A “forest of columns” designed to support the Pentagon when it was built 60 years ago saved thousands of people who would otherwise have died when terrorists attacked it with a hijacked airliner on Sept. 11, 2001, an expert panel said in a report released today. The study, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, said the sturdiness of the building and the closely spaced columns of reinforced concrete greatly limited the damage from the crash. Full Story