9-11-2023 2:15am

Memorial Days in History

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

September 11, 2023 By Anita Johnson-Brown

Today in History usually features events that occurred 25 years ago or more. However, September 11, 2001, is an exception. Following the terrorist attacks that day, staff members at the Library of Congress immediately began collecting a vast amount of original materials related to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as the fate of United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania.

The Library of Congress staff, worked together with many others to document the events and collect an extensive range of materials such as photographs, comic book illustrations, magazines, posters, and fine art, related to 9/11. This collection of materials is now a permanent record of the reactions and responses of ordinary individuals, the heroic efforts of firefighters and rescue workers, and the diverse perspectives of the international community regarding terrorist attacks. The Library’s permanent collections grew to include information on the ongoing recovery efforts, the need for blood donors, TV coverage, the anthrax scare, calls for peace, the bombing of Afghanistan and the relief effort, issues of security, and memorials to the victims. On September 12, 2001, the American Folklife Center appealed to folklorists and ethnographers across the country to document the immediate reactions of average Americans. You can listen to an interview with Heather Coffman of Norman, Oklahoma, conducted on October 22, among others available in the September 11, 2001, Documentary Project.

You can find more information by clicking on the link to search World Trade Center towers