9/11 The Tragic Event That Changed History By: Chandler Kelser

What was 9/11 It was a normal day like any other. People going to work. Children going to school. Then it hit. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center.Within two hours, the buildings had fallen. Debris everywhere.Then a third plane crashed into the Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Defense Department. Finally, a fourth plane aimed to crash into the United States Capitol, but landed somewhere in Shanksville. About 3,000 people died. 277 were civilians. 19 of them were hijackers.This was the deadliest incident for firefighters.The United States were being attacked.

Who Were The Attackers The series of four terrorist attacks was launched by Islamic group al-Qaeda. Suspicion fell quickly on al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden denied any involvement, but in 2004 he claimed responsibility for the attacks. Countries around the world had strengthened anti- terrorism legislation and law enforcement powers.

Recovery from 9/11 Recovery from the 9/11 disaster took months to complete and rescue the citizens. Clean- up was not completed until May 2002 and fires took weeks to put out. Providing financial assistance is still ongoing for the survivors of 9/11.

Capturing Osama bin Laden In a taped statement, bin Laden acknowledged al-Qaeda’s involvement in the attacks on the United States of America and admitted his connection to the attacks. After a 10-year manhunt, al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been captured and killed by American special forces.

Remembering 9/11 Many memorials are held around the world. One of the first memorials was Tribute in light, where they put 88 lights where the World Trade Center used to be. Then there is Reflecting Absence, it consists of shimmering reflecting pools, list the names of all that had lost their lives. Next, there is the Pentagon Memorial which consists of 184 park benches and a landscape park. And finally, there is Flight 93 National Memorial which includes a sculpted grove of trees forming a circle around the crash site.

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