The new “Freedom Tower” that’s probably going to be built at the former site of the World Trade Centre is going to be 1,776 feet tall. 1776 is the year that the US gained independence from the British Empire. The ceremony at which the cornerstone of the new tower was laid was held on 4 July, Independence Day in the US. It is touching that people in North American are still defining themselves by their relationship with Britain but I know what I’d think of someone who still celebrated the day that they broke up with their first girlfriend.
What is a bit ironic is that the American war of Independence introduced several military tactics which have now become commonplace but which were considered fairly radical at the time. Sneak commando raids and the deliberate killing of enemy officers were just a couple of the tactics which were previously considered unacceptable in warfare but which the Americans were forced to resort to out of desperation. Suicide bombings and the deliberate targetting of civilians might be two more innovations which become standard practice in the future. Let’s hope not.