On September 11th, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the World Trade Centers, impacting America for years to come.

The 19 skyjackers easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports, hijacked the four planes after they took off, and then proceeded to fly them into the twin towers and the Pentagon. At 8:14 AM, 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda seized four commercial airplanes, crashing two of them into the upper floors of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. One crashed into the Pentagon, and the other landed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was aimed at the Capitol building. However, the Capitol building was not impacted. As a result of the 9/11 attacks, 2,996 people were left dead, including the 19 terrorists on the four planes. The hijackers were from Saudi Arabia (15 hijackers), the United Arab Emirates (two), Lebanon (one), and Egypt (one).

Why would al-Qaeda do this? Al-Qaeda didn’t have the power to destroy the US military, so they set their sights on symbolic targets, such as the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center symbolized America’s economic power and prosperity, and the Pentagon was a symbol of American military power. By attacking these symbols of power, they hoped to spread fear throughout the United States, which they established.

9/11 Survivor, Genelle Guzman-McMillan, says, “On September 11, I always take the day off. I want to be in a peaceful quiet place praying. It is a day I both mourn and celebrate.’’ Another survivor, Michael Bloomberg, said on the anniversary of 9/11, “Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then, we’ve lived in sunshine and shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost. ” Even though this event was a tragic one for many, the people of the United States are still searching for their peace to this day.