It was an unsuspecting day, like most days are, and many were doing what those who are unaware of any impending danger do: living their lives.Everyone, including those boarding four flights bound for California, was just as unsuspecting — never imagining their lives would soon be abruptly cut short.The morning of September 11 2001 saw 19 al-Qaeda terrorists inconspicuously boarding four separate flights at different airports, despite a few being stopped for security screenings, having their bags checked, then being given the okay to board their flights. Two of the flights the terrorists took were bound from Boston Logan International Airport to Los Angeles (LA): American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175.These planes would be the first to go down, crashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City, taking many people in the towers and all aboard the planes along with them. .On flight 11, five terrorists — Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz al-Omari, Wail al-Shehri, Waleed al-Shehri, and Satam al-Suqami — boarded the flight, which took off around 7:59 am.It was around 8:14 am —15 or so minutes after the initial takeoff — the hijacking of the plane occurred, the hijackers stabbing two unarmed flight attendants and one passenger, while threatening passengers with a bomb.Many of the testimonies of the goings-on were thanks to accounts from multiple flight attendants who had called the American Airlines office during the hijacking. Minutes before the crash, at 8:44 am, cabin crew member Madeline “Amy” Sweeney described an eerie picture..“Something is wrong. We are in rapid descent… we are all over the place,” she recounted to the American Airlines operator. "We are flying low — we are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low.”A few moments passed before she made what would be her last recorded statement, "Oh my God we are way too low.”The line then cuts off — the plane crashing into the North Tower of the WTC at 8:46 am, hitting and destroying the 93rd to 99th floors of the 110-floor building, killing many instantly and leaving hundreds trapped. .Around the same time, at 8:14 am, United Airlines Flight 175 took off to LA from Boston 56 passengers onboard, including another five al-Qaeda terrorists: Marwan al-Shehhi, Fayez Banihammad, Mohand al-Shehri, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and Ahmed al-Ghamdi.The hijackers attacked around 8:42 to 8:46 am, 30-odd minutes after the plane's initial flight, killing and injuring innocent members of the flight crew and both pilots, while threatening passengers with a bomb.During the chaos, in Easton, Connecticut, one man, Lee Hanson got a two calls from his son, Peter, who was aboard the Flight 175.The first call by Peter warned Lee Hanson the plane had been hijacked and to alert United Airlines, and the last, provided a more detailed account.At nine o'clock in the morning, Peter told his father, unaware this would likely be his last words, "It's getting bad Dad — a stewardess was stabbed."."They seem to have knives and mace. They said they had a bomb.""It's getting very bad on the plane; passengers are throwing up and getting sick; the plane is making jerky movements.""I don't think the pilot is flying the plane — I think we are going down.""I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building.""Don't worry, Dad — if it happens, it'll be very fast. My God, my God.".Lee Hanson heard a woman screaming in the background before the line cut off.It was at 9:03 am that United Airlines flight 175 struck the 110-floor South Tower of the WTC, ravaging the 77th to 85th floors.Upon impact, hundreds of people within the tower and all aboard the plane, were killed instantaneously. What's most remarkable about the moments prior to the disaster is witness accounts that portrayed that morning in New York City as being a sunny, clear-skied, and beautiful — almost blissfully so..Though not long after workers started their day at the WTC, thick smoke would envelop the two buildings, swallowing them whole, until the two towers would collapse, spreading debris and smoke to the surrounding areas of the city.After the initial attack on the North Tower, the explosion and jet fuel concocted black smoke which enveloped the upper floors and roof of the tower, spreading towards the south building.People on the 92nd floor and above were trapped, unable to descend, some even stuck in elevators.It was reported that a minute after the explosion, the building authority announced a complete evacuation, though due to building damage, this was not heard in many areas of the building..This contributed to much uncertainty in the building, some still capable of descending but confused about whether to wait for rescue or attempt to leave.Within 10 minutes of the plane's impact, isolated fires were reported, with those trapped facing insufferable heat, smoke, and fire, and no prospects of relief — causing some to jump from the building, captured by photographers in horrifying images and video.According to the Daily Mail, an estimated 50 to 200 people jumped off the towers, either accidentally or purposefully, intermittently descending to their deaths over a period of 90 minutes. Prior the south tower being hit, many people evacuated, though a public announcement, around 10 minutes before the attack on the South Tower was made telling workers to stay within the building..The reason for the instructions — no one could fathom another plane would hit.According to one of the first fire chiefs to arrive at the scene, such a scenario was "beyond [their] consciousness."This meant when the second plane hit the south tower, many civilians were still in the building, others even reversing evacuation and going back up.Less than a minute before the plane's assault, people were advised to evacuate, but this would prove too late for many. .The South Tower was the first to collapse, 56 minutes after the plane made impact with the building, at 9:59 am.The North Tower collapsed 29 minutes after, at 10:28 am.The collapse had a catastrophic impact on the surrounding area and structure, with a grey cloud of the tower's debris swallowing everything in sight whole.Only 16 people still in the towers survived that day, with almost 10,000 treated for injuries, many being severe..In total, an estimated 50,000 worked in both WTC towers, with an average of 40,000 visiting the complex daily.The 9/11 terrorist attack on the twin towers killed an estimated 2,606 people.Back in Arlington County, Virginia, another hijacked flight, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, at 9:37 am.Five hijackers, Hani Hanjour, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Salem al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Midhar, and Majed Moqed, along with all passengers aboard the plane, were killed, as well as many civilians and military personnel in the Pentagon itself, an estimated total of 184 people..The last plane, United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, is the only plane that did not hit its target of the Pentagon — thanks to a passenger revolt.Despite the four terrorists — Ziad Jarrah, Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Nami, and Ahmed al-Haznawi — stabbing two people on board and threatening a bomb, passengers fought back in the last minutes prior to crashing.At 10:02 am, hijackers reportedly sensed passengers may overcome them, jerking the plane head down, plummeting it into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; no one survived.Despite this, the hijackers' objectives were defeated by unarmed passengers..In the aftermath, the US government closed American airspace — which meant planes destined for the US needed another destination.One of those alternate destinations was Gander, Newfoundland, a town of no more than 10,000 residents, welcoming 38 aircraft with over 6,000 passengers, welcoming them with Canadian hospitality. Residents opened their homes, schools, churches, and community facilities to passengers needing a place to stay, with most staying there for up to five days.This heartwarming story inspired the Canadian musical, Come From Away, which recounts the events in Gander following 9/11..Witnessing the events of 9/11 and the countless innocent lives lost, many came to the stark realization — if they had not already — no matter how normal and mundane it seems at the time, life can be irreversibly taken at any moment.
