The Day the World Came to Town

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The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
The Day the World Came to Town cover.jpg
AuthorJim DeFede
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Nonfiction
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
14 August 2003 (paperback)
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
Pages244 pp
ISBN 978-0060559717

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland is a 2002 oral history of the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in the wake of the September 11 attacks written by journalist Jim DeFede [1] [2] It is the first book authored by DeFede.

Contents

Background

In 2001, Gander International Airport played an integral role in world aviation in the hours immediately following the September 11 attacks when all of North America's airspace was closed by Transport Canada and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, 42 planes were diverted to Gander. DeFede moved to Gander for two months after the September 11 Attacks to research the story. [1]

Synopsis

The Day the World Came to Town opens with a history of the town and an explanation of the strategic military and commercial importance of Gander International Airport. On September 11, DeFede reports that Gander, with a population of approximately 10,000, accepted 38 previously unscheduled planes carrying approximately 6,800 passengers and crew, most of whom were stranded there until U.S. airspace reopened nearly a week later. [3]

From The Newport Beach Independent:

"In what is, I’m sure, one of the few truly uplifting volumes about 9/11, we meet the ordinary folks, who on a moments notice transformed their town into a giant shelter to welcome the “plane people.”
Ganderites offered their cars, food, showers, and beds to the strangers who would soon become honorary “Newfies.” [4]

Reception

DeFede won the 2003 Christopher Award for his work on The Day the World Came to Town. [5]

Related Research Articles

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983.

Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, once an important refuelling stop for transatlantic aircraft. The airport is still a preferred emergency landing point for aircraft facing on-board medical or security issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrow Air Flight 1285R</span> December 1985 plane crash in Newfoundland, Canada

Arrow Air Flight 1285R was an international charter flight carrying U.S. Army personnel from Cairo, Egypt, to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, via Cologne, West Germany, and Gander, Newfoundland. On the morning of Thursday, 12 December 1985, shortly after takeoff from Gander International Airport en route to Fort Campbell, the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 serving the flight stalled, crashed, and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 248 passengers and 8 crew members on board. As of 2024, it is the deadliest aviation accident to occur on Canadian soil. At the time of the crash, it was the deadliest aviation accident involving a DC-8; as of 2024, it is the second-deadliest, behind the crash of Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 nearly six years later.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1946:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gander International Airport</span> Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. The airport is sometimes referred to as the "Crossroads of the World", and is classified as an international airport by Transport Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Yellow Ribbon</span> Diversion of civilian flights from US airspace into Canada after 9/11

Operation Yellow Ribbon was commenced by Canada to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States. Canada's goal was to ensure that potentially destructive air traffic be removed from United States airspace as quickly as possible, and away from potential U.S. targets, and instead place these aircraft on the ground in Canada, at military and civilian airports primarily in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and British Columbia. Yukon, New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, the Northwest Territories, and Quebec also took in aircraft so that any malicious or destructive potential threats could be better contained and neutralized. None of the aircraft proved to be a threat, and Canada hosted thousands of passengers who were stranded until U.S. airspace was reopened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewisporte</span> Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Lewisporte is a town in central Newfoundland, Canada, with a population of 3,288. It is situated in Burnt Bay which opens on to the Bay of Exploits. Lewisporte has a deep water port and related facilities that serve many communities in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's International Airport</span> Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

St. John's International Airport is in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located 3 nautical miles northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and serves the St. John's metropolitan area and the Avalon Peninsula. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by St. John's International Airport Authority Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Fast</span>

Barbara Fast is a retired major general of the United States Army. One of the first female officers placed in many challenging and dangerous situations and assignments, Fast is a member of the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame. She was the first female to command an Army Military Intelligence Tactical Exploitation Battalion and the first female Intelligence Officer/G2 of a combat division. Her expertise spans across intelligence and cybersecurity. Fast was the most senior military intelligence officer serving in Iraq during the period of time when the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport</span> Airport in Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia

JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport is a regional airport located in Reserve Mines in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The airport serves the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) and the surrounding areas of Cape Breton Island. McCurdy Sydney Airport has the distinction of being the oldest public airport in Nova Scotia, first licensed on August 3, 1929.

