Lady Liberty's Crown Reopens July 4

(NEWSER) - The crown of the Statue of Liberty will be open for business again July 4, the first time since 9/11. NPR collected a few facts about Lady Liberty you might not know:

• The 7 spikes: Liberty's crown does not symbolize the 7 continents or seas, as even the National Parks Service reports. They're sun rays, and the circle is a "nimbus."
• She's so heavy: The statute is made of 31 tons of copper, 125 tons of steel, and the base consists of a whopping 27,000 tons of concrete.

Damages determined for 9/11 attacks

(NEWSER) - Somebody tell al-Qaeda to get out its checkbook. A federal judge yesterday ruled that the terrorist organization owes $9.3 billion for the damage caused to businesses and properties in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reports the AP . Several insurance companies started their suit in 2003 versus a variety of defendants, seeking compensation for the attack on the World Trade Center. The judge determined actual damages, then tripled them for punitive compensation. More»

Melted aluminum, sprinkler water caused secondary explosions

(NEWSER) - The melting aluminum hulls of the jetliners that smashed into the twin towers may have combined with sprinkler water to set off the explosions that ultimately brought down the towers, according to a new report from a technology research group in Norway. “If my theory is correct, tons of aluminum ran down through the towers, where the smelt came into contact with a few hundred liters of water,” scientist Christian Simensen told a conference today, according to the AFP . More»

But Mark Bavis' family will still fight for safer air travel

(NEWSER) - At last year’s 9/11 anniversary, there was just one victim's family who still refused to settle their wrongful death lawsuit. But little more than one week after this year’s anniversary, the Bavis family has changed its mind. Family members of hockey scout Mark Bavis wanted to expose air safety weaknesses, but ultimately determined they had done all they could to make public the security lapses they believe occurred on 9/11 at Boston's Logan Airport. After learning a trial, scheduled for November, would only last three weeks, the family settled yesterday, the AP reports. More»

Heather Penney's dad could have been flying United 93

(NEWSER) - A truly wild footnote to the story about Heather Penney, the F-16 pilot who was willing to give up her life, kamikaze-style , by flying her unarmed jet into United 93 to stop it on Sept. 11: She was potentially willing to sacrifice her father's life, too. The Washington Post reports on the new detail, which Penney's mother shared via an email to the paper requesting a copy of the story. She wrote, "We were thankful that Heather was able to put her emotions aside and not even consider that her father might have been flying on United 93." Uhh, what? More»