Today, September 11, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a series of terrorist attacks carried out against the U.S. by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, on September 11, 2001.
Four aircraft, two 767s and two 757s, were hijacked, and three of them (AAL11, UAL175, and AAL77) hit their targets, those being the World Trade Center towers in New York City, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. One of the aircraft, United Airlines flight UAL93, was most likely intended to hit the Capitol Building or the White House, but the passengers heard about the earlier attacks, and revolted. The hijackers subsequently crashed it into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In total, the attacks killed 2,997 people, including the hijackers.
United Airlines flight UAL23, another flight on September 11, which never took off, is believed to have possibly been a fifth aircraft that would have been hijacked, had the FAA not implemented a full ground stop. This is because several of the passengers exhibited suspicious behaviour, and boxcutters were discovered on a neighboring aircraft (which the FBI believes were meant to be on flight 23).
There are many conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11, from those that claim that it was an inside job, to those that claim that Israel was involved in the attacks. Whether you believe them or not, it is important to put these theories aside, and remember that people died on that day, and that we must honor their lives and legacies.
Below are some photos from that day:
Here are some videos about the attacks that I recommend watching:
9/11 attacks in realtime (dashboard) 7:46am-12:00pm
Inside Air Force One During 9/11
In My Seat: The 25th Anniversary of 9/11/2001
Original version:
Playlist of phone calls made on 9/11
Playlist of 9/11 documentaries: