September 10th: Then and now
Opening your morning newspaper a year ago Wednesday, you may have been greeted by headlines on the controversy over drilling for oil in Alaska, the latest on US Rep. Gary Condit (D) of California, or speculation that the Dow had reached rock bottom after closing at 9605.50 the previous Friday.
If you're a typical American, you likely did not attend a religious service that week, you weren't worried that the government would open the letter you sent overseas, and if "nine-eleven" meant anything, it was the number you called for help.
But the next morning, all this, and more, would begin to change.
Amid the color-coded warnings of more attacks and the anthrax scare, Americans prayed more, stayed closer to home, and tried to make sense of what has become known as the "New Normal."
A statistical snapshot of Anywhere, America, shows that while we studied the Koran and tried to adjust to having uniformed strangers search our shoes at airports, within a few months some things returned to the "Old Normal."
"...nine-eleven, ground zero, weaponize, homeland security, so September 10, evildoers, shoe bomber, axis of evil, let's roll!..."
Zogby International asked 1,000 registered voters, "Have you attended a church, synagogue, or mosque in the past seven days?"
Answered "yes" on:
July 2, 2001: 42%
Oct. 14, 2001: 60%
Jan. 31, 2002: 50%
(Margin of error: 3.2%)
Mayoral candidates crisscross city seeking last few votes
New York Times
In Yukon, fears US drilling could upset delicate balance
Washington Post
No longer intifada, not quite war The Christian Science Monitor
Bears insist the bottom's yet to come
Los Angeles Times
Jury selection to begin in [Ford] Explorer Trial
USA Today
From bad to worse: Rep Gary Condit finally broke his silence.... Newsweek
US pulls the plug on Muslim Websites
The [London] Guardian
Five things the government can do now that it couldn't before:
The FBI can spy on groups without any evidence of wrongdoing
The FBI can spy on individuals for a year without evidence of wrongdoing, up from 30 days previously
The Customs Service can open outbound international mail without a warrant
The attorney general can incarcerate noncitizens indefinitely purely on the basis of suspicion
'Nonlawful combatants' are denied most of the trial rights granted soldiers and civilians
Source: ACLU
Ten things added to the list of forbidden airline carry-on items by the Transportation Security Administration since Sept. 11:
baseball bats
golf clubs
pool cues
ski poles
corkscrews
hockey sticks
toy weapons
portable power drills
hammers
toy transformer robots (which form a toy gun)
Percentage of people waiting 60 minutes or more (Nov. 2001/March 2002)
Denver Int. 53%/24%
Ft. Meyers, Fla. 35%/13%
Chicago, Midway 29%/8%
Portland, Ore. 37%/18%
Source: travelocity.com
... visit historic sites: 48% in 2002 vs. 42% in 2001
... attend a family reunion: 37% in 2002 vs. 25% in 2001
... travel by air: 19% in 2002 vs. 22% 2001
Source: Travel Industry Association of America
Before Sept. 11, seven US airports used Identix fingerprint biometrics, a system which recognizes the identity of a person by their fingerprints.
Today, more than 110 airports use the system.
Source: Identix
Immigration visas issued at Middle Eastern embassies
Sept. 11, 2000 to July 31, 2001: 23,561
Sept. 11, 2001 to July 31, 2002: 17,807
Temporary visas issued at Middle Eastern embassies
Sept. 11, 2000 to Aug. 22, 2001: 409,850
Sept. 11, 2001 to Aug. 22, 2002: 213,697
Source: State Department
Flags sold by Wal-Mart in first seven months after Sept. 11: 4.96 million
In same period the previous year: 1.18 million
Money given to private organizations (in 2001 dollars)
2000: $215.95 billion
2001: $212 billion (est.)
Sept. 11-related giving: $2.25 billion
Given to 200 organizations
The top 4 American Red Cross, Sept. 11th Fund, New York Firefighters Disaster Relief Fund, and Twin Towers Fund received $1.4 billion
Source: American Association of Fundraising Counsel, Chronicle of Philanthropy
Number of violent incidents reported by the ADC against Arab-Americans or those perceived to be such in 2000: 172
Since Sept. 11: over 600
Source: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Number of radio and TV broadcasts of 'God Bless America':
2000: 1,952
2001: 8,915
Source: ASCAP
Monthly volunteer referrals through VolunteerMatch.org.
Pre-Sept. 11: 20,000
Month after Sept. 11: 36,000
Currently: 30,000
Yearly revenue of a New Hampshire firm that specializes in bomb shelters Before Sept. 11: $2 million Since Sept. 11: $4 million
Source: Radius Engineering, N.H.
