Skip to Main Content

September 11, 2001: 9/11

September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked multiple locations within the United States, killing roughly 3,000 people. This guide provides resources on the events surrounding that tragic day. 

Archives

Memorials

What Happened on September 11

Directed and produced by Emmy(r) Award winner Amy Schatz, WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 11 revisits the events of September 11, 2001 to help a younger generation learn about this historical event. The 30-minute documentary short features personal stories from survivors and family members, classroom scenes exploring 9/11 through artwork and poetry, interviews with educators, along with archival news footage and powerful photos.

Source: Kanopy

9/11 Impact Anatomy | National Geographic

 

Conspiracy theorists say jet fuel fires couldn't have brought down the towers -- but a simulation of the impact proves otherwise.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FVAzn1Yuz8

Perspectives

The 9/11 Encyclopedia

The 9/11 Encyclopedia offers valuable perspective on this emotionally charged and multidimensional subject. This comprehensive encyclopedia details the events leading up to the attacks, going back a decade prior to 9/11, and covers all the major players involved. Primary sources in this title

The 9/11 Commission Report with Related Documents

Gain a firsthand account of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks' methods and actions as 9/11 Commission Report with Related Documents walks you through the drafting process despite the bitter political divisions surrounding the commission.

Among the Heroes

On the evening of September 14, as the sun set over the flag-draped county courthouse in Somerset, Pennsylvania, fifteen hundred mourners gathered together as Governor Tom Ridge presided over a memorial to the passengers and crew of United Flight 93. In the hushed twilight, amid the toiling of bells, a candle was lit for each victim, and the flames were used to light smaller candles held by townspeople attending the service. The hijackers had failed in their mission, Ridge said. They had not destroyed our spirit. They had rekindled it. By fighting back against the terrorists, the passengers and crew had undoubtedly saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. "They sacrificed themselves for others -- the ultimate sacrifice. What appears to be a charred, smolerdering hole in the ground," said the governor, "is truly and really a monument to heroism." Of the four horrific hijackings on September 11, Flight 93, which crashed into a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resonates as one of epic resistance. A number of passengers phoned relatives and others on the ground to tell them of the hijacking and what they planned to do about it. Their battle to take back the plane brought consolation to countless confused and grief-stricken Americans. At a time when the United States appeared defenseless against an unfamiliar foe, the gallant passengers and crew of Flight 93 provided for many Americans a measure of victory in the midst of unthinkable defeat. Together, they seemingly accomplished what all the security guards and soldiers, military pilots and government officials, could not -- they thwarted the terrorists, sacrificing their own lives so that others might live. The culmination of hundreds of interviews and months of investigation, Among the Heroes is the definitive story of the courageous men and women aboard Flight 93, and of the day that forever changed the way Americans view the world and themselves.

In the Wake of 9/11

An exploration of the emotions of despair, fear and anger that arose after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the autumn of 2001. The authors analyze reactions to the attacks through the lens of terror management theory, an existential psychological model that explains why humans react the way they do to the threat of death and how this reaction influences their post-threat cognition and emotion. The theory provides ways to understand and reduce terrorism's effect and possibly find resolutions to conflicts involving terrorism. The authors focus primarily on the reaction in the United States to the 9/11 attack, but their model is applicable to all instances of terrorism, and they expand their discussion to include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The work has practical implications and should be a useful resource for mental health practitioners, researchers, and anyone concerned with the causes and effects of terrorism.

One Nation

This portrait of the tragic and triumphant events of September 11, 2001 contains a brief visual history of the building of the World Trade Center and Pentagon; a minute-by-minute illustrated account of the attacks; the evacuation and rescue attempts; the heroic efforts of firefighters, police officers, EMTs, search dogs, volunteers and everyday New Yorkers; the leadership response from President George W. Bush and New York City Mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani; the candlelight vigils, prayer services, flag displays and patriotism in New York and around the world; and the victims, including sketches of some of those lost, who encompass many faiths, colours and nationalities. The book also features original essays by authors including Maya Angelou.

