many to this day. Too many logical inconsistencies in the official version of the investigation.

Mission Possible?

According to the official version, the twin towers were destroyed due to the explosions of the planes that rammed the buildings. The fire that broke out during the attack weakened the metal structures, and the building collapsed. Then the same thing happened to another skyscraper.

Ordinary people are still perplexed: how could people from Arab countries, whose names were previously known to the special services, come to the United States, undergo training in piloting passenger Boeings, carry dummies of firearms on board aircraft, capture several aircraft at the same time and with an enviable Accurately ram several buildings?

This whole operation looks incredible, but, nevertheless, it is theoretically feasible. Much more complex questions of the commission involved in the investigation are asked by experts who have in their hands the results of analyzes obtained after examining the wreckage of the twin towers. At the site of the tragedy, traces of explosives and thermite were found - a substance that reaches a temperature of 1500 degrees when burned. But let's talk about everything in order. Consider the main conspiracy theories of explosions.

Less than a month after the attack, the US army invaded Afghanistan, destroying the hotbeds of terrorism, and at the same time writing off their debts, destabilizing the situation in the region and laundering multibillion-dollar investments in the military industry, in which, as it became known during the election campaign, Hillary Clinton, the Washington "hawks" have not only state, but also personal interests.

The terrorist act untied the hands of the US intelligence services, which received the right to listen to other people's conversations and read other people's letters, not only on their own territory, but in any corner of the world. Even the leaders of the G7 countries have no right to their little secrets from Washington. This was clearly shown by the phone tapping scandal. Angela Merkel.

There are many supporters of the idea that America's intelligence agencies at least knew about the preparation of terrorist attacks, and most likely played a key role in the preparation. Only with the support of "Big Brother" could Islamic radicals involved in al-Qaeda ties be able to enter the United States, receive first-class flight training, be on board aircraft with items that look like firearms, hijack aircraft and accurately direct them to predetermined goals.

Like a house of cards

Looking at the collapse of the twin towers, experts agree that it is very similar to a controlled explosion. Such explosions are used when it is required to demolish a large building in a densely populated area of ​​the city. Explosive engineers, having studied the design of the structure, calculate the power of each charge placed in the base of the supporting structures. As a result, the demolished object should fold like a house of cards, so that each wall rushes inward.

During such events, just in case, the inhabitants of nearby houses are evacuated. If there is a mistake in the calculations or some charges do not work, the building, instead of folding inward, may fall on its side, and then the destruction will be much more than planned. Looking at the video, it's hard not to be surprised at how neatly and how quickly the towers fold. It looks like real professional explosives experts worked on this.

Well, what about the planes? After all, they were seen by thousands of people, and they are captured on the set. Proponents of the controlled explosion theory are sure that the planes were needed for a beautiful picture and so that the inhabitants would not have questions: how could a bunch of terrorists bring tons of explosives into two carefully guarded buildings in the center of New York and set the charges in such a way that they collapsed fully?

As for the plane that hit the Pentagon building, it may not have been at all. The footage, taken immediately after the attack, shows the destruction, but there are no details of the Boeing. The plane could explode, but it could not dissolve. Large pieces of the fuselage and engines should be visible. In addition, the damage to the building is too minor for an incursion by a large passenger airliner. They are more reminiscent of the consequences of a cruise missile hit, and terrorists simply could not have such missiles.

Who shot down the fourth plane?

There was also a fourth hijacked airliner, which the terrorists planned to aim either at the White House, or at the Capitol. But he did not reach his goal. According to the official version, the passengers entered into a fight with the terrorists, and as a result of a fight that ensued on board the aircraft, the liner crashed to the ground. Some conspiracy theorists believe that the US military shot down the plane. This theory is supported by the fact that the debris was scattered at a great distance from each other. But several passengers managed to call their loved ones before the crash, even records of these conversations have been preserved, confirming the official version.

small atomic bomb

There are so many different opinions about the tragedy of September 11 that among them there are even completely fantastic and incredible ones. For example, in all seriousness they say that a small atomic bomb was detonated under every building. Allegedly, the New York authorities set a condition for the developers who planned to build the Shopping Center - to provide for the possibility of dismantling the building. After all, it is clear that sooner or later it will become unusable, and demolishing such a huge structure for those times, as it seemed then, will be much more difficult than building it. And for the subsequent dismantling, allegedly the builders laid a nuclear charge under each building. But this theory is easily refuted by critics. At the site of a nuclear explosion, even a small one, there should be an increased level of radiation. But he was not observed.