WorldPrep Personal Evacuation Kit
Survival tools for office workers. Includes respirator, glow stick, 8 ounces of water, and thermal blanket
Triumph Frequent Flyer Bra
Metal-free to avoid detection
BioSafe
Sealed glass tank with rubber gloves to open mail
Osama Pin Laden Voodoo Doll
Tweezerman Airline Security Carry-On
Toiletry bag stripped of forbidden items; guaranteed to pass security
Through the Children of War, a nonprofit group in New York:
Before Sept. 11: 55
Dec. 2001: 65
July 2002: 6
America's largest publisher of Korans sold 1,300 copies each week before Sept. 11, and saw an 800 percent increase in sales in the weeks following. The largest Bible publisher sold 140,000 copies a week before the attacks, and saw a 30 percent increase shortly after.
Sources: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Zondervan Corp.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks generated over 300 books.
By contrast, some 100 books were written on the O.J. Simpson trial.
Source: Staff research
2001 ended with a federal surplus of $127.2 billion
Projected deficit for 2002: $106 billion
Source: Office of Management and Budget
Sept. 11, 2001: 4.9%
Oct. 11, 2001: 5.4%
Now: 5.7%
Source: AP
The US has flown more than 60,000 sorties in Operation Enduring Freedom
Source: Central Command
Average number of mobilized Army National Guard before Sept. 11, 2001: 1,500-2,500/month
As of Dec. 11, 2001: 8,221
As of Aug. 13, 2002: 21,384
Source: National Guard
The military sent fighter jets to chase suspicious aircraft 462 times from Sept. 11, 2001 to June 2002; 67 chases were made in the same period a year earlier.
Source: AP
Visitors to New York City
2000: 37.4 million
2001: 32 million
2002: 32.3 million (est.)
Source: NYC and Company
Typical year: 3.5 million
Post-Sept. 11: 10% increase
Source: Empire State Building
Overtime paid to New York City firefighters and police officers
Firefighters 2001: $81.6 million
Firefighters 2002: $195 million ($56.3 million World Trade Center-related)
Police 2001: $317 million
Police 2002: $581.3 million ($250 million World Trade Center-related)
Source: NYC Independent Budget Office; fiscal year ends June 30
Jobs lost in New York City in first three months after Sept. 11: 83,000
Source: NYC Comptroller
The number of people who say they follow overseas developments very closely:
April 2000 14%
April 2002 21%
Source: Pew Research Center
1. The Homeland Security Act
Would create a cabinet-level department designed to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks on the US. Would combine 30 existing agencies at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion.
2. Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act
Allows the secretary of education cto waive or modify financial- aid requirements for students who experienced direct economic hardship because of the attacks.
3. Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001
Requires the president to report to Congress on the status of women and children in Afghanistan, and may also give them healthcare and educational assistance.
4. Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act
Authorizes $15 billion in federal credit and funding for US airlines hit by post-Sept. 11 losses.
5. Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal 2002
Increases the number of INS investigators and inspectors by at least 600 by 2006.
Source: Library of Congress
In the 2002 fiscal year, the FBI hired 233 contract interpreters and/or translators. Over the previous five years it hired 445.
Source: FBI
Number of people whose assets have been frozen
Jan. 1995 to Sept. 10, 2001: 68
Sept. 11, 2001 to Sept. 4, 2002: 234
Source: US Treasury
Top three Google Internet search queries...
... gaining on Sept. 13, 2001
1. Nostradamus
2. CNN
3. World Trade Center
...declining on Sept. 13, 2001
1. US Open
2. Pop-singer Aaliyah
3. Hank the Angry Dwarf
...gaining on Sept. 2, 2002
1.US Open tennis
2. Real Madrid
3. MTV
Number of times Osama bin Laden was mentioned in the press
Sept. 11, 2000 to Sept. 10, 2001: 11,576
Sept. 11, 2001 to Sept. 9, 2002: 201,933
Source: Dow Jones Interactive. Sample of 6,000 publications worldwide
Before Sept. 11
Knives smaller than four inches allowed on planes
Two carry-on bags, limit set by airlines
Anyone was allowed through security to gates
Airport security was handled by private companies
Baggage-matching on all international flights and some domestic flights
Approximately 50 US air marshals flew primarily on international flights
Since Sept. 11
No cutting instruments allowed on board
Federal limit of one carry-on bag
Only ticketed passengers may proceed to gates (with exceptions)
Security screeners are federal employees
All baggage is to be matched to a passenger on every flight
Approximately 6,000 air marshals have been added and now fly on many domestic flights
Source: AAA and USA Today
Sept. 2000 Aug. 2001: 8,658
Sept. 2001 Aug. 2002: 10,190
Source: Peace Corps
Illustration by Min Jae Hong
Art direction by John Kehe
Compiled by Lane Hartill, David S. Hauck, Tristan Jones, Alan Messmer, and Leigh Montgomery.
