On This Day, 7 Years Ago

It was the day that changed the world, the economy, politics, environment, warfare and security. I was 18 back then. I could never forget the first time I heard it on the news on the radio as I was driving my way to work.

Then upon reaching my office, I noticed a copy of that day's edition of the Borneo Bulletin on my colleague's desk with a giant colored picture of New York City totally covered in thick black smoke portrayed on the front cover. I was like, "What the hell is this??" The following days, the entire media had been covering the terror that stroke Manhattan.

For those who were either born after the September 11 attacks or have been on a different planet during the course of the attack, 9/11 was a day of darkness and fear. On that morning, terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City killing everyone on board and many others working in the building, causing both buildings to collapse within two hours. A third airliner hit the Pentagon in Washington while the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. About 3000 people died on this day.

The World Trade Centre used to be a symbol of America's financial and economic growth and a prominent landmark in one of the biggest cities in America. Now is 2008. This is how New York City's downtown financial district looks like 7 years later. Lapang yo!