VIDEO/PHOTOS: New York City is pausing to remember the 9/11 terror attacks that forever altered the city and the country. The annual reading of names and moments of silence are being held this morning at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan. It’s a somber ceremony when New Yorkers and the nation vow to “never forget” what happened on that day. The shorthand “9/11” stands for September 11th, when terrorist carried out coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Nineteen terrorists from the Islamist extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four planes, deliberately crashing two of them into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and another into the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane was headed for the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., but passengers and crew members fought back, and it crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. While many remember the horrific images of that day, we also share the harrowing stories of first responders and volunteers who rushed to help with the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.
The 9/11 terror attacks took place 24 years ago on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. George W. Bush was nine months into his first term in office, and Rudy Giuliani was in his final months as mayor of New York City. Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., then Flight 175 struck the South Tower 17 minutes later at 9:03 a.m. The hijacked planes burst into flames upon impact, and the intensity of their burning jet fuel caused both towers to collapse. Thursday’s memorial ceremony will pause for six moments of silence to mark when the planes crashed and when each tower fell.
