25 Years Later: Remembering the Day That Changed the World

What the report says

Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Nile Post says the United States and the wider world are reflecting on the nearly 3,000 people killed and the long-term changes the assaults brought to global security and international relations. The article marks the anniversary with a review of how the day unfolded and why it remains a defining moment in modern history.

According to the report, 19 al-Qaeda hijackers seized four passenger planes on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Two were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, one hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers tried to retake control. The attacks killed 2,977 people, including passengers, office workers, firefighters, police officers and other first responders.

The piece says the attacks exposed weaknesses in U.S. intelligence-sharing and security, and it links the aftermath to the launch of the U.S. “War on Terror,” including military action in Afghanistan and new airport and government security measures. It also notes broader effects on global counterterrorism cooperation, travel, finance and politics. The article adds that many younger Americans have no personal memory of the attacks, so remembrance now increasingly relies on museums, documentaries and family stories.