September 11, 2001, is a day held in infamy by the nation, as a series of terrorist attacks were carried out by the terrorist group, al-Queda, targeting the heart of our country. Four planes were targeted by the terrorists: Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77, and Flight 93. As the aircraft crashed, monumental damage was done to the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. There were nearly 3,000 deaths on this fateful day, thousands more were severely injured. In the blink of an eye, the whole world shifted.

7:59 AM - Flight 11 takes off with eleven crew members, seventy-six passengers, and five hijackers on board. 

8:15 AM - Flight 175 takes off with nine crew members, fifty-one passengers, and five hijackers on board.

8:20 AM - Flight 77 takes off with six crew members, fifty-three passengers, and five hijackers on board.

8:42 AM - Flight 93 takes off with seven crew members, thirty-three passengers, and four hijackers are on board. 

8:46 AM - Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower, killing seventy-six passengers and eleven crew members immediately; evacuation begins. 

9:03 AM - Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower killing the fifty-one passengers and nine crew members. 

9:37 AM - Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, killing fifty-three passengers, six crew members, and one hundred twenty-five personnel. 

9:59 AM - The South Tower collapses, killing more than 800 civilians and first responders inside the building

10:03 AM - Flight 93 crashes in a field in Pennsylvania, killing thirty-three passengers and seven crew members

10:15 AM - Collapse of the Pentagon E ring

10:28 AM - Collapse of the North Tower, killing more than 1,600 people

Every year we retell this story in our history classes. Our teachers relive old trauma so that we might understand how monumental such an incident was to our country. This rehashing is so important because the incident caused a strengthening of airport security, changing how we travel, and sparked a vicious era of racism and hate crimes toward Muslims. It is vital that we know how fragile our history is, so we can do better.  Every year we move up a grade, our new teachers share their stories: where they were, how they found out, the chaos that came. With each story, you can see the picture a little clearer. Years ago at our very school, a TV had to be wheeled down to the main lobby so people could watch the news. Everyone’s parents were picking them up. Everyone was trying to call someone. 9/11 hit home. Only 60 miles away. It’s part of us even if we weren’t born yet. We can only know the consequences if we know the history.