Rebecca Stahl & Tori Johnson
May 12, 2010
Scholar’s History
September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, lives were changed. Americans everywhere were shaken by the
news; the Twin Towers in New York City had been destroyed by a group of terrorists. People
were unable to look away from their television screens; the damage was too outrageous to be
ignored. Almost 3,000 people were killed; most of them being average American civilians.
19 terrorists from an Islamic group know as Al-Qaeda took control of four commercial
aircrafts. The first plane, American Airlines flight 11, crashed into the World Trade Center’s
north tower at 8:46, hitting the area between the 93rd and 99th floors. The second plane, United
Airlines flight 175, crashed into the south tower at 9:03, hitting the area between the 77th and 85th
floor. The people inside the buildings rushed to get out, but anyone who was above the floors of
the crashes were unable to leave. Firefighters, first responders, and emergency personnel rushed
to the scene, though many had difficulty figuring out what exactly was going on, because radio
frequencies were getting mismatched. Meanwhile, a third plane, American Airlines flight 77, and
a fourth plane, United Airlines flight 93, had also been hijacked by the terrorists.
The destruction caused by the acts of these terrorists was immense. The American
Airlines flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon building at 9:37, killing 189 people. Then the
south tower collapsed 56 minutes after being hit. The north tower fell 46 minutes after the first.
The United Airlines flight 93 never reached its intended target, which was believed to be the
Capitol or the White House. The aircraft crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
instead. Recordings retrieved from the crash suggest that the passengers on the plane fought
against the hijackers, and that may have lead to the crash.
September 11th became a tragic day for many. Americans from the opposite end of the
country feared more terrorist attacks. Even people from other countries were shocked by the
falling of the Twin Towers. The importance of September 11 varies among different people. For
some, it was the day they lost a loved one. For others, it was the beginning of a huge
investigation. The attacks on September 11th affected not only our country’s people, but the stock
market as well. Dow Jones dropped 7.13% the day Wall Street opened after the attacks. It
dropped further still, remaining in the negative numbers a year later.
So why is it important that we understand what happened on September 11th? These
attacks lead to major reform in areas we had previously overlooked. We made major changes in
our airport system, the attacks prompted the need for tighter airport security, leading to the
airport security system we have today. These attacks also lead to the war on Terrorism, which is
fought in order to eliminate international terrorism. Our communications and intelligence
programs were reconstructed in order to protect the United States more efficiently. The
Department of Homeland Security was created, along with SAFECOM, a program designed to
improve radio communications for public safety organizations.
Works cited
2006, Late. "War on Terror." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 May 2010.
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7, On March. "Flight 93 National Memorial." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 May 2010.
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Am:, 9:00. "National September 11 Memorial & Museum." National September 11 Memorial &
Museum | World Trade Center Memorial:. Web. 17 May 2010.
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"American Airlines Flight 11." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 May 2010.
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"NPR : Judging the Impact: A Post 9-11 America." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis,
World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 17 May 2010.
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"September 11 by Numbers." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife,
Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 12 May 2010.
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May 17, 2010
http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/2008/OliviaJackson911andUS-Economy.pdf