September 11 Attacks

The September 11 attacks were a series of terrorist attacks on the United States that happened on September 11, 2001. Members of a group called al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes that morning. They crashed the planes into important buildings in New York City and near Washington, D.C. Almost 3,000 people were killed. The attacks are often called "9/11," after the date.

The morning began like any other. Planes took off from airports in Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C., heading to California. Soon after takeoff, 19 hijackers took control of the four planes. They had hidden small knives and box cutters in their bags. The hijackers had trained as pilots so they could fly the planes themselves.

At 8:46 a.m., the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Many people thought it was an accident. Then, 17 minutes later, a second plane hit the South Tower. People watching on TV around the world realized this was an attack. The two towers were among the tallest buildings on Earth, each about 1,360 feet high, taller than four football fields stood on end. Both towers caught fire and collapsed within two hours.

A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane never reached its target. Passengers on that plane used cell phones and learned what was happening. They decided to fight back. They rushed the hijackers, and the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone on board died, but the brave passengers had saved many lives on the ground.

Firefighters, police officers, and medics ran into the burning towers to help people escape. When the towers fell, hundreds of these rescue workers died trying to save others. New York City was covered in dust and smoke for days. People from all over the country and the world sent help.

The attacks changed the United States in lasting ways. Airports added strict new security checks for every traveler. The U.S. government created a new department called Homeland Security. President George W. Bush ordered the military into Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda had its training camps. That war lasted 20 years, the longest war in American history. The leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, was found and killed by U.S. forces in 2011.

Today, a memorial stands where the World Trade Center once rose. Two large pools sit in the footprints of the fallen towers. The names of every person killed are carved around the edges, so they will be remembered.