She's also a victim

According to the official version of the American government, the most painful thing is the question of the third tower that collapsed during the terrorist attack. This skyscraper was called the Seventh Tower of the World Trade Center. This building was not hit by a plane, however, it collapsed overnight, like two twin towers.

According to the official theory, the cause of the collapse was a fire spread from neighboring towers. Allegedly, the communications through which water was supplied to the building to automatically extinguish the fire were destroyed, the fire engulfed the building, the structures could not stand it and collapsed.

Half of the Americans surveyed several years ago did not even know that three buildings were destroyed during the events of 2001 in New York. Many of those who know do not believe that the 47-story building could have collapsed instantly in a fire. In the United States, activists have repeatedly demanded a new investigation into the case and the publication of the results of the investigation, but the authorities did not hear them or simply did not want to hear them.

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Exactly 11 years have passed since the bloodiest in world history, which killed almost 3,000 people from 92 countries. On the site of the collapsed World Trade Center, new skyscrapers, a museum and a memorial are being built in memory of the terrorist attack.

We will tell you about how the construction of the new World Trade Center in New York is going in today's report.

A bit of history.(WTC) in New York is a complex of 7 buildings designed by Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki and officially opened on April 4, 1973. The architectural dominant of the complex were two 110-storey twin towers - North (417 meters high, and taking into account the antenna installed on the roof - 526 meters) and South (415 meters high). For some time after the construction was completed, the towers were the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The WTC complex was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. After the collapse of the World Trade Center, the tallest building in New York was the Empire State Building.

As a result all 7 buildings of the complex were destroyed: the three tallest buildings collapsed WTC-1 (North Tower, 110 floors), WTC-2 (South Tower, 110 floors) and WTC-7 (47 floors), which was not attacked, it was demolished industrially. WTC-3 (Marriott Hotel, 22 floors) was almost completely destroyed by the wreckage of WTC-1 and WTC-2. The remaining three buildings in the complex suffered such damage that they were deemed unfit for restoration and were later demolished. (Photo by Mark Lennihan |AP):

The site of the crash of the World Trade Center in New York was opened on September 11, 2011, 10 years after the attacks. It consists of 2 square pools located exactly on the site of the former twin towers. An estimated 5 million people will visit the monument annually, a record for any historic site in the United States. (Photo by Mark Lennihan | Reuters):

Although National 9/11 Memorial received good reviews from the community and the families of the victims, this project is criticized for its high cost and lack of aesthetics. The Wall Street Journal considers it the most expensive monument in America.

Two square pools with the largest man-made waterfalls in the US were opened on September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The museum, located under the pools, will open in September 2012. (Photo by Stan Honda | AFP | Getty Images):

The pools descend down to the foot of the former twin towers. They symbolize the loss of life and the emptiness caused by terrorist attacks. The sound of falling water will have to imitate the sounds of the city. The names of those killed in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 are written on the bronze sides of the Memorial Pools. (Photo by Seth Wenig | AP):

World Trade Center Tower 1(WTC-1, formerly the Freedom Tower) is the central building in the new World Trade Center complex under construction in lower Manhattan in New York. Completion of the construction of the Freedom Tower is scheduled for 2013. Now 104 floors have been built, and exactly a year ago there were 80. (Photo by Lucas Jackson | Reuters):

The skyscraper's construction cost is estimated at $3.8 billion, making it the most expensive office building in the world. (Photo by Gary Hershorn | Reuters):

World Trade Center Tower 1. Photo taken September 7, 2012 from the 72nd floor of the World Trade Center Tower 4. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images | Reuters):

View of the Empire State Building and Tower 1 of the new World Trade Center under construction (right), April 30, 2012. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images):

The base of a high-rise crane installed inside Tower 1 of the new World Trade Center on March 23, 2012. (Photo by Lucas Jackson | Reuters):

Beneath the new World Trade Center in New York are underground corridors that will link several buildings to the transportation hub. (Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP):

Night view of the pool of the National 9/11 Memorial. (Photo by Spencer Platt | Getty Images):

