25 Years Since September 11: The Attacks That Changed the World

A quarter-century has passed since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks transformed the global landscape. On that fateful day, 19 Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airliners. They intentionally crashed two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and a third into the Pentagon, while the fourth downed in Pennsylvania. The strikes claimed 2,977 lives.

The attacks commenced at 8:46 AM when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the WTC North Tower. Just 17 minutes later, at 9:03 AM, United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower. By 9:37 AM, American Airlines Flight 77 rammed into the Pentagon near Washington. The WTC South Tower collapsed at 9:59 AM. Meanwhile, passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, having learned about the other hijackings, courageously fought back, causing the plane to crash in a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field at 10:03 AM. Shortly after, at 10:28 AM, the North Tower collapsed.

The tragic tally of 2,977 victims - representing citizens from 90 nations - included 2,753 people in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 aboard Flight 93.

This catastrophe reshaped international relations. It prompted the United States to launch a worldwide anti-terrorism crusade, beginning with the military intervention in Afghanistan. The events permanently intensified global airport security standards and elevated counter-terrorism to a primary national defense priority worldwide.

Today, New York hosts a 25th-anniversary commemoration at the World Trade Center memorial, where victims' families gather to read the names of the fallen. For the first time, seven moments of silence will be observed: six marking the precise times of the impacts, collapses, and the Shanksville crash, and a seventh honoring the first responders and recovery workers who subsequently succumbed to toxic exposure illnesses. The day concludes with the iconic Tribute in Light, projecting two luminous beams into the Manhattan sky to symbolize the lost Twin Towers—a tradition maintained annually since its debut six months after the tragedy.