# Did a TV Pilot Foretell the September 11 Attacks and War on Terror?
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Chapter 1: The Eerie Coincidence
In an unexpected twist, a pilot episode from a canceled TV series seemed to foretell the catastrophic events of September 11 and the subsequent War on Terror. Interestingly, this pilot aired on the Fox network just a few months prior to the attacks in 2001.
On March 4, 2001, Fox aired the inaugural episode of The Lone Gunmen, a spinoff from the widely popular series The X-Files. This episode is particularly notable due to its plotline, which revolves around the titular characters uncovering a conspiracy to crash a commercial airliner into New York's iconic World Trade Center.
Within the narrative, shadowy figures within the U.S. government aim to escalate arms sales and enhance the value of defense stocks. Their scheme involves hijacking an airliner’s systems to target the World Trade Center, with the end goal of instigating an all-out War on Terror to boost demand for military supplies. Fortunately, a group of unlikely heroes, comprising three eccentric conspiracy theorists and a cunning thief, intervenes to thwart their plans.
Section 1.1: The World Trade Center Before 9/11
The World Trade Center stood as a sprawling 16-acre complex in Manhattan, featuring an underground shopping mall and its most recognizable structures, the Twin Towers. Prior to September 11, 2001, these towers were the tallest buildings in New York, towering at 110 stories each and encompassing 10 million square feet of office space, which housed approximately 35,000 workers and 430 businesses. The towers also attracted around 70,000 visitors daily.
Interestingly, the North Tower was slightly taller than the South Tower, measuring 1,368 feet compared to the South Tower's 1,362 feet. However, an antenna brought the North Tower's total height to 1,730 feet. Visitors could enjoy sweeping views extending 45 miles on a clear day, reaching all the way to Connecticut. Each tower was equipped with 99 elevators and 21,800 windows, with each floor covering an acre of space, totaling 220 acres across both towers.
On September 11, 2001, 19 members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization hijacked four commercial airliners. Two of these planes were deliberately crashed into the upper floors of the North and South Towers, while a third struck the Pentagon in Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control from the hijackers.
The impact of the aircraft ignited intense fires fueled by jet fuel, which compromised the structural integrity of the towers, leading to their eventual collapse. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of approximately 2,753 individuals at the World Trade Center, although many of the estimated 16,400 to 1