Night Manhattan, Moon and World Trade Center Tower 1 (center), May 6, 2012. (Photo by Gary Hershorn | Reuters):

The construction site of the new World Trade Center in New York, April 1, 2012. (Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP):

The final view of the World Trade Center building (Tower 1) was presented to the public on June 28, 2006. For safety, at first they wanted to make the lower part of the building (57 meters high) out of concrete, but critics said that it would resemble a concrete sarcophagus. As a result, it was decided that glass elements of a prism-like shape would be used in the decoration of the facade at this level. (Photo by Spencer Platt | Getty Images):

With the completion of the World Trade Center antenna (Tower 1), a beam of light will shine into the sky, which is expected to be visible in the air at a height of up to 300 meters. (Photo by Gary Hershorn | Reuters):

Square pools of the National 9/11 Memorial. New York, April 1, 2012. (Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP):

General view of the new World Trade Center in New York, September 6, 2012. In the center - the building of the World Trade Center (Tower 1), on the left - the complex of buildings of the World Financial Center, on the right - the building of the World Trade Center (Tower 4). (Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP):

1946 China is expecting a new civil war. Japan still can not recover from the terrible atomic attack. Europe is engulfed in ruins. And everything is fine: the dollar was recognized as an international currency, the International Bank is also taking place, the construction of new buildings is beginning. The United States expects that it will soon become a powerful power and "squeeze" the whole world under itself.

In the same year, the powers that be, namely the leadership of New York, come up with a proposal to build the WTC - World 1 in Lower Manhattan. They assume that post-war countries will begin to conduct international trade. But the Cold War could have prevented this: the Russians, with the world's strongest land army, acquire an atomic bomb, cast icy glances at Europe and strengthen friendly relations with Asia: help the Koreans end the war and forever cement their relations with China. Then the Americans have to postpone the construction of the World Trade Center indefinitely.

The history of the twin towers

The chief architect of the World Trade Center seemed to have a presentiment that one day the structure he designed would play a fatal role for the United States. Minoru Yamasaki wrote that, if it were possible, "I would solve the architectural problems that confront me by designing one-story houses."

It all started at the initiative of the director of the New York Port Authority, August Tobin - it was he who, in the year 46 of the last century, put forward a proposal to build the World Trade Center 1. Roughly speaking, he wanted to create something that would bring a lot of income.

The legislature gives permission for the erection of 21 buildings on the banks of the East River - this is land that belongs to the Authority. A project is being developed, and when it was already ready (in 1949), the approval document was withdrawn.

In the mid-1950s, the developed project sees David Rockefeller. Only his goal is different - to restore the attractiveness of the lower part of the city of New York (Manhattan). In 1958, they began to develop a plan to increase business activity, and in 1960 they began to evaluate the WTC project. According to it, the complex was to be located on 53 hectares of land owned by the Port Authority, and there was also a 300-meter exhibition hall surrounded by 50- and 70-story hotels and offices. Entertainment was provided, such as theatres, restaurants and shops. But only in September 1962 was appointed the chief architect (Minoru Yamasaki), who worked on the final project, and in 1965 construction began.

Yamasaki made his own adjustments: he unconditionally rejected the possibility of erecting a group of buildings and offered to opt for two 80-story twin towers. It followed from this that it was necessary to completely change the project. However, everything happened very quickly: at the end of 1970, the uppermost element of the supporting structure was mounted in a festive atmosphere, and in 1973 the buildings were put into operation.

Events of September 11, 2001

For almost 30 years, the WTC twins have been the highest jobs in the world. The first tragedy happened on February 26, 1993. On this day, on the second floor of the North Tower, where the underground parking was located, a truck exploded, in which a bomb was planted. Omar Abdel-Rahman (the leader of the Islamists and the organizer of the attack) expected that the tower would begin to collapse and touch the second, that is, the skyscrapers would be completely destroyed. But he miscalculated - the creations of a talented architect survived. The victims of the collapse were 6 people, about 1000 were injured, the building completely ceased to function.

102 minutes - the most terrible in 2001. Just an hour and a half, and World Trade Center 1 ceased to exist. At 8:46 a.m., a plane with terrorists on board rammed the first tower, and at 10:28 another Boeing rammed the second, and these terrible seconds were captured on video. This terrorist attack is the largest in the history of mankind. Almost 3,000 people became its victims, 24 more were missing.

