Yes I was 11 too came home from high school and thought was a sombre boring film my dad was watching, then went to my room to find it on every channel and going to parents upset not understanding what was happening
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I was at home with my baby, and my husband called to tell me that a plane had hit the World Trade Centre tower. I thought that maybe a pilot in a light aircraft had a heart attack or something, so when I switched the news on to see the tower in flames, I couldn't believe it. That's when the news of the second plane hitting the other tower came in. I just stood in front of the tv with my mouth open, it was such a shocking sight.
Over the course of the day, it just got worse. There was talk of the Canary Wharf tower being a possible danger zone, (I live quite near there) and as the planes were being grounded, any aircraft noise going over my house was really freaking me out. The City airport planes fly quite low over my place, and I can remember watching planes in the sky and feeling very nervous. My best friend lives in Cornwall, we were on the phone to each other for much of the day and she told me to just chuck some stuff in the car and come down to hers, where we would be safer. It sounds silly now, but London was seen as a legitimate target, it really did feel like a war had started and no-one knew what was going to happen.
Seeing those poor people jumping out of the windows was the absolute worst for me. That's what made me cry, I just couldn't believe what I was watching. It was an absolutely awful day.
Over the course of the day, it just got worse. There was talk of the Canary Wharf tower being a possible danger zone, (I live quite near there) and as the planes were being grounded, any aircraft noise going over my house was really freaking me out. The City airport planes fly quite low over my place, and I can remember watching planes in the sky and feeling very nervous. My best friend lives in Cornwall, we were on the phone to each other for much of the day and she told me to just chuck some stuff in the car and come down to hers, where we would be safer. It sounds silly now, but London was seen as a legitimate target, it really did feel like a war had started and no-one knew what was going to happen.
Seeing those poor people jumping out of the windows was the absolute worst for me. That's what made me cry, I just couldn't believe what I was watching. It was an absolutely awful day.
I remember I had skipped college that morning and walked to my best mates bedsit, she was on holiday and gave me a spare key. I sat down with a cuppa and switched on the tv, the news was on and the first tower was up in smoke, as I was watching, the second plane came into view and hit the second tower. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and actually thought at one point that it must be a film or something. Just unbelievable. The people falling from the towers will haunt me forever.
Are you me? I honestly could have written this. Same age, same reason for turning on the TV, saw the second plane hit and the utter stunned silence of the broadcasters. I didn't move from our sofa until my dad came home from work about 4pm.I remember it quite vividly too. I was 17 and watching the end of Neighbours (lunchtime ep), when the credits cut to the image of the second plane heading for the south tower, I saw it hit live, unbelievable!
I honestly thought they’d mistakenly put a disaster film on! It was so surreal!
I was in my final year of school and 9/11 really felt like it marked a shift from me being a child to adulthood. Such an awful thing to happen.
There's a documentary featuring children who parent(s) died in the attacks. Being a mother now, I don't think I could bring myself to watch it.
I was in secondary school and went to my nan and grandads after school. My mum arrived at their house and told us to immediately put the news on as a plane had flew into the two towers, we then watched the news and footage in utter shock 
such a terrible and tragic day. Can’t believe it’s been 20 years!
such a terrible and tragic day. Can’t believe it’s been 20 years!
Wow, I was upper 6th but can’t quite recall why I wasn’t at school that day!
It was horrific, yes I didn’t leave the TV for the rest of that day, I can remember it like it was yesterday! Such a beautiful autumnal day. Those 20 years have certainly gone by in the blink of an eye!
I did see a snippet of that, I turned it off as it was just too sad! Might have to revisit it another day.
I was in a double period of GCSE French and the teacher wheeled the TV in (doesn't that make you realise it was 20 years ago!) so we could watch the news unfold. We still didn't really grasp what was really going on (thought it was an accident or something). So I continued down the road afterwards to my music lesson, walked into the music centre and there wasn't a soul about. Went upstairs to find all the staff and pupils in the staff room glued to the TV, and that's where I saw the second plane hit. We all just sat there the rest of the afternoon until parents came to pick us up.
I'll never forget the events of that day and I can't believe it's been 20 years.
I also remember every plane across the world being grounded and all the security around hand luggage being introduced in the following days. 20 years on, we still don't take liquids in hand luggage - I wonder if people too young to remember 9/11 realise that's why?
I'm now a secondary school teacher and it always surprises me every year to realise that the kids I'm teaching weren't even born when it happened (they're always curious and asking questions about it when the anniversary comes round).
I'll never forget the events of that day and I can't believe it's been 20 years.
I also remember every plane across the world being grounded and all the security around hand luggage being introduced in the following days. 20 years on, we still don't take liquids in hand luggage - I wonder if people too young to remember 9/11 realise that's why?
I'm now a secondary school teacher and it always surprises me every year to realise that the kids I'm teaching weren't even born when it happened (they're always curious and asking questions about it when the anniversary comes round).
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I was 22 and had just moved back to the UK from university in NYC. I changed subway train at the WTC every morning at 8.45am when I lived there. We went to swing nights in Windows on the World on the last Friday of the month. The WTC was the main view from our dining room window. I still find it hard on the anniversary, it fact it's got more upsetting year on year, and the first few times I was back in NY it was like a hole had been ripped in the skyline as well as the ground. I kept getting lost in lower Manhattan, in streets I'd walked down all the time, because I'd always used the towers to navigate and they were gone. Overhearing tourists gleefully talk about visiting Ground Zero in the same breath as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty when active recovery of remains was still taking place made me break down on the subway.
