September 11, 2001

* Before The Attack

Something everyone remembers about that day is the sky didn’t have a cloud in sight, light blue, and crystal clear.

*What Happened

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.

*Flights

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.

*Who Did It

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.

* Phone Calls From The Planes

Flight 11Flight 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 175Peter 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 77Flight 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 93Calls 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.

* Memorial

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.

* Timeline Of The Events

7:59 a.m.All planes begin take off

8:56 a.m.First crash, Flight 11, north tower

9:03 a.m.Second crash, Flight 175, south tower

9:05 a.m.George Bush is told about the attack

9:31 a.m.Bush makes a public announcement

9:36 a.m.Vice president gets moved to safety

9:37 a.m.Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon

9:45 a.m. White House and U.S. capitol are cleared

9:59 a.m.The south tower collapses

10:03 a.m.The fourth plane crashes in Pennsylvania

10:28 a.m. The north tower collapses

1:04 p.m.The air is cleared

5:20 p.m.The World Trade Center collapses

8:30 p.m.Bush gives final address of the day

*Facts

• 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.

*Quotes

“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

*Video