On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four airplanes. This means they took control of the planes by force and started flying them. Al-Qaeda is a group known for violence and the hijackers belonged to this terrorist group. Terrorists or terrorism is using violence or threats to achieve a goal. Osama bin Laden claimed to be the leader of Al-Qaeda and said the U.S. must pay for "looting the resources of the Muslim world." This group has hated America and Americans for years. They blame America for many problems in the world.
The terrorists took over the planes and turned the planes into weapons. They flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center is an important business center in New York City with many buildings. They flew the planes into the two tallest buildings - each of them had over 110 levels. The terrorists flew a third plane into a building called the Pentagon. The Pentagon is in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon is where our army, navy, and air force make decisions. It is seen as a symbol of our military strength. Passengers and crew members on the fourth plane learned of the other tragedies from cell phone calls. They made the decision to attack the hijackers on their plane. They overtook the terrorists and caused that plane to crash into an open field in Pennsylvania. This plane was supposed to crash into the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Likely, many lives were saved by this selfless act.
The 9/11 attacks killed more than 2,900 people. First responders are people trained to help in an emergency - usually firefighters and police. Unfortunately, 441 first responders died that day.
The United States soon declared war on terrorism and this group. Our president at this time, George W. Bush, sent troops to the countries of Afghanistan & Iraq to try and find those responsible. A military group called the Taliban controls Afghanistan and fought against our troops while also allowing the group who carried out the attack (Al-Qaeda) to stay in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden was finally captured and killed in 2011.
The United States works to fight against terrorism and keep our country safe. The Department of Homeland Security was started after 9/11 and is a group of people whose responsibility is to keep our citizens safe. This attack also affected flying in the United States. All bags are screened more carefully at the airport, the door to the cockpit has been reinforced, and usually people must remove their shoes before getting on a plane.
A special memorial was built at previous the location of the North and South Towers. This memorial has a fountain area with all the names of the people that died inscribed into the stone. It is a quiet place for family and U.S. citizens to honor the people who lost their lives. Nearby is a museum full of artifacts - primary sources - from that day. Those artifacts include parts of the towers that fell, phone messages left by people trapped after the planes hit, news coverage, and stories from survivors.
Timeline of Events that Day - click each flight
FLIGHTS 11 and 175: WORLD TRADE CENTER - TWIN TOWERS
At 8:46 a.m., five hijackers intentionally crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The 76 passengers and 11 crew members on board were killed, and hundreds more died instantly inside the building. The crash cut off all three emergency stairwells and trapped hundreds of people above the 91st floor.
At 9:03 a.m., a second plane crashed into another building in the World Trade Center. Five hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower, killing the 51 passengers and nine crew members on board. An unknown number of people inside the building were also killed. The impact made two of the building’s three emergency stairwells impassable and cut elevator cables in the area. Many people were trapped above the impact zone and inside elevators.
The attacks on the World Trade Center triggered the largest rescue operation in the history of New York City. Approximately 2,000 police officers and nearly 1,000 firefighters responded to the attacks. More than 100 ambulances were sent to the site within the first hour. Many first responders entered the Twin Towers prepared to rescue trapped civilians. Others helped survivors exit safely, guided the injured to medical assistance, and kept bystanders out of harm’s way. Coworkers and strangers assisted one another during their evacuations, offering comfort and support.
Unfortunately, both towers eventually collaspsed. The South Tower fell first at 9:59 a.m. and the North Tower crumbled down at 10:28 a.m. This caused panic in the streets and many lost hope of finding survivors.
FLIGHT 77: PENTAGON - VIRGINIA
At 9:37 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the western side of the Pentagon. The Pentagon is a huge building located in Arlington, Virginia. This is just outside the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and a symbol of our military strength. The crash killed the plane’s six crew members and 53 passengers, including five children, and 125 people on the ground. Fires inside the building, fed by jet fuel in the wings of the plane, reached temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Leading the firefighting efforts, the Arlington County Fire Department contained the flames in the first 12 hours, although it would take days to completely extinguish the fire. After this attack, all planes in U.S. airspace were ordered to land immediately and no other planes were allowed to take off. This is the first and only time this has ever happened.
FLIGHT 93: PENNSYLVANIA
The four hijackers on board United Airlines Flight 93 attacked at 9:28 a.m., breaking into the cockpit. At least 10 passengers and two crew members made phone calls from Flight 93. They learned two other planes had already struck the World Trade Center. In one of those calls, passenger Todd M. Beamer explained that the plane was flying erratically and the passengers and crew were planning to launch a counterassault. Lisa Jefferson was a emergency operator who received a phone call from the plane in the air. The last words she heard over the phone line was, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll!”
Passengers and crew began a six-minute assault on the cockpit shortly. Realizing they were seconds away from being overtaken, the hijackers deliberately crashed the plane in Somerset County, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. The seven crew members and 33 passengers on board all died. Investigators concluded that the hijackers’ intended target may have been the U.S. Capitol Building, where Congress was in session because they were only 20 minutes flying time to Washington, D.C.
The events of September 11, 2001 forever changed the lives of many of people. - victims’ families and friends, survivors, first responders, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and millions of Americans and people around the world. Over 20 years later, the attacks continue to affect military decisions, debates about terrorism, and countless individual lives.