In the 1940s, when the construction of the Pentagon was complete, it became the largest low rise building in the world. When Al-Quedea crashed a plane into the Pentagon, it created substantial damage from the blast and the fires, but only part of the building was destroyed, unlike the World Trade Center buildings which were completely destroyed.
U.S. Air Force photo taken by Tech. Sergeant Cedric H. Rudisill.
Due to the the attacks on the World Trade Center In 1993, Murray Building in 1995, and the Pentagon and the World Trade Center In 2001, architects have established ways to reinforce buildings with ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete. The Pentagon was redone with reinforcements, in the event an enemy of the United States plans to execute a plane, missile or other type of attack against the building in the future.
Author’s Note:
Author Philip Andrew Hamilton, was in English class at James Madison High School, when he first witnessed the footage of the World Trade Towers struck by two airplanes. The administration of James Madison High School, and several other schools within Fairfax County, Virginia, decided to end the school day early due to their proximity to the Pentagon in bordering Arlington County.
Hamilton Historical Records 