Changes

The sheer-audacity of the attack and the heavy loss of life that resulted from it caused the Bush Adminstration to declare a war on terror with the determination to hunt down terrorists world-wide; within two months of September 11, [[Afghanistan]] was completely occupied by American forces, driving the ruling Taliban from power and causing the main suspect of the attacks, [[Osama bin Laden]], to flee into hiding.

The sheer-audacity of the attack and the heavy loss of life that resulted from it caused the Bush Adminstration to declare a war on terror with the determination to hunt down terrorists world-wide; within two months of September 11, [[Afghanistan]] was completely occupied by American forces, driving the ruling Taliban from power and causing the main suspect of the attacks, [[Osama bin Laden]], to flee into hiding.

==The Attacks==

==The hijacking==

[[Image:9-11.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

[[Image:9-11.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

<!-- I have purposefully left this time-line limited to the physical events of the day as response time or lack thereof could be seen as partisan.  Feel free to add to the time-line. -->

All 19 hijackers boarded the planes on the morning of September 11, having carefully chosen flights whose routes would be transcontinental.  Two planes flew out of Boston's Logan Airport, one flew from Washington's Dulles International Airport, and the fourth left an airport in Newark, New Jersey.

*8:46 a.m. EDT - American Airlines Flight 11 (Boeing 767-200) crashed into the 94-98th floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC 1).

**Casualties - 11 crew, 81 passengers.

American Airlines Flight 11 left Logan Airport around 8 AM, carrying 11 crew and 81 passengers; its destination was Los Angeles, California. United Airlines Flight 175 left Logan a few minutes later, carrying 9 crew and 56 passengers, and also on a flight to Los Angeles.  Both aircraft were the 767-200, manufactured by the Boeing Company.

 

At 8:25 AM Boston air traffic controllers heard a strange voice from Flight 11: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you will be OK. We are returning to the airport."  The plane then headed south toward New York City; at 8:46 AM the plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center between the 93 and 99th floors.  Sixteen minutes later, at 9:03 AM, Flight 175 crashed into the south tower - at a greater speed and more oblique angle - between the 77th and 85th floors.

 

The impact of the crashes took out any hope of getting to victims and survivors on the affected floors and the floors above; many people desperate to get away from the smoke and fire jumped.  Both towers were designed to survive the impact of a 1960s-era jet, but the Boeing 767 was larger and carried more fuel; it was determined later that the heat from the burning fuel weakened the central steel structure and supports. At 9:59 am the south tower collasped; the upper floors had lost support in the damaged area and fell - pancake style - to the ground.  At 10:29 AM the north tower fell in a similar manner.  The death toll was around 2,750, including more than 300 firefighters and 100 police officers and other rescue workers.

*9:37 a.m. EDT - American Airlines Flight 77 (Boeing 757-200) crashed into the Pentagon.

*9:37 a.m. EDT - American Airlines Flight 77 (Boeing 757-200) crashed into the Pentagon.

As a matter of course, the deaths of the 19 [[suicide|hijackers]] are not included in these casualty totals.

As a matter of course, the deaths of the 19 [[suicide|hijackers]] are not included in these casualty totals.

==Economic Impact==

==Economic Impact==