February 26th marks the 21st anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the first of the two terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Towers. 1,042 people were injured after a truck bomb detonated in the garage of the WTC North Tower, killing six.  The blast from the 1,500-pound bomb blew a hole five stories deep and half-a-football field wide,badly damaging the tower's inner support beams and causing $500 million in property damage.   It took officials 11 hours to completely evacuate roughly 50,000 people from the massive buildings. But the twin towers were repaired, cleaned, and reopened in less than a month.

 

Since then, each year we honor the memory of Robert Kirkpatrick, 61, Stephen A. Knapp, 47, William Macko, 57, John DiGiovanni, 45, Wilfredo Mercado, 37 and Monica Rodriguez Smith, 35, and her unborn child . 

 

Kirkpatrick, Knapp, Macko and Rodriguez smith were all employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owners of the World Trade Center buildings.  They were having lunch when the blast took place. The three men were mechanical supervisors for the agency and Rodriguez Smith was Macko's secretary.  DiGiovanni, a dental supply salesman was visiting the site and Wilfredo Mercado was checking the food deliveries in the basement.

 

After a long, international investigation, six terrorists were charged and convicted of these murders.

 

In 1995 a granite memorial fountain was erected on the World Trade Center Plaza, directly above the site of the explosion, commemorating those killed.  It contained the names of the six people who perished in the attack as well as an inscription that read: "On February 26, 1993, a bomb set by terrorists exploded below this site. This horrible act of violence killed innocent people, injured thousands, and made victims of us all."

 

This fountain was destroyed along with the rest of the World Trade Center during the attacks of September 11, 2001. The only piece of the fountain recovered was a fragment containing the name "John", the first name of one of the victims.  Today they are commemorated as part of the 9/11 Memorial, located on panel N-73, which reminds us that these events are forever linked. 

 

We hope you will take a moment to remember the victims of that attack.

 

We invite you to visit Gallery 2 at the 9/11 Tribute Center where you can view an interactive timeline that shares personal experiences of February 26, 1993 through audio recordings and recovered artifacts or visit tributewtc.org to learn more.