What Happened on 9/11

Multiple studies have found that many American schools are not teaching students in depth about the four coordinated terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. A decade after 9/11, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement conducted research on school curriculum and found "a startling lack of detail about what actually happened on 9/11."

As NPR noted in 2017, one survey of how the attacks were being taught in schools found that “only about 20 states include anything in depth about the events of that fateful day in their high school social studies curriculum.”

As highlighted by Time, “a 2017 analysis of state high school social-studies academic standards in the 50 states and the District of Columbia noted that 26 specifically mentioned the 9/11 attacks, nine mentioned terrorism or the war on terror, and 16 didn’t mention 9/11 or terrorism-related examples at all.”

Related reading: “9/11 and the War on Terror in Curriculum and States Standards Documents Data Set” – Jeremy Stoddard et al

September 11, 2001 is one of the most important dates in American history, marking “the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in U.S. history.” The terror plot consisted of four coordinated attacks involving the hijacking of four different planes intended to strike four high-profile targets.

The 19 Islamic terrorists who carried out the coordinated attacks were organized by the Osama bin Laden-led terrorist group al-Qaeda and drawn from four Muslim-majority countries: Saudi Arabia (15), United Arab Emirates (2), Egypt (1) and Lebanon (1).

The four hijacked planes were cross-country flights, thus their tanks were filled to capacity with jet fuel. Within a few hours after takeoff, the terrorists had hijacked the planes and had used them to kill nearly 3,000 people.

The Sept. 11 attacks resulted in a staggering number of lives lost. History.com provides some of the tragic figures: “A total of 2,996 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers aboard the four airplanes. Citizens of 78 countries died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. At the World Trade Center, 2,763 died after the two planes slammed into the twin towers. That figure includes 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. At the Pentagon, 189 people were killed, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that struck the building. On Flight 93, 44 people died when the plane crash-landed in Pennsylvania.”

Related reading: “9/11 Timeline” – History.com

At 8:46 a.m., the first hijacked plane — American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston with 92 people aboard — crashed into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the international symbol of America’s economic power.

At 9:03 a.m., the second hijacked plane — United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston with 65 people aboard — crashed into floors 75-85 of the South Tower. The two planes that hit the Twin Towers ignited fires that burned hot enough to compromise the buildings' structural integrity.

At 9:37 a.m., the third hijacked plane — American Airlines Flight 77 from Dulles International Airport with 64 people aboard — crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military.

At 10:07 a.m., the fourth hijacked plane — Flight 93 from Newark International Airport with 40 passengers aboard — crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after brave passengers mounted a valiant attempt to retake it.

The passengers of Flight 93 had just enough time to learn via their cell phones of the other 9/11 terror attacks. Some of the passengers were also able to contact loved ones before mounting their attempt to retake the plane. Flight 93 likely had been heading for either the White House or the U.S. Capitol before the passengers sacrificed themselves to prevent the terrorists from taking even more lives. Unarmed, the passengers fought the terrorists, crashing the plane in an empty field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Related reading: “The Extraordinary Last Calls of UA93” – The Telegraph

The al-Qaeda terrorists who carried out the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 were all either from wealthy or middle-class families.

Under the direction of Osama bin Laden, the terror group attacked the U.S. in an attempt to undermine America’s position as the guardian of freedom in the West. Bin Laden enjoyed massive popularity among Islamic radicals following the attack, but America’s War on Terror forced him to remain in hiding till his death.

Related reading: “The 9/11 Commission Report” – U.S. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden hoped the 9/11 terror attacks would demonstrate that Americans were simply "paper tigers" and lacked the will to safeguard their liberties and people.

Instead, President George W. Bush famously declared in a national address on Sept. 12 the beginning of the American-led War on Terror. “The United States of America will use all our resources to conquer this enemy,” said President Bush. “We will rally the world. We will be patient. We’ll be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination. This battle will take time and resolve, but make no mistake about it, we will win.”

In August 2010, under President Barack Obama’s order, American Navy SEALs raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and shot bin Laden in the head and chest. The terrorist died instantly.