|
We refer you to Kevin Dougherty's excellent article in the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes, written less than a month after the terrorist attacks on New York. Although the phrase "Ground Zero" may have been used before, the first time it was seen in print was 1946. In an article about the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, the New York Times read: "The intense heat of the blast started fires as far as 3,500 feet from 'ground zero' (the point on the ground directly under the bomb's explosion in the air)." David Wilton's Word Origins traces the phrase from its military origin to a larger metaphoric sense
of a center of calamity. Michael Quinion also notes its meaning as the focal point of an event or movement. For example, "Avedon has had a knack for locating himself at ground zero of American culture." At the end of the day on September 11, 2001, the phrase was widely used to describe the site of the World Trade Center. The Yahoo! category for the World Trade Center Rebuilding Process features a number of sites covering the redevelopment efforts for Lower Manhattan, and the WTC
Full Coverage site offers the latest developments in the architectural plans. Presumably, the WTC site will acquire a new name after it has been redesigned, but that's for history to decide.
|
