Twenty-five years after 9/11: The hours that changed history

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the memories of that day remain etched in the collective consciousness of a generation. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. This timeline is a tribute to those who lost their lives, as well as to the first responders, passengers, crew members and ordinary people whose acts of courage and compassion emerged amid the devastation. What began as a morning of ordinary journeys quickly became a turning point in modern history. The attacks reshaped America’s foreign policy and security apparatus, setting in motion the US-led “War on Terror”, the invasion of Afghanistan and the long wars that followed. It also changed the world's perception of terrorism, borders, surveillance, security, and the meaning of public safety. All of it began that morning, when 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners shortly after they departed from airports in Boston, Massachusetts; Newark, New Jersey; and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Here is how the day unfolded into history.