Lessons from Ground Zero:Media Response to Terror

It ranked among journalism's finest hours. That is what was heard in the weeks following September 11, 2001. They made mistakes, of course, but in covering one of the biggest disasters ever to hit the United States, journalists used their training, their experience, their understanding, and their sensitivity to provide coverage that helped bring understanding and a sense of calm to the chaos. Their performance did not end with reporting the immediate impact of the catastrophe. They continued to analyze what happened, the impact to property and human lives, the impact on government and foreign relations. Lessons from Ground Zero's examines journalism's efforts to cover a crisis, while analyzing journalism itself. Many lessons were evident to journalists as they sought to cope with the challenges of covering 9/11. The long-term question, however, is whether the answers they found served as catalysts for better journalism in the future, or whether they have been forgotten, put into the closet of old memories with no noticeable long-term impact. This book analyzes journalists' response to 9/11 through scholarly research and interviews with many of the journalists who covered 9/11. Sometimes they do not agree, but all are thoughtful and each adds to understanding. Public opinion polls show clearly that citizens appreciated and responded to media coverage. Given that this occurred in a time frame in which public approval of American journalism had declined, it is reasonable to ask what the media did that was different from their normal practices. This book provides some of the answers.

Portraits 9/11/01

Poignant and personal remembrances, celebrating the lives of the World Trade Center victims. Few aspects of The New York Times's coverage of September 11 and of all that has followed have attracted as much comment as "Portraits of Grief." A page or two buried deep in the B section every day for 15 weeks, the series profiled the lives lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and has become a story in itself, becoming required reading for many, the world over. Beginning on Sept. 14, a half-dozen Times reporters began working from a stack of 100 missing person fliers collected from points around the World Trade Center site. They crafted profiles--stories containing short but signature details of the lives they strove to present. These portraits transcend race, class, and gender lines and tell of the old and the young, praising their individuality while at the same time cutting through their differences to capture the poignancy of their shared similarity: life cut short in an American tragedy. The stories have become a source of connection and consolation, a focus for the sorrow of readers both reeling from disbelief and searching for support. To paraphrase "Portraits" reporter Charlie LeDuff, there's more than one Ground Zero--there are thousands of Ground Zeros. Portraits: 9/11/01, a collection of the over 1,800 profiles published in the Times, helps us visit them all.

Women Journalists at Ground Zero

Women Journalists at Ground Zero tells the rich and moving stories of 24 journalists who reported from New York City, Washington, D.C., and the Pittsburgh area during and following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Recounting their professional and personal experiences in reporting a disaster of great magnitude, these television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and photojournalists--from local reporters to journalists and producers at major media organizations like CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, the New York Times, and the Associated Press--show us how the news "happened" and what it takes to cover crisis. Featured journalists include: Rehema Ellis, NBC, New York City Cynthia McFadden, ABC, New York City Ann Compton, ABC, White House Press Corps Judy Woodruff, CNN, Washington, D.C. Rose Arce, CNN, New York City Susan Sachs, New York Times, New York City Suzanne Plunkett, Associated Press, New York City Mika Brzezinski, CBS, New York City Emily Longnecker, WTAJ-TV, Altoona, Pennsylvania Kerry Nolan, WNYC Radio, New York City Charlotte Hall, Newsday, Long Island, New York Susan Harrigan, Newsday, New York City Lesli Foster, WUSA-TV, Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, New York City Miriam Falco, CNN, New York City Gabrielle DeRose, KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Beth Fertig, WNYC Radio, New York City Amy Eddings, WNYC Radio, New York City Amy Sancetta, Associated Press, New York City Gulnara Samoilova, Associated Press, New York City Beth A. Keiser, Associated Press, New York City Madge Stager, Associated Press, New York City Elizabeth McNeil, People magazine, New York City Fannie Weinstein, People magazine, New York City

After 9/11: America's War on Terror

Working from news reports drawn from international media, the authors behind the New York Times bestseller The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation depict in real time the critical events, decision makers, and consequences of America's war on terror.

Research & Reference

9/11: Inside Air Force One

Takes viewers aboard Air Force One and into the cockpits, command centers and underground bunkers across the country on one of the most challenging, confusing and terrifying days.

Source: Kanopy