Terrorism Reference Primary Sources | Cal Fussman

Excerpt from "What I've Learned"

Published in Esquire, January 2002

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked jets hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Just over an hour later, one tower collapsed in a monstrous heap of rubble, followed shortly thereafter by the second. Almost three thousand people died: people aboard the hijacked planes, office workers in the two buildings, and rescuers.

It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States. But there also were thousands of survivors who made their way down stairways and out of the 110-story buildings. Their trip was, in most cases, horrific.

Terrorism has many aspects: the reasons that terrorists launch their attacks, their political or social goals, and the outcome. Victims are also part of the story. The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, suddenly thrust...