I spent most of the day itself on the phone to friends from uni who were back in the UK, it was impossible to get hold of anyone in the city. I only knew one of my friends who worked in the building was alive because he was interviewed in the British press the next day, he'd overslept and would have got to his office at 9.15 but it was all cordoned off. It was 4 days before everyone I knew was accounted for. My closest friend lived about 15 blocks away and is convinced he'll die prematurely because of the dust he inhaled that day, that week, that month. I don't really like thinking about it, but I know it's important to remember everyone who was lost, or lost someone, or even lost a part of themselves that day.
I spent most of the day itself on the phone to friends from uni who were back in the UK, it was impossible to get hold of anyone in the city. I only knew one of my friends who worked in the building was alive because he was interviewed in the British press the next day, he'd overslept and would have got to his office at 9.15 but it was all cordoned off. It was 4 days before everyone I knew was accounted for. My closest friend lived about 15 blocks away and is convinced he'll die prematurely because of the dust he inhaled that day, that week, that month. I don't really like thinking about it, but I know it's important to remember everyone who was lost, or lost someone, or even lost a part of themselves that day.
I was 11 and remember watching it on my Grandma's TV in her living room. I definitely didn't take in what was happening at the time.
I was at home trying to have a siesta when a friend knocked and said a Plane flew into a towering NY. I put the tv on and all the stations were showing the live footage. I don’t recall if the second plane had hit yet. I was living in Cyprus we only had a few tv stations in Greek and an Egyptian station. I don’t remember the detail but I know the reporting was quite different to the UK/US output, I feel it was more objective and less emotional. I have been watching all the tv shows I can find things were so different 20 years ago. I was caught up in 7/7 in London so when I see the WTC and streets of NY I get that same feeling of dread in my stomach- knowing tit has gone down but not what it is, no transport, no phone signal.
I was at work in a Jobcentre. I remember someone phoning from another office to tell us but it didn't seem real until I got home and saw it for myself. Me and my sister sat and watched without moving for the whole night. A lady from work was over there and a friend was flying out that day, she got redirected to Nova Scotia.
I went to Ground Zero when I did NYC and our tour guide told us we must do the 911 museum. Its so beautiful and hauntingly done, I cried so many times walking round
I went to Ground Zero when I did NYC and our tour guide told us we must do the 911 museum. Its so beautiful and hauntingly done, I cried so many times walking round
I was 34, I remember my housemate waking me up at around 3am (Australian time) telling me a plane had hit the WTC. I worked in the city at the time and the next day every time a siren went off I tit myself. I was nervous for weeks after that.
There are two on the iPlayer - ‘The President’s War Room’ and ‘Surviving 9/11’. National Geographic and the History Channel normally have documentaries and All 4 (or it might be on Channel 4 again) often show ‘The Falling Man’ which centres on a picture of someone who leapt from one of the towers, and trying to find out who he was.
The President’s War Room was brilliant. Little things I hadn’t thought of - really small things - like technology was so much worse back then but they were saying the equipment in the underground bunker was at least 20 years old. The logistics of trying to get the President to safety when there were still so many planes in the sky and threat of his plane being a target before they even left the runway
I was on holiday with my 4 Yr old grandson on his 1st ever holiday abroad, we came back from the beach and I saw everyone crowded around the TV in the hotel lounge. I wondered why they were all watching a disaster movie. It's only when I saw people crying that I realised what was happening. It was very difficult getting on the plane to go home. We were flying home with BA who used to give you a meal on all flights, we were not allowed to take anything at all on board in case things could be used as a weapon but when they served our meal they gave us metal knife and forks.
I was 16 and in my Biology class. Our science technician came in to tell, I can't remember if just one plane or two had hit. I remember her son was in NYC at the time, so I think she was panicked.
Teacher couldn't get us to focus after that so just sent us home. As we left the building, it was so quiet despite being at lot of people milling around.
Teacher couldn't get us to focus after that so just sent us home. As we left the building, it was so quiet despite being at lot of people milling around.
I was 18 and working in a supermarket on the customer service desk. I found out from customers coming in to tell me for the couple of hours I had left of shift but didn’t realise how awful it was until I got home and put the TV on. The images of falling people was so heartbreaking. I’ve also watched a lot of documentary’s on it over the years.
I was 13. I vaguely remember hearing something about a bomb in America. Walked home from school and when I got in my mum was watching the news. We watched it all afternoon and evening.
I really recommend a new documentary on National Geographic. It’s a 6-part series called 9/11 One Day in America. It’s utterly harrowing but it’s a very detailed look into what and how things unfolded in chronological order, using video footage and survivor’s interviews. Probably the “best” 9/11 documentary I’ve seen for want of a better word.
I really recommend a new documentary on National Geographic. It’s a 6-part series called 9/11 One Day in America. It’s utterly harrowing but it’s a very detailed look into what and how things unfolded in chronological order, using video footage and survivor’s interviews. Probably the “best” 9/11 documentary I’ve seen for want of a better word.
I was 13 and had just got home from school. My brothers year had an inset day so he stayed at home and had the TV on watching the news.
We just sat on the floor in front of the TV watching everything play out. I will never forget the images of seeing people jump from the windows.
I have a much older cousin who lived in NY, her husband at the time worked in one of the towers. My nan was frantic trying to get through to her on the phone. Eventually we found out that he hadn’t gone to work that day but many of his colleagues had passed away.
There’s an interesting series on Netflix at the moment about 9/11 and the origins of the taliban and other groups are also covered.
We just sat on the floor in front of the TV watching everything play out. I will never forget the images of seeing people jump from the windows.
I have a much older cousin who lived in NY, her husband at the time worked in one of the towers. My nan was frantic trying to get through to her on the phone. Eventually we found out that he hadn’t gone to work that day but many of his colleagues had passed away.
There’s an interesting series on Netflix at the moment about 9/11 and the origins of the taliban and other groups are also covered.
