9/11 Attacks: 25 Years Later, America Still Bears the Scars of the Deadliest Terror Attack

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks changed the course of American and global history. Nineteen al-Qaeda hijackers took control of four commercial aircraft that had departed from the U.S. East Coast for California. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., followed by United Airlines Flight 175 hitting the South Tower at 9:02 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, while passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 fought back, forcing the aircraft to crash into a field in Pennsylvania. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., followed by the North Tower at 10:28 a.m. The attacks killed 2,977 people, excluding the 19 hijackers.

The destruction of the Twin Towers triggered one of New York City’s largest-ever rescue and recovery operations. Firefighters, police officers, medical personnel and volunteers worked amid massive quantities of dust and debris, with many first responders later developing illnesses linked to exposure at Ground Zero. The tragedy also had a major economic impact, disrupting New York’s financial district and causing enormous property and business losses. Cantor Fitzgerald alone lost more than 650 employees, including people working in the North Tower. The health consequences of 9/11 have continued for decades, and the annual memorial now also remembers those who died from illnesses connected to the attacks.