On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists associated with al Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism.
3. *
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United
States. They hijacked four airplanes in mid-flight. The
terrorists flew two of the planes into two skyscrapers at
the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact
caused the buildings to catch fire and collapse. Another
plane destroyed part of the Pentagon (the U.S. military
headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane
crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Officials believe that
the terrorists on that plane intended to destroy either the
White House or the U.S. Capitol. Passengers on the plane
fought the terrorists and prevented them from reaching
their goal. In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the
9/11 attacks.
4. *
American -Airlines Flight 11, a 767. The plane made daily flights between
Boston and Los Angeles, and when it took off at 7:59 a.m. on the morning of the
eleventh, it carried only 81 passengers in its 158 seats.
United Flight 175, also a 767, was the second. Scheduled to fly between
-Logan and LAX. Took off at 8:14 a.m., it was even lighter than the American
flight: Only 56 out of 168 seats were occupied.
American Airlines Flight 77 third plane to take off that day, a 757. Left
Washington, D.C., at 8:20 a.m. bound for Los Angeles. It was two-thirds empty,
with 58 passengers in its 176 seats, and its tanks were 4,000 gallons under its
11,500-gallon capacity.
United Airlines Flight 93, was a 757. It was delayed for 42 minutes past its
-scheduled 8 a.m. departure from Newark bound for San Francisco. When it finally
took off, it carried only 37 -passengers—its capacity was 182—and it was loaded
with a little over 7,000 gallons of fuel.
5. *
The people of America banded together in the weeks following
the September 11th attacks like few other times in American
history. People responded with donations of blood, effort and
money. The government declared Osama Bin Laden to be the main
suspect and sent the military to fight him and his terrorist
organization called Al Qaeda. The military has been able to capture
numerous leaders within the terrorist organization but has not been
able to capture Bin Laden himself.
A controversy started when President Bush sent troops into Iraq
on March 19, 2003 claiming that the country led by Saddam Hussein
was developing weapons of mass destruction and aiding Al Qaeda
operatives. As time passed and no evidence of those weapons were
found in Iraq, many in America were upset by what they felt were
unnecessary reasons to get involved in Iraq.
6. *
Flight 11
Flight attendant called the American Airlines flight services, Michael Woodward, starting at 8:21 and
talked for 25 minutes, until the plane crashed. Sweeney related many details such as wounds by
victims of the hijackers to seat numbers of the hijackers.
Betty Ong's phone call: Flight attendant Betty Ong called Vanessa Minter at American Airlines at 8:21
until the plane crashed.
Flight 175
Peter Hanson called his father and reported details of the hijacking starting at 8:52. Hanson made
several calls as he was cut off several times.
Brian Sweeney's phone call: Passenger Brian Sweeney attempted to call his wife but could only leave a
message.
Flight 77
Flight attendant May used a cell phone to call her mother at 9:12. May's mother then called American
Airlines to inform them that the flight has been hijacked. Barbara Olson's calls: Placed two calls to her
husband. The only known evidence of these calls are statements by Olson, the first on September 12th.
Flight 93
Calls to family members and friends: at least thirteen passengers made more than 30 phone calls, most
of them short and some repeated, where at least some were from cell phones.
The last call: At 9:58, a frantic passenger called from a bathroom to report an explosion and smoke.
7. *
The National September 11
Memorial is a tribute of
remembrance and honor to the
nearly 3,000 people killed in the
terror attacks of September 11,
2001 at the World Trade Center
site, near Shanksville, Pa., and
at the Pentagon, as well as the
six people killed in the World
Trade Center bombing in
February 1993.
9. *
• On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijack four fuel-loaded
commercial airlines bound for west coast destinations. This
terrorist attack on the United States is orchestrated by al Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden. A total of 2,977 people are killed in New
York City, Washington, DC and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania,
in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
• On any given workday, up to 50,000 employees worked in the WTC
twin towers, and an additional 40,000 passed through the
complex.
• 9/11 was the single largest loss of life from a foreign attack on
American soil.
• 18 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the World Trade
Center site.
10. *
―You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.‖
-Colin Powell
―I’m clinging to one last thought: pain is the harbinger of hope. You
have to be alive to feel pain. If you are alive, then you have
purpose. If you have purpose, then you have hope.‖
―Tucker Elliot
"New York is a city largely based on great skyscrapers, and they
will always be the essence of New York. That won't change, just
as the character of the people who live here will not be altered
by this tragedy."
–Donald Trump
