Saturday, September 11, 2021

Strange & Surprising 9/11 Facts on this Day in History


Today in History: Today we remember 9/11, but there are some strange facts you probably didn't know about this date:

The first 9/11 tragedy happened with the Mountain Meadows Massacre on September 11, 1857.

The worst accident on the New York City elevated railways happened on 9/11 in 1905, resulting in 13 deaths and 48 serious injuries.

In July 2010, construction workers rebuilding the site of the World Trade Center in New York uncovered the mangled skeleton of an 18th century old wooden ship, hidden almost 7m below the surface in a pit.

The landing gear of one of the planes was discovered 11 years later wedged between two buildings located approximately three blocks from the World Trade Center.

The person who made the unprecedented decision to order a National Ground Stop, effectively shutting down US airspace, started his job on that same day.

There was only one murder reported on that in New York, a Polish immigrant named Henryk Siwiak, and his death remains unsolved to this day.

Henry Hudson discovered Manhattan Island on 9/11, in 1609.


A bomb planted by a Croatian terrorist, Zvonko BuĊĦic, was found at New York's Grand Central Terminal on 9/11, 1976 and one NYPD officer was killed trying to defuse it.

Jackie Chan was scheduled to be on top of the World Trade Ctr that morning for a movie, but it was rescheduled. Michael Jackson was supposed to have a meeting in the Twin Towers that morning but he overslept. Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson was also supposed to be at the World Trade Center for a meeting but she was delayed. Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane were supposed to be on Flights 11 and 93 that morning. Wahlberg decided to go to Toronto instead, and MacFarlane slept in due to a hangover.

Besides the 1.4 million tons of debris that was removed, 19,435 body parts were recovered from the WTC. Only 60 percent of WTC victims have been identified to this day.

There is a nice story about Gwyneth Paltrow inadvertently saving someone's life that morning: "On the morning of September 11, 2001, Gwyneth Paltrow was driving down West Village street in New York, headed for an early Yoga class when she narrowly avoided hitting a woman named Lara Lundstrom Clarke. When Clarke stopped to look at the Mercedes SUV and realized Paltrow was behind the wheel, the pair stopped briefly to greet each other before Paltrow drove on and Clarke headed for the subway to get to work. Lara was headed to World Trade Center 2, where she worked on the 77th floor. Because of this small but life-changing meeting, she missed her usual train and stepped off the platform just as the first plane hit. Clarke got in contact with Gwyneth Paltrow a decade later to thank her for the chance encounter that saved her life. Paltrow since commented that Clarke’s near-miss 'still gives me chills.'" ~Rebecca (Bee) O'Kane 

"On 9/11, after the first plane hit the North Tower, people in the South Tower wanted to leave but were advised by an announcement to stay at their desks. Some of those who tried to leave anyway were turned back by security in the building before the exits. About 1,120 of them died."`Source

One woman, Tania Head, claimed to be a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and even joined the World Trade Center Survivors' Network support group, eventually becoming its president. Her name was regularly mentioned in media reports of the attacks. In 2007, it was revealed Head's story was a hoax. She was not in New York City on September 11, 2001, but rather was attending classes in Spain. Her story led to a documentary and book called The Woman Who Wasn't There.


9/11 caused many people to change their travel plans from flying to driving, and as a result an extra 1600 people died in automobile accidents. 

The first firefighter to die there that day was hit by a jumper. At least 200 people jumped from the towers during that day. Rather than being listed as suicides, these deaths were ruled as homicides at the hands of the terrorists.

The ages of the victims ranged from two to 85 years old. About 75-80% of the victims were men.

The week after 9/11, alcohol consumption in Manhattan increased by 25%, tobacco intake rose by 10%, and church attendance rose by 20%.

"Canada took in 255 diverted flights from the United States on 9/11. Upon receiving them, the Canadians fed the stranded passengers."~Michelle Gabriel

"One of the big mysteries in all the many surrounding 9/11 is that of the so-called ‘White Plane’. This was a plane that was seen just before the Twin Tower and Pentagon attacks, flying in restricted air space over the White House. Many onlookers saw it and even various news channels stated how odd is was to see a plane allowed to be fly in that area. Although it soon vacated the spot it was in, no-one knows where it went or what it was doing. Who was on board and what their objective was is a mystery that may never be solved." Source


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