9/11: The Fire Commissioner at Ground Zero

9/11: The Fire Commissioner at Ground Zero

On the morning of September 11th, 2001 terrorists flew planes into both the World Trade Centre towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington with a further plane crashing in Pennsylvania as the passengers onboard attempted to wrest control of the aircraft from the hijackers. This atrocity utterly changed the world leaving thousands dead and injured and launched the War on Terror.


Many people can remember where they were on that fateful day and for some, it was on the frontline of the attack. Thomas Von Essen was one of those people. A career firefighter in September 2001 he was the commissioner for the New York Fire Department. As commissioner, He played a key role in helping the city's fire chiefs attempt to coordinate their response to the planes hitting the towers. Although thousands sadly perished that day, thousands more were rescued by the selfless heroism of New York's firefighters and emergency services personnel. But, many of those emergency responders paid the ultimate price for their bravery. Tom and Dan speak about his memories of that morning, the pain of losing so many friends and colleagues, the pride he has in the commitment shown by his men and how some have turned the legacy of 9/11 into a cause for good.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(1500)

The Anglo-Zulu War

The Anglo-Zulu War

Saul David - historian, broadcaster and author of several critically-acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction - comes on the show to discuss the most brutal and controversial British imperial confli...

22 Tammi 202023min

Hunting the Bismarck

Hunting the Bismarck

In May 1941, the Royal Navy pursued Nazi Germany's largest battleship, the Bismarck, in the greatest chase story in the history of naval warfare. Bismarck represented the single most important threat ...

20 Tammi 202045min

The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz

The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz

In 1940 the Polish resistance decided it needed to send an agent to Auschwitz concentration camp. They were desperate to find out what was going on in a place that even by that stage of the war had an...

19 Tammi 202034min

'Seducing and Killing Nazis'

'Seducing and Killing Nazis'

During the Second World War the Netherlands fell to advancing German forces in just a few hours. The Dutch found themselves under Nazi occupation. Many men and women resisted, which took many differen...

15 Tammi 202021min

How History Inspires Environmental Activism

How History Inspires Environmental Activism

The world faces a unique environmental challenge. The scale of response to this looming catastrophe can be overwhelming. But economist and activist Andrew Simms believes that history provides us with ...

14 Tammi 202023min

The Commando Raid that Changed the Course of WW2

The Commando Raid that Changed the Course of WW2

In October 1942 the British launched a small raid on the Channel Island of Sark. A cast of characters who gave their colleague Ian Fleming ideas for a new secret agent character, James Bond, crept ash...

12 Tammi 202020min

Sam Mendes on 1917

Sam Mendes on 1917

In this podcast Dan talks to Golden Globe winning film maker Sam Mendes about his new World War One film 1917.Based in part on an account told to Mendes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes, it ...

9 Tammi 202025min

The Persian War

The Persian War

In the 5th century BC the world's first super power, the Persian Empire, went to war against a ragtag collection of cities and statelets on its western frontier. It was the start of the Persian War. T...

8 Tammi 202038min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
totuus-vai-salaliitto
konginkangas
tsunami
rouva-diktaattori
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
rss-peter-peter
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
apinan-vuosi
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-kikka-forever
rss-outoja-uutisia-pohjois-suomesta