September 11, 2021 is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
On that morning, four commercial airliners traveling from the northeastern United States to California were hijacked mid-flight by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. The hijackers were organized into three groups of five hijackers and one group of four. Each group had one hijacker who had received flight training and took over control of the aircraft. Their explicit goal was to crash each plane into a prominent American building, causing mass casualties and partial or complete destruction of the targeted buildings.
Wikipedia, “September 11 attacks“
More information on the attacks and the aftermath is available at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum website.
Below, you can find official government records regarding the September 11 attacks. The Apache Junction Public Library is a Federal Depository Library allowing free access to our collection.
Land-Markings: 12 Journeys Through 9/11 Living Memorials (PDF)
…a multimedia exhibition that compresses four years of research data and analysis on over 700 living memorials into 12 digitally authored journeys. Social science researchers, urban ecologists, designers, and architects collaborated in order to collect, analyze, and present this dispersed collective response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
World Trade Center Disaster Study
On August 21, 2002, with funding from the U.S. Congress through FEMA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced its building and fire safety investigation of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster that occured on September 11, 2001
Civil Rights Concerns In the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Area In the Aftermath of the September 11, 2001 Tragedies (PDF)
The September 11 tragedies perpetrated by terrorists from Middle Eastern countries led to a surge in hate violence and discrimination against persons of Middle Eastern descent and Muslims, and by extension, South Asians, Sikhs, and others mistakenly perceived to be part of the Islamic community living in the United States. At the same time, the federal government’s nationwide response in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks spurred new national policies, laws, and administrative directives that appeared to rights advocates as having devastating consequences for civil rights protections for residents and potential immigrants.
Pentagon 9/11 (PDF)
What happened at the Pentagon that day and for days afterwards is a compelling story of trauma and tragedy as well as courage and caring and an instructive case study in coping with such appalling contingencies. Any history of this event must relate the resolve and fortitude exhibited by the military and civilians most immediately affected as well as the indispensable help that came from thousands of responders in the aftermath.
The Role of the Army Reserve in the 11 September Attacks: New York City (PDF)
We in the Army Reserve are particularly proud of our own who displayed the highest qualities of courage and selflessness on 11 September, whether that meant rushing into the World Trade Center, regardless of personal safety concerns, helping injured comrades out of the burning Pentagon or organizing rescue and recovery activities.