I have been thinking about how I best want to memorialize The 10-year anniversary of the attacks on 9/11/01. I have decided that the best way is to post links to significant events that have occurred since 9/11. Before I do that though, let me synopsize the events of September 11th.
September 11th, 2011:
- 8:13 Flight 11, from Logan International Airport, stops all communication.
- 8:14 Flight 175, from Logan Interntional Airport, leaves.
- 8:20 FAA Boston Flight Center decides Flight 11 has been hijacked.
- 8:20 Filght 77 leaves from Washington’s Dulles International Aiport.
- 8:25 Boston Center alerts other flight centers of Flight 11′s Hijacked status.
- 8:34 Boston Center is directed to contact NORAD.
- 8:37 NORAD is notified and Boston requests Military interception of Flight 11.
- 8:42 United Airlines Flight 93 leaves Newark International Airport.
- 8:42 Flight 175 is Hijacked.
- 8:46 Two F-15 Fighter Jets are scrambled from Massachusetts.
- 8:46 Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower (1 WTC).
- 8:48 Approximately 100 people trapped in the upper floor jump to their deaths from the North Tower.
- 8:48 WNYW begins broadcasting footage of the North Tower.
- 8:49 CNN begins broadcasting footage.
- 8:50 NORAD is notified that Flight 11 has struck the tower.
- 8:50 Flight 77 is hijacked.
- 8:54 Flight 77 deviates from its flight path.
- 8:55 President Bush is notified of the plane crashing into the North Tower.
- 8:58 Flight 175 heads towards New York City.
- 9:02 Evacuation of the North Tower is ordered by the FDNY.
- 9:03 Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower (2 WTC).
- 9:03 NORAD is notified of Flight 175′s hijacking.
- 9:04 All Flight Departures in New England and Eastern New York are stopped.
- 9:06 The FAA bans all flights nationwide that are destined in or around New York City.
- 9:14 President Bush enters holding room to see Footage.
- 9:17 The FAA closes all New York City Area airports.
- 9:21 All bridges and tunnels into Manhattan are closed.
- 9:23 Flight 93 receives warning of cockpit intrusions.
- 9:25 The Associated Press informs CNN that the two plane crashes are Terrorist Attacks.
- 9:29 President Bush makes his first public Statements regarding the attacks.
- 9:34 Reagan National Airport tells the Secret Service that Flight 77 is headed towards Reagan International Airport.
- 9:35 Flight 93 starts flying eastward.
- 9:35 Vice President Cheney is ordered to evacuate the White House.
- 9:37 Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.
- 9:39 NBC, and Fox News report explosions at the Pentagon.
- 9:42 The FCC orders the grounding of ALL flights and closes US Airspace.
- 9:43 The White House and Capitol Building are evacuated and closed.
- 9:55 CNN correspondent mentions Osama Bin Laden as someone determined to strike the US.
- 9:57 Passenger Revolt on Flight 93 begins.
- 9:59 The South Tower begins to collapse.
- 10:00 FDNY are ordered to evacuate the North Tower.
- 10:02 CNN reports that the Sears Tower in Chicago, IL has been Evacuated.
- 10:03 Flight 93 Crashes in southeastern Pennsylvania.
- 10:10 Part of the West Side of the Pentagon collapses.
- 10:13 Thousands are evacuated from the United Nations Complex in New York City.
- 10:20 President Bush authorizes planes to be shot down if necessary.
- 10:28 The North Tower begins to collapse.
- 10:35 Airforce One turns for Barksdsale Air Force Base in Lousiana.
- 10:37 The Mall of America is evacuated.
- 10:43 New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani orders an evacuation of Lower Manhattan.
- 11:05 The FAA confirms several planes have been hijacked.
- 11:16 American Airlines confirms the loss of its two aircraft.
- 11:26 United Airlines confirms loss of Flight 93 and “deeply concerned” about Flight 175.
- 11:53 United Airlines confirms loss of two aircraft.
- 11:55 The border between the US and Mexico is put on high alert, but not closed.
- 12:04 LAX is shutdown.
- 12:15 SFO is shutdown.
- 13:04 President Bush puts the US Militiary on Force Protection Condition Delta (High Alert).
- 13:27 Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams declares a state of emergency.
