Eighteen years ago, the world changed forever following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States in New York City, Washington, DC, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, that killed nearly 3,000 people. The television and radio broadcast coverage the day of the attacks was extensive, and the following morning, newspaper front pages around the world reported the atrocities of the previous day. (In the days, weeks, months and years that followed that horrific day, newspapers would continue their important work reporting from Ground Zero on the aftermath and ongoing investigations.) The images and headlines captured would themselves become symbols of that day, forever etched in the memories of many Americans.
Headlines screamed that this was “America’s darkest day” and that “Our nation saw evil,” while columnists alternated between claiming, “You can understand why they’re jumping up and down in the streets of Lebanon and Palestine, jubilant in their victory,” and “Americans will never feel quite so safe again. Nor will any of the rest of us, who looked to them to keep us safe, too.”
The Newseum has archived more than 100 newspaper front pages online that show how the world responded on that horrific day. Today, we look back at the news that changed our world — and how the world changed our news — nearly two decades ago.
Video: Wall Street Journal: Events of 9/11 (Newseum)
Editors at The Wall Street Journal recount how the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, affected the newsroom.
Jennifer Peters is former content manager of the News Media Alliance.