Today makes it 19 years since September 11, 2001 (9/11), when the deadliest terror attacks on US soil took place. This fateful day came with the most tragic attack since the Japanese bombed US ship, Pearl Harbor in World War II.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks. The day would forever go down in history as America’s darkest. Americans have woken up this morning to be yet again reminded of the tragedy.
Here are photos of the timeline of events for these coordinated terror attacks.
The calm before the storm. The Twin Towers stood tall in the Financial District that morning before the attacks began.
8:46 a.m., American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center
9:03 a.m., United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower
Soon, both buildings were in flames
People stared from the windows of the Towers, trapped by smoke and flames and destroyed staircases.
Photo of a man falling from the North Tower. At least 200 people fell or jumped from the Towers.
9:40 a.m., American Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.
REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang
At 9:59 a.m. the South Tower collapsed.
10:03 a.m., hijacked flight United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The plane’s target was believed to be the US Capitol. The passengers on board tried to gain control of the flight and divert the hijackers after learning of the other attacks.
At 10:28 a.m. the North Tower collapsed. It took only 12 seconds for the Towers to fall.
Rescue efforts at Ground Zero continued until October 9, and the flames from the collapse burned until December 20.
After the terrorist attacks, President Bush declared a “War on Terror,” targeting the Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attack. Al Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden, was killed 10 years later.
