I watched many specials on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and summed up my notes here.

 

Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center

Budget was $280 million. Japanese American in Detroit was chosen as architect.

Someone punched out ceiling tiles because the model was so tall.

Competitive Empire State Building owner’s ad showed airliner hitting the tower. 

Slurry trench with steel cage, so no caving.  Digging was deep. Anchors found. Parts of ships. 

Building heat needed to be recirculated from the Hudson River.

Water in toilet bowls would move side to side as if the building was swaying.

Twin towers like two stalks of celery.

Tightrope walker was the best PR.

It had its own police. #PortAuthority has power of tolls and eminent domain.  Dedicated stairwell for first responders.

30,000 cups of coffee served daily.

Imagine being in an elevator. Metal part of squeegee was used to get out.

Waving tablecloth from Windows of the World.

The collapse was like rock strata in the Grand Canyon. Steel became like licorice.

911 One Day in America

Pavement is getting mushy. You may fall into the subway, ambulance driver told.

It felt like someone was putting a hot sock in your throat.

Triage at Ellis Island.

There used to be 106 floors ahead of us. Now we see blue sky. We are sitting atop the WTC.

Fathers digging for their sons. Brothers digging for their brothers.

We’re Marines. We don’t go backwards. We move forward.

Only 18 people were rescued from the rubble.

Four Flights

The Pentagon plane clipped off street lights.

The military owned the skies. Vigilant Guardian exercise was going on at the same time.

Widow still working on secondary cockpit barriers.

#Flight 93 I wonder what the vote was #letsroll

There was only one couple on Flight 93.

#NeverForget He can still see smell and taste it.

One passenger knew Arabic.

ABC 2020

The only undamaged desk had a Bible on it.

People sent Teddy bears and blankets.

Flight attendants were going to throw boiling water on hijackers.

Some people later became firemen.

Dateline

Ten passengers switched their flight to 93.

The aisle is 20 inches wide. Single file.

Beat those hijackers with a fire extinguisher. Roll the beverage cart. It could break through the door.

Those final calls were a blessing and a curse.

Women of 911

22,000 fragments recovered, a quarter of them an inch or smaller.

The force of the debris overturned a fire truck and she was coughing up concrete running away.

Blue sky day turned to night. Monster.

Sprinkler system didn’t work. It was jet fuel she was sucking on. #Pentagon

A fireman was killed from a falling body.

Don’t tell me people said it’s “just a fire.” Leave stat!

940 guests at the Marriott. 14,000 at work.

I hope people realize how much the police and fire did on 9/11 because they sure don’t appreciate them today.

Various

People tried to sell the photographer his own iconic flag photo in Times Square.

The memorial is called Reflecting Absence.

Pieta resemblance? Father Judge was gay, occasionally wore a diamond stud in one ear, was a recovering alcoholic. He once styled his hair with a rat tail dangling over his friar’s robe. He made space on his back side for a shamrock tat.

Papers were blowing around like a tickertape parade.

Why didn’t Bush get up after the ear whisper?