The 9/11 attacks were not only a turning point in New York’s history, but in the history of the world as well.
In this past decade, New York (and the rest of the world) was defined by the September 11th, 2001 attacks. On that day, an American Airlines Boeing 767 was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Eighteen minutes later, another Boeing 767 was crashed into the South Tower. Hundreds were killed, and hundreds were trapped in the higher floors of the towers. The crashes caused giant explosions that covered the street below in rubble. After the plane crashes, the both towers collapsed, killing over 3,000 people, including over 300 firefighters, and 10,000 injured. Not only was New York under attack, but the entire Western world as well. The September 11th attacks were carried out by a group of nineteen Islamic terrorists from various Arab countries and were allegedly financed by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group, al-Qaeda, as a way of protesting the United States’ backing of Israel and of its military involvement in the Middle Eastern region. Not only was New York attacked that morning, but the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. was attacked as well, with all those aboard the flight killed, along with approximately 125 others. A little over a month later, on October 7th, Operation Enduring Freedom began under the Presidency of George W. Bush. The purpose of this military operation was to destroy the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and to wipe out Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The elusive bin Laden was not found and until May 2, 2011. He was killed by U.S. troops in a hideout in Pakistan. A month afterwards, President Barack Obama began withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, with a final withdrawal to happen around 2014.
Karen L. Gould, ninth president of Brooklyn College and first woman president.
In more local history, Dr. Karen L. Gould became the ninth president of Brooklyn College in 2010, and is the first woman to ever hold the position. Gould expanded study abroad opportunities, created a strong relationship between the college and the community, and greatly increased the college’s budget through fundraising. Under her leadership, the college has also had an increase in graduation rates. She also divided the college into five schools: the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and the School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts.
Brooklyn is also gaining notoriety due to the construction of the Barclays Center, a sports stadium/entertainment complex scheduled to open in September 2012. The stadium is going to be the new home of Brooklyn Nets basketball team (formerly the New Jersey Nets) and also the home of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The building of the Barclays Center is significant, since it marks the return of professional sports to Brooklyn, something that has been missing since the Dodgers baseball team moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s. The design of the stadium itself is an homage to Brooklyn. It is built out of rusty-colored steel, giving it the appearance of a Brooklyn brownstone building.
The façade of the Barclays Center
