On September 11, 2001, militants who were associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four planes; two of which flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. 2,606 were killed in the World Trade Center, with history.com stating that the impact had left a burning gape hole near the 80th floor. Hundreds of people died during that day and a hundred more were trapped on the higher floors. The 9/11 attack is referred to as the single deadliest terrorist attack for both human history and for firefighters.

As the tragic event on September 11 reached its 20th anniversary, the 9/11 memorial and museum remains as a commemoration celebrated annually. Hundreds of people on Saturday gathered in Lower Manhattan at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in the spot where the World Trade Center’s twin towers once stood. President Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and their wives arrived at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to commemorate its 20th anniversary. They wore blue ribbons and held their hands over their hearts as a procession marched a flag through the memorial as the names of the victims were read. On the day of its anniversary, the relatives of victims and 4 U.S. Presidents paid their respects at the sites of the hijacked planes’ destinations.  “As we carry these 20 years forward, I find sustenance in a continuing appreciation for all of those who rose to be more than ordinary people,” said Mike Low, whose daughter, Sara Low, was a flight attendant on one of the planes. 

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on the day of this tragic and brutal event. 2,606 died at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 more were found dead in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A moment of silence was observed and after this, the names of the victims were read aloud by the family members who shared memories of their loved ones. “We saw heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.” said President Joe Biden. “We also saw something all too rare: a true sense of national unity,”.

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