# Americans: did you know what the World Trade Center was before Sept. 11, 2001? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738 "2011-03-15T02:35:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/81 "2011-03-15T16:37:53Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Hmm. I expected responses to be about 50/50 or 60/40 - not like 90/10. Maybe some others will come in yet and vindicate my ignorance! Maybe it’s a factor of my age - not born when they were built, so missed the hype surrounding that; too young to follow current events much when they were bombed in '93; no memorable school trips to NYC after that. (I’d been to New York before 2001, but the WTC was not on my itinerary.) > > I have to say, though, I still can’t quite believe that they really had the same instant visual/name recognition as other iconic sites - like the Empire State Building or (to a _slightly_ lesser extent) the Chrysler Building, much less the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Sydney Opera House, St. Louis Arch, Golden Gate Bridge, Brandenburg Gate, etc. Definitely recognizable in pictures as “those two tall buildings in New York”, but did everyone _really_ automatically know what was being talked about when someone said “World Trade Center”? Really?? 90/10?! I think your math is off. Are you trying to tell me two identical, adjacent, 110-story towers are not instantly recognizable? FTR, the WTC actually refers to the entire complex, 5 other buildings plus the two towers. It’s more likely that people may not know what the WTC actually _is_, as far as the offices it housed and what they did there, but globally it was one of the most recognized symbols of capitalism which sadly made it a prime target. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/82 "2011-03-15T17:06:45Z")
I knew what it was, even before the 1993 attacks, which happened when I was nine. Of course, I was a dork who read the Golden Book Encyclopedia cover to cover, so that’s not really surprising. Honestly, I think most people had heard of it, but not hearing of it wasn’t _especially_ unusual. Also, Kevin went to the top of them in _Home Alone 2_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/83 "2011-03-15T17:38:26Z")
Certainly knew. Spent a day there taking photographs from the ground and the top of one of the towers, in about 1980. Understood it was a group of buildings including the two towers and a few others, and was a little familiar with the various scenes in news coverage of the bombing in the parking garage. Also saw a documentary. And took a nice photo of the towers looming behind the Brooklyn Bridge that a few people requested copies of. I think there’s a scene in Annie Hall that is similar (IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/84 "2011-03-15T18:10:20Z")
Another “of course” from me. I am 47 and had never been to NYC until two years ago, but it’s part of the landscape of the American mind. Also, I was 13 when the _King Kong_ remake came out and I fell promptly in love with Jeff Bridges. _That_ makes an impression. I will admit that, until 9/11, I didn’t know the World Trade Center contained more buildings than just the towers. I suppose I should have known, or remembered, after 1993 though. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/85 "2011-03-15T18:37:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Another “of course I knew.” I’d been to New York and seen it as a kid, but I knew what it was even before then. I can’t remember ever _not_ knowing what it was. They were the tallest buildings in the world for a while. Not very long, though. The WTC topped out in 1971, and the Sears Tower overtook it in 1974. The Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) was the tallest in the world for about 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/86 "2011-03-15T18:41:22Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I have to say, though, I still can’t quite believe that they really had the same instant visual/name recognition as other iconic sites - like the Empire State Building or (to a _slightly_ lesser extent) the Chrysler Building, much less the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Sydney Opera House, St. Louis Arch, Golden Gate Bridge, Brandenburg Gate, etc. Definitely recognizable in pictures as “those two tall buildings in New York”, but did everyone _really_ automatically know what was being talked about when someone said “World Trade Center”? Really?? I really, really meant what I said- I knew of the Twin Towers and could easily recognize them in the New York skyline. The Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, CN Tower, Sears Building, Space Needle, St. Louis Arch etc too (in their respective cities). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/87 "2011-03-15T18:44:58Z")
I don’t know if I always referred to the as the World Trade Center though. I think I either called them The Twin Towers or World Trade Towers. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/88 "2011-03-15T18:49:29Z")
> [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](#): > > Also, Kevin went to the top of them in _Home Alone 2_. 🙂 Another film in which the towers appeared is at the end of _Trading Places_, when Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy’s characters arrived at the commodities exchange. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/89 "2011-03-15T19:45:26Z")
Well yeah, they were freaking huge, an iconic part of the New York skyline. I always called them the Twin Towers prior to 2001 but I was aware that they were part of the World Trade Center - probably because of the 1993 bombings, I was only in the third grade but I remember the massive amount of news coverage. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/90 "2011-03-15T20:21:56Z")
I didn’t know what they were until 9/11 but I was only 11 when it happened and I never had any interest in the New York skyline ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/91 "2011-03-15T20:39:55Z")
