On 11 September 2001, attackers hijacked four passenger planes in the United States. Two hit the World Trade Center towers in New York, one hit the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including 343 New York firefighters. A memorial now stands where the towers were.
September 11 quick facts
- The attacks happened on the morning of 11 September 2001, in under two hours.
- Four planes were hijacked. Two hit the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, one crashed in Pennsylvania.
- Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including 343 New York firefighters.
- Passengers on the fourth plane fought back, and it never reached its target.
- Two pools now sit in the exact footprints of the towers, with every victim’s name cut into the bronze around them.
On 11 September 2001, four aeroplanes were hijacked in the United States. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
It is a hard thing to read about. If it upsets you, that is a normal way to feel, and talking to a grown-up about it is a good idea.
What happened that morning
It was an ordinary Tuesday morning. Then, over about ninety minutes, four passenger planes were taken over by attackers.
| Time | What happened |
|---|---|
| 8:46 am | A plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York |
| 9:03 am | A second plane hit the South Tower |
| 9:37 am | A third plane hit the Pentagon, near Washington DC |
| 9:59 am | The South Tower came down, 56 minutes after it was hit |
| 10:03 am | A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania |
| 10:28 am | The North Tower came down, 102 minutes after it was hit |
Both towers of the World Trade Center came down that morning. They were among the tallest buildings in the world.
Look at the gap in that table. The South Tower stood for 56 minutes after it was hit, and the North Tower for 102 minutes. That time was not wasted. Between 16,400 and 18,000 people were in the World Trade Center when the planes struck, and the 9/11 Memorial says the vast majority of them got out safely.
They got out because people helped them. Office workers carried colleagues down dozens of flights of stairs. Firefighters and police officers climbed up those same stairs while everyone else was coming down.
The attacks were planned by a group called al-Qaeda. Nineteen men carried them out.
The people who died
In all, 2,977 people were killed, from 90 different countries. 2,753 died in New York, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 on Flight 93.
They were people of every age and background, going about an ordinary working day. Each one had family and friends who loved them, and who still remember them every year.
The fourth plane
The fourth plane was United Airlines Flight 93. It never reached the place the attackers were aiming for.
The passengers and crew used phones to call home. That is how they learned what had already happened in New York.
Knowing that, they decided to fight back and try to reach the cockpit. The plane came down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone on board died.
Their choice almost certainly saved many lives on the ground. A national memorial stands in that field today.
It is called the Flight 93 National Memorial. A Wall of Names stands at the crash site. Near the entrance is the Tower of Voices, about 28 metres (93 feet) tall. It holds 40 wind chimes, one for each of the 40 passengers and crew members, and the National Park Service says there is no other chime structure like it in the world.
The tower was dedicated in 2018, and its 40 chimes were added in 2020.
The Park Service says the actions of those 40 people stopped an attack on the US Capitol, the building in Washington DC where Congress meets.
The people who ran towards it
While thousands of people hurried out of the towers, firefighters, police officers and paramedics went in.
343 New York firefighters died that day. So did dozens of police officers and paramedics.
Office workers helped each other down darkened stairwells. Boats of every kind sailed to Manhattan and carried around half a million people off the island, in the largest sea rescue ever recorded.
The danger did not end that day. Thick dust filled the air for months, and many rescue workers later became seriously ill from breathing it. The New York fire department has now lost more members to those illnesses than it lost on the day itself.
How it is remembered
Where the two towers stood there are now two enormous square pools, set into their exact footprints. Water falls down all four sides of each one.
Around the edges, the name of every person killed is cut through the bronze. On a person’s birthday, staff place a single white rose beside their name.
The Memorial opened on 11 September 2011, ten years after the attacks. Each pool is nearly an acre in size, and their waterfalls are the largest made by people in North America. The names also include the six people killed in an earlier bombing of the World Trade Center, on 26 February 1993.
Every year on 11 September, the names are read aloud. The reading takes several hours.
The Tribute in Light
Every year, from dusk to dawn on the night of 11 September, two beams of light shine up from lower Manhattan, where the two towers stood.
The beams come from 88 powerful lamps arranged in two squares. They reach up to about 6 km into the sky and can be seen from up to about 100 km away. The Tribute in Light was first shown six months after the attacks, and it has returned every year since.
Each lamp uses a 7,000-watt bulb, and the lamps are set out in two squares, each about 15 metres across, one for each tower.
The Survivor Tree
A month after the attacks, workers clearing the site found a pear tree crushed under the rubble. It had snapped branches and burned roots.
It was taken to a park nursery in the Bronx and cared for there for nine years. In 2010 it was replanted at the memorial.
You can still see the join where the old, burnt wood meets the new growth. It flowers every spring, and people call it the Survivor Tree.
What changed afterwards
Airport security changed all over the world. The long queues, the bag scanners and the rules about liquids all date from after 2001.
Remembering and Rebuilding
- The attacks Four planes are hijacked, and both towers of the World Trade Center fall.
- Tribute in Light Two beams of light shine up from where the towers stood, for the first time.