- 16:00 News Outlets report that “officials” are stating that Osama Bin Laden is suspect number one.
- 16:25 The NYSE, NASDAQ, and American Stock Exchange report that will remain closed on September 12th.
- 17:20 7 World Trade Center collapses.
- 18:00 The Last US Bound flight lands in Vancouver, Canada.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of events, but it will suffice. Now, to the major events since the 9/11 attacks.
2001
2002
- January 8th, President Bush signs the No Child Left Behind Act.
- January 16th, The Assets of Osama Bin Laden are frozen.
- February 1st, American Journalist Daniel Pearl is killed in Pakistan.
- February 8th, The 2002 Olympics Games are held as scheduled.
- February 13th, Rudy Giuliani receives an honorary knighthood.
- April 2nd, Israeli forces besiege The church of Nativity.
- May 10th, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life for selling Secrets to Moscow.
- May 26th, Mars Odyssey finds large water ice deposits.
- July 21st, Worldcom files for bankruptcy.
- August 12th, US Airways declares bankruptcy.
- October 9th, the ‘Dot-Com-Bubble’ hits rock bottom.
- October 16th, the Iraq War Resolution is authorized by the US Congress.
- November 8th, The UN Security Council approves forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm.
- November 25th, President Bush signs the Homeland Security Act, thus creating the Department of Homeland Security.
- December 9th, United Airlines files for bankruptcy.
2003
- March 19th, The United States invades Iraq.
- April 9th, US Forces seize Baghdad, ending the rein of Saddam Hussein.
- May 1st, President Bush declares the end of major combat in Iraq.
- May 23rd, Dewey, the first deer to be cloned is born.
- June 4th, Martha Stewart is indicted in an insider trading scandal.
- July 23rd, Operation Warrior Sweep, first military deployment of the Afghan National Army commences.
- October 5th, Israeli warplanes strike inside Syrian Territory.
- December 20th, Libya admits to building a nuclear bomb.
2004
- February 4th, Facebook is founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- March 31st, Four American contractors are killed and mutlitated after being ambushed n Fallujah, Iraq.
- April 29th, The last Oldsmobile rolls off the assembly line.
- May 12th, American contractor Nick Berg is shown being decapitated by Al-Qaida.
- May 24th, North Korea bans mobile phones.
- June 11th, Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
- June 16th, The “9/11 Commission” issues its preliminary report.
- June 28th, the US-led coalition that is occupying Iraq transfers sovereignty to an Iraqi Interim Government.
- June 30th, Preliminary hearings begin in the trial of Saddam Hussein for war crimes.
- July 4th, Groundbreaking for the Freedom Tower begins at Ground Zero in New York City.
- August 3rd, The Statue of Liberty is reopened to tourists after being closed on September 11th, 2001.
- August 13th, The 2004 Summer Olympics open.
- August 29th, 200,000 protestors demonstrate against George W. Bush.
- September 22nd, The TV Series Lost airs its pilot episode.
- October 20th, The Linux Distribution, Ubuntu, is first released.
- November 7th, US Forces launch a major assault on Fallujah.
- November 13th, Fallujah is occupied by US Forces.
- November 14th, Colin Powell submits his resignation.
- December 8th, Lenovo announces plans to purchase IBM’s global PC business.
- December 13th, Oracle and PeopleSoft agree to merge in a $10.3 Billion deal.
- December 16th, Symantec Corp signs an agreement to merge with Veritas.This was a bad deal for Veritias..
- December 26th, A 9.3 Magnitude earthquake strikes off the cost of India, killing 230,000 people.
2005:
- January 30th, The First free Parliamentary elections are held in Iraq.
- April 9th, Tens of Thousands march in protest of the US Occupation of Iraq.
- May 16th, George Galloway appears before the US Senate to answer allegations of profiteering in the Iraqi Oil-for-food program.
- June 28th, Operation Red Wing fails.
- July 6th, The International Olympic Committee awards the 2012 Summer Olympics to London.
- July 7th, Four Terrorist attacks occur in London.
- September 26th, US Army Reservist Lynndie England is convicted on six counts of abuse in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.
2006:
- January 1st, Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
- January 27th, Celebrations are held for the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
- February 10th, The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy open.
- April 5th, A Swan with Avian Flu is discovered in Scotland.