They’re also in the video for Ryan Adams’ song “New York, New York” that was filmed four days before the attack. > **[New York, New York (Ryan Adams song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,_New_York_%28Ryan_Adams_song%29)** > > "New York, New York" is the debut single written and performed by American alt-country musician Ryan Adams. It appears on his 2001 album Gold. The song earned Adams a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal, and the single reached No. 53 in the UK charts in December 2001. In 2009, the song was included in The Guardian newspaper's "1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear". > The song's lyrics mention several lower Manhattan geographic references, including the intersection of Avenue A and 10th Stree... ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/92 "2011-03-15T20:41:53Z")
I had just turned 14 when 9/11 happened. Looking back, I don’t remember ever thinking about the New York WTC before that time, but I remember that day, and I don’t really remember asking anyone, “The _what_ got hit?” But if I didn’t know about the Twin Towers at that time, I would not be so surprised. I was 5 in '93, and I don’t have any memories of the first attack. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/93 "2011-03-15T20:59:57Z")
Of course. When they were putting them up, you could see them (on a clear day) from my high school. Interesting note: While they were being erected, the towers were a striking _YELLOW_ color. It must have been insulation, or something. The finished buildings, of course, were covered in that corduroy brushed aluminum finish. I’ve been up to the top several times, and one of my friends used to work there. Even if you didn’t live oin the NYC metropolitan area, the towers showed up in movies and news all the time. Not only did that guy tightrope walk between the towers, another guy climbed up the outside. Both, of course, were arrested, but they got invited to the same party, years later. as mentioned, the towers showed up in several movies. They filmed a dance number from **Godspell** up there before the towers even opened. The scene is on the album cover and some movie posters. Then they set the 1976 **King Kong** climax up there, and it was on that movie’s poster, as well. When they released **Godzilla vs. Megalon** about the same time, the US poster showed them atop the World Trade Center, as well, even though it’s not in the movie. The poster for the movie **The Squeeze** also featured the WTC prominently. That’s four major films that had the building in its posters. As noted, it also featured in **Escape from New York** , and a tsunami breaks over it in **Deep Impact** , and you can see it rising from sunken New York in **A.I.**. It was the tallest building(s) in the world for several months, eclipsing the decades-long reign of the Empire State Building. If you were around in the 1970s and 1980s it would be impossible for you not to know that the Twin Towers were the World Trade Center. It’s difficult for me to believe, after the 1993 bombing, that people were unaware of its name. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/94 "2011-03-15T21:24:56Z")
Since we’re speaking movies here, anybody else remember the [original _Spider-Man_ trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc0eP7ausWE)? The towers featured predominantly in it, and then the scene had to subsequently be cut. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/95 "2011-03-15T21:34:14Z")
Sure, I recognized them. I was born and raised in Iowa, but I knew what the World Trade Center was long before I set foot in New York. I studied Latin in NY one summer not long before the '93 bombing and had dinner at Windows on the World with that group. A number of years later I went to work for a company that had its corporate HQ across the street from the WTC. At one corporate outing I stayed at the Marriott WTC and had dinner at Windows on the World a second time. At the time, we joked about whether or not we’d hit the water if the tower fell over sideways (a discussion prompted by the '93 bombing). A bit unsettling, looking back. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/96 "2011-03-15T21:48:38Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Since we’re speaking movies here, anybody else remember the [original _Spider-Man_ trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc0eP7ausWE)? The towers featured predominantly in it, and then the scene had to subsequently be cut. Actually, after watching the trailer again, it seems like it (possibly) was never supposed to be in the movie but was more of a buzz-generator kind of thing, just to clear up my previous statement… ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/97 "2011-03-15T22:49:57Z")
I remember a Simpsons episode where Homer is in one of the towers and he has to go over to the other tower to use the bathroom. By the time he comes out the family car has a boot on it and an exasperated Homer drives it anyway, tearing up the wheel well and the street. Might be called Homer vs. New York. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/98 "2011-03-15T23:04:55Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Yes, of course I knew what they were. They had been targeted in a high profile terrorist attack in 1993. > > FTR, I grew up in California and have only visited New York once, in 2002. My comments exactly, except my visit came in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/99 "2011-03-15T23:17:40Z")
Yes, I knew what they were, and I had been to the observation deck on top. ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738/100 "2011-03-15T23:27:39Z")
Born and raised in California, I knew what the WTC were but only a vague idea of what went on inside, I always assumes it was just a very famous office building. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-did-you-know-what-the-world-trade-center-was-before-sept-11-2001/574738.md?page=6)