The Story of September 11, 2001

It was a beautiful late summer morning, the kind of day even busy New Yorkers took a moment to appreciate. The sky was spectacularly clear, tinted an azure blue, the air stirred by a gentle breeze. The mood of the city seemed optimistic as people hurried down the crowded streets on their way to work. Then the world as people knew it changed forever. The attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and New York City’s World Trade Center by three fuel-laden, hijacked airplanes was the worst attack ever on mainland American soil. The nation watched in horror as the events were captured by video and live news coverage. The attacks temporarily brought the nation to a stop, both emotionally and literally—for the first time, all commercial flights were grounded. Ironically, the attacks intended to undercut America’s way of life only served to reinforce its core values. And out of the carnage of that day came acts of unspeakable bravery, uncommon courage, and true heroism.