- June 28th, Israel launches an offensive against militants in Gaza, dubbed Operation Summer Rains.
- August 24th, THe International Astronomical Union defines ‘planet’, hence demoting Pluto to a rock.
- November 5th, President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, is sentenced to Death.
- November 15th, Al Jazeera launches it’s English Language News Channel, Al Jazeera English.
- December 30th, Saddam Hussein is executed.
2006:
- January 14th, The Red Cross adopts the Red Crystal for overseas operations.
- February 13th, North Korea agrees to shutdown its nuclear operations.
- March 23rd, Iran seizes Royal Navy personnel.
- April 4th, Iran announces that they will release the captured Royal Navy personnel.
- July 21st, The final Harry Potter Book is released.
- August 4th, The Phoenix spacecraft launches toward the Martian north pole.
- October 28th, The Vatican beatifies 498 Spanish victims of religious persecution during the Spanish Civil war.
- November 5th, The Writers Guild of America strikes.
- December 19th, Time announces that Vladamir Putin is the Time Person of the Year.
2008:
- January 2nd, The price of petroleum hits $100 per barrel.
- January 21st, Stock Markets around the world plunge fears of a US Recession.
- February 19th, Fidel Castro announces his resignation as President of Cuba.
- March 19th, An exploding star that is halfway across the universe is visible.
- May 25th, The Phoenix Spacecraft becomes the first to land on the northern pole region of Mars.
- June 27th, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, steps down to pursue philanthropic ventures.
- August 8th, The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China opens.
- August 17th, Michael Phelps surpasses Mark Spitz in Gold Medals won at a single Olympics.
- September 15th, Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
- October 3rd, President Bush signs the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act to create a $700 Billion Treasury fund to purchased failed bank assets.
- October 29th, Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines merge to create the largest commercial airline.
- November 4th, The United States elects its First Black President, Barack Obama.
- December 5th, Human remains found in 1991 are identified as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
- December 16th, Ruins of the ancient Wari city are discovered in Northern Peru.
2009:
- January 3rd, Israel admitted to NATO.
- April 24th, The World Health Organization expresses swine flue” is labeled as a global pandemic.
- August 4th, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il pardons two US journalists after they illegally entered North Korea.
- October 2nd, The International Olympic Committee awards the 2016 Olympics to Rio De Janeiro.
- October 20th, European astronomers discover 32 exoplanets.
- November 20th, CERN restarts the Large Hadron Collider.
- December 16th, Astronomers discover the first-known exoplanet on which water could exist.
2010:
- January 12th, A 7.6 Maginitude Earthquake strikes Haiti, killing 230,000 people.
- February 12, The 2010 Winter Olympics open in Vancouver, Canada.
- March 16th, The Kasubi Tombs are destroyed by fire.
- April 14th, Volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull, in Iceland disrupts air traffic across Europe.
- April 20th, The Deepwater Horizon oil platform explodes causing a massive oil spill.
- May 7th, Scientists conducting the Neaderthal genome project determine that Neanderthals and humans interbred.
- May 20th, Scientists announce the creation of a functional synthetic genome.
- July 25th, Wikileaks releases 90,000 internal reports bout the War in Afghanistan.
- August 10th, The World Health Organization declares the H1N1 pandemic over.
- November 17th, CERN traps antimatter.
- November 28th, Wikileaks release 250,000 diplomatic cables.
2011:
- February 11th, Egyptian President Mubarak resigns due to protests.
- March 11th, A 9.1 Magnitude earthquake and tsunami strikes the east of Japan.
- March 17th, The United Nations Security Council votes to create a no-fly zone over Libya.
- April 29th, Two billion people watch the Wedding of Prince William.
- May 26th, US President Barack Obama announces that Osama Bin Laden killed.
- July 20th, The United Nations declares a famine in Southern Somalia.
- July 21st, Space Shuttle Atlantis lands concluding the Space Shuttle program.
- August 22nd, Libyan Rebels enter Tripoli.
- August 24th, Steve Jobs resigns as the CEO of Apple, Inc.
The previous listing is just a snippet of each year for what has happened since the attacks on September 11th, 2011. Guess what, life continued and other significant events did occur. I do not intend to minimize the significance of the 9/11 attacks. Quite the contrary. The attacks on 9/11 had significant impact on the United States, its policies, and even the way air safety is handled.
