Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, February 9
    Trending
    • This Day in History on February 9th
    • History Short: Famous Marches
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through February 8th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on February 8th
    • History Short: Off With her Head!
    • What Grade Would You give President Biden’s Second State of the Union Address?
    • This Day in History on February 7th
    • History Short: When Was the First Untethered Space Walk?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»February 26, 1993: The Forgotten Attack on the World Trade Center
    Crime

    February 26, 1993: The Forgotten Attack on the World Trade Center

    Major DanBy Major DanFebruary 26, 2016Updated:February 13, 202057 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On February 26, 1993, New Yorkers were shaken during their lunch break by the explosion of a giant bomb!

    Digging Deeper

    Digging deeper (through the rubble) we find the same Arab-Muslim gang of terrorists who would later perpetrate the September 11, 2001 attacks plotting to take down the World Trade Center, a target they saw as the heart of American capitalism in a city known for having a large Jewish population.

    The plan was to place a giant 1,300-pound bomb in a rental van which would then be parked in the basement parking garage where the explosion was expected to cause one tower to topple into the other one, completing their destruction.  The bomb mainly consisted of urea nitrate around cylinders of compressed hydrogen, the idea being the hydrogen would greatly amplify the effects of the explosion.  The terrorists also packed flammable metal particles around the bomb to enhance the incendiary effects as well.  The bomb was triggered by an initiating charge of gunpowder, nitroglycerine, ammonium nitrate and dynamite.  This type of construction can create a very powerful pushing effect that is effective in blasting out concrete walls as well as generate a tremendous amount of heat and fire to destroy evidence and further the destructive effect.

    After the van was parked in the basement garage, the terrorists left and lit a 20-foot fuse.  Twelve minutes later, the bomb went off!  Tremendous damage was caused by the huge blast which left behind a hole almost 100 feet across through 4 levels of concrete and steel!  The building on top of it, however, did not fall.  The dense smoke choked survivors and permeated all the way to the 93rd floor, especially in the stairwells.  Luckily, although successful in creating more confusion and making evacuation more difficult, the smoke did not have the deadly effect the terrorists intended.

    Six innocent people died in the blast, ranging in age from 36 to 61, the youngest of whom was 7 months pregnant!  Over 1,000 people were injured, but thankfully the death toll was not as high as the terrorists had wanted.  It is speculated that cyanide had been added to the explosives in order to make the smoke more deadly and that the fiery blast destroyed the cyanide, but that has not been proven.

    All but one of the perpetrators of this terrible attack were caught and convicted; with the last one allegedly being held in an Iraqi jail until he disappeared during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

    The almost incredibly cracked angle to this story is the 2006 court decision ruling that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Port was liable for damages to the victims caused by the bombing!  Double cracked was the appeals court decision that upheld the first court!  Question for students (and subscribers): Does this sentence make sense?  Is it fair?  Tell us what you think in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, see…

    Caram, Peter.  The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing: Foresight and Warning.  Janus Publishing Company, 2001.

    Libman, Leslie and Larry Williams, dirs.  Path to Paradise: Based on the True Story of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing.  HBO Studios, 2009.  DVD.

    Minute By Minute: 1993 World Trade Center Bombing.  A&E Home Video, 2005.  DVD.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleFebruary 25, 1932: Adolf Hitler Applied for German Citizenship?
    Next Article February 27, 2011: What did you do in the War, Daddy?
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Off With her Head!

    February 8, 2023

    History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?

    January 31, 2023

    History Short: What is the Axis of Evil?

    January 29, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on February 9th

    February 9, 2023

    History Short: Famous Marches

    February 9, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through February 8th, 2023)

    February 8, 2023

    This Day in History on February 8th

    February 8, 2023

    History Short: Off With her Head!

    February 8, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.