A few months ago I downloaded this sweet iPad app called The 911 Memorial: Past, Present and Future. It is a 9/11 memorial focused on the lives lost on February 26, 1993 and on September 11, 2001. The app is actually pretty sweet, as it talks about the past, the present, and the future as well as taking a look at all of those involved in the new project including the new tower, the memorial pool, and the plaza. There are tons of videos and photos too. Having been to and in the Twin Towers before they fell, and having been back to ground zero during the construction of the new tower, this app has special meaning for me. That, and Rescue Me is one of my favorite TV shows of all time! If you have any interest in the story of the Twin Towers, or the work that is being done to commemorate the lives lost, you need to download the app.
I am learning as I go surf through this thing too. For instance, I had no idea who built the Twin Towers. They were designed by Minoru Yamasaki in the early 1960s. They broke ground on August 5, 1966 with the North Tower being completed in December of 1972 and the South Tower wrapping up in July of 1973. They were the tallest buildings in the world at the time. I also didn’t know about the “bathtub” they had to build when constructing the two towers. According to the app:
“To construct the World Trade Center, it was necessary to build a “bathtub” with a slurry wall around the West Street side of the site to keep water from the Hudson River out. The slurry method involved digging a trench, and as excavation proceeded, filling the space with a “slurry” mixture composed of bentonite and water which plugged holes and kept groundwater out. When the trench was dug out, a steel cage was inserted and concrete was poured in, forcing the “slurry” out. It took fourteen months for the slurry wall to be complete; it was necessary before excavation of material from the interior of the site could begin.”
See… I told you this was a cool app. Until I read that, I had no idea what “slurry” meant. I am not even sure I had ever heard that word before. The app is only $0.99, and is currently available in the iTunes App Store. The app is presented by Magnify Media and was last updated on November 11, 2011. The app is also available in German.
Do you remember where you were on 9/11?