Building revitalization

November 21, 2006 was the day when the first phase of construction of the modern WTC 1 began. This project took a lot of time and money - almost $ 4 billion and 7 years (like its predecessor, destroyed on September 11, 2001). The height of the tower is 541 m (including the spire, which weighs more than 700 tons). Today, this architectural creation is the tallest in New York, the United States and throughout the Western Hemisphere.

On those places where the twin towers used to stand, 2 memorials were installed in the form of pools made of granite, and around the perimeter lined with bronze slabs with engraved names of the dead. They are located exactly where the foundations of the buildings were laid. And WTC 1 itself is located in the western corner of the site. It turns out that the new buildings, as it were, surround Ground Zero (a memorial of memory).

Characteristics of a modern building

World Trade Center 1, or Freedom Tower, is a retail and office building. The structure strongly resembles its predecessors. This is a light spiral building with a huge spire at the top. It is glazed on the outside, and inside the central part there is a large hall. The height of the room is 24 m, and from here you have access to offices, restaurants, information centers and exhibition halls.

The underground part is equipped with lobbies connected to the railway lines and the city metro. At the very top, of course, are the restaurants that open up the amazing landscape. There are also viewing platforms on the upper levels. The lower part of the Freedom Tower is lined with prismatic glass, and the upper part is blue.

• Most of the budget funds were intended for security in the event of a terrorist attack.
• In 1776, the United States took over. The height of the building is 1776 feet, and for good reason.
• The glass panels that were chosen as the cladding material are reduced by 20%, as thanks to them the interior spaces are filled with daylight.
• A memorial to the people who died and went missing when Manhattan's predecessor skyscrapers collapsed, it is widely regarded as the most visited, but the project has been criticized for its enormous cost and lack of aesthetics.

What do tourists need to know?

Any tour of New York includes a visit to World Trade Center 1. You can also get into it on your own. The entrance ticket to the observation deck is about $30. As in many other countries and cities, here you can buy a New York Pass and visit all the places you want (including WTC 1) for free.

Observation decks in the Freedom Tower (New York, Manhattan) are located at levels 100, 101 and 102. High-speed elevators are lifted upwards, in the walls of which displays are mounted, showing the stages of the city's development as it "growing up".

Given the terrible tragedy that took place on this site 15 years ago, many people are afraid to visit WTC 1. When the building was put into operation, the owners waited a long time for the tenants of the premises - few people wanted to risk it. But, as you know, the projectile does not hit the same funnel twice, and one would like to hope that this will actually be the case.

World Trade Center 1 - the answer to terrorism

WTC 1 is not just a beautiful architectural object with a panoramic observation deck. This is a worthy response to world terrorism, as well as a place where you can honor the memory of dead people. The modern New York building is one of the main attractions, which is most often visited by locals and tourists.

In the United States, al-Qaeda suicide bombers hijacked four passenger planes, flying two of them at the symbol of business New York, the World Trade Center Tower, and the other two at the Pentagon and, presumably, the White House or the Capitol. All aircraft, except the last one, reached their targets. The fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

New York District Judge George Daniels ruled in absentia that Iran must pay $7.5 billion to the relatives and other members of those who died at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The judge determined that the Iranian authorities must pay another three billion to insurers who covered property damage and other material losses. Earlier, Judge Daniels ruled that Tehran was unable to prove its non-involvement in assisting the organizers of the attack, and therefore the Iranian authorities bear a share of responsibility for the damage caused during it.

On the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2011 was the World Trade Center Memorial. It consists of two square pools-fountains, located right at the bases of the former twin towers, along the inner walls of which water streams cascade down, leaving into square holes located at the bottom of each of the pools.

The names of the 2,983 victims of the attacks (including the six who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack) are carved on the bronze slabs that line the parapets of both fountains.

The new World Trade Center complex was opened. It is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world - its height is 541 meters. Construction began in April 2006 on the corner of a 65,000-square-meter site where the twin towers of the demolished mall used to stand.

Celebrated in the United States as Patriot Day, since 2009, after the approval of Act 111-13 of the General Law of the United States, this date is also referred to as the nationwide Day of Service and Remembrance.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources