On This Day: February 26, 1993

World Trade Center bomb terrorises New York, on the BBC web site (hence the “s” rather than “z” in the terror word).

“A suspected car bomb has exploded underneath the World Trade Center in New York killing at least five people and injuring scores more.”

“The bombing has shocked America which had seemed immune from acts of terrorism that have plagued other parts of the world.”

A fact I’d forgotten is that the bomb went off in the Secret Service’s section of the garage under the World Trade Center. In searching for how this particularly in-your-face location was breached, I found this impressive list of awareness of risk to the World Trade Center, and efforts to try to protect its towers and occupants.

The report from February 26, 1993 is uncomfortably similar to those from September 11, 2001:

“[The bomb] ripped through three floors of concrete, scattering ash and debris and set off a fire that sent choking smoke and flames up through one of the 110-story “Twin Towers”. Thousands of office workers were trapped as smoke billowed up through the buildings.”

“With no working lifts or lighting there was total pandemonium. People did not know whether to stay in their offices or brave the journey down via the smoke-filled stairwells.”

“Brave” is the word, describing people who lived through this tragedy and went back to work in such targeted buildings.

It’s worth visiting the BBC link above, to see their “Timeline: United States”, which lists the events in our country’s history seen as significant to people overseas, starting in 1950. The last entry is in December, 2003.

Other events on this date, include 1984: US troops withdraw from Beirut; 1987: The Church of England’s General Synod says ‘yes’ to women priests; and 1991: Iraqi troops flee Kuwait City.