Pentagon is one of the most famous buildings in the world. However, not everyone knows what work is being done in it, as well as for what purpose it was built. For some, this word is associated with something bad, while for others it evokes positive emotions.
In this article, we will talk about what the pentagon is, not forgetting to mention its functions and location.
Interesting facts about the Pentagon
Pentagon (Greek πεντάγωνον - "pentagon") - the headquarters of the US Department of Defense in a pentagon-shaped structure. Thus, the building got its name from its shape.
An interesting fact is that the Pentagon is in 14th place in the ranking of the largest structures, in terms of area of premises, on the planet. It was built at the height of World War II - from 1941 to 1943. The Pentagon has the following proportions:
- perimeter - approx. 1405 m;
- the length of each of the 5 sides is 281 m;
- the total length of the corridors is 28 km;
- total area of 5 floors - 604,000 m².
Curiously, the Pentagon employs approximately 26,000 people! This building has 5 aboveground and 2 underground floors. However, there are versions according to which there are 10 floors underground, not counting the numerous tunnels.
It is worth noting that on all floors of the Pentagon there are 5 concentric 5-gons, or "rings", and 11 communicating corridors. Thanks to such a project, any remote location of the construction can be reached in just 7 minutes.
During the construction of the Pentagon in 1942, separate toilets were built for white and black employees, so the total number of toilets exceeded the norm by 2 times. $ 31 million was allocated for the construction of the headquarters, which is $ 416 million in terms of today.
Terrorist attack of 11 September 2001
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon came under a terrorist attack - a Boeing 757-200 passenger airliner crashed into the left wing of the Pentagon, where the leadership of the American fleet was located.
This area was damaged by an explosion and resulting fire, as a result of which part of the object collapsed.
A group of suicide bombers captured a Boeing and sent it to the Pentagon. As a result of the terrorist attack, 125 employees and 64 passengers of the plane were killed. An interesting fact is that the airliner rammed the structure at a speed of 900 km / h, destroying and damaging about 50 concrete supports!
Today, in the rebuilt wing, the Pentagon Memorial has been opened in memory of the victims of employees and passengers. The memorial is a park with 184 benches.
It is worth noting that a total of 4 terrorist attacks were carried out by terrorists on September 11, 2001, during which 2,977 people died.