- Survivor Tree The pear tree rescued from the rubble is replanted at the memorial.
- The Memorial The 9/11 Memorial opens where the towers stood.
- A new tower One World Trade Center opens on the site.
- Tower of Voices A tower of wind chimes is dedicated at the Flight 93 memorial.
The United States and other countries went to war in Afghanistan, and later in Iraq. Those wars lasted many years.
A new building went up at the site. One World Trade Center opened in 2014 and stands 1,776 feet tall, a number chosen for the year the United States declared independence.
Questions people often ask
Children who learn about 9/11 usually want to know whether it could happen again, and whether flying is safe.
Flying is one of the safest ways to travel, and a great deal was changed afterwards to keep it that way. Cockpit doors are now locked and reinforced.
If reading about this leaves you worried, tell someone. Adults would far rather answer your questions than have you carry them alone.
Who Helped, and How?
- Firefighters, police officers and paramedics — Went into the towers while thousands hurried out
- Office workers — Helped each other down darkened stairwells
- Ferries, tugs and fishing boats — Carried about half a million people off Manhattan
- Nursery workers in the Bronx — Cared for the Survivor Tree for nine years
Explore more history in our guides on KidzFeed.
Did you know? A month after the attacks, workers found a pear tree crushed in the rubble with burned roots and broken branches. It was taken to a nursery in the Bronx and nursed for nine years, then replanted at the memorial in 2010. You can still see where the burnt old wood meets the new growth. It flowers every spring, and people call it the Survivor Tree.
Try it
Around half a million people were carried off Manhattan by boat that day, in the largest sea rescue ever recorded. Ordinary ferries, tugs and fishing boats simply turned up. Think about why people who were not asked to help decided to anyway.
Knowledge check
What happened to the fourth plane on 9/11?
Show answer
United Airlines Flight 93 never reached its target. Passengers and crew phoned home, learned what had already happened in New York, and decided to fight back and try to reach the cockpit. The plane came down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and everyone on board died. Their choice almost certainly saved many lives on the ground.
How is 9/11 remembered today?
Show answer
Two large pools sit in the exact footprints of the towers, with water falling down all four sides. The name of every person killed is cut into the bronze around the edges, and a white rose is placed beside a name on that person’s birthday. Every year on 11 September the names are read aloud.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on September 11, 2001?
Attackers hijacked four passenger planes in the United States. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York, one into the Pentagon near Washington DC, and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Both towers fell. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
How many people died on 9/11?
Nearly 3,000 people. Among them were 343 New York firefighters, along with dozens of police officers and paramedics who went into the buildings while others were coming out. Many rescue workers later became seriously ill from the dust, and the New York fire department has now lost more members to those illnesses than it lost on the day.
Why did the fourth plane crash in a field?
Because the passengers and crew fought back. They had phoned home and learned what had already happened in New York, so they tried to reach the cockpit. The plane came down near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, before reaching its target. A national memorial stands in that field today.
What is the 9/11 Memorial?
It is built where the towers stood. Two enormous square pools sit in the exact footprints of the buildings, with water falling down all four sides, and every victim’s name is cut through the bronze around the edges. There is also a museum on the site.
What is the Survivor Tree?
A pear tree found crushed in the rubble a month after the attacks, with burned roots and snapped branches. It was cared for at a nursery in the Bronx for nine years and replanted at the memorial in 2010. The join between the old burnt wood and the new growth is still visible, and it flowers every spring.
Is flying still safe after 9/11?
Yes. Flying remains one of the safest ways to travel, and a great deal changed afterwards to keep it that way. Cockpit doors are now locked and reinforced, and airport security is far stricter. If reading about this leaves you worried, it helps to talk to an adult about it.
What is the Tribute in Light?
The Tribute in Light is two beams of light that shine up from lower Manhattan from dusk to dawn every 11 September. They come from 88 lamps, reach up to about 6 km into the sky and can be seen from about 100 km away.
What is the Tower of Voices?
The Tower of Voices is a tower about 28 metres (93 feet) tall at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. It holds 40 wind chimes, one for each passenger and crew member who died on Flight 93.
Sources
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum: FAQs — how many people were killed, where, and how many countries they came from
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum — the Survivor Tree, the annual reading of the names and the white rose tradition.
- US National Park Service: Flight 93 National Memorial — the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93, the Wall of Names and the Capitol
- Britannica: September 11 attacks — the sequence of events and what followed.
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum: the Memorial — when the Memorial opened, the pools and waterfalls, and the 1993 victims
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum: Tribute in Light — the lamps, how high the beams reach and how far they can be seen
- National Park Service: Tower of Voices — the tower’s height, its 40 chimes, and when it was dedicated and completed.
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum: events of the day — the collapse times and how long each tower stood.
What We Remember
- Why were six more names added to the 9/11 Memorial?
- Why is One World Trade Center 1,776 feet tall?
- What changed at airports after 2001?
- What is the Tribute in Light?
- Why do people call the pear tree at the memorial the Survivor Tree?
- What does the article suggest if reading about 9/11 leaves you worried?