<i>Above and Beyond</i> (miniseries) Canadian TV series or program

Above and Beyond is a four-hour 2006 miniseries aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on October 29 and 30, 2006. It stars Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Scarfe, Liane Balaban, Allan Hawco, Kenneth Welsh and Jason Priestley. The miniseries deals with the Atlantic Ferry Organization, tasked with ferrying aircraft from North America to Europe in the early years of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Atlantic Aviation Museum</span> Aviation Museum in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The North Atlantic Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in the town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

<i>Diverted</i> Canadian TV series or program

Diverted is a 2009 CBC made-for-TV miniseries. The film was directed by Alex Chapple based on the screenplay by Tony Marchant. Diverted is a fictionalized account inspired by what actually happened to the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the passengers and crews on the airliners diverted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the 9/11 attacks in Operation Yellow Ribbon.

Werner Baldessarini is an Austrian fashion designer and businessman. He was formerly chairman of Hugo Boss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EVAS Air</span> Canadian airline

EVAS Air, also known as Exploits Valley Air Services or EVAS, is a Canadian aviation services company, based in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Gander Public Library is a public library located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It has been part of the community since 1937, occupying five different buildings including its first and current locations. Public library services in Newfoundland and Labrador are provided by the Provincial Information & Library Resources Board, an independent board established by the Provincial Government through the Public Libraries Act.

<i>Come from Away</i> Musical first produced in 2013

Come from Away is a musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and stranded travelers they housed and fed.

Beverley Bass is an American aircraft pilot and was the first female captain of an American Airlines commercial plane. She was hired in 1976 by American Airlines as their third female pilot. In 1986, Bass became the first female captain of a commercial plane at American Airlines and later that year she captained the first all-female crew in the history of commercial jet aviation, on an American Airlines flight from Washington D.C. to Dallas, Texas. She and pilot Stephanie Wallach founded the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, which began as a group of women aviators but later changed into a program providing career support and mentorship to aspiring pilots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearance</span> Airliner disappearance

On 11 September 1990, a Faucett Perú Boeing 727 airliner, registered OB-1303, disappeared in an area of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 180 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada. The aircraft was being ferried back from Malta to Peru after having been leased to Air Malta, and had six crewmembers on board as well as ten passengers consisting of airline employees and their families. The last contact with the crew was a distress message stating that the aircraft had run out of fuel and that they were preparing to ditch. The aircraft was hundreds of miles off course at the time. Nothing more was ever heard from the flight, and no trace of the aircraft or any of the occupants has since been found.

<i>Come from Away</i> (film) 2021 live film recording of the 2017 musical of the same name

Come from Away is a 2021 musical film comprising a live stage recording of Irene Sankoff and David Hein's 2017 musical of the same name, which tells the true story of 7,000 airline passengers who were stranded in a small town in Newfoundland, where they were housed and welcomed, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The film, produced in response to the shutdown of Broadway caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, was directed by Christopher Ashley and filmed in front of an audience that included frontline workers and 9/11 survivors in May 2021 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York City, featuring members of the Broadway cast.

References

  1. 1 2 Mark Bennett (8 September 2019). "Mark Bennett: Remembering 'The Day the World Came to Town'". Terre Haute Tribune Star. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  2. Lorne Manly (16 February 2016). "'Come From Away,' a Sept. 11 Musical, Is Coming to Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  3. Stuart Anderson (11 September 2019). "The Day Canadians Opened Their Homes To Americans". Forbes. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. Edie Crabtree (14 September 2014). "Under Cover: 9/11 Inspires Uplifting Book of Kindness Amid Tragedy". Newport Beach Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. John Alexander (25 January 2019). "Emmy Award-winning journalist from Bay Ridge receives prestigious duPont Award". Brooklyn Reporter. Retrieved 25 January 2021.