This Week in History: Week 37 (11 September 2001)
USA Suffers 4 Simultaneous Attacks
The world watches in shock and awe as 4 commercial airliners wreak havoc in the USA.
In 2001, the world watched its TV screens in disbelief as 4 commercial airliners were simultaneously hijacked in U.S. airspace and diverted. Two were flown directly into the upper storeys of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York, causing their sudden collapse. A third was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, nerve center of the U.S. military. While the fourth was brought down before reaching its presumed target, the White House or Congress. Some 3,000 people died in these incidents.
wreak havoc (verb): cause major trouble and damage
hijack (verb): take control of a vehicle and its passengers by force
divert (verb): send to a different destination
collapse (noun): the falling down of all parts
Mini Quiz
1. At the time of their hijacking, the airliners were in
a) U.S. cities
b) U.S. airports
c) U.S. airspace
cShow answer
2. How many of the hijacked airliners were flown into buildings?
a) two
b) three
c) four
bShow answer
3. Planes that are hijacked are usually
a) diverted
b) crashed
c) brought down
aShow answer