September‑11‑pentagon‑attack‑survivors‑evacuation Archives ‑ History.com

9/11: How Air Traffic Controllers Managed the Crisis in the Skies

The weather in the northeastern United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was what air traffic controllers describe as “severe clear.” A high‑pressure system had blown the previous day’s storms out to sea; skies were an intense cobalt blue. “A severe clear day means that you’re going to have a great day […]

The World Trade Center, by the Numbers

When the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers opened to the public in 1973, they were the tallest buildings in the world. Even before they became iconic features of the New York City skyline, they reflected America’s soaring ambition, innovation and technological prowess. The towers’ eye‑popping statistics amply illustrate that ambition: They rose a quarter‑mile in […]

After 9/11: 5 Cultural Moments That Helped Americans Move Forward

While the United States was still reeling after the September 11 terrorist attacks, it was the country’s comedians, musicians and screen stars, along with a symbolic sports moment, that played a prominent initial role in helping America collectively process its shock and grief. Pop culture’s response to the attacks was all the more remarkable because […]

7 Facts About the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing

The attack by a group of Islamic fundamentalists announced the growing threat of terrorism on US soil.

The World Trade Center’s Construction: 8 Surprising Facts

In early 1962, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officially authorized a plan to build the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, it came just months after President John F. Kennedy announced the U.S. goal of sending astronauts to the moon. The vision for the seven‑building complex—which would cost an estimated $470 […]

The Bin Laden Raid: Inside the Situation Room Photo

In the universe of historic photographs, few are more iconic this this image of key White House policymakers watching and waiting for confirmation that SEAL Team Six had succeeded in capturing or killing Osama bin Laden. Although this photo is known as the “Situation Room” picture, White House photographer Pete Souza actually took it squeezed […]

8 Facts About Osama bin Laden’s Final Hideout

It took nearly a decade following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. for American intelligence authorities to realize that al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden—mastermind of the 9/11 plot—hadn’t been skulking in a cave or a remote tribal area of Pakistan. For about the last five years of […]

Why Did US Forces Bury Osama Bin Laden’s Body at Sea?

On May 2, 2011, the United States military killed and buried Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader behind the 9/11 attacks. U.S. Special Operations troops took him out during a raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where he and some of his family were hiding out. After identifying his body, the military brought […]

9 Unexpected Things Navy SEALs Discovered in Osama bin Laden’s Compound

From al Qaeda emails to Disney films to pornography, the terrorist leader had a wide array of diversions in his Pakistan hideout.

How SEAL Team Six Took Out Osama bin Laden

The operation to kill the world’s most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training.