Since 9/11, the United States has formed the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) which is a euphemism for the Transportation Restriction Agency. The TSA has added to the travel time since travelers now want to get to the security checkpoints at least 75 minutes before their flight to make sure that they can make their flight.
New security measures have been placed in airports across the United States. Can one say that by implementing these new procedures that it has stopped new terrorism attempts? No, they cannot. There have been a few incidents where potential plots have been able to pass security checkpoints. It is now to the point where you cannot bring anything on the plane except for clothes, a laptop, headphones and potentially drinks that are purchased after the security checkpoint at significant premiums.
Despite these travel restrictions life has continued. After the initial reporting many people felt as though it was taboo to discuss 9/11 because it would bring up memories of the day. Over time however, feelings changed and media began to memorialize the event. The most significant contributions have come through songs. Below is a list of songs, by no means comprehensive, that commemorate 9/11.
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) by Alan Jackson
Have You Forgotten? by Darryl Worley
Arlington by Bumper of My SUV by Chely Wright
Toby Keith
- American Solider
- Ballad of Balad
- Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)
Many songs remained patriotic, others took stances against the War in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most Notable of those who were affected were the Dixie Chicks. At a Concert in London in 2003 lead vocalist Natalie Maines stated “we don’t want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States [George W. Bush] is from Texas”. This statement brought them some significant flack from United States concert goers. To the point where their concert attendance was cut in half because they were considered “unpatriotic” for their sentiments and stance against the war. While one can understand why they were against the war, they should not have been persecuted for their beliefs. I find it ironic that they were persecuted for their beliefs, and yet that’s why many of America’s ancestor’s left Great Britain.
Music has not been the only media to portray or investigate the events after 9/11.
As with the songs, this is no where near the complete list of 9/11, and post 9/11-event related films. There have been many documentaries regarding the attacks that include “Flight 77″ and numerous other films.
I was going to put a list of notable Deaths since 9/11 in the next section, but I decided against it. Needless to say, there have been many people who have passed on since the 9/11 attacks. Many of them were unable to see how the world has survived since 9/11. There have been many authors, television producers, film directors, and musicians whom were never able to partake in a memorial film, song, or show to commemorate the ability of the United States to survive such a horrendous act.
To many who lost loved ones on 9/11, September 11th will also be a bittersweet day. They will mourn the loss, remember the good times, and hopefully, be able to move on. The Tenth anniversary is always somewhat of a time to reflect and to possibly predict what the future holds.
Since the events of 9/11/01 there have been many changes. Some have been positive, others not so much. Regardless of the consequence of the changes many felt an urge to do their part to fight the injustice that was caused by the attacks. Some people felt the need to join the Red Cross, while other joined the military. As a result of the attacks, over 6,000 fatalities have occurred due to the military conflicts. 4,442 because of Operation Iraqi Freedom and 1,584 in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The cost has been too high.
I know many of the military personnel are doing as they are told, because it is their job to not question orders. But I do wonder how many lives have been needlessly lost by entering into the wars. I do not disagree that it was needed to find those responsible and gain retribution, but the manner in which it was undertaken was the wrong approach. In addition to the countless civilian casualties that have occurred as a result of the two wars.
I am not saying that I know of a more strategic alternative nor do I claim to know everything. Despite this, as an American I am appalled at the way the wars have been, and continue to be, fought.
Despite my misgivings of the way the wars have been handled, I do have to thank those who have served, continue to serve, and will serve for maintaining the freedom that the United States, however dwindling, does enjoy. Your service will not be forgotten. In addition to the service men and women, I do have to thank the Heroes who have died protecting the Freedom that we do enjoy. Their lives were not lost in vain, but were sacrificed for the greater good, and they should be commemorated as heroes.
While the military personnel generally receive all of the credit, the true Heroes of September 11th, 2001 were the New York City Fire Department (NYFD), the New York Police Department (NYPD) as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). These were the men and women who rushed into the towers and into harms way to rescue and assist as many people as they were capable of helping. These were the ones who never thought twice about heading into danger, no matter the consequences. These are the true heroes of 9/11.
Tags: 9/11/01, Daily Run Down, edition, September 11th 2011, special, Special Editon