22 Years Of 9/11: The Horrible Tragedy, Aftermath And Tributes

On September 11, 2001, the world watched in shock and horror as the unthinkable unfolded before their eyes. It was a day that would forever be etched in the annals of history, a day that changed the course of nations and the lives of millions.

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, an event that 60% of those surveyed in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll said changed Americans¡¯ lives forever.

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The hijacked plane attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives and destroyed thousands of families.

The 9/11 tragedy

On the morning of September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 departed from Boston enroute to California before hijackers crashed them into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, while passengers attempted to overtake United Airlines Flight 93 from hijackers before it crash-landed in Pennsylvania.

The terrorist attacks left 2,977 dead across New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. That total includes the 2,753 who died after the planes struck the Twin Towers, 184 people at the Pentagon and 40 people who died when Flight 93 crash-landed in Pennsylvania.

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The youngest flight passenger who died was Christine Hanson, a 2-year-old on her way to Disneyland on United Airlines Flight 175. The oldest was Robert Norton, 82, who was on American Airlines Flight 11.

Radical Islamic terrorists, trained in Afghanistan as part of Osama bin Laden¡¯s al-Qaida network, hijacked all of four commercial jetliners and aimed them at the emblems of America¡¯s financial and military might.

The 19 hijackers from the militant Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda also died.

The aftermath

A pivotal moment in the quest for justice came on May 2, 2011, when US Navy SEALs executed a night raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

This covert operation led to the death of the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden.

The world watched as the leader of al-Qaeda, responsible for orchestrating one of the deadliest terrorist acts in history, was brought to justice.

The tributes

Americans are looking back at the horror and legacy of 9/11, gathering Monday at memorials, firehouses, city halls and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.

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21 years after the tragedy, commemorations stretch from the attack sites ¡ª at New York¡¯s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania ¡ª to Alaska and beyond.

President Joe Biden is due at a ceremony on a military base in Anchorage.

His visit, en route to Washington, D.C., from a trip to India and Vietnam, is a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero stands as a solemn tribute to the victims, survivors, and heroes of that fateful day. The memorial features two immense reflecting pools set within the footprints of the original Twin Towers, surrounded by bronze panels bearing the names of every person who perished in the 2001 and 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center.

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Additionally, the Tribute in Light has become an iconic symbol of remembrance. Each year on the anniversary of 9/11, twin beams of light soar into the night sky, mirroring the fallen towers and serving as a powerful reminder of the resilience and unity that emerged from tragedy.

In communities across the nation, volunteers participate in acts of service and remembrance on 9/11, emphasizing the importance of coming together and fostering a spirit of goodwill.