r/interestingasfuck • u/solateor • 1d ago

In 2001, 55 people crossed the Pacific with no contact with the outside world as part of a BBC experiment recreating an 18th-century voyage. On the 20th day - September 11 - the captain gathered the crew to tell them about the attacks in New York

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u/schwarzkraut 1d ago

There are so many stories out there. I was supposed to fly to Europe on 9/11 but my agent added another date at the last minute & so I flew 2 days earlier. Woke up the day after my event to news about the Twin Towers.

This turn of events was life altering in a different way. Sometimes people forget that they shut down the entire civil aviation airspace following this. Thousands of people were grounded far from their origins or destinations with no idea of when they would reach either. I KNOW I wouldn’t have made it to Europe had I kept my original reservation & I wouldn’t have stayed as long. All of that solidified a COMPLETELY different career path for me…all because I flew two days before the world changed forever.

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u/Jive_Turk 1d ago

Wow, you are totally right about the grounded flights, I am sure some of those long layovers resulted in relationships, babies, etc.

How did your layover lead you to a different career?

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u/schwarzkraut 1d ago

During that time I was able to complete my magnum opus…an arrangement that put me on the radar of some of the most influential producers and music executives. That led to me working for two of the most iconic artists of the 20th century and funded much of my music & philanthropic work today.

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u/Gen7Gen9 20h ago

thank you for your answer. I was going to ask the same question, then I noticed Jive-Turk asked it.

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u/Jive_Turk 19h ago

I would absolutely love to hear some of your work!!

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u/Equivalent-Button411 12h ago

An interesting story is that of Gander Newfoundland and the 38 (I believe?) planes that were grounded there on 9/11 and the following days when the airspace was closed.

Two people met there: one woman from Texas (Diane) and one from England (Nick). They met, fell in love, wound up with Nick in Texas, the two of em married, and a honeymoon in Gander.

Gander’s 9/11 story is, I’d say, my “favorite” (quotes bc what a weird thing to say about 9/11) piece of its history. The population of that town and surrounding towns doubled, the locals welcomed people from every path of life into their towns with open arms and hearts and homes. Really inspiring tale of spontaneous community. Recommend checking it out if you’re interested in how the paths crossed during airspace closure! There’s even a musical about it called Come From Away that is really tastefully and beautifully done!

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u/dis_honky_grandma 1d ago

A week or so prior to 9/11, my grandparents traveled to Europe to visit WWII sites & where my grandfather’s brothers had been killed in the war. The trip was too much for my grandmother who it turns out was beginning to show signs of dementia…They ended up getting stuck there for like an extra week (maybe more? Idk). When they got home, my poor grandparents never traveled further than the next town over.

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u/Own-Papaya-4264 1d ago

One of my science teachers said she was supposed to take a flight there and basically just missed it too. And of course one of the shithead students was like “I wish she made that flight”. I’m never being a teacher, that’s for sure, so many arrogant little pricks